29th March 1957, Friday

[Graeme]

Day number 8117Site Date Map

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[Private Presley]

57 years later, former St. Louis woman recalls 'polite' Elvis

Joe Holleman
It wasn’t even her idea to go.

But when Kathy Orio’s friend came up with tickets to Elvis Presley’s concert at Kiel Auditorium on March 29, 1957, Orio decided to go see the singer who was taking the nation by a storm it had never seen before.

And that’s how Orio and Pat Vardell, two freshmen at Roosevelt High School, ended up in a photo with the King of Rock ’n’ Roll — a photo that ran in the Post-Dispatch.

“I think Pat got the tickets. Her mom’s boyfriend was a captain or something with the St. Louis Police Department,” Orio said. “After the show, he asked if we wanted to go backstage and meet Elvis.”

Orio said Presley’s most appealing attribute was his good manners.

“Everyone was trying to get his attention, wanting him to sign things and take his picture, and he would say ‘yes, ma’am’ and ‘yes, sir’ to everyone,” Orio said. “No matter how crazy it got, he was unfailingly polite. I like that he didn’t at all act like a big shot.”

The photo, obviously, was a big hit at Roosevelt.

“People would bring it up to me all the time,” Orio said. “When the picture was taken, I happened to have my eyes closed, so all my friends would tease me. They’d say, ‘You’re in love with Elvis, your eyes are closed.’”

Orio lived with her parents, Charles and Helen Orio, on Chouteau Avenue just east of Kingshighway. After graduating high school in 1960, she got a bachelor’s degree from Mizzou in 1964, the same year she competed in the Miss Missouri pageant.

She returned home and taught in public schools until 1969, when she moved to California.

“Like everybody else, I was going to be an actress,” she said.

Orio did land some acting and modeling jobs, but worked for most of her professional life as a special education teacher. Now 72, she lives in Whittier, Calif.

Orio said Vardell, who got married and moved to Switzerland, died about five or six years ago.

Though she didn’t follow his career, Orio said she hated that Presley died in 1977 from a drug overdose.

“It was all really sad, what happened to him,” Orio said. “I just remember how nice he was to us.”

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/col ... 759bf.html

[Private Presley]

      
      

Ron Lipe

[Private Presley]

[Alan]

Brilliant! Thanks PP.

[ColinB]

Post moved to 30th

[Alan]

Back on track....

So the clothes are different that Elvis is wearing in the press conference from the ones with the two girls, any ideas?

[Alan]

Same with this strange ticket stub that was auctioned of as a part of Gracelands auction of January 6th 2018.
https://auction.graceland.com/march_29_ ... t2922.aspx

The ticket was in a scrapbook of Elvis related articles, press clippings etc.
Nowhere does it say "Elvis" on it. But it says for "Orchestra"
Nowhere does it say "Kiel Auditorium" either, but instead, "Convention Hall"

Someone paid $218.75 (!!!) for it, (The whole scrapbook or just the ticket, I'm unsure)
      

[Alan]

The "ORCHESTRA" part refers to where in the Hall, here's another for the BALCONY, no "ELVIS" again, no Kiel Auditorium either, but they may be on the tear off part.
      

[ColinB]

Back on track....

So the clothes are different that Elvis is wearing in the press conference from the ones with the two girls, any ideas?

He could have changed clothes at times on the same day, or maybe some of the photos are wrongly tagged.

Further investigation is needed.

This is the clearest version I've found of the one with the girls:

[ColinB]

Post moved to 30th

[Alan]

This seems strange. But...

So Orio says the the article, “I think Pat got the tickets. Her mom’s boyfriend was a captain or something with the St. Louis Police Department,” Orio said. “After the show, he asked if we wanted to go backstage and meet Elvis.”

Well they didnt meet Elvis backstage, he came out and met them front of stage as you can see the seating behind them in the photos.
His hair looks a different cut and he's wearing smart clothes with the tie. Yet this wasn't really the photo opportunity to look good, the press conference was.
Elvis gave a press conference with many photographers there, he was wearing his stage clothes with darker striped jacket draped over his stage wear minus the gold lame jacket. He even had on the gold shoes.

Listening to the interview the press conference must have happened before the show as there was no mention of his performance and the only reference to the moment was the interviewer standing on Elvis' gold shoes. Elvis, if he was changing clothes wouldn't keep those on. So the press conference photos are pre show.
The darker jacket was covering ready to go on stage clothes, after the show Elvis changed clothes into smart civvies with the lighter striped jacket, combed his hair and came out front of stage and met the fans.

Except..... we have a photo of Rone Lipe the interviewer with Elvis in the lighter jacket (my proposed after show attire) - unless he wasn't interviewing him then???

[Private Presley]

Back on track....

So the clothes are different that Elvis is wearing in the press conference from the ones with the two girls, any ideas?

The photos of Elvis and the man with the cowboy hat are from March 30, 1957

http://www.scottymoore.net/FtWayne.html

[ColinB]

The photos of Elvis and the man with the cowboy hat are from March 30, 1957

http://www.scottymoore.net/FtWayne.html

Thanks !

Now moved to 30th !

[Private Presley]