Elvis Presley’s Jungle Room Decor Was Called the ‘Ugliest Furniture I Have Ever Seen’ by Dad Vernon
Elvis Presley‘s Memphis, TN home Graceland takes center stage for many of the activities scheduled for Elvis Week 2022. The home Presley lived with his parents Vernon and Gladys, grandmother Minnie Mae, and later wife Priscilla and daughter Lisa Marie is the celebration’s centerpiece. However, one of Graceland’s most iconic areas, the Jungle Room, has decor Presley’s father called the “ugliest furniture I have ever seen,” according to Priscilla Presley.
When did Elvis Presley purchase Graceland?
Elvis Presley purchased Graceland in March of 1957 at the age of 22. He bought the home and adjacent grounds for $102,500 per the home’s official website.
When he made the purchase, Presley was busy working on his second motion picture, Loving You. He placed a $1,000 deposit down as collateral.
Graceland was the second home Presley purchased for his parents, Vernon and Gladys. The first was a home located on Audubon Avenue in East Memphis. However, as Presley’s star grew, that home, unprotected from onlookers, became a mecca for the superstar’s fans.
Presley wanted something more private, and he found that with Graceland, which allowed the entertainer to retreat from the public eye.
The famous music gates were not on the property when Presley purchased Graceland. They were set in place in April 1957 to keep Presley’s fans at bay.
On May 16, 1957, his parents and grandmother moved into the home while Elvis filmed “Jailhouse Rock.”
Presley did not officially move into the property until June of that same year.
Elvis Presley’s Jungle Room decor caused Vernon to call it ‘the ugliest furniture I have ever seen’
Priscilla Presley discussed her life with the superstar entertainer in a 2014 interview with Larry King for the series Larry King Now.
Priscilla spoke highly of her former husband and the life they created in Tennessee.
However, one moment caused Larry King to laugh out loud after Priscilla spoke of one beloved Graceland room and how its decor came to be.
At the video’s 21:03 mark, Priscilla spoke of Vernon’s indirect involvement in the furnishings of the Jungle Room.
“It is a man’s room. Men love that room,” Priscilla laughed after King called the space “ugly.”
“It is a cute story. Vernon was driving down Union, which is a big boulevard in Memphis. Saw a showroom with the Jungle Room furniture room in it. He returned to Graceland and told Elvis he saw the ‘ugliest furniture he had ever seen’ in the showroom,” Priscilla recounted.
“Elvis looked at it and bought every piece in the showroom. Then it became known as the Jungle Room,” the actor explained.
Priscilla Presley said she had ‘nothing to do’ with the decor of the Jungle Room
“It was not something that was part of my decor. I had nothing to do with it. It was a man’s room,” she deadpanned.
However, the decor should be taken with a grain of salt, as Priscilla said Elvis had a “great sense of humor” and furnished the room with that in mind.
“If he couldn’t go to Hawaii, he would bring Hawaii to him,” Priscilla continued to King.
“I guess in many ways; it had that tropical feeling. He [Elvis] thought it was fun. The guys would hang out there. There was a big television in there to watch football games,” she recounted the time Presley spent in the room with his friends and family.
Elvis Week at Graceland runs from From Aug. 9 through Aug. 17, 2022.
