Photoplay (Jan-Jun 1963)

Continued from page 45 He was forty-five years old and lived in Glendale, California. He was a man of modest means, a gardener. That is all that is known of him. Elvis also lives in California, in the “millionaire’s paradise,” Bel Air. He is rich, famous and young. But he would gladly give it all up if only Harvey Hensling could be alive today. . . . Foreboding clouds appeared black and ugly in the sky over Southern California that morning of Hensling’s last day on earth. The weatherman had predicted rain, and it hovered in the clouds, sometimes almost coming down and then not. Elvis was on his way to work. But something was wrong. He sensed it as he reported to the set. He didn’t feel up to par. It was the final day’s shooting of “Fun in Acapulco.” Soon he would be free to return home, to his beloved Memphis. There he could enjoy the freedom of strolling Have you a recipe you would like to share with other readers? If you have, send it with your name and address to PHOTOPLAY READER RECIPES, P. O. Box 3960, Grand Central Station, New York 17, New York. We will pay $5.00 for any recipe we publish. down a street without the fear of having his clothes ripped to shreds by souvenirminded fans. There he could dine in a restaurant. In all of Presley’s days in Hollywood he has only dined out twice. Both times nearly had the riot squad out in full force. And even knowing he’d soon be home, he still felt that something was wrong in his world. In “Fun in Acapulco” he plays a trapeze artist who suffers from vertigo following a fatal accident to his brother, a member of the act. Elvis misses a routine catch in the air and the brother falls to his death. Elvis feels responsible. And as a result he’s unable to conquer heights again. Elvis was nervous Director Richard Thorpe and other movie brass wanted Elvis to use a double for the final day’s filming. What remained to be shot was the sequence where Elvis accidentally lets his brother fall to the hard circus floor. By now it was raining outside. Several stage hands around the set noticed that Elvis appeared unnerved as he stepped from his dressing room. They knew that he had done more dangerous stunts than swinging from a trapeze. They were puzzled by his uneasiness. As always, The Boys, numbering an even dozen of Elvis’ buddies from his hometown, weren’t far from his side. Although Elvis has all of them on his payroll, he thinks of them as brothers. They go where he goes. They do what he does. One of them, Red West, married Presley’s secretary a year ago. Elvis was best man. Most of them grew up with Elvis in Memphis. On this day the Presley Boys appeared as happy as ever. Some of them were playing cards outside the dressing rooms. Others were drinking coffee. Now Elvis was ready to work. “If we get this in one take we can be finished with the film by noon,” Thorpe informed Elvis. “Just take your time, though, and be careful.” Apparently the director’s words were enough to break Elvis’ tension. He smiled, and even was laughing as he climbed a ladder to the trapeze platform, some twenty feet above the floor. Just in case he slipped during the performance there was a net beneath. However, it still took a keen element of skill since not all the areas Elvis would swing over were covered. “Remember,” Thorpe called to his star. “Take no chances.” On another platform across the moviemade arena stood Jerry Summers. Jerry is a veteran Hollywood stuntman, and was set to take the “fatal” fall called for in the script. He plays the brother. Jerry was wearing white circus tights and in many ways resembled Presley. From a distance, the two could be mistaken for twins when dressed alike. They were having trouble getting the proper lighting for the scene. And, waiting, Elvis stood motionless on the platform. Suddenly a quiver of fear swept over him. The expression on his face changed. Obviously, his thoughts were thousands of miles away. Years away. And they were all thoughts of death. Death already had played a tragic role in Elvis’ life. More than two decades ago his mother gave birth to twin boys. The first to be born died only minutes after entering this world. Elvis lived. And why was he picked to live? This he could never figure out. He finally stopped trying. Only God knows, Elvis told himself over and over again. Now, in a way, it was painful to him that he would be responsible for his brother’s death, even though it was only for a movie. Elvis grabbed the trapeze swing on the platform. He saw that they were about ready to start filming. Oddly, he felt no fear himself. Only the fear of past tragedies. He recalled losing the dearest woman in his life to the clutches of the unknown. When his mother died a few years ago, he wept for days. There’s still emptiness in his heart over her death. The red stage light burst into brightness as Thorpe called for action. Elvis confidently pushed himself off into space, holding the swing bar tightly in his hands. He swung to and fro so professionally that one would think he belonged with Barnum and Bailey instead of Paramount. Denied another brother As the cameras were grinding, Elvis looped his legs over the bar, his arms and torso swinging free. Now the stuntman was swinging on his trapeze. The fatal meeting was only seconds away. Now Elvis began to think of how he was robbed by death of another real brother. When his father, Vernon Presley, had married again Elvis was pleased. He knew how much his father had loved his mother. 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