The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 100

HUB ill IlIH LAS VEGAS (UPI) Elvis the Pelvis that "flash-ln-the-pan" everybody said wouldn't last one year remember him? rolled over the glittering, demanding "Strip" last week breaking everybody's attendance records during the first seven days of a month-long engagement at Howard Hughes' International Hotel. On slow days, like Monday, over 125 people lined up at the reservation counter early in the morning. Saturday brought 500 people out by 10 a.m. in hopes of getting a seat over the busy weekend. Many were turned away.

Officials at the International Hotel said weekends were sold out and that bookings during the week were "tight" for Presley's first appearances before a live audience in eight years. Some Presley fans came all the way from Europe to see the show. The hotel received a letter from a woman in France with a 100 franc note enclosed a deposit for 10 shows. The woman wanted reservations for both the dinner and late-night shows for five straight days. "So far we have yet to have an empty seat in the house.

He is the hottest thing that has hit Las Vegas," said Bruce Banke, an executive of the hotel. Temperatures Soared Temperatures outside the International Hotel neared 110 degrees the night Presley opened. Inside the 2,000 seat showroom after viewing an hour of Presley's gyrations blood sures were on the rise. "Oh it's Elvis," wailed a woman in her 50s as if she were surprised to see the star after fighting long lines for hours to get a seat. Presley received a long standing ovation.

It was one of the rare occasions when a Las Vegas standing salute was sincere rather than rigged with a few cronies of an entertainer planted down front to stamp and scream approval. It was his first stage appear- 'i si ELVIS A rare occasion jor PRESLEY Las Vegas audience ance in eight years and his only return engagement to Las Vegas in 13 years. Lost Nothing Presley in the flesh had lost nothing. It was still all there. Gyrating legs wide stance a bobbing head with tossed black hair rotating guitar knee bends and the with performers such as Carol Channing and businessmen the Howard Hughes organization.

A plane load of admirers flew in from Atlanta, and members of the news media converged here from the Eait Coast and Europe. Since shows are booked solid for Presley, a good guess would be that most of the enthusiasts were over 30 who remembered when Presley launched his career in the mid 50s with his then shocking rock roll movements. Las Vega he wants to appear somewhere else. He said there was no inspiration in singing before movie cameras and said he returned to the stage because he missed live audiences. Presley arrived in Las Vegas a week before the July 31 opening and practiced daily.

He still was rehearsing at 5 p.m. on opening night two hours before the Invited guests began arriving. Actor George Hamilton wai among the first nighteis along A New Theater in Town? pounding rhythm of such tunes as "Blue Suede Shoes" "Hound Dog" "Jailhouse Rock" "Heart Break Hotel" and one of his newest recording "In the Ghetto." He wa3 contracted to appear here for an undisclosed salary. "We are very happy with the deal," said Col. Tom Parker, the distinguished Presley manager with the honorary southern title.

He blithely side-stepped the question of how much the performance was costing the International Hotel. Reportedly, Presley is being paid as much as Barbra Streisand who opened the resort in early July for a reported $1 million during a three-year period. Parker Guided Parker has deftly guided Presley, the Tennessee country boy, to the top of the heap in money earnings. Presley has recorded almost 50 gold records, an unprecedented number, and has made millions in movies. Presley pays strict attention to business in his Las Vegas performance and races through a series of at least 15 selectionseach reaching a new peak.

Perhaps someone warned him about how Streisand chatted opening night and failed to impress the critics. She later changed the routine. "It Is the first time I've worked in front of people for years and It may he the last, I don't know," Presley tells his audience. Rut he later confided that after four weeks in Movies on TV 26-27 On the Record 4 Movie Guide 1 8-20 Tune In 13 DAILY TV LISTING: Sunday, Monday 10; Tuesday, 12; Wednesday, 16; Thursday, 17; Friday, 24; Saturday, 25 The Thursday opening of Martin's new Madison theater brings the number of Nashville movie houses to 22. Premiere attraction for the theater, a free standing building on the Madison Square Shopping Center, will be Jack Lemmon's latest film, "The April Fools." The first-run comedy-drama will open a day later at Martin's second-newest theater, the Capri in the Harding Mall Shopping Center.

Theater executives plan to utilize the Madison as a twin outlet for first-run product, synchronizing its bookings with those of first-run suburban houses across town (either the Capri or the Martin). Manager of the new Madison will be William Cortez Patterson, a veteran of 20 years of movie-exhibiting in Nashville. The theater will feature the latest in projection, sound and decor. Its Interior color scheme consists of light avocado, blue and gold. Architects for the building are Brookbank, Murphy and Shields of Columbus, Ga.

Construction was by T. E. Akers Company of Nashville, and seating was by Massey Seating Company of Nashville. "The April Fools" will play at the Madison through Sept. 4 and be followed by a popular-priced revival of "Camelot." I I 4-V.

3-3 Sunday Showcase, a Weekly Entertainment Guide to Music City, U.S.A., is produced and edited by the Sunday Department of THE NASHVILLE TENNESSEAN. Original material Copyright, 1969. THE NASHVILLE TENNESSEAN SILLIMAN EVANS, Publisher (1937-1955) SILLIMAN EVANS, Publisher (1955-1961) AMON C. EVANS, Publisher JOHN SEIGENTHALER, Editor EUGENE WYATT, Sunday Editor.