Rebecca said on 29/Jun/06
Billy Smith, Elvis's cousin, said in his book, that Elvis wore lifts, even had them in his house shoes, to make him look over 6 ft. He also said that Vernon Presley was a big man, 6'1 or 6'2 , and taller than Elvis.
Ramiro said on 28/Jun/06
Frank2, I've checked more about what you said about Tyrone Power and what to say, there are a few examples:
"One thing that's always bugged me is that Power was the exact, same height as 6' Hugh Marlowe in Rawhide. I saw Marlowe in person with of all people Michael Rennie and Marlowe was definitely at leats 6'. He was about four inches shorter than Rennie who was 6'4". Marlowe was taller than 5'11" Clifton Webb in one of the Mr.Belvedere movies and was the same height as Cary Grant in Monkey Business. Come to think of it, Power was the same height as Webb in The Razor's Edge! Hmmmmmmmmm.....Maybe Power was taller!"
Frank2 says on 19/Mar/06
I think that was the wrong link. This is it: Click Here
If you check some of the photos you'll see a shot where Power looks to be about as tall as Clark Gable. I have a shot of him somewhere standing next to Gable taken at Fox and Power is a little taller! Go figure! Anyone have any ideas?
Frank2 says on 20/Mar/06
Here's Power with 6' Hugh Marlowe: Click Here In the film Rawhide they're exactly the same height and both men are wearing similar cowboy boots. If you watch Marlowe in other films such as in Monkey Business, he's the same height as other 6' tall actors in this case Cary Grant. As I've said, I saw him in person and he was definitely 6' tall. Does this mean Power was taller?
And this is very clarifying:
"Power wasn't that much shorter than 6'1" Marty Milner in The Long Gray Line. In that same film Power was only a couple of inches shorter than 6'2" Ward Bond. There's a scene where they're in a boxing ring and in all the angles Power isn't that short next to Bond. Maybe for once the studio publicity department was correct when they listed him as 6'. I'd like to know what his medical records show when he entered the Marines during WW II."
And more:
"Frank2 says on 22/Mar/06
Here's Power with 6' Jack Hawkins: Click Here
In that film Power and Hawkins are exactly the same height in every scene
And finally:
Frank2 says on 6/Apr/06
Power not looking that much shorter than 6'1" Clark Gable: Click Here
That's what you said regarding Tyrone Power's height Frank2, so the army record seems to be quite accurate for you. Despite all I admit that it could be mistakes in all human work but it doesn't mean that Elvis' measurement were a mistake; there are a lot of indications that show it wasn't and one of them is yourself because you state Elvis' height not far from the official one if we talk about a relaxed Elvis.
Tiger said on 28/Jun/06
From 'Elvis: The Early Years (A 2001 Fact Odyssey) by Jim Curtin 1999- In 1956, a critic had this to say about Elvis: "Is it a sausage? It is certainly smooth and damp looking, but who ever heard of a 172 lb sausage, 6 foot tall?"
Ramiro said on 28/Jun/06
I've just ordered "The King" from Amazon.com at a very reasonable price. Thank you one more time Tiger. By the way, the army record that shows Elvis' height in that book is the same or different to the one shown some time ago in the National Archives And Records Administration?
Anonymous said on 28/Jun/06
I think Frank3 is almost certainly right on this. Elvis was a little under 6ft. I've seen photos of him with Muhammad Ali and Johnny Cash and he's a clearly a couple of inches shorter than either. He was taller than average but never a truly big man.
Ramiro said on 28/Jun/06
Thank you very much Tiger, I really appreciate your information and all your posts.
Tiger said on 28/Jun/06
Ramiro:
title-'The King'
author-Jim Piazza
publisher-Black Dog & Leventhal (2005)
***** giant, oversized book with white cover ('The King' written in blue)
I got mine at Barnes & Noble (popular book outlet here in the States)
Ramiro said on 28/Jun/06
Give me the answer Frank2, Did someone tell you that he had Elvis' shoes in his hands, checked inside them and discovered that they had lifts inside? I'm sure that you could put any height in a driver's license, I don't give too much credit to it, even regarding to Elvis. Please, don't compare the height stated on a driver's license with the one stated on army medical records right after measuring it. It is possible to make a mistake in every human work but in the case of Elvis the measurement of the army coincides with the one stated before by Elvis himself and makes sense if we compare it with the height stated with shoes on. I'm not saying that you are lying, I think only that your statement about Elvis' height could easily be unaccurate while the one provided by the stadiometer could hardly be unaccurate. I think it is quite reasonable what I'm saying, unless you were God and could look at everyone and say without any doubt and without any possibility of mistake: "he is exactly X in tall". On the other hand, when we try to compare our height with someone we tend to use the eyes and other parts of the face as points of reference forgeting that the position of these parts could be very different in each face and a person who has his eyes below another could be taller however. As an example, Elvis had a big distance between his eyes and the top of his head (without counting the hair, of course) if we compare it to others (including me).
Frank2 said on 28/Jun/06
James Dean was supposedly measured by his local Selective Service branch at 5'8". Dean was no more 5'8" than I'm 6'4"!
The US Marine Corp. listed Tyrone Power at 6'. The only problem was he wasn't 6'. Most likely he was about 5'11" or slightly under. Many biographers claim he was barely 5'10".
My stepfather always claimed he was 6'1". Going back to when I first met him he was my height. I have tons of photos proving it. But his miltary record did state clearly he was 6'1". When he first met and married my mother he was slightly younger than I am today and I haven't lost a centimeter in height and I'll be sixty in less than a year.
Frank2 said on 28/Jun/06
Sure, Ramiro, sure. People who worked hard in the biz were all lying including me. And sure, it's mad to question what we're all led to believe by carefully crafted publicity. Sure! By the way, are you interested in buying a bridge?
And Tiger's correct about ending the controversy. Like I said, Alan Ladd had his height listed at 5'10" on his California driver's license. Just 'cause something is official doesn't make it true.
Ramiro said on 28/Jun/06
Tiger, could you give me more information about "The King"? I mean author, editorial or publisher... Where did you purchase it? I'm interested in buying it. Thank you very much.
Tiger said on 28/Jun/06
Rob: I have always assumed the "controversy" was 5-11.5 versus 6-0.5 or 6-0. I agree, people want to see for themselves. I know that I should be trying harder to get it done, butI don't have either of the tools necessary to get it done. I do apologize. I am pretty sure that, even if we are able to post the "Report of Transfer" doc, someone will say that has to be a mistake or that information was interpreted wrong. I, myself, question the assumption that standard issue footwear for the army has that tall of a heel. An inch and a half is quite thick! I'm not so sure about it!
Viper652 said on 28/Jun/06
Jay, I grew about 2 inches after age 20.
Tiger said on 28/Jun/06
Ramiro: would it really close the controversy? I tend to think not! By the way, I have that book out on loan to a family member. I don't see it as a controversy. As Graceland said to you in a response, "Not sure what the controversy is" Appreciate your efforts and excellent commentary!
Editor Rob
the controversy is over this 6ft 1.75 or 1.5 figure in boots. One day I'd love to put a link at top of this page so visitors can see any sort of scan of the army record...maybe one day
Ramiro said on 28/Jun/06
Tiger, I know that maybe it is difficult for you, but is there a chance for you to scan and send the army records that state Elvis' height? The one you have in "The King" book would be perfect to close the controversy here and everywhere. Thank you.
Ramiro said on 28/Jun/06
Frank2, it would be understandable to roughly appreciate height using pics, footage... when we don't have more accurate sources. In the case of Elvis it is a mad work and completely unnecessary. Did someone tell you that Elvis wore lifts while in Hollywood? If so, HE WAS LYING. Did you saw the Elvis' shoes or boots inside? No. They are available to see and the people who saw them say that ELVIS NEVER WORE LIFTS. Yourself admit that Elvis was a humble and unassuming person, he wasn't vain, you even noticed that he made jokes about his height. So why the hell to put lifts inside his shoes? You saw Elvis under 6 feet the same way I saw some people shorter than me and then taller depending on the moment or the pic. There are a lot of people who saw Elvis well over 6 feet and there is no reason to think that you are more accurate than them
Frank2 said on 27/Jun/06
I agree. That's why he admitted in front of me as well as several others that he was slightly under six feet tall.
Tiger said on 27/Jun/06
From a book by Elvis' close friend of 17 years Charlie Hodge titled 'Me 'N Elvis'(1984 Castle Books): "Elvis was so humble and unassuming. He was in no way vain. It came out in the mid-60s in Hollywood that Elvis wore lifts. Someone at some studio stated that in the Hollywood trades and Elvis never addressed it because he did not wear them and didn't think it worth anyone's while to address it. Now, I'm 5-3 and I wore them to keep up with the other guys. Elvis always thought the whole 'lifts' thing was funny. One has no idea of the stuff that gets started in Hollywood and then seems to go and die after a bit of time."
Frank2 said on 27/Jun/06
Elvis did wear lifts! What's BS is saying hew didn't! I knew people who worked in the costume department at various studios and they told me who did and who didn't.
And please tell me why is it "mad" studying various photos in order to ascertain how tall someone was?
I saw Elvis several times and he never looked any different to me. When he was wearing normal shoes he was close to being my height. When he put on his special boots he was taller. But he was still visibly shorter than 6'2" Edward Andrews in The Trouble With Girls.
Ramiro said on 27/Jun/06
Oh yes, I'm completely serious Jay; I know several examples of males who grew up after 18 years old and even after 20 years old, including the case of Ronaldo. I've checked some medical documentation and it shows that males can grow after 18 years old up to 3 cm approx.; one document even says that it is possible to grow until approx. 30 years old. The growt after 18 years old is about 1 to 3 cms. according to several sources. It doesn't happen in every case but it happens and a source checked even states that when a male is 18 years old he still has 1 or 2 cms. to grow, so it seems that it isn't that strange.
Ramiro said on 27/Jun/06
Frank2, at least I'm only obsessed with Elvis (and not particularly with his height), you are obsessed with almost all living being's height, ha, ha.... Don't misunderstand me, we are discussing about our different points of view but that's all, it's a pleasure for me to argue with you and at the same time learn some interesting things you're writing here. It's a great thing that we can discuss with liberty, here in Spain there was a time when it was impossible in many cases. One more time, how the hell you know if someone is wearing or not lifts? You use the "lifts" excuse to fit the reality into your wishes and you even use the "heels" excuse when you are not seeing the shoes because they are not shown in the pictures or footage. You say "his 2'' heels boots" as if Elvis always wore them when he only wore then in the seventies and ON STAGE; outside he wore a lot of different shoes and boots with different kind of heels as every human being in the world. Elvis is one of the few celebrities who has his footwear available to see and the people who saw Elvis' footwear say one thing: "He never wore lifts" so the Elvis' lifts bulls*** should be deleted from the face of earth. Did you noticed that even taking the pictures you provide you can see Elvis and others looking taller and shorter depending on the picture you use? It's a work of mads trying to state that someone is one or another height looking at pictures. Elvis said himself that he was 6' in the fifties, then it was confirmed when he was measured in the army in 1958 with a margin of 0.5''. Frank2, you are talking about a difference of only 0.25 to 0.5'' between the official statement (if we round numbers to 6') and your appreciation and it seems that your own height could be somewhat over 5'11''. Could be possible that your appreciation failed by that difference or perhaps that every human being can look taller of shorter depending on his position and other factors? I admit that a measurement could be wrong but I think that the appreciation of the human eye is more unaccurate.
jay said on 26/Jun/06
Ramiro, you can't be serious about growing from 18-25. Men may gain weight after 18 and the waist may widen, but only a very small percentage actually grow taller. The epiphyseal plates fuse between 17 and 18 in 92% of nutritionally healthy caucasian males. Furthermore, athletes tend to mature quicker due to the increase of growth hormone and testosterone from vigorous physical activitiy.
Frank2 said on 26/Jun/06
The photos of Sinatra and Elvis show a four inch difference. Frank was 5'7". If he wore lifts he'd end up being about 5'9". But I've seen a long shot taken of them at that performance and for once Frank isn't wearing lifts.
Nancy Sinatra is tiny! I used to sit behind her at Dodger Stadium. Nice lady. I doubt she's any more than about 5'2".
Larry said on 26/Jun/06
Edward Andrews - a great character actor! About 6'2" or maybe 6'2.5" and around 220. Usually wore glasses and played a lot of mayors, doctors, etc. He was one of those; "THAT guy" actors! :-)
Glenn said on 25/Jun/06
BB isnt short either.by the way Frank,my sincerest sympathy towards your friend.may he rest in peace.
Tiger said on 24/Jun/06
I knew that Edward Andrews looked familiar. He played Grandpa Tripper in an episode of 'Three's Company'. Very funny actor!
Elvis with Nancy Sinatra and Frank Sinatra
Click HereElvis and Frank (1960)
Click Here
Frank2 said on 24/Jun/06
Compare this photo of Elvis with 5'7" Sinatra and 6'1" Bagnall with the shot of Bagnall walking with Greg Peck. It's easy to see that Elvis would have been even shorter had he been there.
When I watched them film The Trouble With Giorls, I noticed how much taller Edward Andrews was when standing next to Elvis. Andrews was at least 6'2" and was considerably taller. You can see it watching the film. And Elvis was wearing boots with two inch heels with lifts inside.
Here's shot of Andrews from the classic Twilight Zone episode he starred in called "You Drive":
Click HereA "terrified" Andrews from that episode:
Click Here
Frank2 said on 24/Jun/06
Thanks. He suffered with cancer for over a year. Now he's at peace.
I can't give you his name since I've never met him before and I'm terrible about remembering people's name who I meet. I think his first name was Bill, but even there I might be wrong.
Tiger said on 24/Jun/06
Frank2: very sorry upon hearing of the passing of your friend. Could you give me the name of the 'Elvis stuntman'? Throughout my many references, stuntmen are mentioned and discussed and I would like to see if this guy is legit. Though his comment about Elvis being 5-10 is (I can't even think of a word), I have seen worse than that on this site. There are people who think Clint Eastwood is 5-11 and that John Wayne is 6 feet even!
Frank2 said on 24/Jun/06
B.B. isn't tall.
And Gramps, I'm retired with a lot of time on my hands. What's your excuse?
J. said on 24/Jun/06
B.B. always looks tall!
Frank2 said on 24/Jun/06
Tonight I had to sadly attend the funeral of a good friend and ran into a fellow who used to be a stuntman and even doubled for Elvis in a few films. He's now in his late seventies and now stands a little under six feet tall. We happended to discuss Elvis's height and he confirmed that he was under six feet. This guy told me he used to be about 6'1.5" when he was young. He went on to add that even when Elvis wore his two inch boots, he was still at least two inches shorter. Now get this: He swears that Elvis was no more than about 5'11" and could have even been 5'10"!
Gramps said on 23/Jun/06
Who is obsessed: Ramiro with two of the "Latest Comments," or Frank2 with eleven? Some people don't have enough to do...
Frank2 said on 23/Jun/06
I found a photo of Bagnall walking with 6'3" Gregory Peck and some other man out at the MP Country Home. When I get a chance I'll scan it and email it to Rob to post. He's obviously a lot shorter than Peck. In fact he doesn't even look 6'1". He's almost four inches shorter.
Frank2 said on 23/Jun/06
Big heels!!
Tiger said on 23/Jun/06
Frank2: I did not order the soundtrack you told me about, but I will at some point; it sounds amazing! I have family members that have seen Liberace and all have said he was phenomenal. I know he and Elvis were very good friends and Elvis would call Liberace alot for advice. I have a video titled 'Elvis: The Echo Will Never Die' and that pretty much sums up Elvis!
Glenn said on 23/Jun/06
thanks for the words Tiger.I just didnt want Frank to think I was going against him.BB always looked giant to me.I wouldve guessed over 6ft,but I think he always had heels on.
Frank2 said on 23/Jun/06
I met Bagnall several times and he was a solid 6'1". Nice man and quite generous with his charity work. He passed away many years ago.
Duke Snyder wasn't 6'. I met him in the late sixties and he was slightly shorter than me. I then met him again at an old-timers day at Dodger Stadium and he was by then around 5'9". If you haven't guessed, I'm a huge baseball fan. I even went to see the Dodgers when they played at the LA Coliseum where left field was restricted and they had to install a huge screen.
As for what footwear Liberace was wearing, in his earlier days he wore regular shoes, but as he got older he started wearing boots with two inch heels as well as lifts inside. He was also bald when he got older and wore a gigantic rug. I got to see one of his concerts in Vegas and he was just as entertaining as Elvis. He was a lot funnier!
Did you ever order the soundtrack CD I recommended?
The other day I was with my wife at a local bookstore and noticed several new books on Elvis. He's almost as big a star today than when he was living!
Tiger said on 22/Jun/06
Frank2: I know that link doesn't work. Sorry!(
Click Here) same location for many of the photos you and I have drawn from (biwa.ne.jp etc). Duke looks 6 feet to me if he is standing up straight and not slouching. Strange how Elvis is alot higher up on Ali's head in an earlier photo you submitted than Cosell is here and Cosell is 6 feet. HMMM! Hamilton is, at best, an inch taller and who knows what footwear Liberace is wearing! The Sullivan photos are not a good measure of their height difference. In the second one, Sullivan is closest the camera by alot. He will definitely close the gap there. You have to watch video footage of Elvis' appearances on Ed's show; he has him by a good 5-6 inches when they stand side by side. And Elvis has his head down for most of the time to look at Ed!! I take it you are confident about Bagnall's height? I don't know. In this photo with 5-5 Stanwyck, and 5-9 Sam Goldwyn, Bagnall may be closer to 6-3
Click Here
Frank2 said on 22/Jun/06
By the way, Tiger, Duke Snyder who I've met was closer to 5'10". He wasn't 6' tall as you stated.
Here he is next to 6' Howard Cosell and 6'2" Gil Hodges who I also met:
Click HereCosell with 6'3" Muhammad Ali:
Click HereCosell next to Don Meredith and Frank Gifford :
Click HereBoth Merideth and Gifford were well-over 6' tall. Merideth is about 6'4".
Cosell looking like a shrimp next to 6'6" Stephen Griley:
Click HereI suspect that by then, Cosell had shrunk to about 5'10".
Grily and 6' Tiger Woods:
Click Here
Frank2 said on 22/Jun/06
Tiger, that link doesn't work.
So how tall is Albert King, 6'6"?:
Click Here And Tiger, please explain why 6'1" George Hamilton was almost two inches taller than Elvis.
Liberace was only 5'8" so Elvis at 5'11.5" was three and a half inches taller. If Elvis wore two inch heels, he was four and a half inches taller.
Elvis and Lee:
Click HereWe also don't know what footwear Elvis wore in this photo.
Elvis next to Ed Sullivan:
Click HereSullivan was no more than 5'7" and could have been even 5'6".
Here's Sullivan next to a very young Bill Shatner:
Click HereTrust me. Shatner's well-under 5'10".
Elvis and Ed Sullivan:
Click HereBy the way, it's a terrific photo!
Elvis with 5'4" Barbara Stanwyck and 6'1" George Bagnall:
Click Here5'7" Sinatra, Elvis and 6'1" Bagnall who by the way I met back in the 1960's:
Click HereAt one time Bagnall was the head honcho of UA and led the industry in raising money for the Motion Picture Relief Fund. Photos of him with varios famous celebs are all over the walls of the Motion Picture Country Home and Hospital located in Woodland Hills, California. I was there recently visiting someone and spent some time walking around looking at them. It's a fabulous collection of photos.
Tiger said on 22/Jun/06
Elvis and 5-9 Rufus Thomas
Click Here
Tiger said on 22/Jun/06
You are not budding in Glenn; great to here from you and thanks for lending some clarification on a couple of these people, namely BB King!
Glenn said on 22/Jun/06
Every photo I have with BB he is taller than me by 3-4 inches.I hate to bud in like this.maybe he wore heels.the man is at least 5-10.appearing 6ft.and Albert King I also have the photo op with.he was 5-8.I also met John Lee Hooker(5-6),and Rufus Thomas(5-9).
Frank2 said on 22/Jun/06
Tiger, I knew Dale since he and my mom worked together in radio. He wasn't six feet. The last time I saw him and we spoke he was barely 5'10".
Watch the film O'Henry's Full House. In the segment with Robertson and Richard Widmark, it's obvious that 5'10" Widmark isn't that much shorter. Since Widmark played the crook and Robertson the policeman, some camera tricks were pulled to make Dale look a lot taller, but in a few wide angles where you can see their feet, Dale is only about an inch taller.
Looking back I was amazed at how much shorter several of my favorite cowboy stars were once I met them. Roy Rogers was quite small. He was about 5'9". Gene Autry who my mom also knew quite well was really short, about 5'7". Bill Boyd who played Hopalong Cassidy was no more than 5'10". For every 6'4" John Wayne there seemed to be five short actor/stars playing cowboy roles.
Frank2 said on 22/Jun/06
Of course they're all nonsense since they don't go with the official line of BS. Tell you what, you believe what you want to believe and I'll go with what I know to be true. How's that? OK?
And Ramiro, I think you're a little too obsessed with Elvis for your own good. It's not healthy.
Ramiro said on 22/Jun/06
All the pics are nonsense Frank2, even you admit that there are a lot of factors that distort the appreciation (Pat Boone); maybe, maybe, maybe... but nothing sure. I'm still laughing because you, without any doubt, state that Elvis wore 2'' heels and a 1'' lift in the photo with Jim Brown and then, with the same sureness, you say that Jim Brown wore "normal" cowboy boots with 2'' heels (obviously you were there, knelt down and not only measured both heels, but examined both shoes inside and saw that Elvis wore lifts and Brown not). Are you aware of the nonsense of saying what you say Frank2? Looking at the pic you provided and the others I would never dare to say what you said nor any "exact" measurement. The only thing that I see is that Elvis wore very normal shoes there and the heels, if anything, are shorter than Brown's ones. And remember, we don't know for sure if Brown wore lifts, what we know is that Graceland Archives have Elvis' original shoes and boots and they say that Elvis never wore lifts. Elvis wore ON STAGE in the seventies boots with 2'' heels, but ONLY on stage. Outside he wore all kind of shoes and boots with different heels as every person in the world does. I don't know the height of George Hamilton but did you noticed that they are on a very irregular ground? Difficult to compare them, and Elvis seems to be in a lower ground if we take as reference the house we see in one of the pics and the ground that surrounds. What makes you think that Hamilton didn't wear lifts, when it was very common in the Hollywood world? One more time Elvis was quite more relaxed than Hamilton in his position. Where did you see lifts in the pic with Russell Frank2? I only see normal shoes, Elvis has his right foot lifted over the ground and a little leant to one side, what we see below is a mixture of the shoe and the shadow and if he had lifts they would be inside the shoes, it would be impossible to see them from outside, they are made to increase height without nobody noticing it. I would say more, perhaps Elvis is one of the very very few in Hollywood who did not have lifts in his shoes, so even if he had wore them it would be fair, but he didn't wear them, that's the truth.
Tiger said on 22/Jun/06
Elvis and 6-1 Carl Perkins
Click Here2 photos of Elvis with 6-1 George Hamilton
Click Here Click HereElvis with 6-1.5 / 6-2 Engelbert Humperdinck
Click HereElvis with 6-0 Jim Reeves (far left cowboy hat)
Click Here3 better shots of Elvis towering over Liberace (5-8, but mainly documented at 5-10)
Click Here Click Here Click HereElvis and 5-7 boxing great Rocky Graziano
Click Here***** Don't see the "obvious" lifts in the Russell photo (we've discussed that nonsense over and over)
***** Though 6-3 +, Jimmy Dean is notorious for wearing huge cowboys boots. (Check him out in 'Diamonds are Forever' with Connery)
***** I think Elvis is the one not standing up straight in the Jim Brown photos. Check out the huge heels on Brown's boots.
Frank2 said on 21/Jun/06
Elvis with 5'10" Pat Boone:
Click HereMaybe Pat wore bigger lifts! Today Boone is about 5'9".
Elvis with 5'9" Nelson Rockefeller:
Click HereElvis with 5'8" Liberace:
Click HereCheck out the obvious lifts on Elvis here with Kurt Russell:
Click HereWith 5'10" Carson:
Click HereElvis with 6'3" Jimmy Dean:
Click HereAnd here:
Click HereWith 6'2" Jim Aubrey who ran MGM when we both worked there in the late 1960's:
Click HereElvis with 5'10" Jackie Gleason:
Click HereElvis with 6'1" Jack Lord who I also met:
Click HereAnd please don't tell me Lord was 6'2" since that would make sean Connery 6'3". Connery was at least an inch taller than Lord in Dr. No. In all honesty, I believe Lord was closer to being just slightly over six feet.
That's 6'1" George Hamilton on the extreme right in this photo:
Click HereAs you can see in this photo, Hamilton is about an inch and a half taller than Elvis:
Click HereElvis with Gene Barry who was about my height or just slightly taller:
Click Here
Frank2 said on 21/Jun/06
FYI Elvis is wearing height-increasing shoes in that shot with Jim Brown. And I've met Brown and he looked more like he was 6'1", but he could have been 6'2" and just not standing up straight. He's an enormous man as far as muscles go. Huge arms!
I remember when people were saying OJ Simpson was 6'3" which was ridiculous since he was just six feet even. I know since I had the displeasure of once meeting him.
Here's a better shot of Elvis with Brown:
Click HereElvis is wearing boots with two inch heels and an inch lift inside making him approx. 6'2". Brown is wearing normal cowboy boots with two inch heels making him as much as 6'4". In the film The Dirty Dozen, Brown was no taller than 6'2" Lee Marvin and a lot shorter than 6'6" Clint Walker.
Here's Nixon next to Bob Hope who's next to Fred MacMurray:
Click HereHope and Milton Berle:
Click HereNo way was Berle any taller than 5'10".
For those who still believe Nixon was 5'11.5", here he is with Brown:
Click Here
Tiger said on 21/Jun/06
Elvis with golf legend Gary Player (5-7)
Click HereElvis with baseball Hall of Famer Dodger Duke Snyder (6-0)
Click HereElvis and 6-1 Dodger ace Don Sutton
Click HereAlso of note: great book 'Soldier Boy Elvis' (1993) about Ira Jones' relationship and eventual friendship with Elvis. I have it and have read it; great book! It was written by Ira Jones, himself. In it, Ira states "though I may have seemed awkward and out of place at 6-9, I always had the respect and loyalty of my troops"
Ramiro said on 21/Jun/06
Yes, Editor Rob, errors can occur but at the end we have the truth because there is a medical examination that has the exact height and to go to it is the only thing we have to do. In the case of Elvis his height remains the same since the late fifties because it was a literal transcription of the one stated on his medical examination and therefore on Elvis' army records. Frank2, the photograph of Elvis with Muhammad Ali that you posted is the greatest example of a man trying to reach the highest height that he can, if Ali had done a little more effort he would have flied to the ceiling. Furthermore, when you put your arm over the shoulder of the other you gain height over him and push him down. Elvis is one more time quite relaxed and at least a little shrunk, it is normal, he had a big man almost over him.
Ramiro said on 21/Jun/06
Editor Rob, David Beckham is listed as 182 cm on the official website of Real Madrid C.F.
Click Here Regarding Michael Owen, are you sure that the official website of Real Madrid C.F. listed him at 176 cm? I've seen this number only on other sources but not in the Real Madrid website. Anyway it could be an error, perhaps due to using an incorrect source instead of the medical examination figure, and now we would have the accurate height, at the end the truth when it's about properly measured heights.
Jason, all players are measured without boots in a serious medical examination. The case of Ronaldo was specifically commented by the Real Madrid personnel including the legend Alfredo Di St
Frank2 said on 21/Jun/06
Elvis and Muhammad Ali:
Click Here
Frank2 said on 21/Jun/06
Here's (L to R) Little Milton, BB King and Albert King:
Click HereBB King wasn't very tall. I'd say no more than 5'9".
In the first photo you published, Elvis looks about two and a half inches taller than BB. But in the next two he doesn't look more than an inch and a half taller.
A better, more accurate photo is the one I published of him next to Milton Berle. I've seen the kinescope of that show and Elvis wore shoes with an inch-high heel and was hardly that much taller than Berle. And Milton was never, ever more than 5'10". In The Bellboy he and Jerry Lewis were the same height. And I think you'll now have to admit that Lewis was 5'10". I mean just look at all the photos I've published especially the one of Lewis with 5'10" Vic Damon. In case you forgot, here it is once again:
Click Here
Frank2 said on 21/Jun/06
FYI. Dale who by the way acted with my mom was 5'11". I last saw him the day he visited Reagan when the former President had an office in the Fox Plaza (the Die Hard building). By then Dale was 5'10".
Ramiro, you weren't there. You didn't see what I saw so what you're saying is ridiculous. I'm probably the only person on this website who ever met Elvis, stood right next to him and spoke with him. I know what I saw. I don't need other people who weren't there telling me what I saw. I'm probably the only person here who ever met Cary Grant. He did drop down to under 6' when he got older. I have photos of him standing next to Sinatra and there's not a big difference in height between the two men, not what there would have been way back when both men were a lot younger.
Tiger said on 21/Jun/06
Elvis with 6-0 Dale Robertson
Click Here
Ramiro said on 21/Jun/06
Jason, Ronaldo has been measured many times in every team that he entered in. When he arrived to F.C.Barcelona he was 20 years old and 180 cm in height. Then he went to Inter de Milan and when he returned to Spain and joined Real Madrid the medical examination revealed that he grew up to 183 cm and I remember that it was specifically commented by the Real Madrid C.F. personnel. That's the reason of the different heights, it depends on the time you choose. This controversy about Ronaldo and Ronaldinho is a good example of how ridiculous is to measure heights using the personal appreciations that people have watching pics, footage or watching at the man. The same we can say about Elvis.
Please, check the official webpages of Real Madrid C.F. and F.C.Barcelona to see the height of Ronaldo and Ronaldinho. Not speculations, they were measured by doctors many many times:
Click HereClick HereFrank2 and all of you, it is COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS to deny Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Elvis Presley heights because we don't have straight access to the original records that state their medical examinations. We have the information through the official sources that HAVE the records or at least access to them. This happens in literally ALL the things that we know. I bet that when you did a exam in the school or university you didn't answered to the questions saying: "I can't answer because I don't have access to the original documents where this was stated"; it would be stupid and you would get a big 0 in the exam. If this level of requirements that you ask for Elvis were applied to all the celebrities Editor Rob would have to close this webpage. In fact the immense majority of the heights stated in this webpage are based in light years less reliable sources than the one we have for Elvis. If Graceland Archives, historians and researchers in their books and publications, and even the National Archives and Records of Am
Jason said on 21/Jun/06
If Ronaldo is 6'0'' I'll eat the bumper off a car. 5'11'' would be being optimistic. He's listed at a number of different heights. What makes the 183cm anymore accurate than the others?
Frank2 said on 21/Jun/06
Alan Ladd was officially listed on his California driver's license as being 5'10". And we all know he was nowhere near being that tall. A little cash placed into the correct palm can work wonders.
So far there's been absolutely no official army documents available showing that measurement for Elvis. I agree that Elvis's stage boots had two inch heels. What they fail to mention is the extra inch lift inside. I saw Elvis wearing boots like that when he filmed The Trouble With Girls. Without the boots and wearing normal shoes he was at most a half an inch taller than me. A couple of people I was with on one occasion when I met him later told me that we looked to be the same height. But they also thought I was six feet. You see I had to be in order to make Elvis that height.
Take a good look at Jailhouse Rock. In it Elvis is slightly shorter than 6' Mickey Shaughnessy. He's an inch shorter than 6' Richard Egan in Love Me Tender. Like I've repeatedly said, I met Egan and he was an inch taller than me. In Love Me Tender, Elvis is just about the same height as Bill Campbell who I've also met and is my height. In the film Flaming Star, Elvis is considerably shorter than 6'3" Steve Forrest.
Here's Elvis next to 5'10" Johnny Carson:
Click HereI wonder just what shoes the King was wearing.
Elvis and Cary Grant:
Click HereBy the time of this photo, Grant had dropped down to under 6'. Elvis was wearing his usual two inch "stage boots."
Elvis with 5'10" Milton Berle:
Click HereThis was long before Elvis started wearing height-increasing footwear.
Berle and 6'2' Mac McQuire:
Click HereHere's Berl with former boxer 6' "Slapsy" Maxie Rosenbloom (on the far left) and some big guy on the right:
Click HereBerle with 6' entertainer Kamahl:
Click HereMilton with the winner of the Andy Griffith look-alike contest:
Click HereI think the guy's a little taller than 6' Griffith.
Berle, Hope and Danny Thomas:
Click HereAll were 5'10" when young. By the time of this photo, Hope was beginning to shrink with age. Of the three men, Danny Thomas lost the least in height.
Berl not looking much taller than Sinatra and appearing several inches taller than 5'5" Don Rickels:
Click Here5'7" Frankie wore his usual lifts.
Ramiro said on 20/Jun/06
Ronaldinho is listed as 181 cm (5'11.5'' approx.) on official webpages and Ronaldo is listed as 183 cm (6 feet approx.). Both were measured on official medical examinations not once but many times so the height is completely correct. Elvis was officially measured in a medical examination too, I emailed Graceland Archives one more time asking this question and they answered me this:
"Dear Ramiro,
Yes, some sources including the U.S. Army have measured
him at 6' 1/2". We have rounded that off and just refer to him
as being 6 feet tall. His stage boots have 2" heels and thus the
reference to 6' 2" is often stated.
Not sure what the controversy is or why there is a controversy.
Archives Staff".
I think it is time to update the height listed at the top of this webpage and put Elvis at 6'0.5'', this is the official height for Elvis. No one has a more reliable source to know his height as Elvis. He not only reached but passed the 6 feet mark in the army medical examination IN BARE FOOT.
Jason said on 19/Jun/06
Ronaldo sure ain't 183cm!
I believe Frank that Elvis was 5'11 1/2''.
Sorry to hear about your brother-in-law, Larry.
Frank2 said on 18/Jun/06
I met someone they other day standing in line at the checkout at my local market who swears Elvis is still alive. I sometimes think that many folks are living in a parallel universe.....mentally speaking.
Larry said on 18/Jun/06
Good point about the parallel universe! :-) I'll get my cousin, Dwight's take on that possibility (he's a theoretical physicist). I THINK it's called The Many Worlds Theory? So, there might be numerous Elvises. Hey: maybe that explains celebrities whose heights vary a lot! :-) Maybe it's different VERSIONS of the same person sort of jumping back and forth?
Frank2 said on 16/Jun/06
How about the "Fool's Gold" sandwich? Can you imagine? A full jar of peanut butter, an entire jar of strawberry jam and one pound of crisp-fried bacon, all on a baguette! I think I'll go throw up!
Tiger said on 16/Jun/06
Come on Frank2: you forgot the peanut butter :) !!!!
Frank2 said on 16/Jun/06
"I was watching the science channel tonight about a parallel universe. Where Elvis might still be alive. So maybe sometime in the future we can locate this other Elvis and measure his actual height."
Or fix him fried banana sandwiches!
piwo81 said on 14/Jun/06
Ramiro: Ronaldinho is listed from 176 to 183cm and from 70 to 80kg I think they write what they want. Having seen the match on tuesday I think Ronaldo is 1 or 2 cm taller then Ronaldinho.
Anonymous said on 14/Jun/06
I think Elvis was a cm or two short of 6ft. He was tallish but never a truly big man. The offical height of celebrities can not be relied on as there is a tendency to exaggerate.
ray said on 14/Jun/06
I was watching the science channel tonight about a parallel universe. Where Elvis might still be alive. So maybe sometime in the future we can locate this other Elvis and measure his actual height.
Larry said on 14/Jun/06
Well, when "I" measured guys in the army "I" was careful, because I had a mean SOB for a sargeant that threatened me with LATRINE duty if: 1) I screwed up & he caught me 2) I got on his GD nerves or 3) I even LOOKED at him funny. :-)
Of course, ANYONE can make a mistake, the key was not getting CAUGHT making a mistake! :-) BTW - Most of our physicals were done early in the AM.
Frank2 said on 13/Jun/06
Pick any height you want. It futile arguing this.
George H said on 13/Jun/06
Frank2> Elvis DID say it himself more than once. I have an early 1956 radio interview with him on tape in which the reporter starts out by saying he was so surprised to see Elvis was "such a tall fella" and then proceeds to ask how tall he is, to which Elvis answers "I'm six feet even, sir."
Ramiro said on 13/Jun/06
Regarding Elvis' measures from before the army they could not be definitive. The male can grow up until 25 years old, in fact many males grow up after 18 until 25 years old. I've seen many examples near to me and to name a famous person, Ronaldo, the great brasilian football (soccer) player, when was in F.C. Barcelona he was 20 years old and 180 cm, now he is 183 cm, he grew up more than an inch.
Ramiro said on 13/Jun/06
Sorry, the Anonymous who posted below on 12 june was me. It looks like I deleted cookies and my name disappeared. Anyway I hope that you recognized me for my bad english. Frank2, I obviously don't have in my hands the army record that states Elvis' height but it has been used to fix Elvis' height in all books and other sources that wanted to do a serious research about Elvis' facts. We all know the height of Everest without seeing the document made by the scientists who measured it, we simply read it in many books and other sources and believe that all are based on the "source of sources". Could have been a mistake on Elvis' measurement or an error in the height chart? yes it could, but it is very unlikely. On the other hand if you try to measure height using other methods (looking at the man, at pics or footage...) you have 99.9% of possibilities of being mistaken.
Viper652 said on 12/Jun/06
A 5-11.5 guy could easily say hes 6-0 or a little over.
Tiger said on 12/Jun/06
Well, Rob has a quote from a Honolulu newspaper interview from 1957 that he had posted on here some time back and Elvis states his height as 6-0. I submitted, some time back, an excerpt from an interview in Jacksonville, FLA. where Elvis states his height as " a little over six feet tall". (Maybe Rob can repost it and the Honolulu one). In the book 'Elvis: Word for Word', he states his height as "six feet even" from an interview from 1956. Wouldn't Priscilla be a more reliable source than her brother Jeff? Priscilla, in her book "Elvis and Me' and in the 2 DVD set 'The Great Performances', states Elvis' height as 6-0. If you want to see the 2 army docs right now, go buy 'The King' (report of transfer or discharge, stating 6-0 1/2)and 'The Personal Archives' (army driver's license states 6-0). What excuses? I am telling you the names of the sources to go see for yourself! Who were these people that confirmed that Elvis was shorter than they expected? Name them! Most that I've read interviews with stated quite the opposite. In fact, 6-3 Walter Matthau, who starred with Elvis in 'King Creole' in 1958 said in an interview in 1985 for an Elvis documentary, "I was amazed at how beautiful this kid was and how talented he was and how kind. I didn't expect him to be a big guy, but he stood toe to toe with me and I thought I was a big guy."
Frank2 said on 12/Jun/06
So? That's not Elvis saying it himself. That's not the US Army stating it officially in writing. It's just more PR nonsense written to promote Presley.
Maybe it's just me, but I get the feeling that selling something isn't that hard, that is if people want to accept it.
Tiger said on 12/Jun/06
'Country Song Roundup' (September 1955): article titled "Folk Music Farewell" says "Just 19, Elvis has been out of high school but one year-and the big (6-footer) blonde guy likes nothing more than to spend an afternoon practicing some football with some of the youngsters in his neighborhood."
Frank2 said on 12/Jun/06
He always stated he was 6'? Where? Show me. And show me the Army documents. And I mean right now. Today. No more excuses please. And by the way, as I mentioned on another thread, I have a good friend who served in Vietnam who when he was measured by the Army, they found him to be 5'9". The only problem is he's barely 5'7". To this day he has no idea why they couldn't get it correct.
I knew people at Fox who worked in publicity back when Elvis made his first feature film in Hollywood. They all confirmed he was shorter than they expected. One fellow actually picked him up at the airport. He brought along a bunch of signs that had been made at Fox Studios to hand to young girls to make it appear they made them themselves and brought them along. It was al staged and phony. Much of what goes on in Hollywood is phony. Much of the publicity information for stars is pure hokum.
As for what Elvis's former brother said, all I can say is combining it with what I saw and heard makes his statement correct. And I could care less what anyone else says to the contrary. I know what I saw and heard and that's good enough for me.
Tiger said on 12/Jun/06
The 6-0 1/2 came from a long time ago, regarding a Time/Life photo of Elvis under a stadiometer at his army physical. However, there is another famous photo of Elvis being measured for height up against a height chart and no one has ever been sure what is what. I think it is crazy to go back over all of the documentation to try and come to a final decision. I have quoted many, many people over this page that have stated Elvis to be over six foot (co-stars, friends, family, colleagues). Frank2: Elvis' height of six feet is documented all over. Look at 99% of the websites that you visit. It is in every reference and biography that I own and I own alot (as most know). Ramiro: I, too, e-mailed Graceland archives about Elvis' height a while back and got the same response. Elvis is six feet tall in his stocking feet and no mention of lifts whatsoever! Most importantly, Elvis, himself, throughout any interviews in the 50s up until his army induction, always stated his height as six feet even. From the army on, he stated 6-0 1/2. Okay, forget about the half. Maybe they got him stretched to the max that day. Maybe the stadiometer or height chart was "off" by a half-inch (human error margin?)Frank2: you know that I respect you and have enjoyed your commentary very much. However, just about everyone Elvis has met that has any input, including Elvis himself, don't share your view.
Anonymous said on 12/Jun/06
Elvis former brother in law said that Elvis' height was measured in the army at 5'11.75'' and was completely wrong, what he could have said is another personal appreciation with no scientific value. Tiger has the official document from the army that contains Elvis' height measured in the medical examination in a book he has mentioned before and it has been showed for some time on the National Archives and Records Administration of The United States Of America website (not available today). Tiger has posted part of the document some time ago on this forum. Anyway, there are a lot of things that we know for sure without having the original document at sight. Many times we have access to data through people who have direct access to the documents. When you read a book of history you don't have full access to all the documentation that used the authors, you simply believe in them. I'm not denying any claim, I'm only saying that maybe for you and for others Elvis wasn't 6 foot tall and for many more Elvis was 6' and more, but they are simple appreciations with no scientific value; only rough appreciations and speculations. If you take an Elvis' joke like the word of God it is your problem, he always stated his height at 6' and 6'1/2'' (using the army data) and as you said he wasn't vain so why to lie about this? And we have the army records that show he was telling the truth. I emailed Graceland some time ago regarding Elvis height and they quoted the army records for giving me the information.
Frank2 said on 12/Jun/06
Why keep denying what people who've actually met Elvis claim? Why are you so rigid? You say his height is documented? WHERE???? Show me! All we've seen are what people have commented on. I have never, ever seen an official US Army document stating the official height of Elvis. His own former brother-in-law admitted to me he was just under 6'. Elvis said it in front of me and several other people. Ramiro, you just don't understand Elvis. In person he was quite unassuming, possibly the most self-effacing big-name star ever! With all his entourage of sycophants and hanger-on's and his tremendous fame, he was still almost child-like in his demeanor. I mean he was just about the most polite celeb I ever met. And he joked about himself all the time. I'm sure if he was alive today and reading this thread he'd be quite amused to say the least. I can tell you from what I've heard from people who know, there are a couple of modern-day celebs discussed frequently on this forum who don't find what their fans say to be amusing in the slightest!
Jennifer L. said on 12/Jun/06
I have a photo of Elvis being measured in the Army. He is wearing only his briefs. The photo negative is backwards. Does anyone know any other information?
Ramiro said on 12/Jun/06
George H, I've emailed Graceland Archives and they answered me that Elvis never wore lifts. He wore boots with 2 inch heels on stage in the seventies and that's the reason because he looked about 6'2'' while he wore these boots. They have Elvis' boots and shoes to see and believe me, they say the truth. When I asked them about other things they answered the truth even if it wasn't too good for Elvis.
George H said on 12/Jun/06
Sheesh, is this discussion still going on? The man was 6ft. even, give or take a quarter or half of an inch under or over in bare feet. He did wear lifts in his stage boots in later years (some people who knew him personally said he even had lifts in his slippers), but you can't be just 5'10" or 5'11" and tower over people the way he did long before he started using the lifts.
Ramiro said on 12/Jun/06
Tiger, it looks like Frank2 and Editor Rob want to see an official document that shows the number 6'1/2'' and 6'1.75'' for Elvis. You said that you have a book where there is a document containing these facts. Can you please scan and show this here? I hope that Frank2 could believe it if he sees it and Editor Rob could upgrade his statement. It looks like the NARA has removed this concrete information from the website and I have not physical data.
Ramiro said on 12/Jun/06
Frank2, one more time you show us strictly personal appreciations, and even Larry Geller admits it using the word "about" regarding Elvis' height; he even wasn't 6' or near to do a rough appreciation that would be unaccurate anyway. I could show you dozens of personal appreciations made by many people who stated Elvis' height over 6' but to me all the personal appreciations haven't any value, it doesn't matter if they say that Elvis was over or under 6', they haven't scientific value when we have Elvis' height measured by the standarized method used in order to measure height in humans. You really say some nice and interesting things in your posts, it looks like you've had a very interesting life and it's sure that you know many interesting things, but regarding Elvis' height you don't have the exact number. Please, stop trying to invent the wheel, it has been invented many time ago.
Tiger said on 11/Jun/06
An item I submitted way back when: article titled 'A Legend That Lives' by Frank Lieberman, reviewing Elvis' second engagement at the International in Jan/Feb 1970- "Presley is now 35 and happily married, despite rumors to the contrary. His 6-foot plus thin frame stands tall and his pitch black hair is still long. But the shyness and self-conscious slouch that were always associated with the younger Presley are gone"
MHouillon said on 11/Jun/06
Elvis Presley= 182cm (5'11.5")
Larry said on 11/Jun/06
Thanks Frank2! :-) And Thanks Gotxo! Yes, his bone density was decreasing & he suffered from mini-fractures along his spinal colume. They tried radiation, chemotherapy, and gamma-knife surgery, but the cancer spread from his spine to his internal organs, then finally his brain. He was a fireman & paramedic & a really sweet guy. We miss him a lot. He left 3 grown children & two grandchildren. I've been "clean" for decades now, but everytime I HAVE to take codeine I get "hooked" again & have to detox myself. I lock myself up alone, but on Tibetan chanting CD's and meditate. I turn the outside part off and go in to that "I Am" at the center. At this point, the inner demons are afraid of me! :-) You never really STOP being an addict or an alcoholic, but you can learn how to work through it. I STILL write to that monk, but he lives in San Francisco now. He has never taken any credit. :-) He said it was destiny that he was there when I needed help. I think he's right.
Gotxo said on 10/Jun/06
Larry:
I'm sorry about that of your brother-in-law, i belive that 2" shrinkage.
But i think it must be more related to the changes in bone tissue due to that cancer. Doesn't do some sorts of cancer affect the bones making them weaker to the point of spontaneus fractures?
Frank2. said on 9/Jun/06
Congratulations Larry! More power to you!
Sorry to hear about your brother-in-law. May he rest in peace.
Frank2 said on 9/Jun/06
Not until everyone I worked with is dead and buried. Then I'll think about it.
ray said on 9/Jun/06
frank2 write a book about your life and I'll buy it.
Frank2 said on 8/Jun/06
Ramiro, when Elvis died he weighed over 250 lbs. He'd been overweight for some time. The bottom line is he was grossly overweight and his weight didn't fluctuate from day to day as you claim. Saying he was bloated one day and then the next day looked fine is just, plain ludicrous to say the least. When I saw him on stage at the Hilton he was obviously quite heavy. In fact, after the concert ended, that was the talk among those of us who saw him. We all wondered just how he got to be so heavy since up till that concert, I along with some of my friends had no idea he had such a serious weight problem.
Another celebrity who gained a lot of weight towards the end of his life was Steve McQueen. The 5'10" McQueen who had been about 160 lbs most of his life, shot up to well-over 200 lbs. Then when cancer struck him, he lost it quickly and by the time of his death was down to about 120 lbs. Poor guy
ray said on 7/Jun/06
Well I really don't wanna get in the middle of this Elvis controversy. But I will say that those late night peanutbutter and banana fried sandwhiches Elvis enjoyed. Did'nt help his physique very much.
Ramiro said on 7/Jun/06
Sorry, it looks like the link I provided does not bring you straight to the photographs I wanted to show. Please clic the link I've provided below and then enter the bulletin board, then click on the thread "This is Elvis in 1957 and 1977... Some of these pics show the great difference between the bloated Elvis one day and the not bloated one the other. Watch the pictures of Elvis in black T-shirt during a vacation in the midle of 1977, he's not bloated there.
Anonymous said on 7/Jun/06
You have tracked down about the most unflattering pic Frank - the one that is always dragged out when the news story is about 'Fat Elvis'. But you are correct really. He was very overweight and sickly looking at various points in the last two years. The oversized sideburns, longer hair and unflattering outfits did sometimes make him look worse than he needed to, but he was certainly in poor condition. That said, he was slim compared to some of the impersonators :-)
Ramiro said on 7/Jun/06
I understand what you say Frank2, I'm not a blind Elvis' fan; in fact if you enter an Elvis' fans messageboard you will find that they (in general) are very moderate and realistics and with a strong critical spirit. Of course it looks like Elvis' diet wasn't very appropriated and caused him overweight; but one more time, how many people those days and now do a terrible diet and are overweighted, especially in the USA? Excuse me, but Elvis was only one more of many many people in the same situation. I insist, a great part of Elvis appearance as a fat man was due to retention of liquids and the effect of huge medication. Elvis clearly abused of medication pushed by his many problems of health and his difficulties to sleep, amphetamines were also generally prescribed to lose height in those days by doctors and we all know what kind of awful doctor Elvis had. A great part of Elvis' image as a fat man was due to medication that bloated him, and that's the reason why he could look bloated one day and many more thin the other. There are a lot of pictures to show this.
Please check this out:
Click Here
By the way, Elvis' closests insist in saying that Elvis had to take a lot of medication due to bone cancer. Don't know if this is true but I don't find a reason for them to lie about this, and they say it one time after another.
ray said on 6/Jun/06
Be carefull Frank2 alot of Elvis fans can be very sensitive about their idol. Take it easy on the king of rockin roll.
Frank2 said on 6/Jun/06
Ramiro, towards the end Elvis weighed about 250 lbs. I mean come on!
Check this out:
Click Here For most of his life he weighed about 170 lbs. Do you have any idea what his diet consisted of? He ate the worst crap imaginable all his life and it finally caught up with him. Lots of fat. A lot of fried foods. Candy bars by the truck load. I watched a documentary on his black cook and what she prepared for him. I got sick to my stomach!
Ramiro said on 5/Jun/06
The jumpsuits gave Elvis a superb image in the early seventies but when he became overweighted they increased the image of a fat Elvis. If he had used standard clothes he'd have looked quite normal. Sometimes it looks like if Elvis were the only overweighted person the world has seen.
Ramiro said on 5/Jun/06
Nolifts81: Graceland Archives says= Elvis wore two inch heels in his stage boots so he stood 6'2'' with his stage boots on. They rounded Elvis height in barefoot at 6' as many people do, but his official height is 6'1/2'' and nobody can deny this looking at pictures or footage because it is virtually impossible to appreciate the real height this way. Do you know any doctor who would accept a photograph as proof of your height? I bet that you will never found one. He would measure you using the same procedure used with Elvis. Frank2: Elvis wasn't always bloated in latest years, his appearance varied from one day to another and there are pics of him where he looks a lot better and thiner than others. This was because of the problems he had with retention of liquids and the effects of medication. I'm not fat nor bloated but I'm sure I would sweat a lot on a stage with all the lights and the hot. Not happy the comparison with a pig though.
Frank2 said on 5/Jun/06
Believe it or not, I'm not a huge fan of Elvis's music and don't have any of his albums. I saw him live because everyone told me he was incredible on stage. They were correct although I wished I had seem him a few years before when he wasn't so fat. There were times up on stage when he looked awful. Kind of pasty-faced and sweating like a pig. I wasn't that surprised when he later died of a massive coronary.
Nolifts81 said on 5/Jun/06
I am Agree Frank. Elvis was not a real six footer.Looking at a lot of pics I think he was about 5'11.5(about 181cm). The problem is that very often he had on 2 inches boots and so he appeared taller.
Tiger said on 5/Jun/06
Frank2: no doubt the type of person he was! I agree wholeheartedly! Do you have a favorite Elvis soundtrack? If so, which one and why? Also, do you have a favorite movie soundtrack in general, for anyone or any movie?
Frank2 said on 5/Jun/06
Elvis looked younger in person. At least he did back when I saw him at MGM in the late sixties. Later when I saw him on stage in the 1970's he looked awful. Fat and bloated.
As far as Elvis being nice, he usually called most people "sir" which he did to me one day which was rather disconcerting since I was a lot younger. I later found out from Jeff that he did this with everyone. In other words, he was a true southern gentleman. And a great entertainer.
Ramiro said on 5/Jun/06
I have to repeat that we can't accurately appreciate height seeing photographs or looking at the cinema screen. All the people seems to be taller and shorter depending on the picture or shot of him you see and the position of bodies, legs.... Also, in the majority of pictures the people are not in barefoot to compare them and Elvis wasn't the only person on earth who wore heels of different measures. There are pictures and where Elvis seems to be taller than others and vice-versa. I have seen pictures where Elvis seems to be even almost the same height as his mother Gladys and comparing pictures and shots of Elvis and his father you can see Elvis shorter, taller, the same height.... Consider too that the heights of the people you compare Elvis with could be mistaken. piwo81: Elvis was measured in the army in barefoot, straight but not forced as you can see in photographs at 6'1/2'', so this is his height taken respecting all medical rules. If someone wants to be bended to measure his height it is his own problem, the rest of the humanity will measure height the same way Elvis was measured.
piwo81 said on 3/Jun/06
Frank2,because there are few schools of height measurement, do you think that Elvis could be 6' when young and streched? Was he as handsome live as on screen? Was he a nice guy towards normal people? Sorry for these questions, but I am his big fun.
Ramiro said on 2/Jun/06
I'm not saying that Elvis was taller than he was. You are saying that Elvis was shorter (very little difference though) than he was, on the contrary to the officially released facts. You are saying us that we must believe more in a man who sometime met Elvis and roughly appreciated his height based on so scientific rules like "we were almost eye to eye" or saying that Elvis' loafers had about 1 inch heels. Did you measure Elvis' heels accurately? What heels did you wear in your own shoes Frank2? Do you remember it with perfect accuracy after 40 years? Was Elvis absolutely straight when you roughly appreciated his height? Are you even sure of your own height? Yourself have said that your height depends on various factors, maybe more than you notice, and varies from 5'11'' to 5'11.5''. Have you saying that your rough appreciation made by a so fallible method like the human eye is more accurate than a measure of height made for specialized personnel using the standarized and the most accurate method to measure it, with Elvis in BAREFOOT and with many people including the press as eyewitnesses? How many celebrities have this guarantee? Even if a person could see Elvis and you together his perception of both heights would be unaccurate, so much more unaccurate was your own percepcion without seeing yourself and with all the factors that distort the percepcion, including that you weren't in barefoot. Anyway, forgeting the discussion about 1/2 inch or so, it is clear that Elvis was a privileged regarding his physical in all aspects, it is a pity that he didn't take care of his health the way he must do.
Frank2 said on 1/Jun/06
Yeah, we're all completely different. Sure. Anything to support the notion that Elvis was taller. The myth is far more important than the truth.
Ramiro said on 1/Jun/06
Frank2, It has been stated here before: Jeff Beaulieu gave a very very unaccurate height for Elvis in the army, as the official records show he was absolutely wrong. I think it's ridiculous to say that "the average distance between a man's eyes and the top of his head is five inches", have you done a serious research about? It is very clear that the position of eyes, mouth... is very different in each face and two persons of the same height can have eyes, mouth... at different heights. Regarding the distance between eyes and the top of the head I have seen a lot of differences between persons, believe me, the world of faces is incredibly varied.
Frank2 said on 1/Jun/06
Not really. The average distance between a man's eye's and the top of his head is five inches. But with Elvis you forget a few things. Others have said he was just under six feet including his former brother-in-law Jeff who I know quite well. I had another friend named Mike who knew Elvis quite well during the fifties and he told me Elvis was just under six feet. I saw Elvis when he was wearing regular loafers with one inch heels and he wasn't any more than a half an inch taller than me if that. In Love Me Tender, Elvis was shorter than 6' Richard Egan. That can be seen watching the film. He was about the same height as Bill Campbell and Bill isn't 6'. I met both men and Egan was an inch taller than me and Campbell was my height.
Ramiro said on 1/Jun/06
No Frank2, I don't know if you noticed it, but even if you think that you are eye to eye with another person this does not mean that you are the same height. The position of eyes in head are very different from one person to another and one person can have his eyes higher up than another but being the same height or even smaller. Another question, we are talking quite about height but I think that extent or wingspan (I don't know the exact word in english) is the most important measurement for humans. I mean the height up to the beginning of neck and the height you can reach with your arms extended upwards and the distance you can reach with your arms extended to both sides. From the pictures I saw I think that Elvis had even more extent than height.
Frank2 said on 31/May/06
Look, let's say I meet you and your eye to eye with me. What will you assume? That's I'm taller or shorter or the smae height? I've had photos taken with celebs and a few are on this forum such as with me and George Segal. When I saw Elvis he wasn't that much taller than me. Let me put it this way. Had you been there you'd have thought we were about the same height. And to answer your question, if I'm measured early in the morning and stand up as straight as I can and stretch myself I can get just under 5'11.5". But when I saw Elvis it wasn't early in the morning and I wasn't trying to stand up as tall as I could.
Ramiro said on 31/May/06
By the way Frank2, are you sure that you are 5 feet and 11 inches flat? Perhaps you are 5'11'' and something more.
Ramiro said on 31/May/06
Excuse me Frank2, but I can not trust in an evaluation of Elvis' height made by a person who sometime stood near to him. You can not appreciate the accurate difference from your eyes because you only saw Elvis and not yourself, you hadn't the two bodies at your sight to compare them with accuracy. Even if there were someone who could see Elvis and you, it would be very difficult for him to appreciate de difference, the same way it would be seeing a picture. There are a lot of factors that influence and distort the perception of height measured only by the human eye. To measure the exact and accurate height you must take it with a rigid tape measure and in barefoot and that was done in the army with all the guarantee and even with the press as eyewitness. What more we want? How many celebrities have their heights taken this accurate way?
Frank2 said on 28/May/06
Also wonderful is anything composed by Leigh Harline when he was at Fox in the 1950's. Harline who once worked for Disney and wrote When You Wish Upon a Star which won the Oscar for Best Song, went on to became a terrific dramatic as well as comedy composer. Available on limited CD release are "Broken Lance," "The Enemy Below," Warlock" and just recently, House of Bamboo. All feature the superb Fox Studio contract orchestra and all are in full strereo taken off the original 35mm three track elements. Buy them all. Trust me. You won't be sorry.
Tiger said on 27/May/06
Frank2: thanks for the insight on the 2 photos of Elvis! Wow, you could have owned that piano? That would be a special treat to show off for people. Too bad it didn't work out. No doubt the film scores of yesteryear are superior to anything today. Would you even consider most films today as having a score? I will try and get the CD you have referenced! Sounds great! Thanks!
Tiger said on 25/May/06
Frank2: we can't explain it because we weren't there. We would have to have been there to see the height discrepancy for ourselves. "that much taller than me" is up for interpretation. A half-inch, an inch, an inch and a half! A one inch difference is "not that much taller" and could easily be mistaken for a half-inch or even an inch and a half. I think it is hard to decipher when you get into half-inch increments. I don't think anyone means any disrespect, just that are you really sure of a half-inch difference? By the way, I received 'Elvis in Hollywood' 2 weeks ago and I absolutely love it, of course! Great book! Thanks again for the route to get it!
Frank2 said on 25/May/06
Then explain why he wasn't that much taller than me?
Ramiro said on 24/May/06
Elvis was standing erect but not stretching up during the army measurements as you can see in the pictures; to measure total height you must be straight and not relaxed. Even if he was stretching up (not the case) he was measured OVER 6 feet so he at least would reach 6 feet. I repeat, in the army measurements it is usual that recruits are shrunk and not stretching up themselves. Elvis at the time was obviously nervous as himself said so this is the perfect situation for being at least a little shrunk . We have an official measurement of Elvis' height and that's a lot more than we have for the majority of celebrities. We don't have to speculate about Elvis' height, WE HAVE IT.
Tiger said on 18/May/06
When I was measured for height in high school for sports and through all of my physicals, my doctor always said "stand as straight and as tall as possible." Now, I guess that can be taken different ways. I like TJ's string example; very, very true! Is it possible overstretch? I'm not really sure.
Frank2 said on 17/May/06
Not according to my doctor. He says that a person's true height is measured when standing erect yet somewhat relaxed. People who strain while when being measured are really cheating. Maybe this is why so many actors I see in person who claim to be a specific height appear to be lot shorter to me. But I also believe it has a lot more to do with ego and not wanting the public to notice they're not the towering giants they appear to be up on the big screen than how they're measured. The funny thing is that most TV actors are relatively tall. Most of the big name TV stars such as David Duchovny are over 6'.
When I met Elvis he was barely taller than me and in some cases was the same height depending on how he stood at the time. Only when I visited the set of The Trouble With Girls where he wore what were obviously boots with two inch heels was he noticeably taller than me. But he was still a lot shorter in that film than veteran character actor Edward Andrews who was a truly big man, well over six feet tall. Elvis appeared to be at least two and a half inches shorter when standing next to him.
And finally, I read somewhere that execs working for Paramount Studios publicity were able to bride some official working at the California Dept. of Motor Vehicles to put 5'10" on Alan Ladd's driver's license instead of his actual height which was about 5'6". So much for trusting what's officially stated as being fact.
piwo81 said on 16/May/06
Frank2, if you can stretch to 6' then you are 6'. People should always be measured when fully streched in my opinion.
Tiger said on 8/May/06
Okay, Jack3: we have to know! Whay city? what arena? did you see the show? how was it? did you get an autograph? That's not that many questions is it? :)Elvis toured quite a bit in '75, I would love to hear your story; please share. Also, I'm not surprised that you said Elvis is over six feet because HE IS! :)
Jack3 said on 8/May/06
Hey guys I met Elvis back in 75 whilst he was on tour, it was backstage, I worked for a arena he performed at back then and well in my mind he seemed a real nice and humbe guy, I would from my point of view put his height as I'm just under six foot that the guy had a couple of inches on me, I put him around as tall, over six foot for sure! Hope this helps! Jack
TJ said on 3/May/06
I saw that show too Tiger, but in a larger venue in London which seated about 10,000. I thought it was outstanding and quite moving too. I was pretty far back, so it really did feel like a regular concert where I'd watch the big screen to get a better look at the artist. Frank, if you can definitely rule out 76, I'd guess you saw him during the August or December 1975 Vegas season, as he wasn't really looking bloated in the 1974 or early 1975 shows. He was in fine voice in the December shows. There's a bootleg called Just Pretend which is from that season.
Tiger said on 3/May/06
Rut: thanks for reminding me! I have seen that show twice, both times at the Hilton in Vegas (how appropriate!) It is called Elvis-The Concert and it was, of course, outstanding! Very unique! It was dormant for a while, but I saw where that show is going to Austalia and New Zealand for some shows.
Rut said on 3/May/06
No, haven't seen him because I'm only 28 years old..but saw the Elvis show without Elvis but featuring his band-members and singers.
Frank2 said on 2/May/06
Yeah, I think it was around '74 or '75. It wasn't '76 since I know I wasn't anywhere near Vegas that year.
Tiger said on 2/May/06
Frank2: soumds like you saw him perform in '75 or '76 (his last stint in Vegas), possibly even 1974. No doubt, Elvis always gave his ALL and never settled for less than his best!
Frank2 said on 2/May/06
When I saw Elvis on stage in Vegas he was already heavy and looked awful. But he gave it all and I thought his performance was excellent. The crowd went wild when he came on stage and nobody seemed to notice he was severely bloated and obviously from the way his face was beet red that he was ill with heart disease.
Tiger said on 2/May/06
Rut: absolutely! Since 1982, when I was 13! I, of course, was only 8 when Elvis passed away, so I am always jealous of anyone that saw him in concert. My parents saw him in '72 at the Hilton in Vegas, my aunt saw him twice in the mid-west, my grandmother saw him in Vegas in 1970, I believe, and I know Frank2 saw him. Did You? If so, please share. Anonymous: yeah, anything written by Albert Goldman should not only be labeled questionable, but should be put at the bottom of a toilet bowl for target practice! He actually reviewed Elvis' return to live concerts in July 1969 for 'Music Scene' mag (see 8 Apr 06 below, where I have a reference) and does state Elvis' height as over 6'.
Rut said on 2/May/06
Yes, sorry that's correct I meant six foot and one half..(about being measured in the army)
Are you a long time fan, Tiger?
Anonymous said on 2/May/06
I've read he was 5'11'' and always had a complex about his height, thinking he was too short. However this was I think in the muckraking bio. by Albert Goldman so might not be accurate. To me he always looked like a 5'11'' guy, possibly nudging 6 ft.
Frank2 said on 2/May/06
To Rut, Elvis was never 6'1.5". When I would see him at MGM he was hardly any taller than me. I keep having people tell me that I'm not measuring myself correctly, that most people stand up as straight as possible while I stand somewhat relaxed while being measured. So I suppose if I stretched myself like so many people do I could claim I was 6'. But I like to think I'm correct and most others are wrong which is true when you think about it.
Tiger said on 2/May/06
Thanks TJ; I would love that! Hope to correspond with you soon :)
TJ said on 1/May/06
Tiger, I'd rather that the 1977 special was kept under wraps to be honest. There are highlights, including How Great Thou Art, Hurt, I Really Don't Want to Know and My Way, but the man is so clearly sick and shouldn't have even been on stage. As fans, we view it with a compassionate eye, but that wouldn't be the case with either the critics or most non-fans that saw it. Elvis' image has been somewhat, but not entirely rescued in recent years, after a long period of ridicule. Releasing it would serve little purpose other than to satisfy the fans that are hungry for it. I do understand diehard fans wanting it, but it would be impossible to only have those fans seeing it. I'd rather not post my email in a public forum, but I've sent Rob an email with my details. If you want my email address, please email him. I might be able to help you with the special. Rob, hope that's ok.
Tiger said on 1/May/06
Rut: Rob has him at 183 cm!
Tiger said on 1/May/06
Rut: I assume you mean the army and Elvis was measured in the army at 6-0 1/2 BAREFOOT! (Not 6-1 1/2)
Rut said on 1/May/06
Frank2: what is your opinion of that Elvis was measured six one and a half..?
I give him max 183cm. By the way seen my site..?
Ramiro said on 1/May/06
I hope too Tiger, I showed Elvis' performance of "Unchained Melody" from EIC to a non Elvis fan friend and he became frozen because of Elvis incredible and so emotional performance, even with all health problems and difficulties to breath. There are a lot of people who find this period of Elvis very touching. Regarding Aloha in a spanish magazine of Rock they reviewed it some months ago and they said: What to say... Elvis was simply the best live, perfect "one take only" performances without trap or fiddle so common in other groups and artists in their "live" concerts. And this was said in a magazine mainly of hard rock and new tendencies.
Tiger said on 30/Apr/06
TJ: I don't know why Graceland will not release 'Elvis in Concert', the tv special from 1977. I have only seen bits of it on other videos or documentaries. I know that Elvis was in very poor health and it was right at the end, but when one sees and hears 'My Way' (which IS Elvis' song) and 'Unchained Melody' (at the piano), one realizes Elvis never lost his incredible voice or his talent as an entertainer. His voice seemed to grow as time went on, becoming almost operatic. Those 2 performances from the special are phenomenal; vocally and visually. I hope that special comes out someday! What do you think?
TJ said on 29/Apr/06
I think his personal life had an impact on Aloha Tiger. That said, there are very many concerts after Aloha that are much better too. For me, there are much better renditions of What Now My Love. The ending is fine in Aloha, but there are versions where much better care is taken over the verses. But, I agree - would rather see Elvis at 50% than most at 100% :-)
Tiger said on 28/Apr/06
TJ: you know, as awesome and as important as the Hawaii shows are, Elvis had much more energy and intensity in 'TTWII' and 'On Tour'. His performances in the latter two are far superior to the Hawaii shows. As far as the Hawaii shows, Trilogy was awesome, so was CC Rider and a great song called 'What Now My Love'. I think Elvis always, to a point, loved to prove the critics wrong. I think he enjoyed reminding people that there was no match for his voice and with songs like 'Trilogy' and 'What Now My Love' from the Hawaii shows, he sort of let's people know that he still has it. I do think that, by the Hawaii shows in '73, things were getting repetitive and formulaic like the movies in the 60s. He didn't seem to approach the special with the same fervor as the '68 Special or the return to Vegas in '69 or the return to TRUE music with the Memphis sessions also in 1969. But remember, Elvis at 50% is better than most at 100%!!
TJ said on 28/Apr/06
For me though Tiger, Aloha was far from Elvis at his peak. He was quite subdued physically and, with some exceptions (notably Trilogy), didn't really give his all vocally either. Nerves perhaps. TTWII blows it out of the water. Watch Suspicious Minds from both and it's like a different guy.
Tiger said on 28/Apr/06
Ramiro: yeah, the fact that Belew has been so inconsistent about Elvis' height over the years makes me think he does estimate. The one thing Belew is consistent about, I guess, is that the heights he does state for Elvis are 6 foot plus. I referenced some interviews with Bill (a TV Guide interview with Elvis biographer Peter Guralnick) back down on this page and Bill stated 5 or 6 different heights and Guralnick was amazed by that!
Ramiro said on 28/Apr/06
I bet that Bill Belew never measured Elvis' height. He only gave several rough numbers based on partial measurements or his own perception. You must consider too that when you wash clothes they shrink and even if the jumpsuits are in mannequins they would never recover their full volume.
Frank2 said on 27/Apr/06
Didn't you know Tiger and Rob? I'm now the new incredible shrinking man!
Tiger said on 27/Apr/06
Bill: 5-8? Wouldn't that make Frank2 5-7 or so? The ironic part about the jumpsuits is, according to Bill Belew (Elvis' wardrobe and stagewear designer)in an interview with a Japanese fan medium (which I previously referenced way back when), the jumpsuits that he designed for Elvis on stage gave Elvis a "look of greater height". Bill: I'm not sure where your basis is for stating 5-8. If this is a visual perception, based on viewing jumpsuits on mannequins, then WOW! I'm not really confident in your translation of that perception!
Editor Rob
frank2 won't be happy, he's lost 4 inches, eye to eye with Cruise now!
Ramiro said on 27/Apr/06
Thank you Tiger, the problem was that I wrote "Elvis Presley" and the "search box" only works with "Elvis".
Ramiro said on 27/Apr/06
Rut: The statement from "The Rough Guide To Elvis Presley" was made by Bill Belew (the man who made Elvis' jumpsuits). Bill, as was said here before, gave at least 5 different heights for Elvis in several interviews and the majority of them were over 6 feet. Peter Guralnick himself (Elvis' biographer) was confused about Bill's comments on Elvis' height. Remember that height not only is not an important measurement for a taylor but it is not a measurement that taylors take; and even if Bill took Elvis' height, it surely would be done with a flexible tape measure that isn't good for measuring height, with shoes on and probably with Elvis not completely straight. I say this because my father was taylor and I know something about these situations that I've seen. The army measurements are fully documented with detail, Elvis was measured with shoes on and barefoot at 6 feet 1.75 inches and 6 feet 1/2 inches respectively and if these measurements were unaccurate I bet that they measured less height than real and not more, because it is very common that recruits are shrunk while measured in the army because of being stressed by the situation (I talk by my own experience). Bill, the jumpsuits do not give us light because they are elastic and they become bigger when you are in, and you must count neck+ head+ part of leg and feet below.
Bill said on 26/Apr/06
Looking at his jumpsuits at graceland Big E was not 6 ft. tall but maybe
5'8'
Tiger said on 26/Apr/06
Sorry Ramiro: it is
Mugshots.com" target="_blank">Click Here forgot the second 's'!
Tiger said on 26/Apr/06
Rut: the Penguin Guide to Elvis? What? Were you there when Elvis was measured in the army and they didn't do it right? Confirmed by whom? Lots of people? Anyone I have read interview transcripts on or those who have authored books (Scotty Moore, David Stanley, Priscilla, etc,) have stated 6 foot plus!. TJ: I agree. 'Elvis: That's the Way It Is', which documented Elvis in August 1970 at the International, is Elvis at his absolute, polished best! That and the tour from 'Elvis on Tour' (1972) are the 2 pinnacles, even better than the Hawaii concerts.
Rut said on 26/Apr/06
Oh, guys come of it! I has been confirmed by a lot of people, and It's in the Penguin guide to Elvis (5 eleven and one half)
The army measurements are not full proof since we don't know if he had his shoes on, and otherwise maybe they didn't measure him right, anyway!! he always will be the king whether he was 5 8, 5 9 or 6 ft 7!!! I leave it with that!!
TJ said on 26/Apr/06
Wow, cool that you saw him Frank. Don't suppose you know the date of the show or at least the year? If you saw him in 1969 or 1970 I'm especially jealous, as he was on fire. I think the Aug 70 shows are probably the best. More polished than 1969, but still with the passion and energy.
Tiger said on 26/Apr/06
Ramiro: JD was 6-6. It is well-documented in that DVD as well as three other Elvis references that I have. Don't let anyone sway you on that! Go to
Click Here and in the upper right corner of the main page is a 'search' box. Type in Elvis' name and you should get it. Worst case, Rob has a link to the mugshot website on the very front page of this site. I believe that the photo on the first page here is of Anna Nicole Smith.
Ramiro said on 26/Apr/06
By the way, someone said here that J.D. Sumner (bass of Elvis' vocal group) was not 6'.6" but 6'.4" if I remember well. Well, on the "He Touched Me" DVD his own daughter says literally that he was 6'.6".
Ramiro said on 26/Apr/06
Tiger, the site you provided does not have any Elvis mugshot.
Frank2 said on 25/Apr/06
Yes, in Vegas. Great show!!
Tiger said on 25/Apr/06
TJ: yes, another one of them. No information, no photos, no documentation, just a random statement. He doesn't even speculate; he just says it! How do you respond to someone like Rut? Elvis is/was 6 feet tall, probably 6-0 1/2 (army speaking), and it is out there to see! That is only 2 army measurements. No one has even seen Elvis' actual 'medical' record from his induction. The doc I have in 'The King' book is a 'Report of Transfer or Discharge'. You know, with that Harvey person taking up our time, I haven't had a chance to speak with Frank2. Frank2: the ultimate question - did you ever see Elvis perform in person? if so, where?
TJ said on 25/Apr/06
By the way, the Sillerman comment was by me - forgot to change default name. Rut doesn't have proof Tiger. At best, he has speculation to back it up. Could be said we don't have proof either, but my view is that two official army measurements are about as good as we are going to get, and certainly better than the usual 'official' heights that are simply made up by publicists. After all, the army records weren't supposed to be public.
Tiger said on 24/Apr/06
Rut: where is your proof?
Rut said on 24/Apr/06
Elvis is/was 182 cm!
Anonymous said on 22/Apr/06
Nice words Frank and I couldn't agree more. On the point about the Sillerman buy out, Graceland itself hasn't been sold. Sillerman effectively purchased the rights to use Elvis' name and likeness. Lisa Marie retains a 15% stock.
Tiger said on 21/Apr/06
Nor will they ever be filled. At least, not in my lifetime!
Ramiro said on 21/Apr/06
Thank you very much Tiger, I enjoy a lot your comments too. Can you give me the link to the website you mention? Perhaps it is different than the ones I visited. I think someone posted the link here before but it is impossible to reach it now (it has been deleted). Thank you very much.
Tiger said on 21/Apr/06
All one has to do is go to the website that posted it and they state that it is highly likely a fake. I don't care either way about the photo itself. It could be a joke or Elvis having fun or a legit badge photo. The ridiculous part of the whole thing is are people trying to tell us how tall Elvis is from the photo. That is inane! Ramiro: well-said commentary! Enjoyed reading it!
Ramiro said on 20/Apr/06
It's absolutely incredible. We don't have any official measurement for many many people and then I understand that we have to use pictures and other things to appreciate their height roughly and never exactly. But this problem does not affect Elvis. WE HAVE OFFICIAL MEASUREMENTS done by impartial and specialized personnel from an impartial organization (the army). Hear to me: ELVIS WASN'T MEASURED BY FANS, was officially measured twice (in barefoot and with shoes) and the official and registered record says he was 6',0.5" in barefoot and 6',1.75" with shoes. We can see thousands of pics with Elvis looking like more or less tall but we will never be able to give an exact measurement for Elvis because there are a lot of factors that impede us to take an exact measure through photographs: angle of the shots, shoes, lifts (perhaps others and not Elvis wore lifts), position of bodies, situation of the floor or ground and many many more... There is a photo where Gladys (Elvis' mother) seems to be as tall as Elvis and there are photos where Vernon (Elvis' father) seems to be taller than Elvis and vice versa. Sure you have pics with you looking taller than another and other with you looking as tall or smaller. But even if Elvis were 5',11.1/2" or 5',11.3/4" he would have been a tall man for those days and for today. And we have not say yet anything about Elvis being one of the most (for many THE MOST) good looking human beings in history.
Tiger said on 18/Apr/06
Yes! It was sold to a mogul that wants to expand the fan area to accommodate more tourists and make the "tourist area" more comfortable and spacious. I don't think Elvis Presley Enterprises has given up total control nor have they sold the "farm", but they are looking for new ideas and ventures. That is how I understood the transaction. I think I am fairly accurate. I did not read about it extensively. As soon as I read that nothing is closing down and actually getting bigger and better, I stopped reading :)
Frank2 said on 18/Apr/06
I heard that on the news. Are you aware that Graceland was sold?
Tiger said on 18/Apr/06
Frank2: I did not read that. Really! That is a pretty darn good living! I never thought impersonators were living that well :)
Frank2 said on 17/Apr/06
Nice shot of Elvis with Joe Lansky:
Click HereLansky co-owned a well-known clothing store in Memphis that Elvis frequented.
Tiger, did you read where some wealthy guy bought all the rights to the image of Elvis and is now suing to stop unauthorized Elvis impressionists from working without first paying him a hefty fee? It seems that really successful Elvis impersonators make as much as $300,000 a year!
Frank2 said on 15/Apr/06
That photo of me was taken in the 1980's when I was the film editor on an awful TV movie filmed in several locations in Arizona. At one point as a joke when I visited the set the director shoved me into a scene with a non-speaking part. I made sure the film ended up on the cutting room floor!
Tiger said on 15/Apr/06
a little trivia: Alan Napier appeared as Professor Joe B. Larson in Elvis' 'Wild in the Country' (1961) and is uncredited in the film.
carlos said on 15/Apr/06
Frrank 2 you are a very interesting individual however I still believe a man who can judge the difference in an half inch should be questioned, it's almost impossible not unless you had tape measure ane measured the man, it's a joke and you know it for the record my previous comment was much more of a test observe the reaction I got from you and well for a man of your age I'm quite amused, I don't have to judge you but your reaction speaks volumes! Personally speaking I don't care how tall Elvis was! For the record I work in the music industry in the UK and find this site most amusing!
Tiger keep battling in Elvis's corner, word of advise is don't believe everything someone tells you!
Take care to all
Carlos
Frank2 said on 14/Apr/06
Thank you Tiger. Much appreciated.
Tiger said on 14/Apr/06
Is that photo the pre-cursor to Burt Reynolds in 'Smokey and the Bandit' ? :)
Frank2 said on 14/Apr/06
And I just love my world of "make believe" 'cause living in the real world with so many clueless fools such as yourself is simply intolerable.
Tiger said on 14/Apr/06
Carlos: how's it going? Haven't heard from you in a while. I agree with you whole-heartedly about Elvis being 6-0 1/2. There is no doubt in my mind. I have given so much to supporting that point of view. I DON'T agree with you, however, about Frank2. Though we have argued and gotten after each other pretty good, I very much respect him and what he has done in the entertainment field. He has wonderful stories, has met wonderful people, and has given the site a number of classic and wonderful photos. He has a excellent book called 'Elvis in Hollywood' and he was kind and sweet enough to tell me about the book and even put me right to the site where I could order it. I don't think you should have gone and said those things. Take it from me: I don't always agree with his recollections and perceptions of height, but Frank2 is a genuine guy and believes in what he speaks! I commend him for that! I don't care for the way he has talked about Elvis in certain situations, but he has met THE MAN and does have the upmost respect for him :)
Editor Rob
here's a picture of Frank2 during his brief 2-minute acting career ;-)
Frank the SheriffI'll let frank2 say where/what this shot was about...
carlos said on 14/Apr/06
Elvis was 6ft and half inch end of story, Frank2 I don't believe any of your stories, I think you are a liar and live in a make believe world! Case closed
Frank2 said on 14/Apr/06
6'5" Mike Mazurki and 5'4" Lou Costello:
Click HereI sure see more than a foot difference.
5'4" Lou, 6'3" Leif Erickson and 5'8" Bud Abbott:
Click HereI just might have to re-evaluate the comedy team's height. Bud and Lou don't even look that tall next to Erickson. My dad always said that Lou was only 5'3". I just wonder....
Tiger said on 13/Apr/06
Frank2: thanks for the book info! Looking forward to purchasing it, reading it, and adding it to my collection!
Frank2 said on 13/Apr/06
I love this shot of Campbell:
Click HereWhat a ham!
Here's some interesting trivia: Bill was once married to Judith Exner who according to rumors later became the shared mistress of both JFK and mafia chief Sam Giancana. She died of cancer in 1999. Judith was supposedly once involved with Sinatra and it was Frank who reportedly introduced her to an overly horny JFK.
Frank2 said on 13/Apr/06
"Shall we dance?" Campbell with Elvis:
Click Here
Tiger said on 13/Apr/06
2 photos of Elvis with the 5-11 Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits
Click Here Click Here
Tiger said on 13/Apr/06
Egan looks taller than Elvis in one of the four photos. One of the other three is hard to determine and the last 2 (lower middle and upper right) they are the same height. I just recently watched 'Love Me Tender' and each takes his turn looking taller than the other throughout the film. I guess I have to watch it again :) By the way, Frank2, is that book still available and who is the author and publisher? I would love to have it!
Frank2 said on 13/Apr/06
Laurel and Hardy. No contest.
And with the Elvis photos which are taken out of an outstanding book I have called Elvis in Hollywood, Richard Egan is clearly taller than Elvis. You can see it in the film as well. As I've repeatedly said, I met Egan and he was an inch taller than me or 6' even. Bill Campbell is my height. I would see him almost every year at The Golden Boot Awards. He's another actor who hasn't lost height or at least that was true the last time I saw him which was back in 1999. I recently saw him in a TV interview and he looked pretty bad.
Tiger said on 13/Apr/06
Frank2: in your opinion, who is the better or funnier of the 2 - Laurel and Hardy or Abbott and Costello? why? which, do you think, is more popular?
Tiger said on 13/Apr/06
Really Frank2: only a one inch height difference? I see 2+ in either photo. By the way, which photo with Wallis? There are two! You should take out a tape measure and see just how small an inch is :) You mean Elvis' shoes were not "built-up" in either of those photos? :)
Tiger said on 13/Apr/06
Yeah, Rob: that is why I put in the 5-4 because I know Frank2 stated Costello's height as 5-4 and I want to under-state to keep people happy. I have seen 5-6 documented once and have seen 5-5 a majority of the time. I don't buy, at all, that Costello was 5-6, just putting it out there that it has been documented. I read 5-6 in an old movie mag called 'Hollywood Star' from the 40s. I would say, for Lou, 5-4 1/2 / 5-5. Frank2 will disagree :)
Frank2 said on 13/Apr/06
That shot of Elvis with Wallis only shows about an inch difference in height. It also shows that Elvis was wearing flat shoes. Had I been in the shot you'd have a seriously problem seeing any difference in height between me and Elvis.
Here's another shot of Bill Haley with Little Richard:
Click HereHmmmmm. I wonder if Haley was really 5'10"? Hmmmmmm....
The last time I saw Little Richard in person he looked to be 5'10" himself.
I'm now thinking of writing a book on the heights of celebs. The interesting things I've seen might make for entertaining reading. I mean why was it that in Gunga Din, Cary Grant was taller than supposedly 6'1" Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and then when I saw both men together at a party, Fairbanks was indeed 6'1" and was taller than Grant? Why is it that Fairbanks wore lifts in Sinbad the Sailor as I just discovered looking through a superb book my mom has on actors, and was still shorter than Anthony Quinn by and inch or two? Why was Quinn almost the same height as Greg Peck in The Guns of Navarone yet only a couple of inches taller than 5'10" Alan Bates in Zorba the Greek? I met Alan and he was 5'10". Why was Omar Sharif who's no more than 5'10" almost the same height as supposedly 6'2" Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia(this is true in both the harder to fudge long shots as well as the close-up's) yet when the two showed up to celebrate the restoration of the film in the 1980's, Omar was four to five inches shorter than O'Toole? And Anthony Quayle who I met one day at Musso & Frank Grill in Hollywood and was exactly my height of 5'11" was almost as tall as O'Toole in Lawrence yet in The Wrong Man was shorter than 6'1" Henry Fonda by at least two inches. Why was Tyrone Power who was supposedly only 5'10" as tall as 6'+ Hugh Marlowe in Rawhide, as tall as 6' Jack Hawkins in The Black Rose, taller than 5'10" Dana Andrews in Crash Dive and yet three inches shorter than John Williams (the actor) in Witness for the Prosecution? Why was Van Heflin taller than Glenn Ford in 3:10 to Yuma, taller by at least two inches than 5'11" James Mason in East Side, West Side, yet in Woman's World he's the same height as 5'11" Clifton Webb and at least three inches shorter than 6'2" Cornel Wilde? By the way, Webb is shorter by about half an inch than Dana Andrews in Laura and five to six inches shorter than 6'4" Vincent Price in the same film. And in the film The Three Musketeers, Van Heflin is at least three inches shorter than 6' Gig Young! In Teacher's Pet, Gig Young is the same height as Clark Gable who by that film had shrunk by almost a couple of inches and was just under 6'. Young is the exact same height as Cary Grant in That Touch of Mink. Yet I've seen photos of Grant, Young and Gable together at a party and Gable is the tallest! I have a shot of Van Heflin standing next to Jimmy Stewart and Gable at a Sunset Strip supper club and Heflin is shorter than Gable by at least two inches and four inches shorter than Stewart! And finally, when I met Cornel Wilde one day at Fox Studios in the very early 1980's he was my height, certainly nowhere near 6'2"!
I could go on and on.
Tiger said on 13/Apr/06
a slouching Elvis with the 6 foot Jim Reeves (last cowboy hat on the left)
Click HereElvis with 5-6 Lou Costello (we'll say 5-4 to keep Frank2 happy) and 5-7 Jane Russell (highly likely wearing heels with that evening dress)
Click HereElvis with the 5-8 1/2 Sinatra (we'll say 5-7 to keep Frank2 happy) HMMM, isn't that the same disparity in height as the Sinatra/JFK photo, where Sinatra comes up to KFK's eyes ?
Click Here Editor Rob
I hadn't thought of Costello, I'd forgotten he looked quite short...5ft 6, was that his advertised height back in the day?
Tiger said on 13/Apr/06
Rob: I have anywhere from 40 to 50 different references and bios on Elvis. I have read or have gone through almost all of them over the past 24 years. I add to my collection whenever I can. Just when I think I have everything, I see something new that I have to have. There is so much crap out there on Elvis, therefore, I am picky about what I read or buy. It is a healthy obssession :)
Tiger said on 13/Apr/06
In the photo with Corey, Wendell looks to have the more bulky, uncomfortable boots (with the bigger heel, I might add!) The two women with Elvis in that photo are: his girlfriend from '72-'76, 5-9 1/2 Linda Thompson (on the left) and his hairdresser, Pat Parry on the right. Thompson, a former Miss Tennessee, is 5-9 1/2 with measurements 36-23-36! As far as Elvis being "loaded": he is not and let's keep things to height only!
Editor Rob
out of curiosity, how many Elvis books have you read over the years...I know Elvis is of great interest to you going back to those earlier discussions we had
Tiger said on 13/Apr/06
Elvis with the 5-10 Hal Wallis
Click Here
Tiger said on 13/Apr/06
Elvis with the 5-10 Hal Wallis and the 5-10.5/5-11 Colonel Parker
Click HereDoesn't look like anyone's wearing lifts or built-up shoes in that photo :)
Tiger said on 13/Apr/06
Elvis with 5-10 Bill Haley
Click Here
Tiger said on 13/Apr/06
Elvis with 5-5 Barbara Stanwyck and 5-9 Samuel Goldwyn (second from the right)
Click Here
Frank2 said on 12/Apr/06
An obviously loaded Elvis with what look like two rather tall women:
Click HereOr is The King just without his lifts?
Frank2 said on 12/Apr/06
Elvis with 6'3" Muhammad Ali:
Click HereElvis and Wendell Corey:
Click HereCheck out those boots on Elvis:
Click HereI know I'd have a serious back ache if I had to wear them.
Elvis with 5'10" Richard Nixon:
Click HereNixon with 6'4" Prescott Bush:
Click HerePrescott and son 6'2" George HW:
Click HereNixon and JFK:
Click HereKennedy and Nixon:
Click HereNixon with 6'2" Agnew an 6'4" Morris Udall:
Click HereNixon with Warren Burger swearing in William Ruckelshaus:
Click Here5'4" Sammy Davis Jr. with Nixon:
Click HereNixon with 5'6" Nikita Khrushchev:
Click HereNixon with 6'6" Jack Kilby, noted engineer who invented the first semiconductor chip:
Click HereNixon and group:
Click HereNASA Administrator Dr. James C. Fletcher along with Apollo 16 astronauts meet with Nixon:
Click HereBack then NASA had a height limit of 5'10" for astronauts.
Apollo 11 astronauts with Nixon:
Click Here
Frank said on 11/Apr/06
Fun or not fun I will no longer argue heights with you, period.
Yes, I've met Clint. The only time was on the Universal scoring stage during the recording of John Williams' music for The Eiger Sanction. Clint was a solid 6'4" back then. I had to look way up to him in order to converse. He was at least five inches taller than me. By the way, John Williams is 5'10".
Tiger said on 11/Apr/06
Frank2: you seem to be getting upset over what should be fun debate. I have given you credit for convincing me that Lewis and Martin are not 6'. It is because of you that I have changed my opinion on their heights. Nixon may or may not have been 5-11 1/2, but most photos don't bear that out. Some do provide evidence that he may NOT have been; I credit you for that too! Documentation is very important to me because, in a forum such as this, anyone can say whatever the heck they want. I think that most people that visit the site would want to see something documented. There has been some bizarre stuff posted to this website. Anyone remember McFly? I do enjoy the stories of your encounters with people. I have noticed one name you haven't mentioned: Clint Eastwood. Do you know him or have you ever come across him?
Frank2 said on 10/Apr/06
If you mean show us where it's written in a book then show me where it says Sinatra's hobbie was toy trains! It was!
Tiger said on 10/Apr/06
Frank2: I no nothing of Disney's height, nor do I care! I don't think press agents go around publicizing 5-8 stars. If a star is listed at 5-8 (like a Sinatra) and he is truly 5-7 as you say he is, then how is making him 5-8 a press agent's dream? What is gained by making Sinatra 5-8? What would be magical about 5-8? Doesn't it go back to your example of an inch being the width of a bottle cap? How do you know that Sinatra was 5-7? You mean there is no way on earth that he was 5-8 ? You can really determine one inch? Every piece of documentation about Sinatra's height is wrong? They all conspired to make him an inch taller? Come on Frank2, you are much smarter than that!
Frank2 said on 10/Apr/06
Here's a shot of Walt Disney with some of his early animators:
Click HereWalt is standing in the doorway and brother Roy is on the far right.
Walt and Robert Taylor:
Click HereWalt with The Mouseketeers:
Click HereWalt with a group of men:
Click HereWalt with some railroad workers:
Click HereWalt with my favorite comedy team:
Click HereWalt with a group:
Click HereWalt and 6'1" Dr. Wernher von Braun:
Click HereWalt with 6'3" Guy Williams:
Click HereSo Tiger, you still think he's 5'6.5"?
Frank2 said on 9/Apr/06
I think Van Williams was no more than 5'11":
Click HereVan and 5'7" Bruce Lee:
Click Here
TJ said on 9/Apr/06
The way I look at it, if someone is certain that a person who stands next to them is taller than them, the chances are that person is an inch or so taller. Who would really notice half an inch? Deciding between half an inch and one inch is certainly not easy just from standing next to someone, so I really don't understand how you can be so sure that the army measurement is wrong.
Tiger said on 9/Apr/06
Frank2: are you kidding me? They are the SAME height. In the first photo, Flynn appears slightly taller only because he is closer to the camera. They are both 6-2! Hard to believe, but there probably is no bottom line!
Frank2 said on 9/Apr/06
If Paul Lukas was 6'2" then Errol Flynn was 6'4":
Click HereOr here:
Click HereAnd yes, Tiger, I can see an inch in difference, especilly when I'm eye to eye with these celebs as has been the case on many occasions.
By the way, last night I watched the film Split Second and noticed that Richard Egan was no taller than 6' Stephen McNally and was about two inches shorter than 6'2" Keith Andes. I suppose according to you, Macnally was really 6'2" and Andes was 6'4". Then if that was the case, Jan Sterling was 5'7" and Alexis Smith was 6'. We can play this game as long as you want. Bottom line is I'm right and you're wrong.
Tiger said on 9/Apr/06
Great new book out called 'Elvis: The Personal Archives' (Jeff Scott, Channel Photographics 2005)and it is $29.99 when ordered through the Graceland catalog: Scott had exclusive access to Graceland and Elvis' personal artifacts. In the book, there is a copy of Elvis' ARMY driver's license. It was issued on 11 Aug 58, so Elvis could drive tanks and jeeps. It states Elvis as 6 feet and 180 lbs. Everyone has seen Elvis' regular driver's license and it states 6-0 and 170 lbs. Army records show that Elvis did weigh in at 180 lbs. and was discharged at 185 lbs. Where the half-inch in height went from his 'report of transfer or discharge' doc is a bit strange!
Tiger said on 9/Apr/06
Frank2: you can, for certain, decipher one inch? That is amazing! How do you do it? I think your eyes deceive you, but please do what you need to do to make it work for you :)
Tiger said on 9/Apr/06
Just to add: in that photo with Bixby, if Elvis is not slouching, he is about as tall as the 6-2 Carl Ballantine. Great find, Frank2!
Frank2 said on 9/Apr/06
Oh really? I knew Bill back when he did Courtship of Eddie's father and he was 5'8", period! Mary Tyler Moore gave her height at one question and answer session I attended at the TV Academy as being 5'7" which is exactly what was listed in TV Guide back when the Dick Van Dyke Show originally aired in the 1960's. Paul Lukas wasn't 6'2". He was 6'. And Jack Lemmon was 5'8". By the time Jack was old he was down to about 5'6". You ever meet him or Van Dyke or Mary or Bill? I have. Paul Lukas's height is easily figured out just by watching all of his films. He's just about the same height as 5'11" James Mason in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. And please don't tell me Mason was 6'2" or I'll scream! I've seen still taken on the set and when Lukas is standing next to 5'10" Walt Disney, he's about two inches taller. Tell you what. You believe what you want and I'll go with my eyes as well as what I've read and heard. OK?
Tiger said on 9/Apr/06
Actually, Bill Bixby was 5-9, Mary Tyler Moore was 5-8, and Paul Lukas was 6-2. Lukas is closer to the camera in that shot. In the few scenes they are in together ('Fun In Acapulco'), they are very close in height. In the photo with Mary Tyler Moore, Elvis doesn't look at least 6 feet? Even with his head slightly down? Jack Lemmon was 5-9! Moore has to be wearing heels in that photo, but she seems much taller than him. Even if Lemmon had lost some height by then, that is still a bit of a gap.
Tiger said on 8/Apr/06
Allison and Frank2 must be related! She says lifts and he says specially made shoes. Wow, we have 2 people able to convince us that Elvis was truly under six feet :) Let's throw out the documentation and all the references and the all the 1st-hand accounts. I think it was Viv over on the Monroe page whom I said that, on this site, when no one has anything credible, they can just throw out 'lifts' or 'built-up shoes'. They don't have to back it up, they just sayt it to support their point of view. Not much one can do when one states 'lifts' or 'built-up shoes'. I don't know TJ: anything you can add? Frank2: I have been wanting to ask you: do you have a favorite Elvis movie? and why? I like it better when we discuss something other than height :)
Frank2 said on 8/Apr/06
For the last time, Elvis was just under six feet. Yes he wore specially made shoes to boost him. I saws him, stood next to him and he was only slightly taller than me.
Tiger said on 8/Apr/06
Allison: Albert Goldman is the biggest piece of ________ in the history of journalism. He clearly had an anti-Elvis agenda and, for some strange reason, disliked him. If anyone is going to take rumor or trash and embellish it, it is going to be Goldman, no matter how small. If you have studied Elvis in depth for 10 years, where are your references to Elvis biographers like Jerry Hopkins, Peter Guralnick, Steve Tamerius, Fred Worth, etc.? Where is your documentation from credible sources and references like Joe Esposito's book 'Good Rockin' Tonight' or his DVD 'Elvis; His Best Friend Remembers'? How about Scotty Moore's book 'That's Alright, Elvis'? How about David Stanley's 'Elvis Encyclopedia'? How about Priscilla's 'Elvis and
Me'? Are you following the documentation that I have posted to the site? How many websites have you referenced? You mean to tell me that you have never seen, over and over in your "study", that Elvis was 6 feet tall + ? If not, then you have alot of studying and researching to do. Elvis was not "embarassed" about being short because he was not short. You better be careful calling someone 5-11 short; Frank2 is 5-11. Allison: can we please stop with lifts nonsense? It has gotten so old and tiresome. Please come up with more than 'lifts' or 'clearly under six feet tall' or 'high-heel boots'. Go study! Oh, by the way. To quote Albert Goldman, who wrote an article reviewing Elvis' return to live performances in July of 1969 in Las Vegas: in 'Music Scene' magazine, he writes "Well, he's definitely back. He has shown that all those years away from the stage really didn't matter. In fact, he looks better than ever. Tanned, trim, and OVER SIX FEET TALL, he is the king of the moldy, goldy oldies and, to the eyes of his hysterical female fans, one big piece of hunky cheesecake". A rather sarcastic piece of writing, but a height reference, none the less, from a pile of garbage! Allison: come on, there is so much on Elvis to examine. So many great references and retrospectives. Albert Goldman?
Allison said on 7/Apr/06
Now, Tiger, Height Detective was here, and I don't know where his comment went. We are not the same person. I am a 17-year-old girl. I know I may not seem credible, but I have studied him in depth since for ten years. In the book "Elvis" by Albert Goldman, specifically he mentions that Elvis was embarassed over being "short" at 5 foot 11, and therefore would wear lifts and then heels just to make himself appear well over six feet tall.
If you watch the concert special "That's The Way It Is" you can see that Elvis is wearing boots with about 1.5 inches of heels on them, and in the boots he is wearing lifts. You can tell because his legs are so long to the point of looking ridiculous.
Also, in "Elvis by the Presleys" Lisa Marie mentions Elvis's height being 6 foot 2. She is wrong, but that's about how tall he was with shoes. Elvis purposely gave himself height.
I don't know why this is a highly debated subject, despite the fact that is Elvis we are talking about, when clearly the man was under 6 feet tall and wore lifts and heels to give himself height advantage. End of story.
TJ said on 7/Apr/06
Of course GI Blues was before either Flaming Star or Wild in the Country. The problem was that the two dramatic movies, which were moderate hits, were sandwiched between GI Blues and Blue Hawaii, which were mega hits. That's all the ammunition the Colonel and Hollywood execs needed to opt for the less artistically satisfying path. That said, both GI Blues and Blue Hawaii were considerably better films than some of the dross that came later. At least they were fun and had acceptable soundtracks. They were also high art compared to some of the beach movies of the time :-)
Tiger said on 7/Apr/06
I think all 4 films from the 50s ('Love Me Tender', 'Loving You', 'Jailhouse Rock', and 'King Creole') were excellent performances and laid the groundwork for a great acting career. After the army, 'Flaming Star' and 'Wild in the Country' also were promising, but when Elvis did 'GI Blues' and 'Blue Hawaii', that is when the "formula" started. Financially, 'Blue Hawaii' was his biggest success and the execs did not want to mess with that. Artistically, 'Blue Hawaii' was inferior to his previous films, but it sold well in the public. Forever there after, almost every movie seemed similar in context, script, budget, plot, etc. I do think that 'Viva Las Vegas' and 'Roustabout' were 2 films that kind of broke that "formula" and gave Elvis something substantial to work with and he did a great job. The only thing that keeps everything else alive during his movie career, is Elvis himself being in it!
TJ said on 6/Apr/06
There are just a few films where Elvis really does settle into the character and give an impressive performance. King Creole is one, as is Flaming Star. Both fine performances. Follow the Dream is also a great comedic performance. Elvis is funny, charming and confident on screen in that one, and makes it look easy. But then there are some really lame performances, particularly in some of the later films where his lack of belief in both the music and the script jumps from the screen.
Tiger said on 5/Apr/06
Frank2: excellent observation. I wish that Elvis had done more meaningful films. I know that he always said he wanted to do better, but just never got the chance. However, he's still Elvis and I love his movies :) Presence and charisma: I doubt one can find anyone in entertainment, past or present, that even comes close!
Frank2 said on 5/Apr/06
I believe he signed a deal with Paramount or better yet with Hal Wallis to make a number of films, but to answer your question, he was never part of the old studio contract system. The Colonel was far too smart to get him snagged into something like that. What"s unfortunate as well as somewhat ironic is the Colonel didn't allow Elvis to broaden his range by taking on challenging roles. I'm sure had Elvis applied himself and not been under the Colonel's thumb he would have developed into a rather good actor. As it was he always seemed to be a little uncomfortable on camera and didn't show the confidence of say Paul Newman or Steve McQueen, but he had terrific screen presence.
Tiger said on 5/Apr/06
Frank2: except for a few, Elvis seems to have covered all the bases. His movies have been done by Paramount, MGM, 20th Century Fox, and United Artists. There has also been an Allied Artist picture ('Tickle Me' 1965), a Universal Picture ('Change of Habit' 1969), and a National General picture ('Charro' 1969). Elvis did 14 films (including his 2 concert documentaries) for MGM and 9 films for Paramount. I think I tallied everything up right :) Was Elvis part of the old contract system? because I know that he was signed for films 7 years in advance and was bound by the contracts. I was thinking that maybe by the mid-50s when Elvis got involved, things had changed.
Frank2 said on 3/Apr/06
Robert Taylor pretty much remained with MGM although he did a few films at other studios. Big MGM stars like Clark Gable and Elizabeth Taylor finally left the studio to seek independent deals. Gary Cooper had been a big Paramount contract star, but eventually left and did films for other studios. The old studio contract system ticked off the stars who were signed for seven year iron-clad terms since it would force them to be in films they felt were beneath them or not showing off their talents. If they totally refused they'd be placed on suspension. Now that the contract system is dead and "stars" are free to make deals with anyone, we see inferior films. Then the so-called stars of today cannot compare with those from the Glory Days. We have no Gables, Coopers, Cary Grants and their like today. Instead we have a bunch of juveniles who can barely act. By the way, Leif Erikson was at least 6'3". And reportedly a big drinker. He played George Peppard's alcoholic and abusive father in The Carpetbaggers and did a splendid job.
Tiger said on 3/Apr/06
Larry, I stand corrected:
Click Here click on the article titled 'The Day Leif Erickson Faced Death' by Ruth Waterbury for TV/Radio Mirror (August 1970). This article states Erickson's height as 6-4.
Editor Rob
I'll add Leif, thanks Tiger...for finding a reference
Tiger said on 3/Apr/06
Larry: I just recently watched 'Roustabout' also. I have seen Leif Erickson's height stated in only two references ('Movie Encyclopedia' and 'Hooray for Hollywood'): the first lists him at 6-3 and the second at 6-3 1/2. I have yet to come across anything on the internet regarding his height. Frank2: I forgot about Warner Bros. Interesting feedback! Enjoyed reading that! Were there any actors/actresses that were strictly with one studio, or did they, for the most part, float around?
Frank2 said on 2/Apr/06
MGM was considered by many to be the biggest studio simply because at one time it had as they used to say, "More stars than are in the heavens" under contract. But most of the films produced there during the thirties and forties were family affairs with little if any bite to them. On the other hand Fox and Warner Brothers made far more enjoyable movies, much grittier and entertaining. MGM never made a film with the entertainment value of say Casablanca and never matched Fox's ability to tackle difficult subjects such as the depression with The Grapes of Wrath. And then MGM never made a film quite like The Oxbow Incident. Fox had a better visual effects department as did Warner Brothers. And most studios had a better music department than did MGM. At WB they had Max Steiner and Erich Korngold under contract while at MGM they were stuck with Herb Stothart. Once in a while they'd hire good composers such as Franz Waxman and Bronislau Kaper, but even when they worked there the music they wrote was somewhat watered down compared to what they came up with working for other studios. At Fox they had the brilliant Alfred Newman and a host of fine composers such as Hugo Friedhofer. MGM got better with their music department once the fifties came around. By then they had Miklos Rozsa and David Raksin. MGM had lousy sound in the thirties and forties. Their music tracks suffered from poor mixing while over at WB their music tracks sparkled. I'd say my favorite studio during the "Golden Years" was Warner Brothers followed closely behind by 20th Century Fox.
Tiger said on 2/Apr/06
Frank2: who would you consider the 'King' of hollywood or 'THE' studio in the "Golden Era": MGM, Paramount, or 20th Century Fox ?
Frank2 said on 2/Apr/06
That's a very young Alan Hale on the extreme left. I used to eat in that commissary almost every day when I worked there. Of all the studio restaurants, Fox had the best food. MGM had the worst! When Darryl F. Zanuck moved to Fox Studios in 1935 from his former offices at United Artists (Goldwyn) in Hollywood and merged his 2oth Century Productions with Fox, he changed the name of the commissary to Cafe de Paris. Zanuck was a big fan of the French, spoke French and even dated French starlets.
Tiger said on 2/Apr/06
Frank2: in that Fox commisary photo, is that Alan Hale from 'Gilligan's Island'? I have seen a "smaller" version of that photo, never the expanded one.
Great photo!
Tiger said on 2/Apr/06
There are 9 ARC results at the national archives site for Elvis and 3 of them are different than my first visit there. Not only is the Germany one gone, but there was a great document that was an accomodation for Elvis for excellent marksmanship and it has been changed out. I know nothing of how the national archives operates, but they must pick and choose what to post and when. Truly disappointing! I was very excited for people to see that piece of info. My apologies to all!
Tiger said on 2/Apr/06
TJ and Rob: those docs on the national archive site are a sampling. I went back to the site and the one from Germany was not there, nor were a couple others that previously caught my attention. That is very strange! Sorry about that. Maybe they are changing them periodically? I will keep looking back and hope they re-post it. I agree with TJ: it would be nice for everyone to see something "in writing".
TJ said on 2/Apr/06
Cheers Tiger. I did go to that archive site and found the Elvis docs, but didn't see the tonsilitis one amongst them. Not sure why.
Editor Rob
yeah, if anyone can find the tonsillitis document, right-click on it then save it and upload it to imageshack.us or email it to me...I'd like to put a link to an image of elvis army height on written paper so to speak at the top of this page...I had a look through the files myself around that date and couldn't quite find it...
Frank2 said on 2/Apr/06
By the way, this shot of Elvis with Bob Wagner shows them in the Fox studio commissary which still has that oil-painted mural on its walls:
Click Here It was put there back sometime in the 1930's.
Tiger said on 1/Apr/06
TJ: you can also go to that national archives site that I had Rob post below and view the document where Elvis was hospitalized in Germany for tonsillitis. Be patient, though, it takes some time to get through all the steps and all of the docs. They have much more than just Elvis stuff in that section; many old celebs!
TJ said on 1/Apr/06
Hi Tiger. Earlier on in this thread you mentioned page 59 of 'The King' book, which had a copy of the army records showing the two heights - 72.5 inches without boots and 73.75 with boots. Any chance you could get that scanned and post it on here? It would be nice to see. If no scanner, perhaps take a pic with a digital camera? :-)
Tiger said on 1/Apr/06
Frank2: the "crap" you are referring to: what is it and what are you proving beyond a shadow of a doubt? Like the rest of us, you are left to give your OPINION on the heights of these people. Like you said, we can look at a photo and make what we want out of it. Everyone's input is valid. I definitely believe there is alot of BS that goes on in Hollywood, no doubt. However, there must be many more major issues than a "height conspiracy" out there. Are heights fudged? Sure, but almost every single one? No way! We are still always debating, at most, an inch and a half and that is all perception!
Frank2 said on 31/Mar/06
Tiger, Danny Thomas was 5'10". One more time. He and my dad were friends. They were very close in height. I saw Danny numerous times. He was shorter then me. Now, if you wish to believe what he said and not me, go ahead. I'm only trying to bring a little insight here. And Carson was not 5'11". I met him, stood next to him and I was always taller. Try explaining that one. Maybe each time I saw him he slumped. But I doubt it. Carson always stood erect. And Fred Clark appeared in over a 100 films. Did you ever see Sunset Blvd? He's Sheldrake, the producer who Joe Gillis goes to see at the beginning of the film. He's the one who turned down Gone With the Wind. Remember? Jack Westin and Jesses White were both terrific character actors that any movie fan would instantly recognize, albeit possibly not know their actual names. And finally, yes I go with my eyes, not just by what's put down on a piece of "official" paper. Pisses people off to no end, but I still do it. And when I have the opportunity to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that what's written down was crap, I usually hear some faint excuse. I suppose it's human nature to accept what's official and doubt what anyone says to question it. But it's my nature to know the truth, not to just accept the bull, especially when it come to publicity for celebs which is no doubt in my mind about 90% BS. I know since I worked in the industry for nearly 40 years and saw a lot of stuff that would have curled most people's hair yet almost none of it made the papers. Then I'd read some fluffy nonsense about a celeb I knew and would laugh. Like I've said before, most heights listed are bogus.
Tiger said on 30/Mar/06
Frank2: Of course, any official record or documentation matters not because you met them. Meeting someone is definitely independent of that person's height. Because you met them does not mean that you are accurate in remembering how tall they were; you are, at best, estimating. After all, an INCH IS THE EXACT WIDTH OF A BOTTLE CAP!
Tiger said on 30/Mar/06
Frank2: you state how small an inch is, yet you are, for some strange reason, able to pinpoint heights to less than an inch. That is very strange to me. The other thing that is very strange is that if the perception is not quite accurate or doesn't match-up, someone is wearing lifts and/or someone must have "shrunk". You, yourself, said that heights are perceptive; we see what we want to see. Your "recollections" fit only if 'lifts' or 'shrinking' come in to play. Anyone can make any point they want if they have those tools at their disposal. "Oh, MacMurray was not the 6-3+ he once was, so Hope is definitely not his documented 5-11.5." The only record of Danny Thomas is he, himself, stating he was 5-11 1/2. Is he really 5-10 or do you "remember" him being 5-10, only 1.5 inches (not very much) difference? How accurate are the heights of these not-so-familiar names that you throw out there (Fred Clark,Jack Weston, Jerry White, etc.)? Are you using less-than-familiar names to support your "recollection"? Elvis was 6-0 1/2, so I can easily see Carson being 5-10 1/2 (he has been documented as such), but he is very much 5-11 ish when you look at photos of him with 6-2 Letterman, 6-3 Ed McMahon, and 6-3.5/6-4 Steve Allen. Did you really look taller than Carson is in the Elvis photo or were you the same height? How can YOU pinpoint? Wouldn't you have to be photographed to really be accurate? In the photo with the 6-2 DiMaggio, wouldn't Hope be 5-11ish if he stepped from the box?