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How Wanda Met Elvis...

Wanda June Hill was in her twenties in 1963. She and her husband and small daughter had just moved to Southern California and Wanda was feeling very depressed and lost. Not only was she far from “home”, but painful childhood traumas were surfacing for her. In 1963 this young woman felt as if there was no reason to go on living, except for her responsibilities to her husband and daughter. Then she went to the Laundry Mat and her life forever changed for the better...

On that day in the Laundry Mat she met another young woman with a small daughter. While their children played amidst the washers and dryers, the two women talked. The other woman, Diane, mentioned to Wanda that she worked as a extra in motion pictures and was currently in the Elvis Presley film, Kissin’ Cousins then in production. Wanda was mildly interested since her husband, Jimmy was an Elvis fan. She herself was not. As a child raised in a Fundamentalist environment she had be told that Elvis Presley and Rock ‘n’ Roll were manifestations of the Devil and to be avoided at all costs. Wanda wasn’t one to believe such things, but it had caused her to look elsewhere for her role models as a teen and young adult. Honestly, she really didn’t believe Diane when this new acquaintance declared that Elvis would be calling her at home that very night. Seeing Wanda’s skepticism, Diane invited her to witness the event and maybe even to get talk to him for a minute herself. Wanda almost said “no”, but then she remembered how thrilled her husband would be if she could tell him she had spoken with Elvis...and well, she was a bit intrigued by the possibility that Diane was telling the truth.

Wanda went that night to Diane’s house. Elvis DID call, and Wanda was able to talk with him. However, the “minute” went on for some time, as when Elvis found out that Wanda had only seen one of his movies and walked out in the middle of it (Flaming Star), he seemed delighted to talk with someone who wasn’t interested in “Elvis Presley” and was responding to him in a normal, conversational manner. Elvis asked Wanda a lot of personal questions. When he asked her what she wanted to be doing with her life, she said that she would like to work behind the scenes in the motion picture business. It was then that Elvis invited her to come with Diane to visit him on the set of Kissin’ Cousins.

Her visit with Elvis is covered in her book, We Remember, Elvis. At that time, he gave her his personal phone number and told her to call him “in the morning.” Coming home with the phone number in hand she did not expect to ever see or hear from Elvis again. She couldn’t imagine that the number he gave her would actually ring him in his bedroom as he had stated. However, the next morning she called the number....and Elvis answered. The rest as they say, “is history."

[ Up ] [ How Wanda Met Elvis ] [ Why Me? ] [ The Elvis in My Life ] [ The Last Goodbye ] [ Poem - 1977 ] [ Birthday Letter ] [ Elvis Letter - 1977 ] [ JoAnna's Story ]