This 1960s Celebrity Threw Elvis and Priscilla Presley a Baby Shower
Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s relationship was often difficult because Priscilla suspected her husband of having affairs. For example, she wondered if the “Heartbreak Hotel” singer was having an affair with a famous 1960s musician. This musician later threw the Presleys a baby shower. Here’s how Priscilla reacted to this act of kindness — and how it mirrored something this celebrity did for someone else.
Priscilla Presley thought it was odd when a celebrity was so accommodating to her and Elvis Presley
Early in her book Elvis and Me, Priscilla discusses hearing rumors Elvis was having an affair with Nancy Sinatra. Sinatra is most known for her song “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” and for co-starring with Elvis in Speedway. The “Can’t Help Falling in Love” singer assured Priscilla the rumor was not true. Later, after Elvis and Priscilla got married and she became pregnant with his child, the rumors began to swirl again. “I was extremely sensitive and quick to cry,” Priscilla wrote.
The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll again told Priscilla the rumors were false. He attributed her sensitivity to her pregnancy. She agreed with his assessment.
“Six months into my pregnancy Nancy called and said she’d like to give me a baby shower,” Priscilla wrote. “I didn’t know her that well and thought it a little strange that she was so accommodating. But Elvis assured me that she was very nice and that I should get to know her.”
Priscilla Presley went to the baby shower on one condition
Priscilla went to the shower — with a catch. “It was agreed that I would go to the shower under one condition, which Colonel suggested: All the pictures that were taken that day were to be handed over to me,” she recalled. “That way, there’d be no shots popping up in the national movie magazines. It turned out quite nicely. Nancy was very friendly and very supportive. I found that I liked her and I decided to ignore the rumors.”
Elvis wasn’t the only celebrity Nancy Sinatra helped out in a similar way
Priscilla saw Sinatra’s actions as strange but this wasn’t the only time Sinatra helped out a musician’s baby. Hal Blaine was a session musician who worked on songs by Elvis, Sinatra, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, Sonny & Cher, The Mamas & the Papas, and many others. According to Rolling Stone, after his wife died, Sinatra helped with child care. “Nancy was unbelievable though,” he recalled. “She just came out of nowhere and made sure there was always a nurse for the baby.” Priscilla was suspicious of Sinatra but it seems like taking care of infants’ needs was part of her modus operandi at the time.
