KINGS RANSOM LET DOWN - The new Las Vegas attraction which was promised to
be a “multi million dollar collection”, and a must-see exhibition for every Elvis fan is in fact a
serious let down. According to 'Elvis Matters', the 'Kings Ransom' put together by Russ
Howe and Bud Glass held at the 'Imperial Palace' does not live up to the high expectations
that the publicity promised.

"Where were the leather belts with the trademark double or triple chains? Where were the
TCB necklaces, the guitars, the fifties jackets that Elvis wore during his numerous shows in
the fifties? The army days, the Comeback show and Aloha from Hawaii were corner stones in
Elvis’ career, but there’s no trace of them in this exhibition", says EM.

The only suit on display is that horrible black suit which we featured in the F.B.E.I list due to
the claims that Elvis wore it on stage, which of course he did not. In reality the suit was by all
accounts a gift to Elvis, there are no known photos of Elvis in the suit and it is doubtful he ever
wore the it at all.

Apparently, the only other suits on display belonged to Johnny Cash, Dottie West, Jerry Lee
Lewis, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr...I would not be expecting to see these on display
at an Elvis Exhibition, especially one titled, 'The Kings Ransom'. Another odd item is an old
t-shirt once worn by....Sonny West! Or as Elvis Matters writes, "on display in Vegas is an old T-
shirt worn by gossip writer, traitor and ex-friend Sonny West. Agreed, it could be worse – they
could have put the gossip book “Elvis What Happened” on display too. But let’s not give the
Imperial Palace any ideas".

Are there any Elvis items on display at the 'Kings Ransom'? Well according to Elvis Matters,
there is, and these are what you could call, the "highlights"....
* Stage rings,
* A cross worn on stage and given to a young fan
* Blue jacket Elvis wore in the movie Spinout ,
* A set of framed (but well-known) pictures by Ed Bonja
* A white Lincoln car which again has no picture of Elvis with the car.

Sounds like this Elvis exhibition is far from a "Kings Ransom" and sadly does not live up to
the hype that the advance promotion promised! If you are in Vegas and fancy a visit, you can
see it at the Imperial Palace, Las Vegas Boulevard, 3rd Floor, open daily 11-7. Tickets are
10.00 $US, but the Elvis Matters folks bought them at the door for just $US 5.00 each.
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