Patrick Hickerson
The Birmingham [Alabama] News
5 June 2003
Just a hunka, hunka burning intrigue surrounds the apparent theft of a
velvet Elvis Presley portrait from a Homewood restaurant.
Dave Morrison, owner of Dave’s Pizza on 29th Avenue South, noticed April 5
that one of the staples in his restaurant was missing.
Nothing pizza-related, but someone took the velvet Elvis bolted to a wall
above the toilet in the restroom.
The portrait, which Morrison bought in the late ’70s from a roadside vendor
for a forgotten price, depicts Elvis in his high-collar white jumpsuit days,
like the 1973 “Aloha from Hawaii” concert. He put the work in his
restaurant’s bathroom 10 years ago.
“A sort of a satirical shrine to the king,” he said.
His speculation is that during Talladega race weekend, a trio of mischievous
men from Louisiana visited the bar and removed the portrait during an
opportune moment, leaving the bottom wooden portion of the frame on the
wall.
About three weeks later, the restaurant began receiving packages with
Louisiana postmarks. The packages contained pictures showing the portrait
visiting obvious and not-so-obvious stops in the Southeast and West.
One has velvet Elvis propped against the gates to Graceland in Memphis.
Another has waitresses at the Red Bar in Grayton Beach, Fla., with the
portrait.
Another is the portrait being held by a man standing on an ice rink.
The theft has additional signs of a kidnapping with a misspelled ransom
note.
“Elivs has left the building . . . but will be back. Don’t worry . . . he’s
in good hands and has been spotted around the U.S. visiting some of his
favorite hangouts. (We’ll keep you updated.)”
The dozen pictures and correspondence now grace two of the four walls in the
bathroom, taking up some of the space once occupied by velvet Elvis.
The latest package came last weekend with the portrait paired with one of
Presley’s gold records.
“They’re definitely on a mission,” Morrison said.
Though he and his son, Brett Morrison, say the theft is not a hoax to gin up
new customers, it does arouse skeptical thoughts, calling to mind the R.E.M.
song “Man on the Moon” about whether something is authentic or just “goofing
on Elvis.”
The mailings also bear similarities to the 2001 film “Amelie,” in which a
stolen garden gnome is photographed before world landmarks.
Earlier this year, the restaurant sported swiveling spotlights to draw the
hungry, but the Morrisons say the Elvis mystery is not an advertising ploy.
Father and son said restaurant business keeps them close to Homewood.
“We haven’t had the time to go to those places,” Dave Morrison said.
His son added that, while the painting had a lot of sentimental value, they
didn’t file a report with the Homewood Police Department.
“We’ve got bigger fish to fry than trying to track down a velvet Elvis,”
Brett Morrison said.
The initial anger about the theft has been replaced by anticipation of the
next package of photos and by envy of what they say probably are a couple of
guys having fun with Elvis. They think it might return this fall with
NASCAR’s date at Talladega.
Dave has some words for the captors.
“Take good care of him,” he said. “But some day, bring him back.”