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CNN Sunday Morning

Interview With Karen Marks

Aired August 11, 2002 - 08:50   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Memphis isn't the only place where you'll find Elvis this week. Images of the King are also on display at New York's Howard Greenberg Gallery.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: And Karen Marks joins us now to talk about the gallery, where "Where is Elvis?" exhibit -- that's what it's called. Thanks very much, Karen, for being with us.

KAREN MARKS, HOWARD GREENBERG GALLERY: Thank you for having me.

COOPER: So what was the idea behind having the Elvis exhibit? Obviously it's Elvis week in Memphis, but why do you think it's important to have it now?

MARKS: Well, we knew it was the 25th anniversary of his death, and that was what sparked the idea behind the exhibit. But we never dreamed it would be so much hoopla the way it's turned out.

COOPER: And what sort of an impression do you get of Elvis from the photographs that are in your exhibit? We've got, by the way, we've got a bunch of the photographs, and we're going to just maybe show some of them while you're talking about it a little bit.

MARKS: Well, I can't see what you're showing, but I can tell you that, basically we focused on the younger Elvis, the Elvis from '56 through '58 as opposed to the latter part of his life.

WHITFIELD: Well, the photograph that we were just looking at a moment ago was kind of the photograph that Andy Warhol then took off with, and now we're looking at a photograph of Elvis kissing his mom?

COOPER: Elvis and his mom, yes.

WHITFIELD: So there are a lot of images that we have all seen before, and then there are some really intimate moments that are real rare finds.

MARKS: Definitely. It was a very fun expedition in digging through photographers' archives and pulling out some of the best images they've made.

COOPER: The photo we're looking at right now is Elvis reaching out to fans who are reaching up to him, and I mean, have you gotten a lot of fans coming to see the show?

MARKS: I thought that we would have more. We had a few fans in, wearing earrings or buttons with Elvis on it, but it's been -- it's been -- it hasn't been quite as frantic as I thought it would be.

WHITFIELD: Well, Karen, while there's always a story of the image itself, there's also a story behind actually capturing the image. A lot of these photographs taken by Alfred Wertheimer, who was hired by RCA to try to be the only person to watch Elvis behind the scenes, get those very intimate, rare moments.

MARKS: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: But who would have thought that at least 25 years later after his death and decades more later after the beginning of his career that these really would be the images that would help us kind of carry on the legacy to remember what Elvis really captured.

MARKS: Right, absolutely.

COOPER: Was access to Elvis very tightly controlled in terms of people taking photographs?

MARKS: It was. Actually, Wertheimer was one of the only photographers who was able to get that close to Elvis. He got in at a time before Ed Sullivan, and that was right on the cusp of the whole Elvis phenomenon. And once that happened, Colonel Parker really put a halt on all of the photographs taken of Elvis and held photographers at bay, and really took control over what was going to be released.

COOPER: Do you have a particularly favorite image in the show?

MARKS: I have so many, it's hard to say. You know, I got so close to so many images as I was working on the show and so many photographers, and everybody's been great.

WHITFIELD: I think I've got a favorite in that bunch there.

MARKS: Which one?

WHITFIELD: The photograph of Elvis kissing the young girl -- who I thought initially when I saw the picture must be Priscilla, but it's not, is it?

MARKS: No, no, it's not.

WHITFIELD: And who is that lucky broad?

MARKS: That's every woman.

WHITFIELD: So I imagine this lady, if she is still living today, when she sees that image, boy, does she remember that moment?

MARKS: I hope she does.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. She'd be nuts to forget it, right?

MARKS: Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: She was just some ordinary fan -- what's the story behind this photograph, do you know? Is it a backstage kind of photo?

MARKS: She was a date. This image was taken backstage in Virginia, and she was his date for the evening.

WHITFIELD: Really!

MARKS: And they teased each other a little bit before Elvis went on stage, and, you know, he gave her a -- it was sort of like, well, I bet you can't kiss me, but I bet I can. She stuck her tongue out. He stuck his tongue out.

WHITFIELD: Yeah, I was going to say, I see a little tongue action going on there.

MARKS: Yes. Yes. And you know, less than two minutes later he was on stage in front of 10,000 people.

WHITFIELD: Oh, my.

COOPER: There's also a great photograph of -- I think it's by Albert Watson -- of a boxing glove that -- what's the story behind that?

MARKS: That's -- yeah, that's one of my favorite pictures also. Albert Watson went to Graceland a couple of years back and photographed quite a bit of Elvis' personal items, and that glove was given by Ali to Elvis in '73, I believe.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

MARKS: Great image.

WHITFIELD: That is a beautiful image.

MARKS: It is. It's a great thing.

COOPER: Well, Karen Marks, thanks very much for joining us this morning. It's a great show, and when we get back to New York, I hope we see it.

MARKS: Thanks for having me. OK. Thanks a lot.

WHITFIELD: Thanks.

COOPER: Thanks.

MARKS: Bye.

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