Top Secret, Elvis Presley Paternity Suit Uncovered! Sex, Lies and Video Tape: By Bud Glass Productions.
My review: By Jayson Mailee
When I first read the title of this book with accompanying DVD, my reaction was quite simple:
'HERE WE GO AGAIN, POOR ELVIS' the words TOP SECRET, Elvis Presley PATERNITY SUIT UNCOVERED-SEX, LIES AND VIDEO TAPE.
These catch phrases definitely would encourage some people to want to read this book. As we all know anything that mentions Elvis and especially implicates a scandal would spark some interest for some people. Especially to those who were not aware of this long drawn out paternity suit back in the 70's.
Reading this book was like a flashback to the 1970's when this scandal/extortion attempt was actually occurring. I can remember every tabloid that every existed back then carried this on going saga and made lots of money, but so did Patricia Parker ( the plaintiff in this case) just from her interviews with these magazines. I painfully read the entire book and then watched the DVD un-interrupted and honestly could say it gave me a real sense of what Elvis went through. I found that the writer of the book Bud Glass captured something that perhaps he wasn't aware of and for me that was the actual extortion itself and how draining it must have felt to Elvis, just like reading this book and watching this DVD...
Mr. Glass's research is well documented and presented in a sequential order. This sequential order definitely for me pointed out the strategy used by Mr. Paul Caruso the lawyer for Ms. Parker, to literally push Elvis to the point of settling out of court just to save his sanity. This was even more apparent when especially watching the DVD. The narration lacked emotion, the annoying music in the background (perhaps it was deliberate) made me want to scream finally it's over. I think if Mr. Glass's intention was to give me the feeling of Elvis' frustration back then, it worked. In conclusion if you want to know what Elvis might have felt read this book or watch the DVD-In summary I would say this " Elvis loved his fans and would always pose for them, sign autographs and sing his heart out for us. Sadly some people saw this as an opportunity to get rich by taking advantage of him, and it is quite obvious to me that this particular paternity suit most likely had a very emotional drain on Elvis and quite possibly shortened his time with us on the earth. I admire Elvis for refusing to succumb to this plot, thereby proving his innocence in my opinion not only with the lie detector test and blood tests, but especially noting the final words of Kathy Westmorland in the DVD.
"Elvis said that if he was the father of her child he would have definitely taken the responsibility of raising him, but he's not, so why should he". That's why he stood his ground, because he is and was a responsible man.
Final footnote: The Book and DVD leave you hanging with "Why didn't they remove Elvis' name from Ms. Parker's son's birth certificate (I smell a sequel??? Let's hope not) put simply, the birth document refers to the father as Elvis Arron Presley, which can refer to another Elvis, not the famous one. Just another sleazy attempt to drag Elvis through the mud, and wear him down.
I give this book and DVD 2 thumbs down-unless you're someone who likes to read legal documents, and an extortion attempt to get rich quick. This is a book I guarantee will most definitely leave you feeing drained and wanting to scream "I'll Settle Out Of Court..Just Get It Over!"