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Vacation Elvis Style - Part 9 / 13
CALIFORNIA
Since Elvis worked
as well as had homes in California, it would be very hard to list
every place he ever visited within the state. We therefore
just touch the highlights here in this article devoted to Elvis in
California. We start with his concerts there.
Fresno's Selland
Arena was the site for concerts 4/25/73 and 5/12/74.
In San Francisco he
performed at the Civic Auditorium, later known as the Bill Graham
Civic Auditorium on 10/26/57. On 11/13/70 and again
11/28-29/76 he was at the Cow Palace. Nearby in Oakland he had
shows at the Auditorium Arena on 6/3/56 and 10/27/57. On
11/10/70 and 11/11/72 he performed at the Oakland Alameda County
Coliseum. In San Bernadino, Elvis performed at the Swing Auditorium
on 11/12-13/72 and 5/10 & 5/13/74.
This venue was demolished after a plane crashed into it in 1981.
In the Los Angeles
area, Elvis performed at the Shrine Auditorium on 6/8/56 and stayed
at the Knickerbocker Hotel. In 1957 on 10/28 & 10/29 he was at
the Pan Pacific Auditorium which has since been destroyed by fire.
The Forum in nearby Inglewood was the site for shows on 11/14/70 and
5/11/74.
In Long Beach's
Municipal Auditorium, Elvis performed on 6/7/56. On 11/14/72
and 4/25/76 he was at the Veterans Memorial Stadium. The
Anaheim Convention Center was the venue for shows 4/23-24/73 and
11/30/76.
Further south in
San Diego, Elvis performed at the Old San Diego Sports Arena on
4/4-5/56 and 6/6/56. The new Sports Arena was used for shows
on 11/15/70, 4/26/73 and 4/24/76. San Diego was also the site
of an early TV performance on the Milton Berle Show which was
broadcast from the USS Hancock, anchored there.
Other television appearances included his 6/5/56 Milton Berle Show appearance filmed
in Hollywood at the ABC studios, and the 9/9/56 Ed Sullivan Show
filmed at the CBS studios. NBC studios in Burbank was the site of
the filming of Elvis' famed 1968 TV special. Today the
"Tonight Show" with Jay Leno is filmed there.
Elvis often recorded at Radio Recorders in Los Angeles, which is today known as
Studio 56. He of course filmed his movies mostly in
California. Many of them at the Paramount Studios which does
offer tours. He also filmed at Twentieth Century-Fox Studios
and Metro-Goldwyn Mayer which is now Sony Pictures. Universal
Studios offers tours and was the studio that made "Change of Habit."
Please check with the studios for tour information.
Elvis was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1961 and it was originally
located at 6777 Hollywood Blvd. However, due to problems they
had with the ground in that area, his star was moved in April 1998
to a location near Hollywood Blvd. and La Brea Avenue. It is
near a gazebo honoring silver screen goddesses Mae West, Dolores Del
Rio (who played Elvis's mother in "Flaming Star"), Dorothy Dandridge
and Anna May Wong. The managers of the Walk felt Elvis's star
would be very comfortable among those for these ladies.
Elvis movie
production locations outside of the studio lots include the Big Bear
Lake area where parts of "Kissin' Cousins" were filmed. Hidden
Lodge in Idyllwild was used in "Kid Galahad." In northern
California in the Napa Valley, The Ink House at St. Helena, was used
in "Wild In The Country."
Among the places
Elvis stayed and lived in California were the above mentioned
Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel and The Beverly Wilshire Hotel (now
known as the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel). He also had
several homes in the Bel Air area at various times. Although
one can drive by the locations on one's own or take a movie star
home tour, please remember these homes are
privately owned and the interiors are not available for tour.
They have also been renovated by their owners over the years and
some do not resemble the homes that Elvis had at these locations.
At various times Elvis had home at 10539 Bellagio Road, 525
Perugia Way (not 565 as reported by various sources; but it was the
location of the famous meeting with the Beatles), 10550 Rocca Place,
1174 Hillcrest Road and 144 Monovale Drive. In Palm Springs he
had homes at 845 Chino Canyon Road and 1350 Ladera Circle and a
rental home on Camino del Norte.
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