ELVIS PRESLEY, ENTERTAINER: (SINGING)
LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Tonight:
exclusive. Priscilla Presley. She married Elvis, the King, when
she was 21. Together they had a child. Named her Lisa Marie. And
then Priscilla went on to become a big start herself. Her life,
her family, her career fascinate us all, but she never talks
about them. Well, she's talking tonight. A rare, in-depth
personal interview with Priscilla Presley, next, on LARRY KING
LIVE.
KING: Our
special guest tonight is Priscilla Presley. What a life. A lot
of things to talk about. It's great to have her here. She was
last here in August of 1986. I'll tell you how long ago that
was. I was still smoking. I had had no heart problems.
What took so long for you to come back? Because you've been
invited.
PRISCILLA PRESLEY, ENTERTAINER: I have. Thank you. I
guess I have a lot to talk about.
KING: Now.
PRESLEY: Yes.
KING: You didn't have a
lot to talk about five years ago?
PRESLEY: I did, but I'm not real fond of giving
interviews.
KING: Because?
PRESLEY: Obvious -- why? There's a part of me that, you
know, there's a generation that I grew up in that you just
kept quiet about a lot of things. You didn't just go out and
spill everything out and when I'm interviewed, there's a lot
of things that I'm just cautious about, defensive about. So...
KING: But you're
comfortable here.
PRESLEY: I am.
KING: And you know there's
an enormous interest in you, your daughter and your late
husband. You never remarried, did you?
PRESLEY: No.
KING: Why not?
PRESLEY: Well I'm with someone I've been with for,
like, 18 years now. And we're very comfortable in our
situation. I mean, he's the Rock of Gibraltar and he's -- he's
my confidant.
KING: What does he do?
PRESLEY: Right now, he's working on technology for the
music industry.
KING: Did you ever want
another child?
PRESLEY: I have another child. I have a little boy.
KING: You do?
PRESLEY: Yes.
KING: A little...
PRESLEY: Not little boy. He'll be 16 next month, which
is very sad.
KING: Is it weird that one
child gets all the attention and the other doesn't?
PRESLEY: Well, you know, my son, our son, does not want
-- he doesn't want any attention. I mean, he's just the
opposite. You know, he's going through his teenage years right
now. He doesn't like any labels. He's against anything that...
KING: Oh, he's...
PRESLEY: Oh, yes, he's very rebellious. So this is new
for me. Well, actually, it's not new. It's been new. My
daughter was the same way. But it's in new having a son.
KING: Now let's get down
and touch some bases. You were very young when you met. How
young were you?
PRESLEY: Fourteen.
KING: And what are your
memories like at 14 of meeting someone this gigantic on the
world stage who was then in the army, right?
PRESLEY: Right.
KING: And your father was
lifelong military, right?
PRESLEY: Right, in the air force.
KING: What was that like?
PRESLEY: You have to remember that when I met Elvis, you
know, it wasn't the fanfare that it is today or even when he
was here in the states and I was in Germany growing up. So I
saw him at a very vulnerable time. He had just lost his mother
and he was grieving. And I came into his life and he somehow,
you know, felt like confiding in me and talking to me and I
was like a sounding board for him as a 14-year-old kid.
KING: But, did you feel
ready for something serious?
PRESLEY: Not really. I don't feel -- as far as
something serious, I didn't realize at that time how serious
it was.
You know, I had my mother and my father convincing me that he
would be going back to Hollywood and he'd be back with the
actresses and dating them and that he wasn't serious about me
at all. So I had him saying one thing to me and my parents
telling me something else.
KING: And, so, he was
saying he loves you, and they were telling you this is a
teenage crush.
PRESLEY: Right. Well, they didn't know how serious it
was between us. They, you know, they were very fond of him.
They were very fond of his father. They were both, my gosh,
the Southern hospitality and very, very humble. And that's the
way it was back then, you know?
But they met my parents and -- it was like the old-fashioned
way, where they meet and they agree upon things together.
And...
KING: When they learned
how serious it was, were they upset?
PRESLEY: Yes.
My father, I guess it all really started after Elvis came back
to the states. It was 1960. And I didn't hear from Elvis right
away. And my mother said, See, I told you. I told you he was
going to forget about you. You know, and they had told me that
I had to start a life and get back to school and start doing
the things that a young schoolgirl should be doing, which I --
it was very difficult.
I confided in no one. I had one friend I believe I told what
was going on, and that was it.
KING: Then what happened?
PRESLEY: Elvis started calling about 21 days after I
got back, and that's when it all started again.
KING: And they couldn't do
anything to stop it?
PRESLEY: No, not a that age. No. It was difficult
because he would call at all hours of the night. We'd talk on
the phone two and three hours at a time.
I was encouraged to go to school and -- to even date somewhat,
you know.
KING: Did you?
PRESLEY: I did a little, yes. I did.
KING: Is that weird?
Dating a guy who knows you're going out with Elvis Presley?
PRESLEY: Well, he didn't know. They didn't know.
KING: No one knew.
PRESLEY: No. No. It was to be kept a secret.
KING: So, memory fades.
How did you pull it all off? How did you finally -- you were
going to get married and got married?
PRESLEY: Well, my -- I feel like I'm repeating myself.
You know, I wrote the book, so I feel like this is old news.
KING: I know, but it was
all so long.
PRESLEY: I know, I know.
KING: I'm going to go by
this quickly. I'm gliding through.
PRESLEY: All right, all right. I just don't want to
bore your audience.
KING: You're not boring
them. There's a whole new Elvis -- Elvis has sold 1 billion
records, right? Worldwide.
PRESLEY: Right. Worldwide.
KING: There's a whole
element of people...
PRESLEY: That's true, I know.
KING: ...that are new to
Elvis.
PRESLEY: Yes.
KING: ...that are new to
Elvis.
PRESLEY: A whole new generation, absolutely.
There were the phone calls and Elvis had asked me to visit him
in Los Angeles. This was in 1962. I came and visited in Los
Angeles that summer for about two or three weeks and he took
me to Las Vegas. And I went back home after that and it
changed my life. I mean, I was in love.
KING: And your parents had
to accept it or what could they do?
PRESLEY: Yes, because he also called and asked me to
come back at Christmas. So there were these continuous calls.
And at that time, you know, Larry, when you're what -- I was
16, 17 at the time. At that time, girls got married. They
weren't thinking of a career. So, Elvis was very convincing to
my parents and saying, I'll take good care of her. Please let
her come. I don't know what this is all about. I don't know
these feelings myself because. These were all new to me
because I was so young.
So my parents let me come. They let me go to school.
KING: What was life..
PRESLEY: I mean, I threatened them. I said, you're
ruining my life. I mean, I gave them a lot of things to think
about, too, that they were ruining my life and probably my
fate.
KING: What was life like
early on? What was it like? To be...
PRESLEY: Early on?
KING: Young and married to
a world celebrity.
PRESLEY: Very difficult for a young girl. It was -- I
was in a whole new world, a very strange world. Very different
from when I had met him when he was a soldier and very
vulnerable.
KING: Did you like any of
the attention? I mean, I could imagine a 17, 18-year-old might
be a little thrilled at red carpets and paparazzi and...
PRESLEY: That was a way of life. I didn't know anything
from then on after that. I didn't look at it that way. That
was how he, you know, he got around and he had his entourage.
It was just his way of life. I had to accept that. I certainly
couldn't change it.
KING: My guest is
Priscilla Presley. She heads the Dream Foundation. We're going
to talk about that. A lot of things she's involved with. She's
in a -- you're going to produce something, right?
PRESLEY: I am.
KING: You're bringing back
an old...
PRESLEY: Yes, an old movie.
KING: We're going to get
to that.
We'll be right back with Priscilla Presley right after this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELVIS: (SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: The 32-year-old Mississippi boy who started a new
style of singing gives his bride a 20-carat diamond ring. Now
more a movie than a recording star, Elvis met Priscilla when
he was a GI in Germany and she the daughter of a lieutenant
colonel was a high school girl. It's the first marriage for
both.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: We're back with the
lovely Priscilla Presley. The very talented Priscilla Presley
who should do more -- why don't you do more acting? I mean,
"Naked Gun,: you were hysterical.
PRESLEY: Thank you. That was fun. That was fun. I enjoy
doing those movies.
KING: We're going to get
to that later. But you should do more.
PRESLEY: Thank you..
KING: OK, you married and
almost a year later, you have a baby.
PRESLEY: Yes, my daughter.
KING: First, what kind of
husband was Elvis?
PRESLEY: He was wonderfully loving. Caring. But he was
also...
KING: But...
PRESLEY: But he was also a victim of his own career. Of
his own love which, of course was music, and going into film.
KING: How so, victim
meaning...
PRESLEY: Well, he grew up in it. He was a product of
the business. And that was his only way of life. He loved it.
He, you know, he traveled all over before he was even really
discovered by Colonel Parker. And had venues that he would
appear at.
KING: So that made it
difficult as a husband in what way? A lot of women around him,
obviously.
PRESLEY: All the time.
KING: How did you handle
that?
PRESLEY: Very difficult.
KING: Get ticked?
PRESLEY: Yes. I mean, to be put in that situation,
admiration, I think it would be very difficult for any woman.
It really was all about Elvis. In everybody way, in every
move, in every, you know, in every situation. It was really
living his life.
KING: So, was this
terrible for you?
PRESLEY: Well, again, it was a way of life.
KING: You were an
appendage.
PRESLEY: Probably, yes. I mean, I had probably an
illusion of being the wife that, you know, I wanted to create
a home. I wanted to have children. I wanted him to be a
husband. It was never going to be that way. It couldn't be
that way. He had created a lifestyle that was really very
necessary for him because he couldn't get around without
fanfare.
KING: Why did everybody
like him?
PRESLEY: Oh, he was great. He was a wonderful human
being.
KING: You liked him, as a
person.
PRESLEY: As a person, he was wonderful. He really was a
great person. He was full of life. He had a great sense of
humor. Very talented, of course, but very caring to his
parents. There was a very endearing quality about Elvis.
KING: So what's that? I
never heard a bad word about him.
PRESLEY: No.
KING: No.
PRESLEY: Yes.
KING: He had his faults,
but...
PRESLEY: Yes.
KING: Now, you have a
baby. How good a father was he?
PRESLEY: Well, I was the disciplinarian. I mean, he
wouldn't...
KING: He spoiled her.
PRESLEY: He spoiled her, yes. He loved children. And he
definitely spoiled her and he left the discipline to me. I was
the bad guy.
So, you know, Lisa, of course, always wanted to be with him
because she didn't get any discipline from him. He would let
her stay up 3:00 in the morning, not bathe, not brush her
teeth. I was the one on the telephone going, did you brush
your teeth? And she'd say, yes, yes, sure I did.
KING: he'd take her with
him?
PRESLEY: She would go to Memphis and this was after our
divorce. And I would send her to Memphis to be with him.
KING: Was the divorce
difficult?
PRESLEY: Yes, the divorce was difficult. It was
difficult.
KING: Did he treat you
unfairly?
PRESLEY: Not at all.
KING: Or emotionally
difficult.
PRESLEY: It was emotionally difficult. It was a big
step for both of us. We cared for each other. But just two
different lifestyles.
KING: Did you ever see
each other after the divorce?
PRESLEY: Absolutely, all the time.
KING: So a relationship
continued of some sorts.
PRESLEY: Absolutely.
KING: But you were the
tough mother and he was the soft father. Very typical, by the
way.
PRESLEY: I know this is.
KING: With daughters.
PRESLEY: And sons, I'm finding out, yes.
KING: And when Elvis died,
Lisa Marie was, what, 9?
PRESLEY: She was 9 years old.
KING: Where were you that
day?
PRESLEY: I was at home -- actually, I was on my way to
an appointment. And I...
KING: In L.A.?
PRESLEY: In L.A. And Joe Esposito had gotten a hold of
my parents and said that he needed to talk to me. They reached
my sister and my sister met me at the appointment and told me
that something was wrong, that Elvis was ill and in the
hospital and I went back home. The phone was ringing and it
was Joe on the phone who said that he was sending a plane for
me to come to Memphis. It was serious.
KING: He didn't tell you
he was...
PRESLEY: He did. He said it was serious and that Elvis
died.
KING: By the way, Elvis,
"30 No. 1 Hits," CD was released in conjunction with
the 25th anniversary of his death. It's at the top of the
charts in two dozen countries. And some of the visual material
that you're seeing on tonight's show comes from the Universal
Studios home video, Elvis, his best friend remembers, an
insider's look at Elvis from Diamond Joe Esposito who
(UNINTELLIGIBLE). Who I imagine you like.
PRESLEY: Yes, I liked Joe very much.
KING: Were you totally
shocked?
PRESLEY: Part of me was not. But, then again, all of us
around him wouldn't even accept the fact that he would -- that
he would go. I mean, you just...
KING: Elvis was not going
to die.
PRESLEY: No, he had been in the hospital in and out for
years. In fact, he would check into a hospital just to get
away and rest. He would just check in and, you know, pretend
he was sick and...
KING: Really?
PRESLEY: Yes. He loved going to the hospital.
KING: We'll be right back
with Priscilla Presley on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE.
Don't go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELVIS: (SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: We're back with
Priscilla Presley.
You had to put up with a lot, though, right? Fans were mad at
you. Girlfriends objected to you.
PRESLEY: Yes.
KING: You had to be pretty
strong inside to...
PRESLEY: It made me stronger, yes. I was always the bad
guy no matter what. I mean, even when Elvis was married, you
know, it was -- it was a lot of fanfare about that, also.
And I think that, I guess it went both ways. It was hard for
me to accept the fans, too. You know, they lived outside our
gates. They camped outside our gates for weeks at a time. They
would follow me all over, everywhere I went. I really felt
like I didn't have a life.
KING: At his death, did
you have to take charge of things?
PRESLEY: I did.
KING: You were the former
wife. Was there other people handling things or was it all in
your lap?
PRESLEY: Not really. When I walked in, Vernon...
KING: The father.
PRESLEY: His father, right, was in such a state of
shock. I mean, I can still hear him to this day, you know,
wailing. It was -- he honestly couldn't handle anything.
Everyone was in disarray, the whole household.
KING: How about your
daughter?
PRESLEY: My daughter? Surprisingly enough, I don't
think she really knew the impact nor did she really know what
had happened.
KING: Nine's a tough age.
PRESLEY: Nine is very tough. And it was very difficult
for her to believe. I remember that she was -- she took a golf
cart that she would ride around Graceland in and she was out
with her friend. And I thought that was a little odd, but then
again, remembering the age. And I actually preferred her to be
out than in the house because it was very depressing.
KING: Did she go to the
funeral?
PRESLEY: Of course she did.
KING: Handle herself well?
PRESLEY: Very well, yes.
KING: How hard it for you?
PRESLEY: Disbelief.
KING: Because you still
loved him, right?
PRESLEY: Absolutely. I -- you know, he was so that much
a part of my life that, you know, Elvis, you know, once --
once you bonded with him, I mean, there was no -- there was no
going back. He was just a great guy.
KING: The impact is
lasting.
PRESLEY: Right.
KING: Right? Did it affect
your other relationships?
PRESLEY: Yes, it did. It has -- it's very difficult for
anyone to step in those shoes.
KING: He's a ghost.
PRESLEY: Yes.
KING: And he gets in the
way.
PRESLEY: Yes.
KING: This guy you're with
has to be strong.
PRESLEY: Very strong. He's his own person. Very secure.
Very solid. He's very understanding. And it's been good for
me. It's the only relationship that I've had that's really,
you know, been that solid.
KING: Little bit about
your daughter.
First, her record. She can sing. Did you know she could sing?
PRESLEY: You know, Lisa, for the longest time, did not
sing. And I had no idea she even had a voice. She'd play music
loud, like most teenagers, but I remember even telling her to
turn the music down because it would be so loud. She was
probably practicing all those years.
KING: So when did it
happen? When did you...
PRESLEY: She wanted to start singing, I guess, about
maybe 10 years ago. And I tried to encourage her to take
lessons because, obviously, she had some, you know, some big
shoes to step in. And my concern was that she would try to do
this with no training whatsoever.
She eventually started taking voice lessons. But I don't even
know she needs them.
KING: Were you surprised
when you heard the finished product here?
PRESLEY: Well, no, not really. I think she's very
talented. I'm probably her biggest fan. I think, you know, she
dances, she sings.
KING: She got that from
her father.
PRESLEY: Absolutely.
PRESLEY: You didn't sing, did you?
PRESLEY: No. No. Well didn't you hear me in "Naked
Gun"?
KING: She has an earthy
kind of tone, right?
PRESLEY: Yes. Yes.
KING: Very -- Memphis
touch in it?
PRESLEY: Little bit, yes. A little bit. I mean, I really
feel she has her own style. I don't think she's going for any
one style or trying to be a, you know, have a -- I think she's
-- she can really sing anything but she's really created her
own style.
KING: Just a few other
things about her. I know you don't want to get involved. But
how did you handle when she got all that attention being
married to Michael Jackson? How did you, as the mother, handle
that?
PRESLEY: Concern. Concern. I think -- I think any
mother would be concerned.
You know, you know, obviously, if my daughter's happy, you
know, then I don't have any problem. But she's very
strong-willed.
KING: Wonder where she got
that from?
PRESLEY: I don't know.
KING: Was she happy for a
time?
PRESLEY: I think so. I think so.
KING: Do you stay close to
-- I mean, do you stay on top of things?
PRESLEY: As much as I can.
KING: I mean, she's -- how
old is she now?
PRESLEY: 35.
KING: You have a
35-year-old...
PRESLEY: I do. It's hard for me to even believe that
time's gone by so fast.
KING: You think you'd buy
anything from psychologists that one of the attractions to
someone like Jackson is that Jackson had been somewhat of a
Presley. I mean, a pinnacle of attention and focus.
PRESLEY: Right.
You know, I really don't know. I try not to analyze it. You
know, it was what it was, you know? And Lisa makes her own
decisions. You know, as a mother, I can throw a few things out
there. But she ultimately will make her own decision.
KING: How is she now?
PRESLEY: She's great. She's doing well.
KING: Got over the Cage
thing OK? They're still friends, right?
PRESLEY: They're friends. Yes.
KING: Everybody's friends
in the Presley set. She's probably still friends with Michael.
PRESLEY: Probably. Probably.
KING: Everybody's
friendly.
PRESLEY: Yes.
KING: Do you think..
PRESLEY: Why not? Isn't that great, though? I mean,
when you stop and think about it, why shouldn't it be that
way?
Unfortunately, I feel, if there are children, you know, I feel
they're the ones who suffer and it's important that you are
friends. It's not that, you know, when a relationship doesn't
work and there are issues, you have to somehow work it out if
there are children involved.
KING: What did you learn
from all of this? Your own maturation?
PRESLEY: My gosh, Larry, I've learned a lot.
KING: Boy.
PRESLEY: I have learned a lot. I, you know, I guess..
KING: You have lead a
singularly interesting life.
PRESLEY: Well, probably so. I've learned a lot from it.
I, you know, guess you kind of learn when to keep your mouth
shut. You kind of learn whose issues are there? They yours?
Whose considerations are they? Are they yours? Are they
somebody else's? I mean, there's a lot that goes into
relationships.
KING: But yours was so not
normal.
PRESLEY: Right.
KING: I mean, so, for
someone to equate with your relationship would be very hard.
PRESLEY: It would be. That's why I don't talk about it
very much. There are very few people.
In fact, maybe now more than ever, my daughter. Because she's
been through it. You know, she's...
KING: Understands?
PRESLEY: Whereas before maybe not. Maybe before, you
know, she married Michael she wondered, you know, what
happened between her father and I? You know, she never really
felt the divorce. We were still loving even after the divorce
because we liked each other.
KING: She only saw you two
loving, right?
PRESLEY: Right. So maybe now, more than ever, if there
was to be anyone that understood my situation, it would be my
daughter.
KING: Does your son get
along with her?
PRESLEY: Yes, he does.
KING: They are. They're
half --
PRESLEY: Yes. He adores her and she adores him.
KING: We'll be back with
more of Priscilla Presley. Don't go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELVIS: (SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: We're back with
Priscilla Presley. Want to touch a lot of bases. Want to talk
about the Dream Foundation, talk about her career, and
remaking this movie, which I'm going to get to in a while. But
there are a couple of other things. Do you feel like a
grandmother?
PRESLEY: No, I don't. Not in any sense...
KING: You've got to be,
what...
PRESLEY: Don't even go there.
KING: You have a
35-year-old daughter. I mean, you can figure your age out.
PRESLEY: Don't say it!
KING: I think you should
be complimented.
PRESLEY: Oh, my gosh.
KING: For example, if
you're like, let's say, you're 57. You should say, I'm 57, and
people would faint. You look 40. You look 38.
PRESLEY: Thanks, thank you. I may come back more.
KING: Do you feel like a
grandmother?
PRESLEY: I don't feel like a grandmother. I don't.
KING: Are you a doting
good grandmother?
PRESLEY: I think so. I don't see my grandchildren
enough. But they're very busy and you always want to see more.
KING: How old are they?
PRESLEY: Danielle is 13 and beautiful. Absolutely
beautiful.
KING: Another problem
coming.
PRESLEY: Well, yes, I think so. I'm so glad, too. My
daughter's now seeing it first-hand. And my grandson is 10.
Benjamin, and he's great.
KING: When Elvis would
perform and you would go to the performances, in Las Vegas,
what was that like to see? I mean, he's your husband, that
utter adoration.
PRESLEY: What was it like?
KING: Yes, for you.
PRESLEY: I had so many mixed emotions at the time
because, I mean, you know, obviously -- well, you know, I knew
what it took for him to get -- to get where it, you know, for
the shows, what he had to go through, you know. I'm looking at
his suit. I'm looking at, you know, is he going to be happy
with it? I'm also looking at the girls around, who's sitting
in the front.
KING: Whose throwing
themselves at him.
PRESLEY: Who's throwing themselves at him. Who's around
after the show. Who's he friendly with? I'm looking at it from
a wife's point of view. I'm looking at it -- I'm not looking
at it to enjoy the show.
KING: That's what I mean.
Did you enjoy the show?
PRESLEY: No, I never enjoyed the show. I was, you had
to remember, he was at it with a bunch of guys at the same
time so they were all looking in the audience. And there was
certainly a lot of fans out there.
KING: That's another thing
about Elvis. He was a guy's guy.
PRESLEY: He was a guy's guy.
KING: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
women and everything. But he liked hanging around with the
guys.
PRESLEY: Yes, he did. And that was difficult for a
woman, especially a wife. You know, they were still trying to
live a single life. And Elvis was trying to, you know, have a
family life. He wanted the best of both worlds.
KING: Can't have that.
PRESLEY: Not when you're married.
KING: True that he didn't
sleep until very late?
PRESLEY: Had a very hard time sleeping.
KING: What brooded him?
What -- what got him to drugs and depression and -- of course,
he had all that, right? He had to fall into that.
PRESLEY: He actually...
KING: You wonder when you
see someone that successful.
PRESLEY: Yes, that was an addiction that started in the
Army.
KING: In the Army?
PRESLEY: In the Army, yes.
KING: In Germany.
PRESLEY: In Germany.
KING: So you knew of it
then?
PRESLEY: I did. I did, but it wasn't -- it wasn't
anything, anything like later in life. I mean, he convinced
himself he had to have Dexedrine to stay awake. So...
KING: You mean did he take
something to go to sleep?
PRESLEY: And he took something to go to sleep. That was
part of his life.
KING: Was he a drinker?
PRESLEY: No.
KING: Wasn't into alcohol?
PRESLEY: No.
KING: What bothered him?
What did he -- what troubled him?
PRESLEY: What troubled him? You know, I think Elvis
lost sight of his purpose in life, believe it or not, believe
it or not. He never really understood why all the adoration.
He never really understood where, I think, he wanted to go. I
know he wanted to be a great actor, but he honestly couldn't
understand where it was all going. And he had to keep
motivated and it was, you know, keeping him motivated, keeping
him focused was very difficult.
KING: How about the
weight?
PRESLEY: That was a problem. That was a problem,
obviously.
KING: He liked to eat?
PRESLEY: He loved to eat. He just, you know, he had a
-- that was probably one of our problems is that I don't have
an addictive personality and living with someone who has an
addictive personality was very, very difficult and very hard
to watch. So it was a big issue.
KING: You had to confront
it and, eventually, it didn't work for you.
PRESLEY: No, especially when you have children.
KING: How did it affect
Lisa having a father -- I mean, the father and mother were so
different. You were two different people.
PRESLEY: Right. Who, Lisa and I? Lisa and I are
different people and Elvis and I were different, very
different, yes.
KING: The effect of him on
her.
PRESLEY: The effect of him on her with drugs, you mean?
KING: Yes.
PRESLEY: I think she was aware of it. I think she was
-- even at 9 years old, I think she knew something wasn't
right with him. I think she could perceive that.
KING: What did you do with
your own life? Now, you're divorced. You got a daughter. The
daughter goes back and forth. You still love your ex-husband,
but that's over. How did it all start for you, acting and
everything? What did you decide to do?
PRESLEY: I actually was partners in a dress shop, a
boutique in Beverly Hills. I design my own clothes.
KING: Still do?
PRESLEY: I still do in some ways but not...
KING: So you opened a
dress shop?
PRESLEY: I opened a dress shop, yes. The girl who I was
partners with, we would design my clothes for all the openings
and closings of the shows in Vegas so I went into partnership
with her.
KING: What was it called?
PRESLEY: Biss and Bow (ph).
KING: Did it do well?
PRESLEY: It did very well. It did well for its time.
It's nothing like having a PR person like you do today. We did
it all ourselves. It was a great time.
KING: Were you there every
day?
PRESLEY: I was there every day until then we had people
coming in just to see me in the shop and that was difficult.
KING: Priscilla Presley is
the guest, more after this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESLEY: Hello, Mr. Drebin.
LESLIE NIELSEN, ACTOR: Hello.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: We're back with
Priscilla Presley. How did the acting start?
PRESLEY: The acting started, I was signed by William
Morris and I started my first job was with Tony Orlando as a
guest shot. I was his -- played his girlfriend in one of the
-- one of...
KING: "Love
Boat"?
PRESLEY: No, he did a special. I was scared to death.
He asked me if I could sing. I said, no, I think he actually
tried to sing with me. He knew I couldn't sing, so he changed
the whole thing. Then I started taking acting classes. And
then one thing led to another.
KING: What was your first
movie?
PRESLEY: With Michael Landon. It was called "Love
Was Forever."
KING: Did Elvis get to see
any of this?
PRESLEY: No, he did not. It was after his death.
KING: What was your first
date like after Elvis? I'm trying to picture this poor guy.
PRESLEY: Well, what was my first date like? I don't
know. I think it was very -- he was very intimidated. Very
intimidated. Again, big shoes to fill. It was a very -- it was
a very -- I think at first, you really like someone, but you
don't really realize the bigness of it until you get into it.
And it is very big and I think most men are very intimidated
by it.
KING: Your name is
intimidating. You are -- you're beautiful, but your name is
intimidating.
PRESLEY: I think, and I think the situation, the people
involved.
KING: That's why I ask.
PRESLEY: Yes, it's very intimidating.
KING: How did the
"Naked Gun" thing come about?
PRESLEY: I was actually working on "Dallas"
at the time and...
KING: You were a regular
on "Dallas."
PRESLEY: I was a regular on "Dallas" for five
years. And I went on audition for it and got the part right
away. And I thought, my gosh, a comedy. I kind of jumped into
this.
And after I -- the first day I got on the set, I went, oh, my
God, I went to the director and I said, I don't know if I can
do comedy. I don't know why I'm even here. He said, we don't
want you to play comedy. We want you to be yourself and play
it straight. It will work, trust me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESLEY: Oh you...
NIELSEN: Well, I see a certain kitten still knows how to
scratch.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PRESLEY: So I think it was the best advice I ever got.
KING: Did you realize it
would be the hit it was?
PRESLEY: I never. I never realized.
KING: I still watch it and
crack up.
PRESLEY: Yes, I know. And it's great because it's great
for even younger generation. I mean, my grandchildren will
love it and laugh and think it's great and it's hard to
believe, you know, they think it's -- it's me, you know.
KING: What was it like to
work with O.J.?
PRESLEY: It was interesting working with O.J. O.J. was
very different.
KING: In what way?
PRESLEY: Mood, mood swings.
KING: He did have them.
PRESLEY: Oh, yes.
KING: A lot of people, if
you knew him -- I've interviewed him and spent some time with
him, he was always upbeat.
PRESLEY: Always up. But then again, you have your
social personality, you have your chronic personality and your
social personality and we all have it.
KING: He would show it on
sets?
PRESLEY: A little bit. But more, I think more, because
I knew the crowd of people that he worked with and I knew
about Nicole. I new the arguments. So it was -- it was a
shock, though.
KING: Where were you the
night of the car chase?
PRESLEY: I was in Lake Arrowhead at the time.
KING: Watching?
PRESLEY: Watching.
KING: What were you
thinking? You know this guy. You worked with this guy.
PRESLEY: It was absolutely hard to believe. It was --
it was like -- no, he's -- I mean, he's probably nervous. He's
probably upset. He's probably -- you think of every
justification to not believe that this is actually happening.
KING: Did you like acting?
PRESLEY: I do like acting, if it's the right part, I
like it.
KING: Are you very
selective?
PRESLEY: I'm very selective.
KING: Do you see a lot of
scripts?
PRESLEY: I see some scripts, yes. Because I'm
selective, I probably put myself out of the markets, but, you
know, it just happens to be that way.
KING: Do you do any
lecture tours? Do you go around and speak?
PRESLEY: I am. I'm just starting lecture tours.
KING: You are.
PRESLEY: Yes.
KING: That's great. You're
going to talk about Elvis and life?
PRESLEY: I'll talk about life, yes, yes, I will. My
first date, I believe, is in New York this month.
KING: That should do very
well for you.
PRESLEY: I think so. I'm going to give it a try. I know
I'm in great company. Many people do it. Mary Hart, Quincy
Jones, Kelly Ripa, Patty Duke. So I think I have a lot to say.
I think it will be good for me, good therapy.
KING: You still need
therapy?
PRESLEY: No, I never had therapy.
KING: Not you. It will
be...
PRESLEY: I think of it as good therapy to just, you
know, there's a lot of shyness about me. I think that I'll,
you know, probably help me a little bit.
KING: You never -- it must
be tough to always be a Presley. I'm trying to imagine. That
must be hard.
PRESLEY: It is hard. It is -- it's a big name to carry.
KING: You meet people for
the first time, first thing they think of is your late -- and
late and ex and dead husband.
PRESLEY: Right, as it's hard to get through that. It's
true.
KING: But there's nothing
you can do about it.
PRESLEY: Obviously not. I mean, I think once -- once
someone gets to know me or even my daughter, you know, I think
then they see the person there, that it's not just about the
name. And, you know, it takes a while, but I think we go into
that knowing that now.
KING: We'll be back with
our remaining moments. Priscilla is a member of the board of
MGM, there's no fooling around with her. She is going to
produce and bring back a famous movie, "The Party,"
and we're going to talk about the Dream Foundation right after
this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIELSEN: Ah!
PRESLEY: Frank, Frank, are you all right?
NIELSEN: I'm soaking wet.
PRESLEY: I'll get the talcum powder. NIELSEN: No, it's not
that. I had a nightmare, there was crime all around me, I
couldn't stop it.
PRESLEY: Frank, it was just a dream.
NIELSEN: You're right. All I need is a good night's rest, in
the morning, everything will be just fine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're back with our
remaining moments with Priscilla Presley.
First, let's touch some other things. There's a recent front
page story in "Daily Variety" that MGM and
Dreamworks are joining forces to remake "The Party."
PRESLEY: Yes.
KING: True?
PRESLEY: Very true.
KING: You're going to
co-produce it?
PRESLEY: I am, with Darren Starr.
KING: This was a Blake
Edwards movie.
PRESLEY: Yes.
Did you ever see that movie? Wasn't it fun?
KING: Fun!
PRESLEY: I love the concept. I think, you know, party
in Hollywood. And that was really intriguing. I saw the movie
about five times. Obviously, it's a little outdated but we'll
fix that.
KING: Sure. Who's going to
direct it?
PRESLEY: Jay Roach.
KING: He's terrific.
PRESLEY: He's great.
KING: Did a lot of
television, too.
PRESLEY: Yes.
KING: Are you going to
bring new stars -- I mean, anyone on board yet?
PRESLEY: No, not yet. We've just actually signed Jim
Harstfield to write. He did "Meet the Parents,
"Schreck," So we've got a great team.
KING: Not bad. Then
there's another story about the possibility of a play about
your life. What is that...
PRESLEY: This is actually -- it's a Broadway play, a
musical, actually. A little bit...
KING: About you and Elvis?
PRESLEY: Yes -- well, no, it's really my story. It's my
story. We all pretty much no Elvis' story, but it will be from
my perspective, which has never really been told.
KING: A play.
PRESLEY: A play.
KING: But someone will
have to play Elvis in it, right?
PRESLEY: Oh, yes. Sure. So...
KING: Someone's going to
play you.
PRESLEY: Yes.
KING: Is that going to be
a hoot, picking someone to play you?
PRESLEY: I think there's enough talent out there,
though. There's a lot of people.
KING: But that's going to
happen?
PRESLEY: Yes. Yes. We're just right in the middle of
signing the writers.
KING: What's the Dream
Foundation?
PRESLEY: The Dream Foundation is equivalent to the
Make-A-Wish foundation for children, only this is for
terminally ill adults.
KING: And what do you do?
PRESLEY: Grant wishes. Grant wishes for...
KING: How did you start
something like that?
PRESLEY: Well, I'd heard about this foundation,
actually, about four years ago.
KING: It was in existence
before you?
PRESLEY: Yes. And we granted a wish to go to Graceland.
And I was intrigued by it because I received a letter about
what a great time they had.
And since then, this person has passed, but I became intrigued
and I called the founder, Tom Rollerson, and I asked him about
it. And we met and we've been together ever since. I'm the
ambassador to the foundation.
KING: So these are people
who are told, probably of cancer, that they're going to die.
PRESLEY: Yes.
KING: If they're in a hospice, they wouldn't be
ambulatory, I guess.
PRESLEY: No, but -- no, I mean, we have too -- I mean,
we grant wishes -- I mean, it would be -- it could be
basically it's children. Children asking and writing letters
if we could grant their wish, you know, to see their parents
smile or be happy, you know, with them as a family again.
You know, we grant them -- I mean, simplistic ones such as
even going to the ocean to walk on the ocean, they've never
been in the ocean before -- I mean, or to Disneyland or to
Graceland or, you know, to...
KING: And if want more
information on that it's www.dreamfoundation.org.
www.dreamfoundation.org. They help terminally ill people, give
them a wish.
PRESLEY: Yes. Their last wish.
KING: Do you get to go see
these people?
PRESLEY: I can, yes, I do. In fact, I'm having lunch
with a gentleman tomorrow and...
KING: That's dying.
PRESLEY: Yes.
KING: Was his wish to have
lunch with you?
PRESLEY: Yes. So it's a great foundation. It's
wonderful. It's -- it gives me a lot of gratification.
KING: Do you get to
Graceland much?
PRESLEY: I do. I go to Graceland about three times a
year.
KING: For?
PRESLEY: Different things. Events. Business.
KING: Can you rent out
Graceland?
PRESLEY: Rent out Graceland? To what? To do what?
KING: Like events? Can you
-- someone...
PRESLEY: Yes, there are some -- there's -- we have
facilities for that. Not Graceland as a whole to go in and,
you know, just go in the house...
KING: Is it tough for you
to go there?
PRESLEY: It is. It is tough. When we go in the house,
and there's a lot of memories there. A lot. A lot of things
happened in that house.
KING: Boy, I'll bet.
People still come there a lot?
PRESLEY: Oh, my gosh.
KING: Outside tourists.
PRESLEY: Absolutely.
KING: The grave site is
widely visited.
PRESLEY: About 450,000 a year. That's a lot of people.
KING: And your boyfriend,
your significant other.
PRESLEY: Marco.
KING: Marco. What's his
name? Marco...
PRESLEY: Marco Garibaldi.
KING: Keep acting like...
PRESLEY: And I hate "significant other." I
mean, it's...
KING: What is he then?
PRESLEY: Well, you know, what is he then? He's just --
he's the father -- pardon me?
KING: He's your guy. He's
the father of your son.
PRESLEY: That's right.
KING: How does he handle
all this?
PRESLEY: Very well. Very well. He doesn't -- you know,
he lets me do what I need to do. You know, basically, in
anything. But he's very supportive, 100 percent. And I think
in a relationship, one needs that, you know.
KING: How about Elvis'
music? You hear it everywhere, right?
PRESLEY: I do. I'll go into a store and it happens
every time, I'll go into a store, a song will come on. And
it's interesting because I -- people will then recognize me
and then, it's funny how people react.
They'll either turn away or they'll go to someone else or
they'll point or they'll ask if they -- if I want them to turn
the music off or, you know, or am I OK? I mean, it's
interesting.
KING: You say he had a
great sense of humor.
PRESLEY: Great sense of humor.
KING: Would he have been a
good guest on this show?
PRESLEY: Oh, I think so. Absolutely. You wouldn't get
anything serious out of him.
KING: Nothing serious, but
he would have been funny.
PRESLEY: Oh, yes.
KING: But he also was
interested in causes. "In the Ghetto."
PRESLEY: Yes.
KING: From that album, he
gave money to the NAACP.
PRESLEY: That was a big step for him in those days to
take that song.
KING: Colonel Parker
didn't want him to do that song.
PRESLEY: That's right. That's right. You know, and he
never really took a stand on anything and that was a big step
for him.
KING: Again,
www.dreamfoundation.org for any information about -- that's a
great charity. Priscilla Presley is the guest. More after
this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're back with the
lovely Priscilla Presley, very talented Priscilla Presley.
Good luck with the lecture tour. What are they calling it?
PRESLEY: Thank you.
KING: "Meet
Priscilla."
PRESLEY: I guess. "Meet Priscilla." I'll know
when I get there.
KING: Thank you so much.
PRESLEY: Thank you.
KING: Great seeing you.
PRESLEY: Thank you. KING: Priscilla
Presley.
Thanks for joining us on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE.
Aaron Brown and "NEWSNIGHT" is next.
Good night.