Vintage Times-Union: Elvis dedicates 'You ain't nothing but a hound dog' to Jacksonville judge

Matt Soergel, Florida Times-Union
·2 min read
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No hip-swiveling allowed, but Elvis Presley still wowed Jacksonville audiences when he played at the Florida Theatre in 1956. Atlanta photographer Jay Leviton captured some memorable images from that show.
No hip-swiveling allowed, but Elvis Presley still wowed Jacksonville audiences when he played at the Florida Theatre in 1956. Atlanta photographer Jay Leviton captured some memorable images from that show.

So the audience at the Cannes Film Festival recently went nuts for "Elvis," the new movie from Baz Luhrmann ("Moulin Rouge").

It received a 12-minute standing ovation, as noted by Variety, for the latest chronicling of the life of Elvis Presley and his manipulative manager Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks.

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Elvis Presley was the hottest performer on the planet when he came to Jacksonville for six shows over two days in 1956. Filmmaker Baz Luhrmann's new film, "Elvis," comes out June 24 and tells the story of his life and his relationship with manager Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks.
Elvis Presley was the hottest performer on the planet when he came to Jacksonville for six shows over two days in 1956. Filmmaker Baz Luhrmann's new film, "Elvis," comes out June 24 and tells the story of his life and his relationship with manager Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks.

The movie comes out June 24 in theaters.

There's been no mention yet if it includes anything about Presley's August 1956 shows at downtown Jacksonville's Florida Theatre. The performances got national attention and a big story in Life magazine after Juvenile Court Judge Marion Gooding warned Presley not to gyrate and swivel his hips — not within city limits anyway.

Photos: Elvis Presley performs at Jacksonville's Florida Theatre in 1956

A poster promoting the arrival of Elvis in August of 1956 was big news as he was already a national sensation.
A poster promoting the arrival of Elvis in August of 1956 was big news as he was already a national sensation.

In 2016 The Florida Times-Union's David Crumpler caught up with three locals, including former Mayor Jake Godbold, who had seen Elvis at those Florida Theatre shows.

Another was Marilyn Gooding Desimone, the 17-year-old daughter of the judge who accompanied her to a show. She told a rather wonderful story, including this anecdote about that night:

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A line of eager fans waits to be allowed into the Florida Theatre to see one of the shows that Elvis put on in Jacksonville over the course of two days in August 1956.
A line of eager fans waits to be allowed into the Florida Theatre to see one of the shows that Elvis put on in Jacksonville over the course of two days in August 1956.

"I can't remember which show we went to, but it was one of the evening shows. Inside, it was pandemonium — wonderful pandemonium, not bad pandemonium. But I was sitting there judgmentally. I was not a happy camper — I was defensive of my father, who was getting a lot of criticism. So Elvis started the show, and in every single song, he'd almost wiggle his hips, then catch himself.

"Then he got to his last song, and he said, 'I want to dedicate my last song to the judge.' And then he sang 'You ain't nothing but a hound dog. ...' I laughed and laughed. My father laughed, too."

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Elvis Presley, in a relatively quiet moment between shows at the Florida Theatre in 1956.
Elvis Presley, in a relatively quiet moment between shows at the Florida Theatre in 1956.

As for Elvis? He got through all six shows without any untoward swiveling, thus saving the impressionable youth of Jacksonville from being corrupted — and saving himself a trip to jail.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: In 1956, Elvis Presley played Jacksonville but couldn't swivel hips