Elvis Presley Original Hilton Soap Bar Still Wrapped from Lisa Marie Jet 1976

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Check out my other items ! ErnieMartin, a family friend told me when Elvis was to arrive at the Long Beach International Airport on April 24 th after his concert in San Diego , CA . My then girlfriend, Cindy and I waited for Elvis’ arrival and then proceeded to follow the 3 limos with police escort to the Long Beach Hilton were the entire staff stayed. We attended both shows the next day, one at 2:30PM and the other at 8:30 that evening taking photos at both concerts. On the morning of April 26, Ernie informed me of Elvis’ departure time and we were again at the airport with my Canon camera and my 230 mm Solinger lenses that was a foot long and quite heavy. Elvis arrived in his limo and was seated in the back seat. The gate was locked and the limo just stayed parked until a security guard came over to unlock it. As I ran toward the limo, Elvis was directly in front of me holding the hand strap and a white plastic cup in his left hand. Only problem I was too close to take any photos with the foot long lenses. Just prior to his arrival I decided to exchange the lenses from a manageable 35mm to this more bulky lenses, oh well, but my luck was about to change. With the gate finally unlocked the limo proceeded to the ramp leading to the front of the “Lisa Marie”. As Elvis departed I began to This photo was the best I took that afternoon, Elvis making his way to the top of the ramp and waving to the small crowd assembled on a windy and bright day. Of course, I though he was waving just to me, the power and magic of Elvis. Now you must be wondering how did I get to visit the “Lisa Marie”? Remember Ernie Martin, he owned a company, West Coast Instruments in Long Beach, CA and in turn was a friend of Mr. Ron Strauss. Mr. Strauss was the co-pilot of the “Lisa Marie”. So now you see the connection. They needed an altimeter for the “Lisa Marie” and the plan was for Ernie to send it over to him while Elvis was on a short vacation at his home in Palm Springs , CA . He asked my father if I would like to deliver the equipment and maybe get to tour the plane. Palm Springs is a short 2 hour drive so I invited Cindy, her 2 sisters and mother (all visiting from Virginia for the summer ) to deliver the equipment at the then Rivera Hotel just a short drive from Elvis’ Chino Drive home and minutes from the Palm Springs International Airport. I also brought 4 photos I took of Elvis in concert at the Long Beach Arena. A crew member signed the invoice for the altimeter and after soft drinks in the lounge Mr. Strauss asked if we would like to tour the “Lisa Marie”? We were off to the airport. On our tour I noticed a stack of stationery and asked Mr. Strauss if I could have a few sheets to add to my collection and he responded, “Go right ahead.” So I helped myself to a handful. As you can see by the photos we had free run of the jet. To sit in Elvis’ green leather chair at the head of the conference table and to hold his colt 45, which I assumed was loaded (it was in the deep recess of the compartment where the phone was located). Thumbing through the various magazines on his desk knowing he was just there, do I need to explain the excitement! I then noticed a bag with items in them and ask Mr. Strauss what was in the bag and he said trash, Cindy heard this and you will see how that played a part in these events. As we ran through the plane looking in Elvis’ closet with clothing hung waiting to be worn, the bars of soap, Brut traveling kit in his small bathroom and the bed with the cover undone made the tour just that more personal. The teddy bear next to Elvis’ chair was given to him by a small child on the just concluded tour and was told by The Boss (as they referred to Elvis) not to be moved. So the teddy bear was buckled in his chair and had a seat right next to The Boss. I ask Mr. Strauss on a phone call I had with him in 1977 about the teddy bear and he said it was still buckled safely in his seat and named by Elvis as “Sitting Bear”. Mr. Strauss relayed the story how Elvis came up the cockpit on a recent flig... read more

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