all the king's women # 31 - suzanna leigh

Suzanna Leigh was born on July 26, 1945 in Belgrave, England, where she later attended convent school. her first film gig was as an extra in Tom Thumb (1958), followed by a small role in Oscar Wilde (1960) with Robert Morley. in 1965, producer Hal Wallis saw some photos of Suzanna dressed as Madame Du Barry for a London costume ball which tickled his fancy, so he signed her to a contract. Leigh's first Hollywood role came in Boeing Boeing (1965), starring Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis.


Suzanna's next venture with Wallis would bring her to work with the king himself in one of my favourite of his films: Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1965). this is not one of Elvis' shining moments, to say the least, but there is a kitschy charm to this one that never fails to delight me.


the second of three king flicks filmed in Hawaii, there is little to no plot to follow as Elvis travels the country wooing wahinis and singing god-awful songs to children and dogs along the way. Suzanna plays Elvis' assistant Judy Hudson who pretends to be married to the king in order to help him ward off unwanted advances from lusty clients of their helicopter touring business :)


soon after working with Elvis, Suzanna returned to her movie career in England, appearring mostly in chillers, such as The Deadly Bees (1967) and Lust for a Vampire (1971).


in 1998, Suzanna published an autobiography entitled Paradise, Suzanna Style. [*snicker*]

remembering a king

an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 fans gathered outside Graceland last night on the eve of the 34th anniversay of Elvis Presley's death. thousands more are expected for tonight's candle light vigil - a testimony to the breadth and endurance of his legacy. i know it may seem silly, given that Elvis died when i was but a babe in arms, but today, as on every 16th of August, i am saddened by his passing. my heart goes out to Priscilla and Lisa Marie, and to the grandchildren he would never know. his sacrifice was heavy. it is for this and for his extraordinary gifts that thousands remember and return to say thank you. [click here for crowd photos source]

all the king's women #30 - donna douglas

actress Donna Douglas was born in Pride, Louisiana in 1933. a self described 'tom boy' and animal lover, Donna related to the character she would become most associated with - that of Elly May Clampett on TV's The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971).

Douglas was married shortly after highschool to Roland Bourgeois Jr. and had a son, Danny. within a few short years, the two were divorced and after winning a couple of beauty contests, Donna moved to New York to begin her career in television.


in 1965, during a Beverly Hillbillies summer hiatus, Donna began working with Elvis on Frankie and Johnny (1966), a script modeled from the lyrics of a folk tune. Elvis played Johnny, an 1890's river boat entertainer with a suspiciously modern hairdo and a gambling problem.


[note: as this series progresses, given that we're moving chronologically through Elvis' film career, you may notice an undeniable funk beginning to eminate from some of the movies made after 1965. though i myself would liken such funk to that of a well aged and delicious cheese, Frankie & Johnny is particularly stinky even to my nose.]

when Beverly Hillbillies was over, Donna got her real estate licence as a security measure, but spent most of her later career as a gospel singer, recording several albums, and public speaker, often making appearances in her trademark Elly May costume.



Donna has also written a children's book titled Donna's Critters & Kids: Children's Stories with a Bible Touch.

third helping

here, have some more :)

i dare you not to swoon

there is no excuse for my lack of posting as of late, other than the burgeoning spring. stick with me my dear readers, i'll be back to my regular schedule in no time, i promise! in the meantime, here's a video treat - a young and otherworldly beautiful Elvis performing live on television for the first time after his return from the army. ole blue eyes' speach is dubbed in spanish, but this was the clearest version i could find on youtube :) tell me you don't swoon when you watch this. i won't believe you. i don't care who y'are.

all the king's women #27 - shelley fabares

Shelley Fabares has been acting since she was 3 years old, and first became famous for her role in the long running 60s sitcom The Donna Reed Show. the attention this role brought Shelley -life long friend of Annette Funicello- the opportunity to record two top forty hits, one of which (Johnny Angel) climbed to number one on the billboard charts in 1962.

in 1963, Shelley took a break from television to pursue a career in film. it was during this time that she appeared in Ride the Wild Surf with Barbara Eden and Susan Hart...

and not one, but three Elvis films: Girl Happy (1965), Spinout(1966) and Clambake(1967). Elvis once said that Shelley was his favourite actress to work with. perhaps because they shared an interest in music as well as acting?

Fabares returned to television in the 70s, appearing in numerous shows and made-for-tv movies. some of my readers may be a bit young to remember, but Shelley is probably most know for her role in the tv series Coach with Craig T. Nelson :)

Shelley married record producer Lou Adler in 1964, but the couple separated two years later and were divorced in 1980. in 1984, Fabares married actor Mike Farrell (B.J from M.a.s.h.) and is stepmother to his two children, Erin and Michael.

in October 2000, Shelley received a life-saving liver transplant after being diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis.

shame on me

January 8 has come and gone and i've neglected to post my annual birthday salutation to the greatest entertainer who ever lived. shame on me. two days ago would have been Elvis' 76th birthday. in honour of the king, here are some of my favourite rare photos. happy belated birthday Elvis!

all the king's women #26 - joan freeman

Joan Freeman was born on January 8, 1942 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. she appeared in her first film at the age of seven, and continued in minor film and television roles from then on. Freeman is known primarily for her roles in two musical films: Roustabout (1964) starring the king himself, and The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967) starring Roy Orbison. she made a number of television guest appearances from the 1950s to the 1980s, and her last film performance was as Mrs. Jarvis in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

in Roustabout - Elvis' 16th film and, as i see it, the one that marks the beginning of a serious decline in quality- Joan plays Elvis' love interest, Cathy, who helps run the roadside carnival which Elvis is stuck in until his motorcycle is fixed ('nother heavy plot :). the film is full of god awful novelty songs and obligatory karate chops, but still has a certain charm, rolled up in lines like “You could get a little closer. I give off a lot of body heat.”

shortly after Roustabout, Joan married Frank C. Beetson Jr., in Los Angeles. she and Beetson would divorce in 1967, and Joan would later marry formula-one driver turned director Bruce Kessler, to whom she is still married. the couple are avid sailors, frequently traveling the world in their boat, and were featured on an on-line boating site called TrawlerWorld.com.

all the king's women #25 - Barbara Stanwyck

the legendary Barbara Stanwyck was born Ruby Catherine Stevens in Brooklyn, NewYork on July 16, 1907. when Ruby was only 4 years old, her mother was killed by a drunk stranger who pushed her from a moving streetcar. two weeks after her mother's funeral, Ruby's father joined a work crew digging the Panama Canal and was never heard from again. she and her brother Byron were raised by their sister Mildred, who was just five years older than Ruby. Mildred found a job as a showgirl to support her siblings.




Ruby had always dreamed of being in show business and when she was 16, she auditioned for a place in the chorus at the Strand Roof, a night club over the Strand Theatre in Times Square. a few months later she was working as a Ziegfeld girl in the famous Ziegfeld Follies. for several years Ruby performed as a chorus girl from midnight to 7am, occasionally working as a dance instructor at a speakeasy.




in 1926, playwright Willard Mack was looking to cast a real chorus girl to play the part of a fictional chorus girl in one of his plays. he chose Ruby, who adopted the stage name Barbara Stanwyck for the production. the play was a great success and rave reviews for Barbara led to a Hollywood screen test and subsequent contract. Stanwyck went on to make 93 films before moving to the small screen in 1964, the most notable of which being Stella Dallas (1937) and Double Indemnity (1944).



it seems a bit silly to be writing of Barbara's connection with Elvis, given that it was but a drop in the pail of her illustrious career, but that is the point of this series, so i may as well...
in 1964, in her second to last film role, Barbara brought a touch of class to an otherwise mediocre movie [and remember, i adore Elvis movies, but this is not one of my favourites] when she played Maggie Morgan, a carnie matriarch, in Elvis' Roustabout. Elvis was a life long movie fan and was reportedly overjoyed to be sharing the screen with Stanwyck.



in fact, in researching for this post, what struck me is that everyone who worked with Barbara seemed to be overjoyed. Stanwyck was known for her accessibility and kindness to the backstage crew on film sets. she knew the names of their wives and children, and asked after them by name. legendary director Frank Capra, who worked with Barbara on numerous films, said she was "destined to be beloved by all directors, actors, crews and extras. In a Hollywood popularity contest she would win first prize hands down."



often called "The Best Actress Who Never Won an Oscar", Barbara retired in 1986 after a twenty year successful television career. she died on January 20, 1990 at the age of 82. her ashes are scattered in Lone Pine, California.