Elvis is in the building, still making plenty and he's there waiting for you

By Dian Vujovich

Yes, it’s true. I’m an Elvis fan. Always have been and always will be. Saw him on the Ed Sullivan show a thousand years ago. Saw the movie “Love Me Tender” something like13 times at I think 25 cents a pop. Pop not as in soda but in the cost of movie admission. And that’s how old I am.

If you’re in need of an Elvis fix, you can still catch him at the Boca Raton Museum of Art through Sunday, June 13, and looking my-t-fine. The exhibit, “Elvis at 21: photographs by Alfred Wertheimer”, is an impressive display of black-and-white photographs, none of which you’ve probably ever seen before. They were taken in 1956 when he was an innocent. That’s before he was The King and when he could ride a train or steal a kiss without rattling the world.

The photos are both delightful and moving, they weren’t staged or touched up and depict a side of Elvis that will tug at your heart no many how many times throughout the decades that you’ve come to know the meaning behind “Heartbreak Hotel”.

Admission to the Boca Raton Museum of Art is only $6 for seniors and 8 for those under age 65. Purchase the “Elvis 1956” hardcopy book with photos by Alfred Wertheimer, and you’ll spend another $30. Both a deal from my perspective.

While we’re on the subject of money, Elvis continues to rake it in decades after his death.According to a Forbes story, when he died in 1977, his estate was estimated at $4.9 million. In 2007-2008, this hunka hunka burin love brought in $52 million.

In 2009, another source said his estate was valued at $55 mil. While that is quite a chunk of change, The King didn’t top the list of other deadsters still bringing in moola. The top five were Yves Saint Laurent’s whose post mortem income was $350 million; Rodgers & Hammerstein, $235 million; Michael Jackson, $90 million; Elvis Presley at $55 million; and JRR Tolkien, $50 million. Then came Charles Schultz, $35 million; John Lennon, $15 million; Dr. Seuss, $15 million; Albert Einstein, $10; and 10th on the list, Michael Crichton, $9 million. (Source: http://www.metro.co.uk/showbiz/759529-michael-jackson-joins-elvis-tolkien-and-dr-seuss-in-expired-earners-elite ).

Nothing dead about these people.

Go see Elvis. He’s still in the building and waiting for you. Yes you, Miss Once-Upon-A-Time Screaming Tennybopper or you Mr. Elvis wannabee. You.