Elvis: The best of times
Presley's precious moments recaptured on film & in an old pal's memory.
By Walter Baran & Chris Bell

The heart, mind and bedroom of Elvis Presley have always been closed to his fans -- until now. When ABC's film version of Priscilla Presley's Elvis and Me airs on Feb. 7 and 8, that will all change,. Viewers will see an exact replica of the Graceland lair where Elvis hid from the world -- the bedroom with its heavy red drapes (always shut), blood-red carpets, padded black walls and three 16-in. color TVs, two of which are imbedded in the naugahyde ceiling above the custom-made, king-size bed.
The film, which stars unknowns Dale Midkiff, 28, as Elvis, and Susan Walters, 24, as Priscilla, unveils the Presley legend.
It details his superstar career and captures the most precious moments of his life, including his marriage to Priscilla and their first moments with baby Lisa Marie.
Priscilla wanted the $8-million movie based on her best-selling autobiography, to be true to life. As one of the producers, she used her powerful influence to unlock the doors to Elvis' boudoir, which had been shut even to family members since his death on Aug. 16, 1977.
It was an experience that staggered producer Robert Lovenheim. He feels that to an inexperienced Priscilla, it must have seemed a fantasyland. "But to us, " he says, "it was more bizarre than Priscilla would ever think. She looked at it very differently.
"At the time, she may have perceived Elvis as wonderful, but for the film, you had to create a character who wasn't always the lovable rock idol we know, but a man directed by his own inner haunts and ghosts." Lovenheim and director Larry Peerce visited other little-known places in Elvis' home. "There's and attic in Graceland, and we have scenes there," says Lovenheim.
"In there was every piece of clothing his mother, Gladys, owned. Elvis never threw out anything. A lot of who he was is tied up with his haunting memory of his mother." Producers had to re-create both Graceland and parts of Wiesbaden, Germany -- where Elvis served in the Army and met Priscilla -- in a warehouse in Culver City, California, and in Quebec City, Canada.
Dale Midkiff, a 28-year-old Hollywood bachelor, beat out Dirty Dancing's Patrick Swayze for the plum role. He prepared by watching more than 100 hours of Elvis' concert films and listening to his music. Midkiff recalls:"When I got the part, I met Priscilla and she said, 'I wouldn't want to be in your shoes.' It's tough to do a guy who everyone thinks they know -- or they have a perceived idea of the way he should be. "After doing the role for weeks, I began to feel I was Elvis. I'd catch myself doing him when I answered the phone. I'd talk to friends in an Elvis voice.
"I felt for him. I tried to show the human side, that he wasn't a monster who swallowed pills and ended up a bloated awful blimp, 70 lbs. heavier than he should have been."
Midkiff says his greatest reward was a complement he received during shooting. "At the end of a long day, a man came up, introduced himself and said, 'You did real fine, my boy.' It was Colonel Tom Parker."
Parker, who guided Elvis' career until his death -- and for his efforts collected 50 percent of the King's income -- traveled from his home in Las Vegas to Memphis to celebrate Elvis' birthday on Jan. 8 with fans at Graceland. He was also guest of honor at Elvis Presley Day Proclamation festivities. Speaking to the crowd, Parker recalled the first time he introduced Elvis before a performance: "He asked me, 'When should I go on?'I told him, 'Last, because nobody's going to leave until you walk off.'"
Asked why he decided to become Elvis' manager, Parker said:"I didn't decide. I got a telegram from his parents asking if I'd get Elvis a record contract. He was underage. Then it all just happened. There's no way of explaining it."
Susan Walters, who won the role of Priscilla over 500 hopefuls, says it was not an easy part to play.
She says:"We kept skipping around in time. One day I was Priscilla as a 14-year-old, then I was about to get married.
"The story is Priscilla's story, and it's very hard to do when she reacts to Elvis being barely recognizable at the end. The main thing is that they really were in love." Susan says Priscilla helped her a lot: "she helped me understand the way she behaved when she was younger. I don't want to say what it was. It's between the two of us."