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Elvis Presley | On The Train to, Memphis, Tennessee | July 3, 1956

After a ratings-grabbing appearance on 'The Steve Allen Show' and a recording session in New York City that produced 'Hound Dog' and 'Don't Be Cruel', Elvis returned to Memphis by train for a concert at Russwood park.

In the morning, Elvis repaired to Penn Station to start a 27-hour train ride home to Memphis. At Penn Station he ran into fellow singer Gene Vincent, congratulating Vincent on the success of his hit 'Be-Bop-A-Lula'

During the train ride Elvis listened over and over again to the recordings he had made the previous day.

During the train ride Elvis listened over and over again to the recordings he had made the previous day. In the above photo Elvis listen's in bed to a replay one last time.

In the above photo Elvis listen's in bed to a replay one last time.

July 4, 1956

All Shook Up! Nearing Memphis after a 27 hour long trip, Elvis freshens upon the train only to find after washing his hands there are no more paper towels. Not making a big fuss, he shakes his hands dry.

Elvis
Southern Railroad, July 4, 1956. (Photo © Alfred Wertheimer. All rights reserved.)

Elvis during a stop at Sheffield Alabama. Elvis ordered chicken and snack cakes.

What a shot, Elvis is looking at the camera, everyone else is looking at the food. No one is paying any attention to Elvis! Guess the folks didn't know they were buying chicken a la king.

Elvis Presley : July 1956
You ain't nothing but a panda bear!

'Really, believe me, I'm Elvis Presley'

'Really, believe me, I'm Elvis Presley'.

'Really, believe me, I'm Elvis Presley'. Those are words the King probably never had to use again. But on this train ride to Memphis from New York, the two young woman didn't believe who he was. So Elvis pointed to Alfred Wertheimer, and asked the girls why he'd have a photographer taking his picture on a train if he wasn't Elvis Presley. Good point! The girls then seemed to believe him, but still turned down an invitation to his concert at memphis' Russwood Station July 4th 1956. This photo is either july 3 or July 4, 1956.

Two hours outside of Memphis heading to his home, July 4, 1956

Two hours outside of Memphis heading to his home, July 4, 1956.

When asked Alfred why he decided to follow Elvis when he was still unknown, he replied that Elvis 'permitted closeness, and he made girls cry'. Photographers today must be jealous looking at these intimate pictures. Now press agents build impenetrable walls to guard the artist’s myth. Alfred made the best of his access, clicking the shutter at the right moment and using mostly available light.

Two hours outside of Memphis heading to his home, July 4, 1956.

Why is Elvis laughing?

Can you guess what Elvis is doing in this picture?

Can you guess what Elvis is doing in this picture? According to photographer Alfred Wertheimer, Elvis was amusing his companions on the trip with an impersonation of Colonel Parker. He took the Colonels hat, tilted it to one side and began barking orders in an exaggerated Southern drawl. The Colonel, oblivious to it all, just kept right on talking. Elvis shrugged his shoulders and put the hat back on the rack.

Why is Elvis laughing?

It could be because because he was heading home to Memphis after a ratings-grabbing appearance on The Steve Allen Show and a recording session that produced 'Hound Dog' and 'Don't Be Cruel'. It could be because he was in the process of taking the entertainment industry - indeed the whole country - by storm. But actually, according to Alfred Wertheimer, it was because Elvis had just told a joke that no one else laughed at.

Elvis Presley telling a story on the train back to Memphis, T.N, July 4th 1956

July 4, 1956 - When the train finally got near Memphis, Elvis asked to get off at a stop near the outskirts of town called White Station

When the train finally got near Memphis, Elvis asked to get off at a stop near the outskirts of town called White Station. It was closer to his home on Audubon Drive than the main station in Memphis. Wertheimer did not miss this moment with his camera and as a result, he captured a truly remarkable series of images of Elvis walking as a regular person for what may have been the last time. Wertheimer describes that moment:

With only the quick acetate cuts, no luggage or instruments, he hopped off the train and headed down a grassy knoll towards the sidewalk of this little town. Between telephone poles and Cadillacs, Elvis stopped to ask a black woman on the street for directions and then turned to wave to us on the train. As the train started moving, I quickly figured that I was better off taking pictures of what was going on in front of me instead of jumping off the train and following Elvis. If I had stopped to collect my bags and all my equipment, I would have missed what was probably one of the last times he could just walk down the street like an ordinary guy.

Within a few short months, Elvis Presley would be the most talked-about entertainer in the world. No one would ever again be able to photograph Elvis as Alfred Wertheimer had. Wertheimer captured Elvis at a crossroads of culture. He, with his camera, was our witness to the hero's return.

White Station

Somewhere in the area of White Station (on Poplar) the train stops and Elvis gets off alone so he can walk to the Presley family home on Audubon Drive.

Somewhere in the area of White Station (on Poplar) the train stops and Elvis gets off alone so he can walk to the Presley family home on Audubon Drive. It is believed the train stopped somewhere between Mendenhall and Colonial Roads. This is a special moment in Elvis' life as he had not yet reached the level of fame that prevented him from walking home alone in Memphis. Photographer Albert Wertheimer captured the moment from the train of Elvis walking on Poplar Avenue (above) in the direction of downtown (perhaps waiting for the train to pass so he could cross over the tracks). In Al Wertheimer's photo above you can see a 'Town and Country Barber Shop' in the background. So from this we can locate the position today.

But first you have to understand that the area around Poplar and Mendenhall has changed considerably since 1956. Back then, Mendenhall was a two-lane road that stretched southward from Summer and dead-ended at Poplar. It didn't cross the railroad tracks, as it does today. About a block to the east, another two-lane road, called Mt. Moriah, ran southward from the railroad tracks along Southern all the way to Quince. The two roads did not line up, so drivers had to make a 'jog' along Poplar if they wanted to drive from Summer to Quince.

Sometime in the 1960s, the city widened the roads and constructed that big curve that runs by the Half Shell, effectively linking Mendenhall to the north with Mt. Moriah to the south. But here is where it really gets confusing. From the early 1900s to the late 1950s, there was a little train station at that intersection, on the south side of Poplar. The depot was called White's - later just White - Station. But it was located at Mendenhall/Mt. Moriah, not White Station. The road known as White Station was originally called the Bartlett Road, and stretched from Summer to Poplar. It didn't gain the name White Station Road until the late 1950s, when developers extended it south of Poplar to bring traffic to all the subdivisions they were building in that area. The Town and County Barber Shop shown in the photo was part of a row of one-story brick buildings that stood at the northeast corner of Poplar and Mendenhall. Other businesses on that corner included Modern Shoe Rebuilders, Hamkirk's Drive-In Grocery, Hamilton's Variety Store, and Brouse Drugstore. They all came tumbling down when Mendenhall was widened. A parking lot for a bank and Houston's restaurant occupies the site today. You know, that was a pretty long walk for Elvis, but back then, the little depot at Poplar and Mendenhall would have been the closest train station to his house on Audubon.

Memphis | 1034 Audubon Drive

Memphis, Tennessee, July 4, 1956 When Elvis reached Audubon Drive, he was welcomed home by his beloved mother, Gladys, his father, Vernon, his grandmother, Minnie Mae, and his high school sweetheart, Barbara Hearn, along with other cousins, friends and neighbors. Wertheimer photographed Elvis' homecoming, even going so far as to photograph Elvis while swimming with him in his new pool and while riding with him on the back of his Harley Davidson motorcycle. Wertheimer has repeatedly said that 'Elvis permitted closeness', and he appreciated the opportunity to get close to Elvis as a photojournalist.

Elvis couldn't wait to let loose in the pool

After a long train trip from New York, Elvis couldn't wait to let loose in the pool.

And even though the water was shallow due to a plumbing problem, he dove in and the horseplay began.

But suddenly, Elvis surfaced - he'd forgotten to take off his watch.

So Elvis yelled for his mother, who scurried to the edge of the pool. And when she dried the timepiece with her dress and assured him it was still working, it was back to water fun for the young man who would be King.

Elvis on the phone at his parents’ house with his young cousin, Billy Smith, who would later become part of the “Memphis Mafia,” Elvis’s entourage. In the background is Elvis’s father, Vernon Presley, shaving.

Elvis on the phone at his Audubon Drive house with his young cousin, Billy Smith, who would later become part of the 'Memphis Mafia', Elvis' entourage. In the background is Elvis' father, Vernon Presley, shaving.

After having taken a shower, and still bare chested, Elvis has his high school sweetheart, Barbara Hearn, listen on the phonograph to the acetate disc with cuts of his songs from the New York recording session. 1034 Audubon Drive, Memphis, Tenn. July 4, 1956. (Photo © Alfred Wertheimer.) Click image to view larger size.

Elvis Presley with his mother, Gladys - July 4, 1956

Elvis Presley with his mother, Gladys - July 4, 1956.

Taking a break from fans, Elvis relaxed with family on the patio of his home at 1034 Audubon Drive in Memphis. Elvis paid $40,000 for the four-bedroom, ranch-style house in 1956, a year before he puchased Graceland. On the same day this photograph was taken, July 4, Elvis also played a benefit concert at Russwood Park.

Next Elvis Presley : Russwood Park, Memphis, Tennessee : July 4, 1956

Elvis Presley : Hudson Theater in New York City : July 1, 1956
Elvis Presley : RCA Studio One, Memphis, Tennessee : July 2, 1956
Elvis Presley : Russwood Park, Memphis, Tennessee : July 4, 1956
Elvis Presley : Joseph's Hospital Memphis Tennessee : July 5, 1956

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March

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April

May

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Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD

Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD

Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. Until Now! The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever. + Plus Bonus DVD Audio.

This is an excellent release no fan should be without it.

The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. Highly recommended.

Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD Video with Sound.

Elvis Presley | On The Train to, Memphis, Tennessee | July 3, 1956

July 4, 1956

'Really, believe me, I'm Elvis Presley'

Can you guess what Elvis is doing in this picture?

Why is Elvis laughing?

White Station

Memphis | 1034 Audubon Drive

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