Convention Wars, Elvis Style

Former Elvis co-star Suzanna Leigh‘s ambitious and well-intentioned plan to reunite many of the King’s co-stars at the Night-of-a-Thousand-Stars convention during Elvis week in Memphis last week fell flat per first hand reports as the 1,000 stars dwindled down to 9. Most of the starlets slated to attend such as Sue Ane Langdon, Irene Tsu, Celeste Yarnall, Gail Gilmore (pictured with Elvis in Harum Scarum), Pat Priest, and Edy Williams dropped out. Can’t blame them as at the last minute the venue changed and they had to pay their own way to Memphis though promises were made to reimburse them.

Making matters even worse was that the convention drew the ire of the official Elvis convention, which was unhappy with Leigh’s event getting publicity. Suzanna was mysteriously banned from Sirius radio while some of her guests such as Victoria Meyerink who was advertised at one point on Leigh’s web site bolted for the Elvis convention joining Elvis co-stars Mary Ann Mobley, Chris Noel, Cynthia Pepper, and Darlene Tompkins.

Instead of trying to sabotage Leigh, maybe the Elvis people will smarten up and work with her next year to have one big official convention with his co-stars and maybe say talented authors who have written about them such as moi!

CAROL LYNLEY

If you have read my Blog before, you know that I am a huge Carol Lynley fan. But even I can admit that post-1978, Carol’s career went straight down the toilet. She had one opportunity to make it big when she was the first choice to play Valene in a two-part episode of Dallas but had to turn it down for personal reasons.

Most of what Carol did film-wise in the 80s and 90s is treadful except for her brief rols as a DA in the violent cult film Vigilante (1982), her mother from hell in the suspenseful thriller Blackout (1988), and her turn as a pistol-packing thief partnered with Barbara McNair in the entertaining road movie ala Thelma and Louise Neon Signs (1996). In the latter, Carol is a hoot playing a foul-mouthed meanie. Check out the trailer on YouTube.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

To Drive-in Dream Girl, Laurel Goodwin. As with many ’60s starlets, Laurel had a very brief career (too tall for Gidget and not talented enough for major leading lady roles). She is best remembered for appearing in the original TV pilot for Star Trek as the perky ensign and starring opposite Elvis in one of his biggest hits, Girls! Girls! Girls! Check out this photo montage tribute to the movie on YouTube featuring the film’s hit song, “Return to Sender.”


I’M BACK

Well I’m finally Blogging again. Been a busy couple of weeks. My publisher sent me the copy proofs for Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood so had to work on that. Trying to meet a deadline so the book is released before the Oct. 5 Chiller Theatre convention held in New Jersey, which I hopefully will be attending.

I then got a freelance gig writing a piece on Sixties Beach Girls for Neiman Marcus’ The Book. Basically it is a high-end catalog with essays. Hard part of it was that since the article was for an advertisment they didn’t want me to mention actresses’ names just the characters. I had to slip in Annette Funicello but don’t know if they are going to keep it in or not.

Finally, though she changed her mind at least three times Gail Gerber will NOT be attending The Night-of-a-Thousand-Stars in Memphis on August 16-18.