Rick Springfield might sing Don’t Talk to Strangers, but thankfully Elvis Presley did not believe that. The never ageing rocker shared a story about meeting The King to Harry Connick Jr yesterday on the crooner’s daytime talk show.
Back in 1971 when Springfield was flying back to Australia, they had a stopover in Hawaii and Elvis boarded the plane. Of course, Elvis the Pelvis sat in first class, and Rick, back then, sat in the cheap seats. Towards the end of their flight, Presley got up, walked to the back of the plane and signed autographs and took pictures with all of the passengers on the plane. Which is totally awesome that someone as famous (was their anyone more popular than him) as The King of Rock’n’Roll would do that, while most of today’s celebrities cannot talk to the commoners.
Back to Springfield, at the time he was managed by the same man who directed Elvis’ 1968 special and the two men bonded over that. What a really swell encounter to share with everyone and anyone. I would start every conversation with that if that happened to me.
When it comes to Elvis, this story makes me love him even more. Some of the other actors I have heard stories about like this are Henry Winkler and Jerry O’Connell, the latter I witness for myself at the Jimmy Kimmel Live green room.
