Fire Destroys Fort Chaffee
It was here, in march 1958, that a young Elvis lost his wild hairs with the help of the army's barber. The footage that was shot in building 803 is world famous. Building 803 was not affected of the fire.
Elvis Presley spent three days at Fort Chaffee in March 1958 after he was inducted into the Army. It was there he received that famous haircut. Fred Kinslow of Greenwood was 24 and a barber at Fort Chaffee at the time. He was standing near the singer when the locks came off, but he was left out of the pictures circulated worldwide of Presley getting trimmed. He said the owner of the barbershop franchise at Chaffee, H. L. Sallee, told him he would be the one to cut Presley's hair. But at the last minute, James 'Pete' Peterson, supervisor of the barbers, decided he would do the cutting. Kinslow remembered it was so crowded in the shop with reporters and photographers it was difficult to move around. Presley was mobbed wherever he went on the installation. 'I don't know whether he got any sleep with all the cameras on him all the time', Kinslow said. After three days at Fort Chaffee, Presley was sent to Texas to complete his basic training.
Elvis receives that famous haircut
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The Fort is abandoned for several years now and can be freely visited. It's a shame that 150 barraks are destroyed, but that makes that there are still more than 500 left. The camp is so huge that as far as the eye reaches, you'll see the barraks where the privates slept. Al of the furniture is gone, but the showers, toilettes, closets, ... where still in the buildings. There was no trace of grafity or demolition on the grounds, but 1 guy who lit the fire destroyed a huge part in one day.
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Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD
Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. Until Now! The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever. + Plus Bonus DVD Audio.
This is an excellent release no fan should be without it.
The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. Highly recommended.
Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD Video with Sound.
