In League with Elvis

In League with 'Elvis'
Film to explore 'Untold Story'
By DAVE MCNARY


Newly minted production shingle Cinema League has found Elvis, optioning film and TV rights to the book "Sergeant Presley: The Untold Story of Elvis' Missing Years."
Cinema League plans to begin shooting the pic this summer, with most of the production set in Germany. It announced the deal with novel authors Rex and Elisabeth Mansfield and Marshall and Zoe Terrill.

Rex Manfield was a fellow soldier during Presley's tour in the Army from 1958 to 1960 while his wife Elisabeth was once romantically linked with the singer. Story, penned by Cinema League principal Miro Vrana, will cover Presley's basic training in Texas and his travels to Germany along with the genesis of his addiction to prescription drugs and his initial meeting with Priscilla Beaulieu, his eventual spouse.

"Whilst the story tells of the secret forbidden love that develops between Rex and Elisabeth behind Elvis' back, it does so against the backdrop of both well known and little known events in Elvis' life," Vrana said.

Sports agent Vrana, producer-manager Julia Brunton and artist-writer Adrienne McQueen launched Los Angeles-based Cinema League in November during AFM with the aim of producing two or three films a year with budgets in the $5 million-$20 million range. Shingle's debut project is sports drama "Hometown Blues," directed by Australian helmer Nadia Tass.
(Source: Variety)

Sgt. Presley is optioned for movie deal

New production company options Elvis book

Newly-minted Cinema League has optioned movie and TV rights for Sergeant Presley: The Untold Story of Elvis' Missing Years in a deal with authors Rex and Elisabeth Mansfield and Marshall and Zoe Terrill. The story follows Presley through basic training in Texas to Germany and includes his addiction to prescription medications and his introduction to Priscilla. Rex Manfield was a fellow soldier during the singer's tour in the Army from 1958 to 1960, and his wife Elisabeth was once romantically linked with Presley. Shooting is scheduled to start this summer.(Hollywood Reporter)

Barbara McQueen heads up cancer benefit

Barbara McQueen to Co-Headline Asbestos Cancer Benefit on February 10, 2007

Steve McQueen's s widow is raising money and awareness to combat the cancer that killed her famous husband in 1980.

Barbara McQueen along with jazz sensation Chris Botti, are heading up an asbestos cancer research benefit on February 10, 2007. The Grammy Award-winning Botti and his band will perform an hour-long concert in a very intimate setting. The trumpeter's stellar career includes performances with renowned performers such as Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Natalie Merchant and Sting.

The fund-raiser will be held at the home of Roger and Ann Worthington, who live in Capistrano Beach, California. The event runs from 4:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Barbara McQueen will donate five original 16 x 20 photos and a signed limited edition of her new book, Steve McQueen: The Last Mile to a silent auction to benefit asbestos cancer research through the David "Punch" Worthington Research Lab.

"It recently came to my attention that not much medical progress has been made in the fight against Mesothelioma since my husband's death more than a quarter-century ago", McQueen said. "I'm very honored to use my name to bring awareness to this deadly form of cancer."

McQueen will be signing copies of her book throughout the six-hour benefit. The 240-page book contains approximately 150 pictures documenting Barbara McQueen's three-and-a-half year relationship with the movie icon, which includes candid shots from 1977 to 1980 McQueen's years out of the spotlight. It also chronicles Barbara's early history and modeling career; her years with Steve McQueen at Trancas Beach and Santa Paula as well as behind-the-scene photos on the sets of Tom Horn and The Hunter.

Tickets for the event are $150 per person and all guests must RSVP. To RSVP or for more information, call (310) 622-4960 or contact Jessica Like at jlike@phlbi.org. To register for tickets online, logon to www.phlbi.org/pages/2007_fundraiser.htm.

The David "Punch" Worthington Laboratory is located at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. The laboratory was made possible by a generous initial donation and continuing support from Roger G. Worthington. The Punch Worthington Lab is the home of exciting new research on novel strategies for the treatment of mesothelioma, lung cancer, leukemia, and other occupational cancers

"Maravich" in The Mountaineer

EHS Graduate Contributes to "Maravich"

By JOEY KITTLE, Staff Writer

Don Carver was a bright-eyed youngster in 1956 when he first met Peter “Press” Maravich. “I had just graduated from Elkins High School and I received a call from Press Maravich,” Carver recalled. “He was in West Virginia recruiting basketball players to attend Clemson after accepting the coaching job there and was interested in meeting me.”

Carver said Maravich had heard about his skills from a friend in Elkins. Carver was a first-team all-state selection at EHS from his center spot and still holds the school record of 48 points scored in a game against Buckhannon-Upshur.

Carver was unsure if he wanted to attend Clemson. He had signed a letter-of-intent with WVU Tech but still met with Maravich at the YMCA.

“I had never been on a plane and they flew me to South Carolina,” Carver said. “I spent a week down there playing pick-up games then flew back home.”

After another phone call from Maravich, Carver returned to Clemson for another visit and accepted a scholarship.

So began a friendship with Maravich and his young son, Pete, who would later simply be known as “Pistol Pete”.

The life and times of “Pistol” Pete Maravich has been turned into a book, which Carver played a role in helping the co-authors. The recently released publication is called “Maravich” and was written by Wayne Federman and Marshall Terrill.

Pistol’s widow, Jackie Maravich, collaborated in the writing, along with his two sons.

“Marshall Terrill called me in 2000 and asked me about my experiences with Pete,” Carver said. “He wanted to know if I had any pictures or newspaper clippings that I could share with him.

“We have been talking for nearly seven years and developed a friendship. It’s a wonderful book and I believe the first printing sold out.”

The elder Maravich was no stranger to Elkins and the book chronicles his time at Davis & Elkins College, where he played basketball from 1937-41, scoring 1,326 points in his career.

In 1950, he became head coach of the Senators and was instrumental in leading the charge to build Memorial Gymnasium, which still serves the college and community.

Carver remembers playing at the new gymnasium during his high school days.

“I was a freshman at Elkins High School in 1952 and was on one of the first teams to play on the floor,” Carver said. “It was a beautiful gym and seated about 1,500 fans.”

The book recalls how Maravich was determined to get a new gym for the school but there were no funds available. He recruited some retired carpenters to help him with his project and proceeded to build the facility with no building permits or approval from the school.

“There’s probably no way to confirm or deny the story of how Press built the gym,” Carver said. “And no one I’ve talked to has ever heard the story of how he did it.

“The only one that knows is Press.”

After his career at Clemson ended, Carver was contacted about becoming the head basketball coach at Daniel High School in Clemson to replace Press, who had accepted another position.

Carver then coached Pistol for two years.

“I never restricted Pete from shooting,” Carver said. “He was a team player and a good student. He was a fine young man and I never had any problems with him.”

Pistol went on to play at Louisiana State University and averaged a staggering 44.2 points per game, the highest in NCAA history. He then went on to play in the NBA for the Hawks, Jazz and Celtics and later was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

He was also named one of the top 50 players in NBA history.

Sadly, Pistol died in 1988 after suffering a heart attack while playing in a pickup basketball game. Press, meanwhile, had died just eight-and-a-half months earlier.

Carver, who still resides in South Carolina, had his picture hung on the gymnasium wall at Daniel High School last winter.

He’s pictured with Jim Sutherland, who played at Clemson after he graduated from Daniel High School, and Pistol Pete, who was a 10th-grader at the time.

Jackie Maravich breaks silence with "Maravich"

Pistol Pete’s widow writes about legend’s life

By GEORGE MORRIS
Advocate sportswriter
Published: Jan 3, 2007

Advocate staff photo by RICHARD ALAN HANNON

Jackie Maravich, widow of basketball great Pete Maravich, has collaborated on a biography of ‘Pistol Pete.’

When Pete Maravich played basketball — and nobody ever played like him — it brought thrills to everyone except, it seemed, Maravich himself.

During a career that led him to the Basketball Hall of Fame, his wife, Jackie, said she waited long after games ended because he stayed in the locker room until the arena was as empty as he felt.

“Obviously, he knew what he could do with a basketball, but I think in a way he was uncomfortable,” she said. “He loved the game of basketball, but I think everything that went with it didn’t bring him happiness, the material things and whatever.”

That dramatically changed before his unexpected death in 1988 at age 40, which sparked renewed interest in his life. Books and movies were produced. None had Jackie’s input, though not for a lack of requests.

That changed six years ago when Wayne Federman and Marshall Terrill approached her. This time, she said yes.

“I could see where they were coming from, their sincerity and their love for Pete and the type of book they were going to write,” she said. “I thought it was time.”

The result is “Maravich,” a biography that received input from Jackie and her sons, Jaeson and Joshua, and gave her editing rights. The book covers Pistol Pete’s life, including his early years, his spectacular playing days and his off-court attempts to find meaning in life, a quest that led to his accepting Christ in 1982.

Jackie had a front-row seat to most of this after Maravich noticed her in 1968. By this time he’d already played one season for LSU and was the city’s biggest sports celebrity. Maravich didn’t approach Jackie Elliser right away.

“The friend I was with, he called me up and said, ‘Pete Maravich wants your phone number,’ and I said, ‘Who’s Pete Maravich?’ I was born and raised in Baton Rouge, but I didn’t follow sports. I said, ‘I don’t think so. I don’t really go out on blind dates.’”

Her friend persuaded Jackie to give him a chance, and he took her to the season’s first football game.

“He came to the door, and my dad said, ‘What are you doing with that tall, skinny guy?’” she said.

“The thing that really attracted me to Pete after that first date was his sense of humor. He was a real, real, real funny guy. That was it after that. We kept dating on and off, and the rest is history.”

That sense of humor remained. On Jan. 5, 1988, Maravich was playing basketball at a church in Pasadena, Calif. During a break in the game, Maravich told the church’s pastor, the Rev. James Dobson that he felt really good — then collapsed to the floor. Those present thought he was joking, but Maravich had suffered a massive heart attack resulting from an undiscovered congenital defect.

Doctors said it was miraculous that he lived through his teens, much less that he became major college basketball’s most prolific scorer, averaging 44.2 points per game — a fraction of what he might have scored had there been a three-point line to reward his long-range shots.

But points only began to describe Maravich’s skills. His ball-handling and passing skills were so extraordinary that many of his passes hit unprepared teammates in the face rather than the hands. Those skills had been honed over years of almost obsessive practice and through the instruction of his father, Press, his coach at LSU.

The National Basketball Association seemed perfect for Maravich, and the Atlanta Hawks rewarded him with the richest contract ever given to a college player of that time. But his teammates clearly resented him, Jackie said.

“I think it was a star thing — the salary and the attention,” she said.

Maravich scored 15,948 points (24.2 per game) in the NBA. His 68 points for the New Orleans Jazz against the New York Knicks in 1977 is the 12th-highest point game in NBA history. He scored more than 50 points in 28 games, a record.

Yet, he was unfulfilled, especially after retiring in 1980.

“He was searching and trying to learn what life really means,” Jackie said.

That search has been chronicled and often exaggerated. Though he was interested in the possibility of extraterrestrial life, Pete did not paint anything on the roof of his house inviting UFOs to come there, Jackie said. He did not dabble in Hinduism. He did not build a bomb shelter at their home. He did become extremely focused on nutrition.

“He also got into fasting,” she said. “He would cook us dinner. He would fast for, like, a week, and I never would get over the discipline he had cooking food for us and just drinking carrot juice and different type things.

“When he told me that he had accepted Christ into his life, I said, ‘Oh, well, maybe it’s another phase he’s going through.’ But I could see the happiness in him and just the zest for life and changes in him. I wanted what he had, so I was baptized in 1984. And when I was baptized, they said all he did was cry the whole time when I went up. I guess he wanted me to have what he had.”

Maravich approached Christianity with the same dedication he’d given to basketball. At Thanksgiving, Jackie said, he would fill his car with turkeys and drive around giving them to people he didn’t know. He spoke about Christ to any group or individual that would listen, she said.

Now, through this biography, he still speaks, Jackie said.

“I remember him always saying this to me: ‘When you die, people forget you.’ He will never be forgotten,” she said. “Here he is, more alive today than ever.”

Slater, Mo. to host Steve McQueen Days in March

Slater, Missouri to honor actor Steve McQueen

Slater, Missouri is throwing a special birthday party for Steve McQueen this spring.
The actor, box-office champion and icon of cool will be honored by civic and business officials from his hometown with a special weekend festival to celebrate his life and commemorate what would have been his 77th birthday. McQueen was born on March 24, 1930 in Beech Grove, Indiana but moved to Slater when he was an infant and remained there for most of the next decade.

The Slater Chamber of Commerce and the City of Slater, Missouri will host the 2007 Steve McQueen Days on March 24 and 25 with a slate of events honoring the town's most famous resident.

"The city of Slater decided it was time to recognize the amazing accomplishments of a man who spent his early years in our community and had a lasting impact on the history of film and popular culture," said Mayor Steve Allegri.

Events are still in the planning stages, but organizers say the festival will include a film retrospective, a motorcycle ride, an antique car show, a panel discussion and a visit of McQueen's old haunts, including his boyhood home and the one-room schoolhouse where he was educated. Barbara McQueen, the superstar's widow, will also take part in a special sign unveiling and as well as sign copies of her new book, Steve McQueen: The Last Mile.

McQueen, who was a worldwide box-office champion in the '60s and '70s, starred in blockbuster films such as The Great Escape, Bullit, The Thomas Crown Affair, Papillon and The Sand Pebbles, which garnered him an Academy Award nomination for best actor. McQueen was the highest paid actor in the world at the time of his death in November 1980.

McQueen's film legacy as "The King of Cool" as well as his passion for motor sports and aviation, have elevated him to the same status of other fallen screen idols such as James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. The McQueen name is magic to both baby boomers and to a new generation of hipsters young enough to be his grandchildren.

The actor's "anti-hero" persona and hell-bent-for-leather take on life has been the subject of approximately 20 books and 10 documentaries. Even posthumously, McQueen remains one of the highest paid iconic stars. His image and likeness has been used by more than 30 companies to sell various products such as cars, motorcycles, vodka, blue jeans, watches, jackets, T-shirts, sunglasses and video games.

Founded in 1878, Slater is located in central Missouri in Saline County and has approximately 2,100 residents.

For more information about the 2007 Steve McQueen Days, call Dan Viets at (573) 819-2669 or go to www.cityofslater.com or e-mail info@cityofslater.com.

Celtic Nation calls "Maravich" a masterpiece

DEFINITIVE PETE
'Maravich' as good as it gets
By: Michael D. McClellan

"Pistol" Pete Maravich was an amalgamated talent, breathtaking to watch and utterly spellbinding in ways that force us to suspend our sense of what is real and what is humanly possible. He was unbridled flair, the ultimate showman. Take the best of the best AND1 Streetball wannabe, multiply it by a factor of ten, double the level of difficulty, and you begin to get the sense of what Maravich considered a routine night on the court. He was Bob Cousy and Magic Johnson. He was Larry Bird and Steve Nash. Maravich was all of this and more, a virtuoso performer the likes of which we may never see again. Now, thanks to a sublime effort by authors Wayne Federman and Marshall Terrill, the story of "Pistol" Pete Maravich is offered up to a whole new generation of basketball fans. It is, simply, the definitive work on one of the greatest players the sport has ever known.

"Maravich," published by Sport Classic Books, is a masterpiece. It takes a near mythical figure and makes him real all over again, and in the process makes us care about the man whose talents were alternately -- some would say simultaneously -- a gift and a curse. It also explores the incredible relationship between Maravich and his father, Press.

www.celtic-nation.com