20th October 1956, Saturday

[Graeme]

Day number 7957Site Date Map

Yesterday << 20th October 1956, Saturday >> Tomorrow

[Alan]

Between, and possibly including - but doubtful, October 19th and October 23rd, Elvis dyes his hair black.

His court appearance of the 19th shows it undyed, the photo from the 23rd shows it dyed.

Do we have any photos from this time frame to narrow it down further? Or has someone already identified the date?

[ColinB]

On Phoenix, Graeme reckoned it was 'late 19th, most likely 20th'

[Alan]

On Phoenix, Graeme reckoned it was 'late 19th, most likely 20th'

20th would be good as that was a Saturday and Elvis did have his hair cut on previous Saturdays.
(but he also might have had his hair cut on other weekdays we don't know of)

I wouldn't have thought he'd booked a hair appointment for the 19th - the Judge might have been more strearner!

Did Graeme offer any photos?? I was looking for photos as evidence. The only ones on here are for the dates I've given, hence asking the question in case others are now available.

Colin, it was your photos for the filming of the new ending of Love Me Tender I saw the other day that prompted me to look again on here as he had black hair in death.

[ColinB]

Graeme didn't offer any photos.

I reckon it must have been the 20th.

[Alan]

This conversation was three years ago and I thought I was about to get a definitive answer, but no.

June Juanico never mentions her surprise / shock / [insert other] / at finding out Elvis had altered his hair color since she last saw him after she meets up again with him.
Given the timings though, I'm sure this is the right date, maybe Elvis was having it dyed whilst his parents went to the airport.

[Alan]

[Alan]

From "The Wilod One ';56" :-
      
JUNE JUANICO: When we finally touched down at Memphis airport I was weak in the knees. Holding on to the handrail of the portable stairway, I scanned the faces of the small gathering below, searching for Elvis, but he was nowhere in sight. Following along with the rest of the passengers, we were almost to the terminal when I heard Mrs. Presleys voice. "June, Patsy, over here!” I looked around to see Mr. and Mrs. Presley, waving to get our attention. “We thought it best if Elvis stay out of the public for a while. There's too many men out there wanting to start trouble and you know how Elvis can be sometimes. He's not one to back down,” Lovie said, noticing my disappointment at seeing the empty pink Cadillac. Pat and I climbed in the back and Mrs. Presley sat quietly on the passenger's side, waiting for Mr. Presley to make room in the trunk for all our luggage. Mrs. Presley had a worried look on her face, so I leaned up and put my hand on her shoulder. “Try not to worry, Lovie. Elvis can take care of himself,” I said, sounding like my mother. She squeezed my hand and tumed to look at me. I could tell she was about to cry. “I know he can, June, but what happens if some crazy man decides to pull a gun or a knife on him?” She choked out the words, tears now running down her face. “Everything’s gonna be all right, Lovie, I promise! Everythings gonna be okay!”
When Mr. Presley got in the car, he saw his wife trying to dry her eyes. “It’s okay, Mama, he’s gonna be just fine,” he said, leaning over and patting her leg. “I guess ya'll heard what happened.” “Yes sir! We saw the black eye in the paper. That was the biggest black eye I've ever seen,” Pat said, trying to lighten up the conversation. “Yeah, it was pretty big at that, wasn’t it?” Mr. Presley chuckled. Mrs. Presley shook her head back and forth, giving me a look. She didn’t think it was funny at all. Not knowing what to say next, we rode in silence for quite a while.”
      

PAT NAPIER: At the movies, the night of our arrival...we were in a private glassed-in booth upstairs...I had gone to the ladies’ room when the police got El out...June came for me and we fought our way to the police car and managed to get in...someone grabbed the back of my shirt and it came off...the police gave me his coat to wear...Elvis teased me about being called Jane in the paper, “You get your shirt ripped off and they don’t even spell your name right in the paper.”

      
Elvis Escapes Into Memphis Theater, But Screaming Girls Wreck His Auto
Nashville, Tennessee
The Tennessean
October 23, 1956
      
MEMPHIS - Teen-aged fans who indirectly cost singer Elvis Presley a day in court now have caused his flashy new Cadillac
convertible to need a day at the garage. While Presley took his girlfriend to a movie at a theater here Saturday night* a crowd
of his teen-aged girl admirers mauled his shining white car lovingly but destructively. Before squads of police could shoo
away the 300 to 400 girls, a crowd of souvenir hunters swarmed over it, jumping up and down on the hood and fenders, ripping
up the fine upholstery and writing love messages all over the white metal with lipstick.
A far smaller crowd of teen-aged admirers last week detained Presley at. a filling station with the result that the rock ‘n’
roller and two station attendants ended up in court on assault charges. Presley was acquitted and the attendants were fined.
One had allegedly cuffed Presley for failing to move on after his car was serviced and the gyrating bobby sox idol came out
swinging. The teen-agers mobbed Presley as he showed up at the theater with his steady girl, 19-year-old Barbara Hearn, to
see newsreel films of Presley being almost mobbed at his recent appearance at Tupelo, Miss. Mrs Syble Wilson, ticket seller,
said they spotted him as he tried to buy tickets. “He gave me a five dollar bill, grabbed the tickets and before he could pick up
the change the girls were on him,” she said. She said Presley fled into the theater and Miss Hearn had to pick up his change.
Ushers and the theater manager got the couple to their reserved booth but meanwhile it took police nearly an hour and half to
disperse the girl fans outside, while the Cadillac took a beating.
      
      * Note 1: Saturday, October 20, 1956.
      Note 2: Some newspapers wrongly reported the story as dating from Sunday — which was October 21.
      Note 3: One report stated: ‘Elvis took it all calmly. He and his friend sat in a reserved booth.’ They stayed for only the first part of the
      feature picture,
      ‘Walk The Proud Land.’ (1956).
      Note 4: The above report refers to Elvis’ ‘steady girl, 19-year-old Barbara Hearn." This was an error on the part of the reporter, as the girl
      with Elvis was actually June Juanico, accompanied by her friend Pat Napier.

      
JUNE JUANICO: Pat, Elvis and I went to a movie that night, or at least we tried to. A neighborhood theater was showing a short film of Elvis performing at the Mississippi, the previous month. Mrs. Presley suggested we use the black limo belonging to the band because she thought it was less recognizable. Elvis gave me money for tickets, while he and Pat went upstairs to a private viewing room.We had been upstairs for approximately 20 minutes when two policemen came to get Elvis’ car keys. A mob had formed outside the theater, and was tearing the car apart. The police moved the limo to a safe place, but the damage had already been done. The fenders were dented, windows broken, and the upholstery was shredded. So-called fans were taking pieces of upholstery as souvenirs. After moving the car, the same two policemen came back to the private viewing room. Realizing the crowd was out of control, they thought it would be wise to move Elvis himself to a safer place.
      
The usher led us away from the crowd, and down the fire escape. We ran to the front of the theater. Safely locked in the car, siren blasting, and lights flashing, we moved slowly through the crowd. They drove us to the police station to pick up the limo. The two front windows had been broken and it looked like someone had taken a knife to the front seat. When we returned to Audubon Drive, my first thought was Lovie. This would really frighten her. Elvis drove the limo past the house, and we rode around trying to get our stories straight. We unanimously agreed that Elvis’ mother shouldn’t find out what had happened. Elvis decided to take the limo to his friend, Dewey Phillips. Dewey would take care of the repairs, and Mama would never know....Dewey brought us back to Elvis' house.
      
The theater mob incident made the paper in an article the next morning, some of which was accurate. Mr. Presley, getting to the paper first, showed the article to Elvis, warning him not to let his mother see it. The paper stated that Elvis, his date Barbara Hearn, and a girl known as Jane, went to the local theater last night and that fans had mobbed his Cadillac, jumping on the hood, ripping the upholstery and denting the fenders. It took police ninety minutes to restore order. Elvis teased Pat about the paper not getting her name right. “One good thing about it, June, they don’t know you're here. They assumed you were Barbara. That means the Colonel won’t be on my ass about the girl from Biloxi.” He removed the entire page, crumpled it up and threw it in the trash.