{"id":164433,"date":"2025-12-20T08:30:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-20T13:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=164433"},"modified":"2025-12-19T10:10:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T15:10:48","slug":"elvis-its-a-duty-ive-got-to-fill-and-im-going-to-do-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sheilaomalley.com\/?p=164433","title":{"rendered":"Elvis: “It’s a duty I\u2019ve got to fill and I\u2019m going to do it.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nOn December 20, 1957, Elvis received his draft notice. He was given a deferment so he could finish the movie King Creole<\/i> This picture went out onto the wires. It was international news. He would be \u201cgone\u201d for … TWO YEARS? Would they CUT HIS HAIR? (There\u2019s a famous letter to President Eisenhower by two teenage girls, begging the President to not allow Elvis\u2019 hair to be shaved off. The girls covered the page of loose leaf with little hearts.) <\/p>\n

I love this picture:<\/p>\n

1. The HAIR.<\/p>\n

2. The PANTS. Just casual at-home wear for Elvis. <\/p>\n

3. The DOG. Looking up at him, feeling and absorbing all the emotion like dogs do. The dog looks concerned. “This Person I Love is Having Feelings and I Must Comfort Him Through This Hard Time.” <\/p>\n

The dog was Elvis\u2019 beloved mother\u2019s dog. Elvis had no way of knowing at this point that his mother had less than one year to live, that she would die a month before he shipped out.<\/p>\n

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\nThank you so much for stopping by. If you like what I do, and if you feel inclined to support my work, here’s a link to my Venmo account<\/a>. And I’ve launched a Substack, Sheila Variations 2.0<\/a>, if you’d like to subscribe.<\/em> <\/small><\/p>\n