I'm all shook up! That "Sexhibitionist"* Elvis Presley and NARA?

My detective work in NARA continues! Today I have stumbled across a most amazing find. I never dreamed that these things would show up in the official archives, but in a sense I'm glad they do, only because as a historical sleuth, this gives additional insight into American society.

As you know, unlike many of today's figures in popular music, Elvis Presley was drafted into the army and indeed, willingly went. While we can only suppose the impact he truly felt, we can know for certain the impact felt by many who admired him, his work and songs. Truly, it was the teenager who probably felt this most.

Here you will see a letter written to then President Eisenhower by three of Elvis's fans begging Ike to release Elvis from his duties:



To find a readable copy of this letter, hit the ARC search engine. Keyword Elvis followed by a revised search for digital items. There are lots more goodies here, especially if you are a Elvis and Nixon fan.

ARC Search Link: http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/

Wikipedia Search Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley

*Note the "Sexhibitionist Elvis Presley" part of the title I came across by searching the Time archive around the time Elvis was drafted...searching for popular reaction. A quick search showed some articles but not too many other than the wacky title above. Maybe I just need to dig more.....here's the link if you have time:

Warning! Many ads!
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,824916,00.html

The Judy Garland Telegrams!

I've entitled this post "The Judy Garland Telegrams" in reference to an amazing find while searching NARA tonight. I've just barely scratched the surface here, but evidently 1964 was a pretty traumatic year for Judy Garland as evidenced by this quote from Wikipedia:

"...was largely disastrous. Garland's first concert in Sydney, held in Sydney Stadium because no concert hall could accommodate the crowds who wanted to see her, went well and received positive reviews. Her second performance, in Melbourne, started an hour late. The crowd of 70,000, angered by her tardiness and believing her to be drunk, booed and heckled. Finally Garland fled the stage after just 45 minutes....She would later characterize the Melbourne crowd as 'brutish.'..."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judy_Garland

With the year in mind, the following telegrams seem to indicate that she was feeling better at some point and felt encouraged by the support from Robert Kennedy and his wife.

Here's the source article from NARA:

http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/

Search for "Judy Garland Robert Kennedy"

You cannot bookmark the results, but by searching the phrase above, should pull the record down ok. Here's a small picture of one of the telegrams:


























Source link: http://media.nara.gov/media/images/40/13/40-1287t.gif

Try hitting the main search page and doing the search. You should be able to pull the small link as well as temporary links for the big pictures. A facinating glimpse both of NARA as well as Judy Garland and Robert Kennedy and their families.

There's Gold In Them There Hills

Not being an original native of Ohio, I've come to love Ohio for the good things it has, including extensive library support, lots of historical places and, well, the Buckeyes! However, there is a treasure located in Columbus, that Joe Blundo wrote about in last week's Dispatch. That is the OSU archives.

Being a history major as well a librarian, the thought of archives and being able to explore the material inside, makes for an exciting day. Joe, in particular, points out one thing besides library materials that they do have:

"...The splintered piece of goal post from the 1955 Rose Bowl? That was a keeper...."

For more details, here's some links:

Dispatch article

OSU Archives site

I'll be writing more about these archives soon....there's lots more good information, including John Glenn and the Byrd Polar Archives.

See kids, there are some things you just can't do online! :)

Stay Tuned!