ELVIS, BETTY, AND ME

Rock 'N' Roll, whose name comes to your mind? For me, the name is Elvis Presley. We share the same birth month. While my birthday is the 4th of January, Elvis's birthday was the 8th of January 1935. Our birthdays are thirteen years apart. Obviously, he was thirteen years older than me.

Early in his career, Elvis appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. Because it was a family show, my parents tuned into the Sullivan Show every Sunday night.

Making his first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show on September 9, 1956, we watched the black and white screen as Elvis belted out Reddy Teddy, a Little Richard song, and two verses of Hound Dog. At eight years old, Hound Dog was my kind of music. Magically, hooked on Rock 'N' Roll! That happened after Elvis' first appearance.

Interestingly, Elvis made a total of three appearances on the Sullivan Show. Admittedly, the other two shows didn't make as big of an impression on me as his first appearance.

However, a few months earlier, Elvis appeared on the Steve Allen Show on the 1st of July 1956. Since we didn't watch the Steve Allen Show, it is entirely understandable that we missed seeing Elvis on that particular date.

Recording numerous albums in the 50s and 60s, Everyone has their favorite Elvis song from that time period. For me, while Blue Suede Shoes and Hound Dog are favorites, Elvis' 1961 song, Can't Help Falling In Love, has a magnetic and powerful pull on my heartstrings.

Surprisingly, four years after we left the island, Elvis performed in Hawaii. The 1973 live concert was broadcast live on TV. We watched! While watching the show, my thoughts were."If only he could have held the concert years earlier." It would have been amazing to have seen Elvis live. But, that wasn't to be.

Thankful for the live 1973 broadcast! Elvis' show, Aloha from Hawaii, was awesome. Notably, it was the first show that was transmitted via satellite around the globe.

On occasions, you can recall when and where you were when a news bulletin is broadcast. For example, the news spread fast through the NAF building while at work on Eielson Air Force Base. Shockingly, Elvis was gone. It was utterly unbelievable! On August 16, 1977, Elvis died.

Four years after his death, Elvis appeared once in my dreams. Unfortunately, the details of that dream are gone. It would have been delightful to know exactly what that dream meant.

Sadly, Elvis died the year The Mary Tyler Moore show ended. Betty's and Elvis' careers never crossed paths. Thinking, if only Elvis and Betty could have hosted SNL together, it would have been totally astonishing.

Speaking of SNL, Betty did host the show when she was 88 years young. Missing that particular SNL, there have been many snippets of Betty's appearance on the show that has been seen, and there is always YouTube.

In the 90s, while visiting my brother in Memphis, Tennessee, we had the opportunity to visit Graceland. Meeting my expectations, the tour of Graceland was everything that was imagined and more.

Betty White definitely loved her dogs. Telling People magazine in 1999, she had 26 dogs.

Besides being a dog lover, Betty was a Capricorn. Betty White was born on the 17th of January, 1922. She was born thirteen years before Elvis. Betty sang at her graduation which led her to a radio gig. Betty was on the radio before she was on television. In fact, she had two short-lived television programs. Then, in the 70s, she became a household name. Betty played the role of Sue Ann Nivens, who was the erratic man-eater and flighty homemaker, on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

From 1973 until 1977, Betty White was a cast member of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. In the beginning, we watched the show while living outside of Columbus AFB, Mississippi. By the end of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, we viewed the show and reruns while at Eielson AFB from 1976 to 1977.

By the time Betty White was cast as a member of the Golden Girls, we were residing in Del Rio, Texas. Viewing the first two years from Del Rio, Texas, the Golden Girls were a big hit at the time. The show ran from 1985 to 1992. Once in the DFW area, there were changes. However! During the remaining years of the Golden Girls, it was easier to see the reruns than the new broadcast of the show.

Naturally, the Golden Girls was always an enjoyable evening's entertainment. Recalling, Betty's character, Rose Nylund, seemed to shine in every episode as the good-hearted and benevolent naif from St. Olaf, Minnesota.

Seeing Betty on game shows or on the red carpet at Hollywood events wasn't unusual, she was a natural celebrity.

In addition, The Hot in Cleveland ran from 2010-2015. Regrettably, it wasn't a program that was watched. Recently, we saw a rerun of Hot in Cleveland from 2013. The episode was Love Is All Around with the former cast of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, playing new roles Betty White (Elka), Georgia Engle (Mamie), Mary Tyler Moore (Diane), Cloris Leachman (Peg), and Valerie Harper (Angie). Watching the former actresses working together for the last time, for me, the episode was bittersweet.

Exiting the national stage on the 31st of December 2021, Betty White left her fans shocked and sadden. The news of her death hit me. It was quite unbelievable. Her 100th birthday was only 17 days away. Despite her passing, a documentary on Betty White is to be shown at selected theatres. Showing on the 17th of January, a tribute show, "Betty White: A Celebration" was originally set to celebrate her 100th birthday.

Wish Betty could have made it after all!

While never meeting Elvis or Betty in person, our lives have crossed vicariously through radio and television. Indeed, we do have some things in common. We were all born in January. We are all Capricorns. We are all goal-oriented and ambitious. While writing has taken on a new purpose in my life, Elvis is known for his influence on Rock 'N' Roll. Betty is known for her comedic acting.

Happy Birthday, Elvis! Happy Birthday, Betty! Happy Birthday, Me!

Well! Here we are. At the end of my musings, "If you want to change the world pick up your pen and write," Martin Luther King, Jr. Happy Birthday, Martin! By the way, he was a Capricorn too!