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American Morning

New Exhibit Has Wall-to-Wall Elvis

Aired June 26, 2002 - 09:51   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Believe it or not, this year marks the 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, and yet the world still can't stop talking about him, looking at him, listening to his music.

CNN's Jeanne Moos reports on a new exhibit, wall-to-wall Elvis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Where is Elvis? a new photo exhibit asks, Where's Elvis? He's back. Back on the soundtrack of the latest Disney movie. Back with a number-one hit in England, a remix for Nike of an Elvis song called "A Little Less Conversation."

The conversation was all about Elvis at New York's Howard Greenberg gallery. One fan admitted to once wanting to be Elvis.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I still want to be him, but I don't want to be where he is.

MOOS: While Janet Reno's niece, model Hunter Reno, admitted even a model sometimes wears the wrong shoes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I adore Elvis. I'm sad I don't have on my blue suede shoes tonight.

MOOS: Photos range from the famous to the less well-known. Some thought measuring Elvis for the Army showed a little too much of the king.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no, no.

MOOS (on camera): Why not" What are you thinking?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, he wasn't toned.

MOOS (voice-over): And, then there's --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Clean underwear deserves a kiss.

MOOS: Elvis mom, Gladys, gave him a fresh pair.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, he gave her a kiss in exchange for the underwear. MOOS: The best known photos are by Alfred Wertheimer, who spent two weeks with Elvis as he was becoming famous.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Elvis permitted closeness.

MOOS: Which brings us to one of the most popular shots.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where he's sticking his tongue in that girl's mouth.

MOOS: She was apparently Elvis' date. Wertheimer took the picture backstage moments before Elvis performed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, she says, "Elvis, I bet you can't kiss me." He says "I bet you I can." She sticks out her tongue, and goes like this, and then of course, he sticks out his tongue, and they just touch.

MOOS: There are shots of Elvis in the army by Bill Ray.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See his long eyelashes.

MOOS: Shots by Albert Watson of Elvis artifacts, like the boxing glove Mohammed Ali sent Elvis saying, "You are the greatest."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is just something magic about him. I mean, the John Lennon line, "Before Elvis, there was nothing."

MOOS: Watson shot several of Elvis outfits. His wife managed to retrieve a dangling thread from this black leather outfit just as an assistant was about it throw it away.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's scotch-taped into my diary.

MOOS (on camera): They're Elvis' sunglasses.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go, you see. But it's still not Elvis.

MOOS (voice-over): But even Elvis had a driver's license, and a special agent's badge presented to him by President Nixon, photographed here with Elvis' gun.

JEFF SCOTT, PHOTOGRAPHER: He shot out his television set when Robert Goulet would come on.

MOOS (on camera): The singer?

SCOTT: Yes.

MOOS (voice-over): The photos run the gamut, from Elvis' Cadillac, with its built-in shoe polisher, to Jerry Seinfeld dressed up as Elvis, to Elvis completely undressed, again in the Army.

Al Wertheimer was dressed for the opening in a shirt covered with his own photos of Elvis. As for his most famous picture...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is the mystery woman. That is the everywoman.

MOOS: Who is she? Tongues may wag, but her lips are sealed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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