Viva Las Vegas Elvis Presley
In the spring of 1956, when he turned 21, Elvis Presley first appeared in Las Vegas at the New Frontier.
With his ducktail hairdo, long sideburns and eye shadow, and the collar of his pink shirt turner up, he slung his guitar forward and, sneering, began to play while jerking around the stage.
Newsweek magazine later said his presence in the show was like having a "jug of cor
n liquor at a champagne party," as if he were a clinical experiment.Fast forward 13 years, and Elvis Presley is single handedly reviving Las Vegas as 'The Entertainment Capital of the World'. Performing at the newly opened International the 'Vegas Elvis' - perhaps inspired by fashion tips from Liberace - comes onstage in his famous white jumpsuit adorned with ropes of pearls, beads and rhinestones; he's replaced the jerky undulations of his old act with more fluid motions And backing 'The King' is a 35 piece orchestra, his old five piece rock band and two soul and gospel groups.
By the time Elvis had concluded his first month long engagement at the International, the showroom had generated more than $2 million - the first time a Las Vegas resort had ever profited from an entertainer. For the next five years Elvis appeared for four weeks twice a year.
This wasn't however a time of happiness for the rock n' roller turned showroom star. He had married Priscilla Anne Beaulieu in Las Vegas in 1967, and the couple got divorced in 1973; the star's drug use had become a health hazard and his weight gain alarming. In August 1977 Elvis was found dead in his bathroom aged just 42.
