Elvis Presleys Gold Cadillac Tour of Australia 1968
The Cadillac was coming to Australia with the assistance of the Benevolent Society of NSW and they were hoping to raise $100,000 if possible for the seventeen charities around the country.
They planned to show the Cadillac in all states and as many country areas as possible, if time allowed. 'We have the Cadillac for a set period of time', advised Mr Hanrahan, spokes-person for the Benevolent Society.
Before leaving the USA, Elvis placed $1,000 (US) worth of toys inside the Cadillac for the needy children around Australia. There was also some personally autographed photographs sent as well, and one of the lucky persons to receive such a picture was a photographer at the time named John Porter, who gave me his negatives from the pictures he took when the Cadillac was in his town.
Elvis' Gold Cadillac on display at the press conference - Sydney Trocadero, Australia, January 17, 1968
The General Manager of the record division for RCA Australia, Mr Walsh, finalised all the arrangements with Elvis and Colonel Tom Parker, and so the Cadillac departed the States on the 8th of December 1967, arriving in Australia in early January 1968. After its arrival and clearance through Customs, the Cadillac was prepared for touring, and a press conference was held at the Sydney Trocadero on the 17th of January, and then the Cadillac went on the road immediately. It was never idle, and thousands of fans and car enthusiasts saw the Cadillac before their very eyes. It was stunning, and Australian had ever seen anything like it before.
There was one part of the Cadillac that was replaced before it came to Australia, the gold bumper bar. It was replaced with a standard bar for this tour, as it was the only part that could be easily removed as a souvenir!
Click to view larger sized image.
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There were also some memorabilia items that could be purchased as the Cadillac toured each venue. The items were as follows:-
Souvenir photograph on glossy cardboard (7'x 9') of Elvis Presley's Gold Limousine with full technical details printed on the back.
Souvenir leaflet from Preston Motors Victoria printed on one side (5'x8') announcing all proceeds are going to the Citizens Welfare Service of Victoria.
Two (2) Black and White RCA Australia pictures. These were previously available when purchasing Elvis records at various record stores and shops.
Various Elvis Australian RCA records. These were special printed Gold Label singles, Extended Play and Long Play records made just for this tour.
Souvenir brochure (16 pages in 7'x 9' format).
There was also a nice and attractive gold car autographed sticker given to you, if you wanted it affixed to each record you purchased. All the above are collector's items today.
At all venues where possible, Australian Elvis Fan club members assisted at the stalls selling as many Elvis items as possible to the public. The Society was most grateful for their assistance. It made things go much easier and helped the Society out no end. RCA Australia, helped out in their own was as well. Also on display with the Cadillac was a special series of Gold and Black labeled records. This special series of releases were for the massive sales Elvis had achieved within Australia. The number of Gold records on display was about forty.
Click to view larger sized image.
They were supposedly sent back to the States and presented (informally) to Elvis after the tour. This has yet to be confirmed, but some of the records (not any Long Play albums) are currently on display within Graceland for visitors to see in the Hall of Gold, and other titles are held in the EPE archives.
The Long Play albums seemed to have disappeared with time. They never made it back to the States, and EPE archives have advised that there are no Long Play records in the archives to date covering that 1968 tour.
The Cadillac went on a short tour of New Zealand before it returned to the States and the picture they made to accompany the book was altered a little, the gold was replaced with black print.
Elvis' Gold Cadillac on display at the Bundaberg Civic Center, Bundaberg, Qld, Australia, 1968
The Benevolent Society Charity Committee sent Elvis a Letter of Appreciation, stating (in brief) that $149,175 was raised for the Australian charity appeal. This was after all expenses were deducted. What a tremendous achievement. Elvis Presley was also made an Honorary Life Governor, and this plaque hangs proudly on the wall in the Hall of Gold to this very day for all Australians to see when visiting Graceland.
The Cadillac is now on permanent display in Nashville.
Elvis Australia : View a photo of Elvis from 1956 (1956 WKNO-TV 'Safety Hit Parade') with a world globe behind showing Australia. Then listen to Elvis greet his Australian fans.
Elvis Presley: Australian Singles Chart 1956-2006
In 1968, Elvis' gold Cadillac raised big money in Australia
Elvis Presley's Cars - Cadillacs - Stutz Blackhawk - BMW - Rolls Royce - Mercedes-Benz 600
Elvis Presley's Famous Pink Cadillac - 1955 Fleetwood Series 60
Elvis with his Messerschmitt - June, 1956
Elvis Presley driving his Pink Cadillac - July 5, 1956
Isetta Sports Car (Elvis gave to Colonel Parker as a birthday present)
Elvis' BMW 507s - Germany 1958-1959
Elvis' 1962 Ford Thunderbird
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Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD
Never before have we seen an Elvis Presley concert from the 1950's with sound. Until Now! The DVD Contains recently discovered unreleased film of Elvis performing 6 songs, including Heartbreak Hotel and Don't Be Cruel, live in Tupelo Mississippi 1956. Included we see a live performance of the elusive Long Tall Sally seen here for the first time ever. + Plus Bonus DVD Audio.
This is an excellent release no fan should be without it.
The 'parade' footage is good to see as it puts you in the right context with color and b&w footage. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too. The afternoon show footage is wonderful and electrifying : Here is Elvis in his prime rocking and rolling in front of 11.000 people. Highly recommended.
Tupelo's Own Elvis Presley DVD Video with Sound.
