Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Today
Look Back at Elvis Through His Pictures
Aired August 15, 2002 - 10:55 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Elvis Presley has been gone for about 25 years now, but even in death, he remains larger than life. Through his music, and through pictures, like this one here, we get an enduring image of a rock 'n' roll icon.
David Schonauer is editor in chief of "American Photo" magazine. He joins us now to talk about Elvis' life, in pictures.
Good to see you. How are you?
DAVID SCHONAUER, "AMERICAN PHOTO" MAGAZINE: Good, thanks.
HARRIS: This is fascinating. We have been talking about Elvis all this week, and we hear all these facts about how much money his estate has been making, that as much -- I guess more money now dead than alive, and how his photography -- I guess photographic legacy right now is just as strong as ever. How could you explain something like that?
SCHONAUER: I think that photographs captured something quintessential in Elvis's character, that, you know, we all recognized, that we all loved, something about the sexiness, the vulnerability. It was all there; it was all there right on the surface.
HARRIS: We are showing pictures, right now, as you can see here, from the archive of Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, and I guess these are now on display in New York. What is it about a picture like this that would make it so endearing?
SCHONAUER: Well, this picture is actually an anonymous movie placard from 1963 that Andy Warhol used to make a painting called "Double Elvis," which is one of the really fundamental icons of American art now.
HARRIS: Look at another photo here. This one is the slimmer Elvis.
SCHONAUER: No, I think that's one of the later Elvis. That's from 1977. That's almost before he died. That's an anonymous newspaper photograph.
HARRIS: OK, and let's take a look at the next one. This next one, I think is very interesting. Tell me the story behind this one here.
SCHONAUER: This is made by probably the photographer who shot Elvis the best, Alfred Wertheimer, was shot in 1956, just before he is going to go on "The Ed Sullivan Show," and he's getting a last minute touch-up.
HARRIS: And I noticed, once again, just like "The Ed Sullivan Show," that is shot from the waist up.
SCHONAUER: Yes. Here is one you get to see all of Elvis. This was made in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1956, and, I love this picture, because you can really see Elvis reaching out and touching people.
HARRIS: And this is pretty much when his career was really beginning to snowball?
SCHONAUER: Yes, this was really at the height of it.
HARRIS: All right, we've got one more shot here. And what is this?
SCHONAUER: Yes, this is -- I would say this is probably the most famous picture of Elvis, Alfred Wertheimer again. This is before a concert before in Richmond, Virginia in 1956, and Elvis -- I don't know who the girl is. Nobody has ever told me, but Elvis was kissing her just before the concert, and Wertheimer got the moment.
HARRIS: I bet she knows who that girl is.
Listen, one more time, before we go, is the most famous picture of Elvis the most valuable one?
SCHONAUER: It's hard to say. I think it depends on the person who's looking at it. We love them all.
HARRIS: It's all eye of beholder. David Schonauer of "American Photo" magazine. David, thank you very much. Appreciate it
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
