1956 Elvis "Love Me Tender" Standee
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GUEST:
From what I understand, it's called a standee. I am an avid Elvis lover.
APPRAISER:
You have your T-shirt on, I can see that.
GUEST:
Yes, and believe it or not, just some awesome friends of mine were cleaning a home that they bought out to renovate. And lo and behold, in the attic was... Elvis. And the minute they found it, Jack said to his wife, "Well, Joan, we know right where this is going."
APPRAISER:
I'm sure you're very familiar with the, Elvis's career.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And this one's particularly important, because it's his first feature-length film. And at the time, the film was supposed to be called "The Reno Brothers," which were the title characters. But his hit single "Love Me Tender" had already sold a million copies, so the song was so popular at this point, they actually retitled the film. But because it was his first appearance, he actually got third billing in the film, which he-- that never happened again, obviously, because he was such a huge star. They were made to decorate the, the lobbies of the movie theaters when the, the films came to town, and they would be passed on oftentimes to the next theater. Well, as you can see, you do have a crease. That's pretty common. Most of these were just in pieces by the time a film's run would be finished. The crease across the center, that's how it was made. They're made to fold so they can be shipped. There were reports that you couldn't hear the film because the girls in the theater were screaming so loudly, because their, he was such a heartthrob. So I would imagine that many of these were also probably torn to shreds by fans coming out of the theater...
GUEST:
(laughs)
APPRAISER:
...who wanted a piece of Elvis to take home. You keep this by your bed.
GUEST:
Oh, yes.
APPRAISER:
And you wake up every morning and see Elvis.
GUEST:
Oh, yes.
APPRAISER:
There are only about two or three of these known to exist.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
So many were destroyed. So at auction, I would estimate it at least $10,000 to $15,000.
GUEST:
Oh, my God.
APPRAISER:
So are you gonna keep it by your bed still?
GUEST:
(laughs) Oh, absolutely. You're kidding!
APPRAISER:
No. I've never seen one before, I've only ever seen pictures. So...
GUEST:
You made my day.
APPRAISER:
I'm glad.
GUEST:
And of all people, with Elvis, thank you very... Thank you, thank you very much.
APPRAISER:
Thank you.
GUEST:
(voice trembling) Thank you very much.
APPRAISER:
You're welcome.
GUEST:
Oh, my God.
APPRAISER:
They're... Really, really, the only people who have them are probably the very highest-end Elvis collectors, so you're, you're in that, that group.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
(laughs) Yeah.
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