Elvis Presley’s Dad Actually Did Go to Prison, Changing Their Relationship Forever
Weeks before Elvis Presley died at age 42, he and his father, Vernon Presley, shared an extended conversation at Graceland. According to the elder Presley, the six-hour confab concluded with Elvis saying, “I really enjoyed this.” Those were the last words he’d ever hear from his son.
Now that Vernon’s dead, no one will know whether the pair discussed the time Elvis’s dad spent in prison.
Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Elvis’ movie got two things right
The recently-released Elvis biopic depicts a lot of inaccuracies, but some scenes are spot on. For instance, Elvis’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker did hire Vernon to act as a “business manager.” But Elvis Presley Enterprises didn’t form until after the entertainer died, says Looper.
Another completely true inclusion in the movie: The singer’s dad was convicted of forgery and sent to prison.
Parchman Farm blues
Vernon Elvis Presley was 17 years old when he married 21-year-old Gladys Love Smith on June 17, 1933. According to AmoMama, Smith previously dated Vernon’s older brother, Vester but found him “too wild” for a serious relationship.
Due to Vernon’s age, the couple were forced to travel from Tupelo to Pontotoc, Mississippi to obtain a marriage license. A year and a half later, Gladys gave birth to a stillborn son. About 35 minutes after that, Elvis Aron Presley was born.
Vernon’s prison situation unfolded when he sold a hog to a man named Orville Bean. When he realized Bean gave him a check for less than the agreed-upon price, Vernon either altered the check or wrote and forged a new one. Either way, the crime landed Vernon in the notorious Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman.
He was released on good behavior after eight months. But by then Elvis and his mother, Gladys, had lost possession of the family home and were living with relatives, explains The Cinemaholic.
Vernon’s incarceration took place when Elvis was much younger than depicted in the movie. But his absence left a lasting impression on the future entertainer. As a side effect of poverty, the Presley family had always slept in the same bedroom.
When Vernon went away, Elvis and his mother took to sleeping in the same bed. According to UK Daily Mail, mother and son also invented a “private language” of their own as they developed a relationship the publication called “smothering.” As his star rose, Elvis became the family breadwinner in a way that Vernon was never able to do.
In March 1957, weeks before “All Shook Up” made it to No. 1 on the Billboard charts, the 22-year old purchased Graceland. A year after moving his parents and paternal grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley into the Memphis mansion, Elvis entered the U.S. Army.
According to History, being apart from her only living son took a physical and emotional toll on Gladys. She entered the hospital with hepatitis during Elvis’s first weekend leave. That summer, Gladys took a turn for the worse and died shortly before he shipped out to Germany. Vernon remarried two years later. Elvis did not attend the wedding.
Elvis Presley’s real relationship with his dad
Shortly after Elvis’ death on August 16, 1977, Vernon granted an exclusive interview to Good Housekeeping. In it, he said he loved Elvis since before he was born, believing “his career and contribution to the world were fated from the first.”
Vernon admired his talented son. But their bond was never as tight as the one he had with his mom. As depicted in Elvis, the singer did call his mom on a regular basis, but the calls may have been for a reason other than depicted.
One Reddit poster referred to Alanna Nash’s book, Elvis and the Memphis Mafia. In it, the author revealed that the usually-soft spoken Vernon had no patience with Gladys’ drinking and often struck her when she was intoxicated, so Elvis checked in via phone calls to make sure she was OK.
The scene in Elvis where Parker and his cronies dunk the singer’s face in ice water to revive him for a show while Vernon silently watches pretty much sums up the relationship between the singer and his father.
Vernon very well on his son’s earnings but was ineffectual where his career was concerned. The elder Presley was 63 years old when he died on June 26, 1979.
