Elvis was the real deal, he didn't think he was better than anybody, he did what he felt, he wasn't afraid to say what he liked. He loved people no matter who they were. He was a good guy who gave away almost as much as he made. To understand the times, this was the height of segregation. When some white people found out in the 50's he followed black artists, they didn't like him for that. he took a lot of heat. On another interview, Sam said He and Ep knew a guy at the movie theatre that was an usher and they had no money so the usher would let them in the back door. When they got inside it was segregated one side was for blacks and the other side was for whites. The usher said he had to put them on the racial side because that was the rules. When the lights went out. Elvis and Sam snuck into the isle between the sides so they could be together. Sam was a wonderful friend to Elvis. thank you Twano, for this great interview reaction, as always, I enjoy your comment.
@Mary-d5x6g: Anyone who says that Elvis is a racist or that he stole something from the black population is the biggest racist and a liar. No one from the black population at the time ever said this lie about Elvis. All the famous black artists loved Elvis Presley back then. There are many, many statements about this. A friend of Elvis Presley once said: "Elvis really loved everyone. Elvis didn't discriminate"!
Elvis's talent, extreme good looks, and charisma were things that made him famous the world over, his generous heart was what made him loved the world over. Thanks for traveling down the Elvis road and thanks for your service.
RIP Sam Bell..he passed not too long after this interview..so glad we got to know about him and his little friend EP...For me this was a wealth of information..Rip EP and friend Sam 💙✌️
The Black people embraced Elvis and his dancing and the whites wanted him prosecuted. I’m Caucasian and this is a reminder that Elvis’s music was very influenced by the Black community. I am so proud Elvis didn’t let segregation break him.
Elvis' black maid Nancy Rooks said that Elvis always had a picture of his shotgun house in Tupelo where he lived hanging on his wall in his bedroom at Graceland and she asked him why he had that picture hanging up there, and he told her "because I never want to forget where I come from". Fame and fortune never changed him as it does others.
I’m a 59 yr old white woman and I feel the same as you. We all just people. You seem like a respectable sweet young man. Thank you for tour service. That was around 1945-47. They moved to Memphis before 1950.
The interviewer is Baz Luhrmann, the famous film Director who directed the recent 'Elvis' movie with Austin Butler. He interviewed this gentleman because he was a childhood friend of Elvis'. Elvis' parents were very poor and he grew up in this predominantly black neighborhood, and his childhood friends were mainly black so he was never racist. Elvis didn't see people as 'black or white', they were all his friends and neighbors.
He absolutely grew up in severe poverty! Even when they moved to memphis they lived in the projects near Beale St...home of the blues...big influence on Elvis!!!!
He said “devilment”. They were joking with each other and said “You’re up to no good. You’re studying devilment.” This is a good video. A lot of white kids weren’t taught to say “Sir” and “Ma’am” to older black people and even called them by their first names without them asking them to, which would’ve gotten us in bad trouble. E.P.’s good manners helped open doors for him.
I think you will find that Vernon had already been released from prison by this time frame. Vernon was imprisoned, firstly 9 months on remand and then a little under a year at Parchment Prison, for almost 2 years from when Elvis was about 3 1/2 until he was about 5 1/2. I think that the time Sam is talking about Elvis is quite a bit older 6. Vernon was away a lot, at the time Sam is talking about, because he could not get any regular/reliable work in Tupelo. He and Gladys brother Travis I think had to go quite some distance away to look for work and they could afford the money to go home very often.
Of course, he was influenced by the Black community. It was obvious. Imo, that is a very cool thing. He was lucky to grow up where he did. I also think no matter where he grew up, he would've been something. Some people are just born to be a star.
Anyone who knows anything about Elvis' upbringing.. it was with Gospel.. He grew up in the black community and would go to church and sing Gospel... He kept that sound in his songs and voice till he died and never once was racist.. He had to fight promoters of his concerts to let his backup singers and parts of his band to be able to stay in the same hotel... He would refuse to perform if they weren't allowed in the hotel.
Young man, Elvis looked like that because he was extremely poor. No food, clothes, shoes. He was born the same year as my grandpa. Dust bowl, Great Depression Era. Hard, hard times. I know you're young but times were not good
I from Canada. I was born in the 60s. Mother left our father and we ran home for 7 years. We didn't have tp. We listened to music. You didn't tell color we just loved what we loved, but I'll tell you something. I think Elvis was great because his looks could get him through the door. He was only white when he looked at him.He had the black spirit religion.The gospel, it was awesome.Thank you so much for doing this
This was cool. Shoutout to EP parents. Manners & respect your elders is some good morals for real. U can tell Elvis be around black people cos he got that swag! Much love yall.
Thank you Baz for this beautiful interview about our sweet Elvis. It fill me up with so much emotions 😢 I hope if people see this they will stop with the nonsense that Elvis was racist. He was a beautiful person inside and out.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Elvis was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi, in a 2 room shack of a house his dad built with money he borrowed from his boss. That's how dirt poor they were. He was one half of identical twins; the other boy - Jesse Garon - was stillborn. They were so poor, that Jesse Garon was buried in a shoebox in an unmarked grave. At Graceland they have a plaque with his name on it in his memory. Elvis always got along with the black community and learned a lot about music from his friends of color. Also, according to the one drop rule, Elvis would not be considered white, since he has Cherokee ancestors on both the Smith (his mother) and the Presley (his father) sides of the family. His paternal grandfather, Jesse Dunning Presley, was not happy that his two sons, Elvis' father Vernon and his brother Vester, married two sisters, Gladys and Clettes who were known to have Cherokee blood in their family tree. J.D. Presley was quite the racist a-hole, often drunk and a philandering husband to Minnie Mae (they were actually separated long before they finally divorced in 1954) who was always competing with his sons Vester and Vernon and who was known to abuse his kids when drunk. J.D. was publicly against race mixing and was in denial about the Cherokee blood in his own family tree. It was more publicly known that the Smith family had Native blood in their family tree, so when both his sons fell for 2 Smith sisters and Vernon, on top of that, was still a minor at 17 when he eloped with Gladys who was 4 years older than him, Jesse was totally pissed off. As a child, Elvis already had many friends in the black community at the time his family was one of 4 "white" families that lived in the predominantly black neighborhood The Hill, just across from Shake Rag. His childhood friend Sam Bell said that some of the (black) kids in that neighborhood had lighter skin than Elvis. One of Elvis' bodyguards once said that he thought it was a miracle Elvis got into Humes High School in Memphis, because it was "lily white". Elvis wanted to be more open about his Native ancestry, but his manager "colonel" Tom Parker (real name Andreas van Kuijk) was against it because he was afraid it might cost Elvis fans (and himself money). They did have Elvis play characters in his movies though where he had Native American blood (Flaming Star, G.I. Blues, Stay Away Joe). Once Elvis had his own (apprentice) job learning to be an electrician, he saved up his money and bought his clothes in the same style that many of his friends of color wore. He was called a (forgive me, just stating facts here) "n-lover" and got beaten up several times too. Later, when he was an established star, he would not perform at places where the members of color of his back-up band/orchestra weren't allowed.
Paul Harvey told a story that Elvis was so poor the white folks wouldn't let him in their homes. An uncle of a school mate taught Elvis to tune his guitar but they had to sit on the curb.
That was a rumor planted by a white journalist from Texas who sold the story to JET magazine and it spread from there. Generations of blacks still believe it. Awful shame
Sam Bell was giving an interview from Baz Luhrmann who created the 2022 ELVIS movie. Baz tried to show the roots of Elvis in his movie and gave the respect to the black influence in Elvis’s life that framed his life. Thanks for this video because it looks like a part of the movie.
That’s not a reporter it’s Baz Luhrmann the filmmaker who made Elvis 2022 which was nominated for best picture Oscar. He’s doing research for the movie
A gang of kids. Gang didn't have the same connotation then as it does now. Can I just say that the fact that you didn't get that manners is why you were liked by adults says so much. You are just a good person. Not trying to put on bs. ❤✌️
" In The Day"- the Gang meant your friends. You'd LOVE to find the very old (1930's or '40's ) black and white show "Our Gang". About poor kids using their brains and all playing together.
Love thel fact your willingness to take through journey with the king! As a commendable military man❤ he will blow your mind.keep up elvis reactions ! He's changed my. And he's still does ! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ will love that man forever ❤
Gang is just a word for a group that hangs out together. Just because the word is more affiliated to bad groups doesn’t make it a bad word. Good God, these are things that should be taught in school and by parents because cancel culture is out of control. My dad told me when I was young that one day kids wouldn’t know what the signs “RR XING” & “PED XING” meant. They would simply say “R-R X-ing” or “Ped X-ing”
Sam Bell's family was better off than Elvis's. Sam's family had acreage & grew all manner of things; Elvis's family didn't. Elvis was shy and sad in those pictures not 'evil' or 'psycho.' Sadly, Sam Bell died not long after this interview which was done by Baz - the director for the movie "Elvis." Elvis & his family didn't move to Memphis until he was 13 years old; he was born and grew up in Tupelo, Mississippi until then. Their Black neighbors helped the Presley family with food & such; the Presley family was worse off than they were. Apparently, Elvis was a dreamer & dreamed big as a child; must be what pushed him forward. Elvis would be extremely nervous before the start of a show; he said he usually felt comfortable about 3 songs in.
First I want to say thank you Twano for another video of Elvis. But don't get mad but $50 in the 30s was a lot of money and yes lots of whites and blacks was poor but yes Elvis was poor and thats why he always wanted to give to other people when he became grown. Love you Twano keep the videos coming I am a fan of yours.
Elvis was a cumulation of all of his childhood experiences. He grew up in the midst of the black community and black church, so all of his moves, etc. were as natural to him as any other kid in the community even though he was white. He just happened to have incredible talent that was not usual to ANYBODY. He was extraordinary.
Twano, thanks for posting. I'm a lifelong Elvis fan and I'm so happy Baz filmed this with Mr. Bell. There are better and longer edits of it, but I really enjoyed listening to your take on it.
I don't think Elvis thought about what colour anybody was as a young kid and his mum, (Elvis always said mama), would not have stood for that. She expected her son to be polite to everyone especially his elders! He was poor and missed his mama that worked long hours but him and Sam had fruits to eat and plenty of fun all day so Gladys knew her boy was fine always together with his friends...
This gentleman talking about Elvis... Wow.. so much respect for him.. giving us these stories of Elvis from WAY BACK in the DAY... I'm thinking he's probably passed away now too.. RIP and thank you for giving us your insight into Elvis as a child. Videos like this are so great and I wish in today's society we had this kind of respect for each other and love.
His early influence was definitely the blues and gospel music. You could hear in his guitar playing and singing and he recorded a lot of both styles. Rock n roll was just a name they gave to his later work.
There is more of this interview that was left out, in particular, Sam said they would go to the movie theater and it was segregated, so they sat together in the isle. ❤. Also, Sam did go to one of his concerts, I believe, and told them he was a friend and wanted to see EP, but he never got to. He said he and his friends would laugh and say, not verbatim, see, playing that broom got him there, tee hee. The whole interview is really worth seeing
A person is a product of their environment, in Elvis case he grew up around African Americans, so his musical influences are naturally going to be in that style of music.
Too many children today are raised with NO MANNERS. We need it to come back... My oldest son is 37 and my youngest is 24 with 3 in between.. I tried my best to raise all 5 with manners and respect.. I watch videos on Instagram now and I'm so disgusted.. they had have been raised wrong or not raised at all.. My kids were never perfect.. God knows.. but they would never be so disrespectful as things I see today.. I would still snatch one of my kids up today if I ever saw them acting like fools. NO LIE
It actually took 5 years to complete this movie He began Doing interviews like this 1 and gathering personal correspondence and other information5 years before the movie is released Before before even writing the script Find coal producers Finding Co Producers Then when they started filming in Australia The covid 19 pandemic happened! Effectively postponing the release of the movie from 2,020 to 2,022.
I love your honesty and prospective. If you are raised right you see people as people there are good people all different colors countries and religions and as so bad people you just choose to love the people that show love back. Check out the song walka mile in my shoe by Elvis
Elvis stated many times that his first influence was black gospel and spiritual music. He absolutely loved the black community. They took him in and treated him just like one of their own.
You are right. Elvis dreamed of a career in music. Without that dream, he wouldn't have had the courage to walk into Sun Records in the first place. The stardom would never have happened.
"Mama" is used by Germans ,and many old school Americans from early on who came from Europe . When Africans were brought here {against their will} they never used the term "Mama" , they picked that up from European Americans back then. PS: Elvis listened to Country /Rockabilly and Gospel on the radio before these tents showed up. He says it in his own words in an interview. No one community can claim Elvis, he soaked it all up and came out with his own style .
His dad went to prison when Elvis was2: so his momma made him the little man of the house. Elvis her only child. Seeing how Elvis was a twin and he died at birth. His mom watched him like a hawk.
Elvis hung with his black friends and was always respectful his friends parent and it was hi mother thattaught him to be respectful to people. A black man was the one who taught him guitar. he was dear friends with them all around that neighborhood.
That’s not a reporter. It’s Baz! Baz directed the movie Elvis. This was Baz doing research for the movie…which ended up being nominated for several Oscars. Elvis was raised in Pentecostal and black churches.
The guns the boys had on their belts were cap guns. Not real guns. Cap guns were very popular with kids. I had one as a kid. I am sure you can research them online if you’ve never seen one. The term gang is not always connected to violent groups. Sometimes it is just simply a group of kids.
Interesting how a young guy now would see Elvis. Not realising he's parents were away working all hours and he stayed with his buddy caring for himself all day. Sam only had his grandparents and they took care of Elvis as his mum worked long hours in a factory and his dad was absent working away...
Elvis's twin brother died at birth and twins are even connected in the womb He said it stuck with him you know cuz he knew I guess you could feel something missing his mom and dad told him when he got old enough to understand
Oh for sure. Kids pick up from what's around them. Kids don't see color. They see their friends. And when your poor everyone is in the same boat. I should know, cause we were poor as they come. You have to make games up cause no one could afford food nonetheless toys. But they were fun times, plus you get to be a little more creative and a little more crafty. Good job Twano , TCB, and Godspeed..
Elvis was the lil Wayne of that time in history! Even though Wayne has beaten Elvis Presley in multiple ways…Number of entries on the billboard hot 100 & number of top 40 hits! However, the music industry was different back then too! They’re both GOATS!! You have to remember what point in history these photos of Elvis were taken. Back then if the father wasn’t in the house (they were usually off in war) the oldest son, no matter how old that child was, they were the man of the house. You won’t expect to see young boys smiling in formal photos! The older teenage pics you gotta remember he couldn’t understand why his friends couldn’t go with him to certain places only to church! He also was worried he be drafted into Vietnam war! His upbringing was what made Elvis who he became! He hired as many people from this neighborhood as he could and brought racism to the forefront to break it! He said we’re all the same we eat, sleep, love & die! He was a man that represented all of us!!! It wasn’t black & white it was just Americans! He had a really tough time after Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassination. He wrote a few songs in remembrance of MLK Jr. only a day or 2 after it happened!! This was a hard time for everyone in history but wouldn’t it be nice just to go back to that time for a week just to have some fun! Studying government = watching 50 😅
People..the little blonde boy standing by the fence with the other kids is NOT Elvis ! the pic in the top right of that photo IS Elvis but the blonde boy by the fence is not Elvis
Gang in the older days was just a group…as for looking like a bad boy…some people just have that kind of face when simply looking without feeling bad or angry! I always try to smile coz I have that kinda face…think it’s wen u have ‘pouty lips’ and eyes that naturally’penetrate’…. I can look like a real nasty person if I’m not smiling…even if I feel happy!! Elvis was the same…looked mean but as soon as he smiled..all changed lol..bizarre ❤
Elvis was the real deal, he didn't think he was better than anybody, he did what he felt, he wasn't afraid to say what he liked. He loved people no matter who they were. He was a good guy who gave away almost as much as he made. To understand the times, this was the height of segregation. When some white people found out in the 50's he followed black artists, they didn't like him for that. he took a lot of heat. On another interview, Sam said He and Ep knew a guy at the movie theatre that was an usher and they had no money so the usher would let them in the back door. When they got inside it was segregated one side was for blacks and the other side was for whites. The usher said he had to put them on the racial side because that was the rules. When the lights went out. Elvis and Sam snuck into the isle between the sides so they could be together. Sam was a wonderful friend to Elvis. thank you Twano, for this great interview reaction, as always, I enjoy your comment.
@Mary-d5x6g: Anyone who says that Elvis is a racist or that he stole something from the black population is the biggest racist and a liar. No one from the black population at the time ever said this lie about Elvis. All the famous black artists loved Elvis Presley back then. There are many, many statements about this. A friend of Elvis Presley once said: "Elvis really loved everyone. Elvis didn't discriminate"!
Elvis's talent, extreme good looks, and charisma were things that made him famous the world over, his generous heart was what made him loved the world over. Thanks for traveling down the Elvis road and thanks for your service.
RIP Sam Bell..he passed not too long after this interview..so glad we got to know about him and his little friend EP...For me this was a wealth of information..Rip EP and friend Sam 💙✌️
May Sam Bell R.I.P!! ❤❤❤❤!
The Black people embraced Elvis and his dancing and the whites wanted him prosecuted.
I’m Caucasian and this is a reminder that Elvis’s music was very influenced by the Black community. I am so proud Elvis didn’t let segregation break him.
I love and respect Elvis.
So, does anyone still think Elvis "stole" from black music? No - he was raised with it.
Precisely ☝🏻
I think people are slowly beginning to understand this !!
Elvis' black maid Nancy Rooks said that Elvis always had a picture of his shotgun house in Tupelo where he lived hanging on his wall in his bedroom at Graceland and she asked him why he had that picture hanging up there, and he told her "because I never want to forget where I come from". Fame and fortune never changed him as it does others.
I’m a 59 yr old white woman and I feel the same as you. We all just people. You seem like a respectable sweet young man. Thank you for tour service. That was around 1945-47. They moved to Memphis before 1950.
Elvis was seriously God's gift to the world. He was humble and loved all people equally. Elvis had it all and wanted to share it with everyone. ❤❤❤❤
The interviewer is Baz Luhrmann, the famous film Director who directed the recent 'Elvis' movie with Austin Butler. He interviewed this gentleman because he was a childhood friend of Elvis'. Elvis' parents were very poor and he grew up in this predominantly black neighborhood, and his childhood friends were mainly black so he was never racist. Elvis didn't see people as 'black or white', they were all his friends and neighbors.
He absolutely grew up in severe poverty! Even when they moved to memphis they lived in the projects near Beale St...home of the blues...big influence on Elvis!!!!
i have to give Baz Luhrmann some credit, he took the time to hit the groundwork and research Elvis from people he grew up with.
But he didn't bother to use Sam's name at all. I think Sam deserved that much.
@@rong805
How could Sam NOT be credited? 😡Just wrong, so wrong.
@exdus235 It's BS. I'm very happy what Baz is doing with TTWII and Elvis On Tour, but Sam deserved a mention after giving up the 411.
Two childhood friends together once again in the next realm. RIP, EP and SB....God Bless your Souls ❤️⚡💯
He said “devilment”. They were joking with each other and said “You’re up to no good. You’re studying devilment.” This is a good video. A lot of white kids weren’t taught to say “Sir” and “Ma’am” to older black people and even called them by their first names without them asking them to, which would’ve gotten us in bad trouble. E.P.’s good manners helped open doors for him.
His Dad was in jail at this time. Elvis was always a dreamer.
I think you will find that Vernon had already been released from prison by this time frame. Vernon was imprisoned, firstly 9 months on remand and then a little under a year at Parchment Prison, for almost 2 years from when Elvis was about 3 1/2 until he was about 5 1/2. I think that the time Sam is talking about Elvis is quite a bit older 6. Vernon was away a lot, at the time Sam is talking about, because he could not get any regular/reliable work in Tupelo. He and Gladys brother Travis I think had to go quite some distance away to look for work and they could afford the money to go home very often.
En prison pour rien le pauvre
No, his dad was somewhere else working. He was in prison for 9 months when Elvis was 3 years old.
Of course, he was influenced by the Black community. It was obvious. Imo, that is a very cool thing. He was lucky to grow up where he did. I also think no matter where he grew up, he would've been something. Some people are just born to be a star.
Anyone who knows anything about Elvis' upbringing.. it was with Gospel.. He grew up in the black community and would go to church and sing Gospel... He kept that sound in his songs and voice till he died and never once was racist.. He had to fight promoters of his concerts to let his backup singers and parts of his band to be able to stay in the same hotel... He would refuse to perform if they weren't allowed in the hotel.
Sweet sweet Elvis❤
Young man, Elvis looked like that because he was extremely poor. No food, clothes, shoes. He was born the same year as my grandpa. Dust bowl, Great Depression Era. Hard, hard times. I know you're young but times were not good
I from Canada. I was born in the 60s. Mother left our father and we ran home for 7 years. We didn't have tp. We listened to music. You didn't tell color we just loved what we loved, but I'll tell you something. I think Elvis was great because his looks could get him through the door. He was only white when he looked at him.He had the black spirit religion.The gospel, it was awesome.Thank you so much for doing this
This was cool. Shoutout to EP parents. Manners & respect your elders is some good morals for real. U can tell Elvis be around black people cos he got that swag! Much love yall.
Thank you Baz for this beautiful interview about our sweet Elvis. It fill me up with so much emotions 😢 I hope if people see this they will stop with the nonsense that Elvis was racist. He was a beautiful person inside and out.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Elvis was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi, in a 2 room shack of a house his dad built with money he borrowed from his boss. That's how dirt poor they were. He was one half of identical twins; the other boy - Jesse Garon - was stillborn. They were so poor, that Jesse Garon was buried in a shoebox in an unmarked grave. At Graceland they have a plaque with his name on it in his memory.
Elvis always got along with the black community and learned a lot about music from his friends of color. Also, according to the one drop rule, Elvis would not be considered white, since he has Cherokee ancestors on both the Smith (his mother) and the Presley (his father) sides of the family. His paternal grandfather, Jesse Dunning Presley, was not happy that his two sons, Elvis' father Vernon and his brother Vester, married two sisters, Gladys and Clettes who were known to have Cherokee blood in their family tree. J.D. Presley was quite the racist a-hole, often drunk and a philandering husband to Minnie Mae (they were actually separated long before they finally divorced in 1954) who was always competing with his sons Vester and Vernon and who was known to abuse his kids when drunk. J.D. was publicly against race mixing and was in denial about the Cherokee blood in his own family tree. It was more publicly known that the Smith family had Native blood in their family tree, so when both his sons fell for 2 Smith sisters and Vernon, on top of that, was still a minor at 17 when he eloped with Gladys who was 4 years older than him, Jesse was totally pissed off.
As a child, Elvis already had many friends in the black community at the time his family was one of 4 "white" families that lived in the predominantly black neighborhood The Hill, just across from Shake Rag. His childhood friend Sam Bell said that some of the (black) kids in that neighborhood had lighter skin than Elvis. One of Elvis' bodyguards once said that he thought it was a miracle Elvis got into Humes High School in Memphis, because it was "lily white". Elvis wanted to be more open about his Native ancestry, but his manager "colonel" Tom Parker (real name Andreas van Kuijk) was against it because he was afraid it might cost Elvis fans (and himself money). They did have Elvis play characters in his movies though where he had Native American blood (Flaming Star, G.I. Blues, Stay Away Joe). Once Elvis had his own (apprentice) job learning to be an electrician, he saved up his money and bought his clothes in the same style that many of his friends of color wore. He was called a (forgive me, just stating facts here) "n-lover" and got beaten up several times too. Later, when he was an established star, he would not perform at places where the members of color of his back-up band/orchestra weren't allowed.
Thanks so much for doing Elvis videos again!
Elvis lived in the ghetto of Tupelo Mississippi 1935-47 & the ghetto of Memphis Tennessee 1948-77 🎤
Paul Harvey told a story that Elvis was so poor the white folks wouldn't let him in their homes. An uncle of a school mate taught Elvis to tune his guitar but they had to sit on the curb.
Really really interesting How can anyone say he was racist thank you for letting people know the Truth.
That was a rumor planted by a white journalist from Texas who sold the story to JET magazine and it spread from there. Generations of blacks still believe it. Awful shame
Sam Bell was giving an interview from Baz Luhrmann who created the 2022 ELVIS movie. Baz tried to show the roots of Elvis in his movie and gave the respect to the black influence in Elvis’s life that framed his life. Thanks for this video because it looks like a part of the movie.
Elvis was a twin his brother died. His mother was very protective over Elvis & he was a mommas boy.
That’s not a reporter it’s Baz Luhrmann the filmmaker who made Elvis 2022 which was nominated for best picture Oscar. He’s doing research for the movie
The movie is lame.
Elvis was always was a dreamer.
Think about his black friends wouldn't go up onstage, but Elvis loved it. HE WAS A DREAMER.
A gang of kids. Gang didn't have the same connotation then as it does now.
Can I just say that the fact that you didn't get that manners is why you were liked by adults says so much. You are just a good person. Not trying to put on bs. ❤✌️
Back in the day it was safe for us oldER folks to play with toy guns. Cap gins were the bomb.
Thank you for doing this! It's extremely important!
" In The Day"- the Gang meant your friends. You'd LOVE to find the very old (1930's or '40's ) black and white show "Our Gang". About poor kids using their brains and all playing together.
Love thel fact your willingness to take through journey with the king! As a commendable military man❤ he will blow your mind.keep up elvis reactions ! He's changed my. And he's still does ! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ will love that man forever ❤
Gang is just a word for a group that hangs out together. Just because the word is more affiliated to bad groups doesn’t make it a bad word. Good God, these are things that should be taught in school and by parents because cancel culture is out of control. My dad told me when I was young that one day kids wouldn’t know what the signs “RR XING” & “PED XING” meant. They would simply say “R-R X-ing” or “Ped X-ing”
Sam Bell's family was better off than Elvis's. Sam's family had acreage & grew all manner of things; Elvis's family didn't. Elvis was shy and sad in those pictures not 'evil' or 'psycho.' Sadly, Sam Bell died not long after this interview which was done by Baz - the director for the movie "Elvis." Elvis & his family didn't move to Memphis until he was 13 years old; he was born and grew up in Tupelo, Mississippi until then. Their Black neighbors helped the Presley family with food & such; the Presley family was worse off than they were. Apparently, Elvis was a dreamer & dreamed big as a child; must be what pushed him forward. Elvis would be extremely nervous before the start of a show; he said he usually felt comfortable about 3 songs in.
First I want to say thank you Twano for another video of Elvis. But don't get mad but $50 in the 30s was a lot of money and yes lots of whites and blacks was poor but yes Elvis was poor and thats why he always wanted to give to other people when he became grown. Love you Twano keep the videos coming I am a fan of yours.
Mr Bell told us a lot about Elvis as a child. I enjoyed every word he said.
Sam Bell is absolutely wonderful in this interview!!❤❤❤!
was a bit wrong first song he recorded was my happiness for his mom TCB
If Elvis was from Portland, he wouldn’t be Elvis. His Southern roots, growing up and singing in a Black church, made Elvis who he is.
You light my day. How I love to read or to listen that kind of facts. It's a real sunny day, even if it's raining. Thanks a tows
Elvis was proud of the black influence and gave credit to it.
Elvis was a cumulation of all of his childhood experiences. He grew up in the midst of the black community and black church, so all of his moves, etc. were as natural to him as any other kid in the community even though he was white. He just happened to have incredible talent that was not usual to ANYBODY. He was extraordinary.
Twano, thanks for posting. I'm a lifelong Elvis fan and I'm so happy Baz filmed this with Mr. Bell. There are better and longer edits of it, but I really enjoyed listening to your take on it.
I don't think Elvis thought about what colour anybody was as a young kid and his mum, (Elvis always said mama), would not have stood for that. She expected her son to be polite to everyone especially his elders!
He was poor and missed his mama that worked long hours but him and Sam had fruits to eat and plenty of fun all day so Gladys knew her boy was fine always together with his friends...
This is how Elvis got his moves from.
God blesses us all in different ways ways , I believe The most High SHOWED HIM THE MOST SPIRITUAL and gifted people to share life with
This gentleman talking about Elvis... Wow.. so much respect for him.. giving us these stories of Elvis from WAY BACK in the DAY... I'm thinking he's probably passed away now too.. RIP and thank you for giving us your insight into Elvis as a child. Videos like this are so great and I wish in today's society we had this kind of respect for each other and love.
No, that wasn’t him. It’s just a stock photo.
you must react milkcow blues boogie from Elvis
Thanks for posting this. I had not seen documentary before.
Glad you enjoyed it
Baz Luhrmann Is The Man Here Questioning Elvis Childhood Freind !Is The Director Screenwriter And Producer For The Movie Elvis 2022 !❤
His early influence was definitely the blues and gospel music. You could hear in his guitar playing and singing and he recorded a lot of both styles. Rock n roll was just a name they gave to his later work.
There is more of this interview that was left out, in particular, Sam said they would go to the movie theater and it was segregated, so they sat together in the isle. ❤. Also, Sam did go to one of his concerts, I believe, and told them he was a friend and wanted to see EP, but he never got to. He said he and his friends would laugh and say, not verbatim, see, playing that broom got him there, tee hee. The whole interview is really worth seeing
That aint no reporter that man is Baz Luhrman the Director of the recent film ELVIS
A person is a product of their environment, in Elvis case he grew up around African Americans, so his musical influences are naturally going to be in that style of music.
Too many children today are raised with NO MANNERS. We need it to come back... My oldest son is 37 and my youngest is 24 with 3 in between.. I tried my best to raise all 5 with manners and respect.. I watch videos on Instagram now and I'm so disgusted.. they had have been raised wrong or not raised at all.. My kids were never perfect.. God knows.. but they would never be so disrespectful as things I see today.. I would still snatch one of my kids up today if I ever saw them acting like fools. NO LIE
Elvis was born and raised in a Tupelo Mississippi. He came to Memphis in his early teens and lived in the projects.
Baz couldn’t grasp Elvis getting the spirit.
❤☝👍👊✌👌🕺🎸🎤Thank you Thank you very much beautiful story ❤ 🙏
It actually took 5 years to complete this movie He began Doing interviews like this 1 and gathering personal correspondence and other information5 years before the movie is released Before before even writing the script Find coal producers Finding Co Producers Then when they started filming in Australia The covid 19 pandemic happened! Effectively postponing the release of the movie from 2,020 to 2,022.
This made my day! Earring stories from real people and beautiful people! The childhood of Elvis Presley, my friend for life ?
I love your honesty and prospective. If you are raised right you see people as people there are good people all different colors countries and religions and as so bad people you just choose to love the people that show love back. Check out the song walka mile in my shoe by Elvis
“ Devilment” - not government!😊
You’re a good inspirational speaker! You inspired me!
Elvis stated many times that his first influence was black gospel and spiritual music. He absolutely loved the black community. They took him in and treated him just like one of their own.
You are right. Elvis dreamed of a career in music. Without that dream, he wouldn't have had the courage to walk into Sun Records in the first place. The stardom would never have happened.
Absolutely
And Sun didn’t record whites. He could have gone into other places to record his voice, but he chose Sun. Very brave indeed
Learned a lot from this video, thanks.
Watch the movie “ Elvis”. It gives you a terrific look into his childhood and musical influences. ❤
That was NOT really Elvis in the photo with the 3 kids. Just a pic they used to illustrate he had black friends.
do i detect another Aussie?
"Mama" is used by Germans ,and many old school Americans from early on who came from Europe . When Africans
were brought here {against their will} they never used the term "Mama" , they picked that up from European Americans back then. PS: Elvis listened to Country /Rockabilly and Gospel on the radio before these tents showed up. He says it in his own words in an interview. No one community can claim Elvis, he soaked it all up and came out with his own style .
Elvis adored and worshipped his mother. When she died he fell apart.
Great video thank you very much!
His dad went to prison when Elvis was2: so his momma made him the little man of the house. Elvis her only child. Seeing how Elvis was a twin and he died at birth. His mom watched him like a hawk.
🤣😂It's not a street gang. It's a gang of little kits like on the old B/W movies called 1:🎉our gang and 2: the little rascals 🤣😂
Also Elvis did live in ghetto. look it up when he was in his teen years. after tupelo.
Elvis hung with his black friends and was always respectful his friends parent and it was hi mother thattaught him to be respectful to people. A black man was the one who taught him guitar. he was dear friends with them all around that neighborhood.
Yep, he lived in the projects. One reason he helped and gave so much.
That’s not a reporter. It’s Baz! Baz directed the movie Elvis. This was Baz doing research for the movie…which ended up being nominated for several Oscars. Elvis was raised in Pentecostal and black churches.
The guns the boys had on their belts were cap guns. Not real guns. Cap guns were very popular with kids. I had one as a kid. I am sure you can research them online if you’ve never seen one. The term gang is not always connected to violent groups. Sometimes it is just simply a group of kids.
YES YU ARE RIGHT
Elvis LOVED his black brothers and sisters!
Interesting how a young guy now would see Elvis. Not realising he's parents were away working all hours and he stayed with his buddy caring for himself all day. Sam only had his grandparents and they took care of Elvis as his mum worked long hours in a factory and his dad was absent working away...
Elvis's twin brother died at birth and twins are even connected in the womb He said it stuck with him you know cuz he knew I guess you could feel something missing his mom and dad told him when he got old enough to understand
He loved the black culture
This is amazing. Thank you for sharing this, really. Did not know all this. Edit this comment to add, wonder why he saw him but not talked.
King of the whole wild world
Elvis ALWAYS acknowledged his roots and the huge influence of black, gospel, country and rhythm n blues. ALWAYS ❤
Oh for sure. Kids pick up from what's around them. Kids don't see color. They see their friends. And when your poor everyone is in the same boat. I should know, cause we were poor as they come. You have to make games up cause no one could afford food nonetheless toys. But they were fun times, plus you get to be a little more creative and a little more crafty. Good job Twano , TCB, and Godspeed..
Elvis was the lil Wayne of that time in history! Even though Wayne has beaten Elvis Presley in multiple ways…Number of entries on the billboard hot 100 & number of top 40 hits! However, the music industry was different back then too! They’re both GOATS!!
You have to remember what point in history these photos of Elvis were taken. Back then if the father wasn’t in the house (they were usually off in war) the oldest son, no matter how old that child was, they were the man of the house. You won’t expect to see young boys smiling in formal photos!
The older teenage pics you gotta remember he couldn’t understand why his friends couldn’t go with him to certain places only to church! He also was worried he be drafted into Vietnam war!
His upbringing was what made Elvis who he became! He hired as many people from this neighborhood as he could and brought racism to the forefront to break it!
He said we’re all the same we eat, sleep, love & die! He was a man that represented all of us!!! It wasn’t black & white it was just Americans!
He had a really tough time after Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassination. He wrote a few songs in remembrance of MLK Jr. only a day or 2 after it happened!!
This was a hard time for everyone in history but wouldn’t it be nice just to go back to that time for a week just to have some fun!
Studying government = watching 50 😅
People..the little blonde boy standing by the fence with the other kids is NOT Elvis ! the pic in the top right of that photo IS Elvis but the blonde boy by the fence is not Elvis
Gang is just an old term for group of friends. It’s not what it’s been twisted into today
He lived it!
Awesome story yeah, we grow up poor to in my home town 👍😃👌
Elvis might have been crying when they left, and that's why they didn't see him. He didn't want them to see him cry.
Great reaction Two..❤
Elvis gave nicknames to all his family, bodyguards and girlfriends 😮
Elvis def. came into his looks!
Gang in the older days was just a group…as for looking like a bad boy…some people just have that kind of face when simply looking without feeling bad or angry! I always try to smile coz I have that kinda face…think it’s wen u have ‘pouty lips’ and eyes that naturally’penetrate’…. I can look like a real nasty person if I’m not smiling…even if I feel happy!! Elvis was the same…looked mean but as soon as he smiled..all changed lol..bizarre ❤