Elvis, Time Hill Frolic, 1956

Beginning in the fall of 1955, the Gruen Watch Company sponsored a weekly country show, hosted by Don Davis, on network radio that ran until mid 1956.

In March 1956 on program number 24 of Time Hill Frolic, Don Davis interviewed Elvis Presley. (Exact day and location unknown.)
This interview is preserved on a single side, 33 1/2 rpm, 16" disc. A radio transcription, it still stands as the first Elvis interview ever released on record.
Issued only to radio stations by Rockhill Radio, NYC.

Give the 4 minute Elvis interview a listen here:

https://youtu.be/eqL1g2Kd5NQ

The details of how the Time Hill Frolic acetate was rediscovered by John Tefteller, world's most prolific collector of Paramount blues, in the 1980's is fascinating, a photo too of his copy:

https://www.elvisnews.com/2006/31/disco ... -interview

I've yet to hear a full length episode of Time Hill Frolic. I think the record holds the full episode 24. The only other person I've identified, as being interviewed by Don Davis on another episode of Time Hill Frolic is singer Jim Reeves:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Reeves

Hear a small 30 second clip of Don interviewing Jim on Time Hill Frolic, #28:

https://www.artistcamp.com/jim-reeves/r ... index.html

I own a couple Gruen records myself that I have not yet listened to.

Did the King own a Gruen? I don't know. I'd like to find out.
I do know he owned a lot of watches, so seems likely! after guesting on shows like Time Hill Frolic.
But even if I can't locate evidence of the watch, clearly there is an Elvis/Gruen Watch connection.

This is very cool! I've never heard of Time Hill Frolic before. I can't imagine that the people who came on the show weren't (at least) given a Gruen in the hopes that the celebs would wear it and provide free advertising.

Excellent find!

Totally agree with Jason, this is cool stuff! I also never stumbled over Time Hill Frolic. Frolic is a probably the best know dog food brand in Germany...

Agree with all! I listened to the Elvis interview. But I have to mention that Jim Reeves is one of my favorite country singers—probably because his range and mine are so close—one of the few I can sing along with!

An Elvis or Reeves Gruen would be a find! I’d go after a Reeves, for sure. Would sit next to Nat King Cole’s Dunhill Canadian.

Thanks for all the comments!

Am I reading that right, Fred, you own one of Nat King Cole's pipes?

Heres an interesting quote from the stylist who researched his watches for the recent Elvis biopic:

“Watches were a symbol of his success and a big part of his story, and he gathered more valuable watches as his career developed,” said Catherine Martin, the four-time-Oscar-winning costume and production designer for the film, in a phone interview from her home in her native Australia. “They were a status symbol, and yet Elvis traded and gave watches away. He would swap watches with strangers whose watches he admired. It was crazy.”

Ive read numerous anecdotes like this: Elvis would give away his watches to people he liked, to strangers, and sometimes he would swap them, theirs for his, with no regard for the value of the actual watches.
Decent chance something like that happened to a Gruen.
Elvis always was humble, hear that in the interview, even at his height.

Interesting about the watch swapping. There’s likely an untold story there—and we may yet see it come up.

No, I do not have the Cole pipe, only a “womp-womp” & sob story. There’s been an empty spot since 2003 on my pipe rack, reminding me not to trust fleebay. I never learn though. Just last year, I won a solid platinum & 2-diamond cartouche for < $100; the Canadian seller uploaded tracking—mailing it to himself. All I got was a refund.

But I digress…