By Lynn Arave
Deseret Morning News
Has Elvis been sighted in Utah County? And did that Book of Mormon
archived on the second floor of the LDS Church Office Building once belong
to the king of rock 'n' roll?
A Book of Mormon - possibly Elvis Presley's personal copy, reputed to
have been in his room when he died - is indeed in the archives of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
And a new Elvis movie is being filmed in Utah, inspired by that archived
Book of Mormon and the story behind it.
"Tears of a King" is being directed by filmmaker Rob Diamond, who also
wrote the screenplay. The movie is set for release next year to coincide
with the 30th anniversary of Presley's death on Aug. 16, 1977.
The movie is being produced by 7 Films 7 of Salt Lake City in
association with Matthew Reese Films of Orem.
The producers of the film are
Diamond, Joshua Pearson and Kels Goodman. Reese is the executive producer.
The background story goes like this:
The Book of Mormon was given to the LDS Church by members of the Osmond
family, who received it from a woman named Cricket Butler, according to
Diamond.
Butler, a friend of Elvis, gave the Book of Mormon to him in the
months preceding his death. The book was subsequently returned to Butler by
Elvis' father, Vernon, two days after Elvis' death.
"She sat in on the missionary discussions at Graceland and knows the
date Elvis was to be baptized, which never came to pass due to Elvis'
death," Diamond said.
That baptism date will be revealed in a separate documentary being
produced by 7 Films 7, to be released at the same time as the feature film.
It will also feature interviews with Alan Osmond and other friends, fans and missionaries sharing their experiences with Elvis.
Elvis is being portrayed in the new theatrical movie by actor Matt
Lewis, who bears a strong physical resemblance to him.
Lewis even sings several songs in the film, and visitors to the movie
set have found it hard to distinguish Lewis' singing voice from actual
Elvis recordings, according to Robert Starling, associate producer of the
movie.
The first few days of shooting were completed in a replica of Presley's
bedroom that was created from floor plans and photos of the original at
Graceland, which has been sealed since Elvis' death.
"The entire film has been meticulously researched and is authentic down
to minute details such as items found on tabletops and shelves in the
room," Starling said.
Misunderstood man
"It is well known that Elvis Presley was a devout Christian who had
deep religious convictions despite his personal weaknesses and struggles
with a Hollywood lifestyle that was thrust upon him at an early age,"
Starling said. "What is lesser known is that he eportedly met on several
occasions with missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints and that he studied carefully the Book of Mormon."
Much of his life and career will be retold in flashback sequences in the
movie. "I spent many months pouring my soul into the screenplay," Diamond told
the Deseret Morning News. "The Book of Mormon changed my life as a young
man, and I believe this movie will help people understand that it did the
same for Elvis in the latter days of his life."
However, Diamond stressed, "this movie is not about preaching to people.
It's a universal story about a wonderful man who was very misunderstood."
Diamond said the movie explores many areas of Elvis' life and will be
entertaining and enlightening for all, regardless of religion.
"The Book of Mormon provides the pearls of wisdom and hope that hold the
film together," he said. "Beyond the book, there are many other aspects of
Elvis' life that we explore in the story. There are some beautiful musical
performances as well, but the film focuses on Elvis' spiritual journey
first, personal relationships second and music third.
"The 'chain of evidence' is pretty well documented to show that the book
was indeed owned by Elvis," Diamond said.
According to Starling, LDS Church archives officials did not allow the
film crew to take the book from its facility, but they were allowed to
bring their cameras there and film in a room set aside for them.
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We shot inserts of Matt Lewis in costume reading the book. These shots
will be inserted into scenes we shot in the studio in Orem," Starling said.
He also stressed the research done for the film. The movie crew
videotaped an interview with Bobby Kauo, who gave the LDS missionary
discussions to Elvis when Presley was in Hawaii to film "Paradise Hawaiian
Style."
Genuine or fake?
Ken Sanders, who owns Ken Sanders Rare Books in Salt Lake City, said
the Elvis book could easily be worth $5,000 to $10,000, if it is indeed
authentic. That's pretty good for a soft-cover Book of Mormon of that
period, generally worth $5 to $6.
He said $100,000 is the most any early Book of Mormon has been worth to
date. However, Sanders said he remains skeptical the book was truly Elvis'."All my initial instincts are it's a forgery," he said, after examining
four pictures showing pages from the book.
Sanders' philosophy is a book is a fake until proven genuine. He also
believes more handwriting samples would have to be available from the book
to test it thoroughly enough.
He said a woman came into his store just last week with two copies of
the Book of Mormon reputed to have been owned by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Diamond believes the Elvis Book of Mormon to be genuine. He said Alan
Osmond has a certificate of authenticity for it. However, Diamond is
working with a handwriting expert in hopes of bolstering its authenticity.
Grant A. Anderson, church history specialist in the LDS Archives,
confirmed the archives do have a book reputed to be Elvis Presley's, a 1976
edition common in its day.
"All we know is what has been told to us," Anderson said. He stressed
that the book's history of transfer looks consistent and logical, but the
church has conducted no handwriting tests on it.
Anderson said the church has copies of early Book of Mormon editions,
but it is not common to have celebrity-owned copies like this.
Alan Osmond told the Morning News in an e-mail that he did receive the
Elvis Book of Mormon from Cricket Butler. "I interviewed her on cassette tape, had her sign a letter of
authenticity and saw pictures of her with Elvis. She said Elvis had talked
about the Osmonds and would have wanted us to have it. We had a private
barbecue scheduled by Elvis at his house a couple of weeks after he died.
We also knew him, met him, conversed with him and have had personal
conversations with him."
Regarding the Book of Mormon's transfer to the church, Osmond said: "I
did give the book to the LDS Church via my wife's cousin, Elder Rex Pinegar
(now an emeritus member of the Seventy). This was for safety's sake, to
protect Elvis' privacy, and to preserve the sacredness of this book!
Several people that knew I had it were too anxious to see it and touch it.
So I put it in a very safe place - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints (archives)."
Former Salt Lake City police forensics expert George Throckmorton said
he hasn't seen the book but understands there may actually be two separate"Elvis Books of Mormon" out there.
Diamond said Elvis apparently received another copy from the late Ed
Parker, who was his karate instructor and bodyguard. |