Modern Screen (Jan-Dec 1960)

It began the day that England's Cliff Richard first heard a new record called Heartbreak Hotel. Elvis Presley was more than just an original new singer to Cliff; he was pioneering the kind of music that Cliff himself intended to make his way of life. And whenever Elvis issued a new disc, Cliffs family knew it wouldn't leave their gramophone for weeks. By the time rock V roll star Cliff Richard had become Britain's answer to Elvis, he prized every Presley disc ever issued. Cliff didn't even mind the criticism that he was a complete imitation of the "King of Rock." When El was stationed in Germany, Cliff became determined to meet his only idol. But he had been voted Britain's most promising new singing star, and with numbers like Livin' Doll and Travelin' Light topping the British hit parade, he was never left time for vacations in Germany or anywhere else. So Cliff wrote a fan letter: / hope to visit Germany soon, and when 1 do, could you possibly spare the time to see me? A month later the reply came. Eagerly Cliff studied the Bad Nauheim postmark and ripped the envelope open. It contained one postcard picture of Elvis — and that was all. My letter must, have been handled with all the usual fan mail, thought Cliff. For surely if Elvis himself of Cliff Richard. He decided Finally Cliff got a vacation course. But at Elvis' house, a the door. "You'll have to see if you want to see him." said she's making appointments They managed to get El's that proved just as fruitless. Richard?" said a voice at "So what do you want — an Cliff left, disillusioned. X read it he would have heard to forget all about it. . . . — and went to Germany, of military policeman guarded Corporal Presley's secretary the soldier. "But I warn you. for a month ahead at least." phone number, but calling "You're a singer called Cliff the other end of the line, audition?" Not long after Cliff got . a bid to do a tour in America with Frankie Avalon. He was thrilled — but worried, too. Maybe they'd be as unimpressed with him as they were in Germany. A half an hour before take-off a telegram arrived for him at the airport. All his worries disappeared. The wire read: DEAR CLIFF, I HOPE YOU'LL FORGIVE OUR BAD MANNERS RECENTLY. I UNDERSTAND YOU CAME TO BAD NAUHEIM SPECIALLY TO SEE ME, AND WHEN YOU CALLED. SOMEONE WHO SHOULD HAVE KNOWN A WHOLE LOT BETTER ACTED AS IF HE'D NEVER HEARD OF YOU. I CAN ONLY APOLOGIZE. I'VE WATCHED YOUR PROGRESS ALL THE TIME AND HAVE LIKED YOUR RECORDS A LOT. I HOPE WHEN I GET OUT OF THE ARMY WE CAN GET TOGETHER SOMETIME AND I CAN MAKE UP FOR YOUR LAST VISIT. MEANWHILE. HAVE A BALL IN THE STATES. I KNOW THE AMERICAN AUDIENCES WILL LIKE YOU A LOT. YOUR BOY, ELVIS P.S. They did, too! — and especially his new film Expresso Bongo. Elvis' latest film is Paramount's G.I. Blues. telling us "The South will rise again.' " Debbie's oldest and best friend is Jea ette Johnson. She's a gym teacher at Gle. dale High School. They have known et other since they were ten. "Jeanette is busier than I am," says De bie. "She's always sponsoring dances clubs or something. It has gotten to be joke between us. I call her up and s; 'How about having dinner with me t night, or do you have a meeting of t Hi-Y Tri-Y Sky-Hi or something?'" Another close friend is Camille Williar. whom she has known since she was thj teen . She is also busy; as part of D Dailey's dance troupe she is rehearsing traveling most of the time. "All three of us are really close frien even though we sometimes don't see ea other too often," Debbie explains. "It tal years to make friends like that. "With true friends, you don't have see each other all the time. We have arrange our schedules so we can get t gether. But when we do, it's as if we h just seen each other yesterday. Recen1 all three of us were together for the fi time in a year. We didn't talk about wl happened to us a year ago. We said, 'We what did you do yesterday?' " Debbie's best friend among her fellc performers is Marge Champion. The again, the friendship dates back to wh they made Give a Girl a Break for MG "I didn't get to know her very well thei Debbie says, "because we were both ve busy with our careers. Later, we each h a baby at the same time and we becai fast friends. Marge is a wonderful perse so warm and understanding. "Now our children are very close, t< Gregg Champion is Carrie's boyfriend, a they both admit it. He talks to her on t phone from New York and says, 'Canwhy don't you take a plane and come a see me?' She answers, 'Why don't y come and see me?' " Nowadays, Debbie could afford to e nightly at Romanoffs. But do you kne what she likes best? Mexican food. E chiladas, tacos, fried beans, tortillas, cb rellenos, tamales — the whole works. "I've always loved Mexican food bes she says. "Another passion of mine is bla olives. I'm mad about 'em. When I little girl, I used to save up my money buy black olives because we usual couldn't afford them." She still doesn't smoke or drink — "ma be a little red wine with dinner. But whi ky or any hard liquor — just the smell of makes me ill." Another item: she still goes to Sund school every Sunday. Now she atten with daughter Carrie. There they are: the arguments th Debbie hasn't changed. You'll hear oth testimony to the contrary. There are the who claim she has lost her sweetness, citi her performance with Jack Paar as an e ample. But Debbie was never really swe in the manner that Ann Blyth is, thou many writers tried to sentimentalize De bie's early romance with Eddie. Her cutting up with Paar was no di ferent from her riotous Miss Burbank co test imitations that began her fame. Debbie will go on leading the same li the only kind she has known. "I don't think I've changed in anythL that is really important," she says. "I li the way I do because I like it this way. may seem dull to a lot of people. But isn't dull to me. I hope people will unde stand. I pray they'll understand. Yes, I' changed, but not in any way that's de> and important . . . not one bit." El Debbie stars in Paramount's The Plea ure Of His Company; guests in Colur. bia's Pepe.