could have gotten the book wider distribution, considering that most everyone who ever met The King of Rock and Roll has written a memoir about him.
In fact, Fuller’s book as a whole might be called a surprise. Given her minimal accomplish- ments as an actress, the fact that the songs she wrote for Elvis were not exactly “Love Me Ten- der” quality, her checkered success as a music promoter, and the book’s small press origin, one might expect a glorified vanity project. Indeed, there are questionable moments, occasional er- rors, confusing sentences that could stand a little re-writing, a dull and badly-placed opening chap- ter of family background, and unnecessary ex- planations like “an exurb may be defined as a place beyond the suburbs” that show the heavy hand of a ghostwriter. Yet the book does credit to BearManor Books, a small outfit able to price their product twenty dollars lower than a com- parable title from McFarland. It’s nothing earth- shattering, yet as soon as it’s over you find yourself wanting to read it again. In its modest way, A FULLER LIFE is sure to be one of the most entertaining film books of the year, moving breezily from one show biz anecdote to the next. The former 4-H Club President and “Miss Floor Lamp of 1952” attended JFK’s inaugura- tion, had a sister who was killed under mysteri- ous circumstances during the Cuban revolution, and was acquainted with the likes of Frank Sinatra (“skinny” and not particularly attractive), Bob Hope, Nat “King” Cole and Mickey Gilley. As a regular on QUEEN FOR A DAY, Fuller was, at least in the words of one fan, “the Vanna White of the Fifties.” In one anecdote that sounds like a tall tale, Dolores claims she would have been a starlet if she hadn’t stood up Howard Hughes for a date. Improbably, she was unaware of his fame and wealth. Fuller cites her TV appearances on SUPERMAN (“The Wedding of Superman”) and DRAGNET, as well as the films MESA OF LOST WOMEN, THE RAID (a western from which she was cut), THE BLUE GARDENIA, Don Siegel’s COUNT THE HOURS, Jack Arnold’s GIRLS IN THE NIGHT, THE MOONLIGHTER (another west- ern, this time in 3-D), and a 3-D short called COLLEGE CAPERS, for which the actress has searched in vain for years.
Her ingénue years passing by, the thirtyish actress decided to start writing songs, melodies as well as lyrics. Fuller wrote, or at least cowrote, with Ben Weisman and Fred Wise or Syd Wayne, sixteen songs for Elvis movies. She is especially proud that the title of one E vehicle, RACEWAY,
was renamed SPINOUT in honor of their rous- ing song (“When a motor’s warm, and she’s purrin’ sweet...”). Other Fuller collaborations recorded by the King include “Do the Clam” (“Ev- erybody, gather round / listen to that bongo sound”) from GIRL HAPPY. This song has al- ways been loathed by a lot of Elvis fans, but it was eventually covered by The Cramps, so at least it has camp value. On the other hand, “I Got Lucky” from KID GALAHAD was more pleas- ing to Elvis purists. In 1957 she started her own record company, deedee Records, with her own picture on the label. Her first big act was Johnny Rivers, although you can’t really call him a deedee Records discovery, as it was he who went looking for them. She eventually earned a foot- note in Country music history by discovering Tanya Tucker, getting Billy Sherrill to produce her, and eventually getting her booked on THE TONIGHT SHOW.
Fuller claims romantic relationships with Joe DiMaggio and Johnny Carson. Although a few of these personal revelations push the book near tell-all territory, the tone is casual rather than sordid. Fuller’s attitude towards sex is more French than Middle American. Fuller digs up a nude photo of herself at Lake Arrowhead. Of Johnny Carson she says, “There were many nights he put me to bed with a great big happy grin on my face.”
Fuller goes out of her way to correct those who would cast aspersions on the sexual orien- tation of Wood, a cross-dresser, assuring us he was “all-man,” “a superb dresser,” incredibly handsome, and great in the sack. So good-look- ing was he, in fact, that Fuller actually gasped when she first saw him. And if that’s not enough detail for you, how about some descriptions of their sex life? “My appetite for sex was often hard for me to control... I could hardly wait until the end of the day when I knew that Eddie and I would be alone together and I could satisfy my hunger... I was delighted to take his direction in any direction it might take me. By take sixty- nine, my imagination was so stimulated I began to give direction myself!” And this recollection comes from a woman who expresses disgust at having to hear too much sexual information from two of her BRIDE OF THE MONSTER co-work- ers! Wood fooled his mother into thinking he and Fuller were married by sending her a still of GLEN OR GLENDA?’s surreal wedding sequence, carefully cutting the symbolic Satan out of the corner. One can only imagine his mother’s reaction if he’d forgotten that little detail.
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