1/6/04

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Filmmaker Ken Vrana is marking the 69th anniversary of Elvis Presley's birth by working on his own special tribute.

Vrana has traveled 250,000 miles over the past 3 1/2 years to collect 570 interviews for a documentary about Presley, who died at his Graceland home in Memphis, Tenn., on Aug. 16, 1977. "Officially, we've completed the interviews," Vrana says. "Unofficially, I still have a wish list of about a dozen `big' people like Paul McCartney I'll continue to chase, to insert later if I can get them."

He plans to release Tribute as an 11-hour DVD box set, with a companion coffee-table book. It's not a profit-making venture: Vrana has spent $280,000 on the project so far and says any proceeds will go to charity.

Vrana wasn't much of an Elvis aficionado when he was working on another documentary called The Fans, about devoted followers of NASCAR, professional wrestling, college basketball and Presley. But the Elvis fans' stories stood out as worthy of their own film.

The cast of interview subjects eventually stretched well beyond fans, from Presley's old girlfriends and bandmates to other music legends such as Bill Monroe and B.B. King.

Tribute is being financed by Vrana's wife, Lisa, who is a marketing specialist and also his film editor.

"My wife was saying, `If we don't sell this, it will be one of the most expensive home movies of all time,'" he said.


Official Elvis Site