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Subscribe to RSSFans of Elvis Presley, or anyone who's a fan of iconic pop culture photography, will recognize an image of Presley kissing an unidentified blonde woman.
Until now, the object of Presley's affection in that 1956 photo has remained a mystery. VanityFair.com revealed the identity of the woman, Barbara Gray, who is now 75. And Monday on TODAY, Gray and photographer Alfred Wertheimer appeared on the show to talk about how the photo series came to be.
Gray reveals to Matt Lauer that the images Wetheimer snapped were actually moments from a spontaneous date between Gray and Presley (who'd spoken on the phone, but never met). The most iconic of the photographs from the series is called "The Kiss," and despite what you might see, Gray said she felt no sparks with the young, just-emerging singer. "Maybe he had sparks, but I didn't even know who he was," Gray told Lauer.
On the day of the shoot, Wertheimer never even got Gray's name. "I never realized that these would become iconic ... Nineteen years went by (between the photos being taken and Elvis' death) where nobody called me for an Elvis Presley photograph. The day he died, Time magazine called me up and said 'Bring your pictures over immediately.'"
As for Gray, she said that her encounter with Presley, forever captured on film, was her first and last with the singer.
"I got a Christmas card from him once, but that was it," she said. "Shortly after that, I left the state so I don't know if he tried to reach me or not."
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