BY RYAN PARKER | HollywoodReporter.Com
Troy Warren for CNT #Entertainment
The comic-actor had an unforgettable conversation with the legendary musician in 1971.
Of course, Steve Martin has an amazing story about the first time he met Elvis Presley in the early ’70s.
The comic-actor, alongside close friend and frequent collaborator Martin Short, dropped by The Howard Stern Show on Wednesday to discuss their projects, including the new series, Only Murders in the Building.
The radio host asked Martin to tell the story about the first time he met the legendary singer; a bizarre and unique moment for the young stand-up comic.
Martin set the stage by recalling it was 1971 and he was the opening act for Ann-Margret Olsson.
“I knew Elvis was coming that night to see Ann-Margret because they were friends,” Martin said. “My act was magic, I don’t think I played the banjo in that, but jokes and weird stuff. First, I see a beautiful woman walking toward me and that was Priscilla. And Priscilla moves away and there’s Elvis all in white. He looked great and had the huge buckle. And he looked at me and said, ‘Son, you have an oblique sense of humor,’ which was kind of accurate. He was absolutely dead-on, he really was.”
The story quickly took a hard right that only a Presley tale could make.
“He came in and we started talking. And then he said, ‘Want to see my guns?’ And I said, ‘Yeah,’” Martin recalled. “He had three guns on him. He was very safety conscious. He brought out a Derringer and he dropped the bullets in his hand before he gave me the gun so I could examine. It’s all pearl-handled and engraved. And then he pulls out another gun and drops the bullets. Eventually, I am holding three guns and Elvis was holding 18 bullets.”
Noting that The King was “very sweet,” Martin said he received a rather high compliment from Presley.
“Elvis had a guy whose only job was to get him out of conversations. So, the guy comes up to Elvis and says, ‘Elvis, we have to go.’ And Elvis looked at him and said, ‘It’s OK,’ and we kept talking,” Martin said. “So I felt kind of blessed.”
Only Murders in the Building is currently streaming on Hulu.
Watch Martin tell the story below.
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