Replies

[Steve]

Q : First off, give us a little background about yourself before you got in the army and met Elvis.

A : Well, I was like Elvis in a lot of ways. I wanted to be in a gospel quartet. And I went out to the Stamps School of Music when I graduated school and met a young man out there named Bill Gaither. And we formed a quartet together, sang together about a year before we broke up. And then I worked for another group for a short period of time. And we happened to work with a group called the Foggy River Boys on the ABC network on the Ozark Jubilee. And they needed a lead singer. So, they hired me. And at 20 years old, I went on network television. And that's how I met Elvis. We played Memphis with Red Foley. And he came backstage and met Mr. Foley and then over to meet my quartet. And I didn't see him again until we both were drafted in the military.

Q : Tell us about that meeting in the army.

A : When I met him again, I was at Fort Hood. I never was stationed with Elvis. I was in 15th. Cavalry there. And when I found out where he was, I went over and renewed my acquaintance. But I said, "I'm Charlie Hodge. I was the lead singer with the Foggy River Boys". And he said, "Hey, man, I used to watch you every Saturday night on TV, you know". And I think our friendship was a natural friendship, because when we met there at Fort Hood and got on the ship going to Europe, we knew the same people in the gospel field. We knew the same people in the country field. We knew the same gospel songs. We were singing songs together on the way to Germany.

Q : Tell us about the days of you and Elvis in basic training.

A : Well, at basic training, I didn't see him very much. Like I said, I would see him briefly, say on a Saturday morning, and he would be going back, because he was living off post with his parents. And so, I'd only see him briefly. And George Klein and some of the guys who would come and visit him there. And going up on Fort Hood to New Jersey on the train, I'd go up and sit and talk with Elvis. And that's where our friendship began just talking about people we knew in the field. You know, like Wanda Jackson was on our show. And she was Miss Rockabilly. And Elvis always wanted to date her you know. And so we had a lot to talk about.

[Steve]

Q : So, did Priscilla come to visit Elvis a lot?

A : Her father allowed it as long as she was brought over there at a certain time and brought home by a certain time. And Elvis, of course, having to go get up in the morning about 5:30 and go for reveille and all whatever they do over there. Would have Lamar or one of the other guys or sometimes his father would take her back to their post where she lived up there with her father.

Q : You seemed to be there to really comfort him and talk to him.

A : Not till we were on the train. You know, I comforted him all the way over on the ship, as matter of fact. I didn't see him right after his mother had taken ill and until he came back. We didn't see each other again until we were on the train going to New Jersey. And then we were just talking about people we knew. But on the ship going over, they put him sergeant quarters so that other soldiers wouldn't bother him for autographs all the time. So, he requested that I be up there with him. And I said, "Well, I can't just go up there". I said, "You got to ask the commander". And the commander told him, he said, "Well, after everybodys settled, yeah, he can move up there". So, I moved into the sergeants quarters with and was there like all the way across the ocean. We put on a show on there. They usually put on three, but we put on five. And Elvis didn't sing, but he played piano for some of those that did sing. And of course, everybody was watching him while he was doing it. But I would hear him at night...

Q : You heard Elvis dreaming.

A : On the way over to Germany, on the ship, I could hear Elvis start dreaming sometimes at night. And I'd get out of my bunk and sit down and start talking to him and maybe joking with him a little bit, get him in a little better mood. And then he'd kind of drift off to sleep. He said, years later, "Charlie, if it hadn't been for you", he said, "You kept me sane all the way across the ocean". And he said, "Then you did the same thing for my father when he got over here," Because of the jokes that I'd tell and everything, because Elvis like to hear me tell stories and jokes.

Q : You had experience with Elvis in Paris.

A : Yeah. We went there. Lamar Fike called me and said that Elvis was getting a 15-day leave. He said, "Can you get a 15-day leave, Charles?" And I said, "Yeah, I think I could. I'll go see". So, I went and asked my sergeant. And he said, "Yeah, you can have one". And I told him that Elvis wanted me to go to Paris with him. So, we did. We went up to another city for a couple of days. And then, we caught a train and went to Paris. And when we got there, the guy that handled Elvis's music publicist, Freddy Bienstock. And one of the owners of the thing... I can't tell you his name right now. But anyway before we could go to bed or anything, we got there early in the morning. They took us up on a hill overlooking Paris. They wanted us to see that. And we were so tired. And it was cold. And then we stayed at the Prince De Galles Hotel. And we went to a different club down there, the Lido de Paris, the Moulin Rouge.

And then there was a little place behind where the Lido de Paris was called the Bantu on a back street. And you go all the way through the building over to that street. And that's where all the entertainers in town went after the shows. And so, we'd go over there and hang out. And Dorothy Kilgallan was over there wanting to get an interview with Elvis. So, we come up, and I remember saying, and guy came out and said, "There's a newspaper reporter, Dorothy Kilgallan". Elvis said, "Charlie, you and Lamar and Rex go in there and just see what's going on". So, we just went in and sat down and didn't even look over there. And the kids there were wonderful in the service. She said, "I understand Elvis Presley comes in". They said, "Really? When was that?" You know, they protected him. And then when she would leave, we would go out, and Elvis would come then, and we'd set over there, you know.

And there was one time that one of the soldiers was talking to this girl, or what he thought was a girl. Because one of the people that was in the show come over and said, "Elvis, that soldier, that's not a girl he's with. That's a man in drag". And so Elvis went over and said, "Hey, look, Ace". He called everybody Ace in those days. And he said, "Now, look, Ace, now don't get excited. It's just get up and leave". He said, "That's not a girl, that's - you're having a drink with - that's a man". And the soldier said, "Really, Elvis?" He said, "Yes. Don't cause us any... Just get up and leave". And Elvis went back and sat down. And the guy got up and left.

There was another thing. We come out of there one night. We'd been to some show. And a guy stopped, and he said, "Gee, I'd just like to tell you". Because Elvis always wore his uniform when going out. He said, "I'd like to tell you that it's nice to see young men that will stay and in the army and be in the military for their country". He said, "I think that's wonderful". He said, "Yes, thank you very much". And he gave Elvis his name. He said, "My name is so-and-so". And Elvis said, "Well, my name is Elvis Presley". And the guy took him by the hand and pulled him out in the light and said, "By God, you are". Oh, but we really had a lot of fun.

We had one instance where we were dating some of the show girls in Lido de Paris. And we was up in suite one afternoon. And Elvis would get up. And it looked like a banquet for breakfast. Because all those show girls were coming over there. And they'd come in, and we'd just order up some more breakfast. I mean, you ordered like ten dozen eggs. You know, it was just a banquet there. And everybody would come and eat breakfast. We got a call from the guy at Lido and said, "Listen". Said, "You mind sending the girls over here. We got to start the show in a few minutes".

Q : Are there any other times in Paris that come to mind?

A : Well, there was one time when Rex Mansfield who was a good friend of Elvis over there. And he eventually married Elvis's secretary who was over there. And he and Elvis and I would sing gospel songs together. And Rex sang tenor. And Elvis would sing, and I'd sing baritone. Or Elvis would sing tenor sometimes, and I'd sing lead. Because he liked to sing harmony. And we got in the back of this car. And we were doing "Beyond the Reef" or one of those songs like that. It was going from the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe and turn around and come back. And we'd just sing it all the time, same songs mainly, over and over. And then we'd go back up again. And we'd have a thing to go in to see Lido, because we had reservations that night. And Elvis stopped the car and said, "Lamar, go in and cancel the reservations. We're going to sing for a while". And we went up and down there singing all night. But he liked to do things like that.

Q : So, what was it like to be with Elvis at the Champs Elysees? Isn't that where he found out Mario Lanza had passed away also?

A : I don't recall. No. But we were staying in a little hotel just off the Champs Elysees. They called it Prince De Galle. It was right around the corner. And it was interesting. They told Elvis, "Now Elvis, you can go for a walk here in Paris. Because it's not to the French nature to bother celebrities when they're over here". So, we thought, great. We went out for a walk. So, we just rounded that curve going down the Champs Elysees and you would have thought that Charles De Gaulle had just driven up. The people swarmed around Elvis. And we literally pushed our way till we got to the theater, bought tickets, went in, called the driver. He come around the back, and we went through the theater and out the back and back to the hotel. That ended our walking around in Paris.

[phyllisnelvis]

wow
I surely loved this interview. More please I am greedy for knowledge.,
Thank you for your time and energy.

Q : So, did Priscilla come to visit Elvis a lot?

A : Her father allowed it as long as she was brought over there at a certain time and brought home by a certain time. And Elvis, of course, having to go get up in the morning about 5:30 and go for reveille and all whatever they do over there. Would have Lamar or one of the other guys or sometimes his father would take her back to their post where she lived up there with her father.

Q : You seemed to be there to really comfort him and talk to him.

A : Not till we were on the train. You know, I comforted him all the way over on the ship, as matter of fact. I didn't see him right after his mother had taken ill and until he came back. We didn't see each other again until we were on the train going to New Jersey. And then we were just talking about people we knew. But on the ship going over, they put him sergeant quarters so that other soldiers wouldn't bother him for autographs all the time. So, he requested that I be up there with him. And I said, "Well, I can't just go up there". I said, "You got to ask the commander". And the commander told him, he said, "Well, after everybodys settled, yeah, he can move up there". So, I moved into the sergeants quarters with and was there like all the way across the ocean. We put on a show on there. They usually put on three, but we put on five. And Elvis didn't sing, but he played piano for some of those that did sing. And of course, everybody was watching him while he was doing it. But I would hear him at night...

Q : You heard Elvis dreaming.

A : On the way over to Germany, on the ship, I could hear Elvis start dreaming sometimes at night. And I'd get out of my bunk and sit down and start talking to him and maybe joking with him a little bit, get him in a little better mood. And then he'd kind of drift off to sleep. He said, years later, "Charlie, if it hadn't been for you", he said, "You kept me sane all the way across the ocean". And he said, "Then you did the same thing for my father when he got over here," Because of the jokes that I'd tell and everything, because Elvis like to hear me tell stories and jokes.

Q : You had experience with Elvis in Paris.

A : Yeah. We went there. Lamar Fike called me and said that Elvis was getting a 15-day leave. He said, "Can you get a 15-day leave, Charles?" And I said, "Yeah, I think I could. I'll go see". So, I went and asked my sergeant. And he said, "Yeah, you can have one". And I told him that Elvis wanted me to go to Paris with him. So, we did. We went up to another city for a couple of days. And then, we caught a train and went to Paris. And when we got there, the guy that handled Elvis's music publicist, Freddy Bienstock. And one of the owners of the thing... I can't tell you his name right now. But anyway before we could go to bed or anything, we got there early in the morning. They took us up on a hill overlooking Paris. They wanted us to see that. And we were so tired. And it was cold. And then we stayed at the Prince De Galles Hotel. And we went to a different club down there, the Lido de Paris, the Moulin Rouge.

And then there was a little place behind where the Lido de Paris was called the Bantu on a back street. And you go all the way through the building over to that street. And that's where all the entertainers in town went after the shows. And so, we'd go over there and hang out. And Dorothy Kilgallan was over there wanting to get an interview with Elvis. So, we come up, and I remember saying, and guy came out and said, "There's a newspaper reporter, Dorothy Kilgallan". Elvis said, "Charlie, you and Lamar and Rex go in there and just see what's going on". So, we just went in and sat down and didn't even look over there. And the kids there were wonderful in the service. She said, "I understand Elvis Presley comes in". They said, "Really? When was that?" You know, they protected him. And then when she would leave, we would go out, and Elvis would come then, and we'd set over there, you know.

And there was one time that one of the soldiers was talking to this girl, or what he thought was a girl. Because one of the people that was in the show come over and said, "Elvis, that soldier, that's not a girl he's with. That's a man in drag". And so Elvis went over and said, "Hey, look, Ace". He called everybody Ace in those days. And he said, "Now, look, Ace, now don't get excited. It's just get up and leave". He said, "That's not a girl, that's - you're having a drink with - that's a man". And the soldier said, "Really, Elvis?" He said, "Yes. Don't cause us any... Just get up and leave". And Elvis went back and sat down. And the guy got up and left.

There was another thing. We come out of there one night. We'd been to some show. And a guy stopped, and he said, "Gee, I'd just like to tell you". Because Elvis always wore his uniform when going out. He said, "I'd like to tell you that it's nice to see young men that will stay and in the army and be in the military for their country". He said, "I think that's wonderful". He said, "Yes, thank you very much". And he gave Elvis his name. He said, "My name is so-and-so". And Elvis said, "Well, my name is Elvis Presley". And the guy took him by the hand and pulled him out in the light and said, "By God, you are". Oh, but we really had a lot of fun.

We had one instance where we were dating some of the show girls in Lido de Paris. And we was up in suite one afternoon. And Elvis would get up. And it looked like a banquet for breakfast. Because all those show girls were coming over there. And they'd come in, and we'd just order up some more breakfast. I mean, you ordered like ten dozen eggs. You know, it was just a banquet there. And everybody would come and eat breakfast. We got a call from the guy at Lido and said, "Listen". Said, "You mind sending the girls over here. We got to start the show in a few minutes".

Q : Are there any other times in Paris that come to mind?

A : Well, there was one time when Rex Mansfield who was a good friend of Elvis over there. And he eventually married Elvis's secretary who was over there. And he and Elvis and I would sing gospel songs together. And Rex sang tenor. And Elvis would sing, and I'd sing baritone. Or Elvis would sing tenor sometimes, and I'd sing lead. Because he liked to sing harmony. And we got in the back of this car. And we were doing "Beyond the Reef" or one of those songs like that. It was going from the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe and turn around and come back. And we'd just sing it all the time, same songs mainly, over and over. And then we'd go back up again. And we'd have a thing to go in to see Lido, because we had reservations that night. And Elvis stopped the car and said, "Lamar, go in and cancel the reservations. We're going to sing for a while". And we went up and down there singing all night. But he liked to do things like that.

Q : So, what was it like to be with Elvis at the Champs Elysees? Isn't that where he found out Mario Lanza had passed away also?

A : I don't recall. No. But we were staying in a little hotel just off the Champs Elysees. They called it Prince De Galle. It was right around the corner. And it was interesting. They told Elvis, "Now Elvis, you can go for a walk here in Paris. Because it's not to the French nature to bother celebrities when they're over here". So, we thought, great. We went out for a walk. So, we just rounded that curve going down the Champs Elysees and you would have thought that Charles De Gaulle had just driven up. The people swarmed around Elvis. And we literally pushed our way till we got to the theater, bought tickets, went in, called the driver. He come around the back, and we went through the theater and out the back and back to the hotel. That ended our walking around in Paris.