Ringside Report "The Heart Of Boxing" Elvis and Ali.

Elvis did sail to Germany as a soldier, but Ali understandably declined to join the army.

Two great characters of the 20th Century, both tragic figures when all is said and done.

But didn't they leave their mark!
http://irelandtoo.blogspot.com

Younbeat me to it by an inch!! Great article, almost perfectly drafted. What do you think about the commotion in the UK, regarding the possibility that Elvis may have visited London? It would make a great movie, I think.

Hello Jim, Yes certainly material for a great movie. "Elvis and Ali" would be a movie title that would dumbfound the world just as the two greatest entertainers of the 20th century did in their own unique way.

As for the Tommy Steele fiction....... that would make a smaller and much funnier movie.:-) But the story really generated some great publicity for Elvis........ and Tommy Steele's latest appearance in, the "Dr Doolittle" stageshow in Scotland.

"Elvis and Ali" would be a fantastic moview. I would take the best of what each did, in the period from 1956, when Elvis played Louieville for the first time and up to the present time, and intermingle them with the actual times they were together which according to the few who witnessed it, including Ali, were not just magical, but included some truly funny moments.

The fact that one seemed to agree, wholeheartedly, to serve in the Army while the other refused, is an added variable which could be exploited.

As to the Tommy Steele story, please read my opiniosn on the other two threads, then please tell me what you think, OK, Maurice?

Another commonality between them was the events at the Astrodome. Ali fought there twice, and a huge deal was made of his statements to the press about race relations in America, while, three years later, Elvis risked his six concerts by refusing to appear without the Sweet Inspirations, which the Astrodome organizers said were not welcomed, at the last minute. And there are other places, and stories, and people, that link them both.

Hi Jim, I respect your imaginative observations and they do make sense. Nevertheless I'm a born doubting thomas and think the loose ends would have unravelled far sooner considering the calbre of the people who would have known about the event, apart from Elvis and Tommy.

Ordinary soldiers, Elvis's friends, airforce personel, and staff such as drivers etc.

Remember Philby a very clever guy indeed fooled intelligence guys in MI5 and the American secret service too. BUT even he was found out in the end.

As a fictional story based on Tommy's "factual" account it would still make a movie, after all the huge amount of pre-publicity has already gone around the world :-)

There's nothing new about fantasy movies about Elvis.
I could be entirely wrong, but considering the money to be made from disclosing such a story, with undeniable and substantive evidence it would be very tempting indeed for anyone. A huge amount of cash for a humble soldier, airman, or driver.

I'm sure Tommy will be pressed further, we know what the tabloid press is like!

Interesting times we live in.:-)

Actually, Philby was found out almost immediately, by a defector, in 1937, but no one cared to take the lead any further.

Since that defector was killed in Washington, of all places, I can see why Philby had the nerve to continue.

Two other defectors, both in 1945, and simultaneously, actually identified him by the position he had, but since he could only take action on one of them, Philby made sure one he was killed before he could reach London; the fact that the other defector was debiefed by the future head of MI5, and that no action was taken on his fingering Philby, must hace again, reassured him that after all, he was a lucky man.

So, it took the unlikely defection of Burgess, who fled with Maclean, in 1951, namely 18 years after Philby had been first recruited by the KGB, for both MI5 and MI6 to finally realize that the mole they've heard, since 1937, was none other than that darn Philby, after all (LOL)

Sorry, Maurice, that last paragraph should have read:

"So, it took the unlikely defection of Burgess, who fled with Maclean, in 1951, namely 18 years after Philby had been first recruited by the KGB, for both MI5 and MI6 to finally realize that the Englishman who worked for the KGB and about whom they'd heard about so much, since 1937, was none other than that darn Philby, after all (LOL)"

That's OK Jim, it's many years if not decades since I immersed myself in those fascinating Kim Philby stories.

Back in 1960 I was working in a restaurant in Mnchester UK when a Cadillac drew up just outside. Back in those days we did not have the black and very dark windows in cars that we see today. The Caddy windows had a faint green tint. A chaufer got out and went somewhere leaving his passenger alone on the back seat.

I was busy admiring the sleek white Cadillac (A rare sight in that part of Manchester at the time) when the passenger leaned forward enough to be seen quite clearly from the restaurant's front window.

For just a second I did not believe my own eyes. It was Liberace, and he smiled at me! Then the chaufer arrived.

Next second after informing the ladies in the restaurant that Liberace was outside I was nearly crushed as they all made for the window to see him just as his car moved slowly away. They got a little wave from him and he was gone in the busy traffic.

Thousands would have seen him from Double-decker buses, Cabs, and office and shop windows.

Elvis in whatever mode of transport would have been seen AND recognised by thousands if all they saw was his smile. Tommy too, at that time:-)

Great story about Liberace! Not that they are on the same level of HIS celebrity, but the closest that I ever came to seeing someone pass me by involved three people.

Lima, 1966, as I was walking in the side walk, in the downtown area, a midget got out of his car, to my left, so I let him pass in front of me to enter the Hotel Bolivar, then Lima's finest. He was so small that even at 16 years of age, he was a foot smaller than me, so I couldn't take my eyes off him and, after a millisecond, I knew it was Armando Manzanero, the mexican singer and songwriter who wrote "It's impossible" (Somos novios).

New York, 1980, walking along 5th Avenue, with my wife, I see Paul Newman walking towards me. I wanted to be sure it was him, before I alerted ny wife, when suddely he accelerated, went past us, so my wife could only see his back.

Paris, 1981, as my wife was breasfeeding our recently born baby, seated at one of the lounges at Charles de Gaulle Airport, I told her I wanted to stretch out my legs a bit, so I stood up, walked a few yards when I saw Julio Iglesias walking direc tly towards me. I tuerned around to tell myn wife, who was one of his greatest fans, but she'd disappeared, into the ladies room, I learnt later. He noticed looked at me, under his dark glasses, so I let him know that I knew who he was, with a smirk.

Of course, I'ved met a lot of even more important people, and celebrities, but those three are the only cases where my seeing them led me not being able, or caring enough, to meet them.

Nicely spread locations and sitings, Jim.

Washington DC, September 2000 Maureen and I were making our way to an Irish Pub not far from Kalorama heights wher we were staying. Strangely the road was devoid of traffic and we were the only pedestrians. Then 2 police motorcyclists roared past us their lights flashing. Behind them came police cars flashing. Then the Presidential motorcade. We stood to look but the car with the flags flying passed so quickly we did not actually see the President.

A few years later I shook Bill Clinton's hand in Dublin.

There was an Elvis connection. I gave him a postcard of the "Elvis at 13" statue. LOL.

Great story, Maurice!! By the way, do you know who had the gall to stay at the house in Kalorama, of a very wealthy american, for 11 months minm you, and living like a king, until he finally rented a house, also in a nice district, but never like the Kalorama district? The time, August 1944 to July 1945?

Now let me guess......... a certain south American diplomat :-)

We spent just a week in Washington DC, taking in a tour of The White House, and a Senate Hearing! Lot of Museums, and Lincoln of course. A lovely city!