7 Chapter 6 Movie Star

Chapter 6 Movie Star Once again, Elvis's timing was right. The young actor James Dean had died in a car accident in 1955. Elvis was a great fan of Dean's. He had seen Rebel Without a Cause more than forty times. James Dean and Elvis Presley were both young, handsome, and sexy.

Movie producers were desperate to find the next James Dean. They thought Elvis might do the trick. Elvis signed a deal with a big Hollywood movie studio. In 1956, he arrived on the set of Love Me Tender. It took place during the Civil War. Elvis played a singing farmboy. Movie critics didn't like Love Me Tender. Elvis didn't know the first thing about acting. How could he? He'd never done it before. They also thought it was silly for his character to sing in the middle of scenes. Colonel Parker didn't care about the critics — neither did fans. Love Me Tender was a big hit. Elvis's fans filled up theaters, many fans seeing the movie again and again. The movie people were excited. Here was their new James Dean. They were willing to pay a lot of money to keep Elvis Presley. Before long, Elvis was making one movie after another. He made thirty-one between 1956 and 1969.

Making movies kept Elvis so busy, he barely had time to record music. He certainly didn't have time for concerts. Colonel Parker didn't mind. Why did Elvis need to tour? His records sold even if he didn't appear before an audience. In 1957 Elvis bought a mansion in Memphis. He called it Graceland. He planned for the whole family to live there. But in less than a year, something happened.

Elvis was drafted. Today, people decide whether to join the armed forces. But before 1973, men had no choice. They had to serve. (Women were not drafted.) Not even Elvis Presley could avoid the draft. And even Elvis had to get an army crew cut. "Before" and "after" photos of Elvis made newspaper headlines all over the country. Elvis was no longer a rock star. He was Private Elvis Presley. Then something terrible happened. Gladys became very sick. She couldn't eat anything and had to go into the hospital. Elvis kept her pink Cadillac parked right outside her window so she could see it from bed. Elvis was allowed to come home to visit her. For a while, Gladys seemed better. Then, in the middle of the night, the doctors called Elvis. He rushed off to the hospital. But his mother had died before he got there.

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It was the biggest loss of his life. Gladys hadn't just been his mother. She was his best friend, the person closest to him in the whole world.