Arlene met Elvis in 1957 for the first time at his press conference in Chicago on March 28th. After his concert that night, he invited her to Memphis where she became a ‘fan favorite’, spending the upcoming Christmas with him and his parents. 

Arlene and her friend Rose Phillips claim to have been at Piccadilly Restaurant in Memphis, just a block from Elvis’ mansion when an ambulance raced by. They witnessed Sam Thompson and Elvis’ security chief following the ambulance. Their fears were confirmed only a short time later when Arlene received a call from Elvis’ cook, Pauline, confirming that Elvis had died. It’s presumed the two girls were one of the first in the world to know Elvis had died.

I adored his mom – I have to say his Dad – he was nice – I didn't know if he was shy or just quiet because I was a kid so I really didn't know but his mother talked. We were invited in Hollywood back to the hotel there after shooting was over and I couldn't believe that either but he was inviting a few friends and he just asked us if we'd like to go. It was from that time that Elvis started calling me to come up to visit him. To make a long story short we had a six year friendship – it was about 6 years and I also had an extra part in Viva Las Vegas and that was fun. 

He liked to have you up in the evening and we'd do whatever he wanted to do. He kind of set the tone for the evening – if he wanted to watch T.V. Or maybe he felt like singing/playing the piano. I never saw him play the guitar when he was at his house. I never saw a guitar actually but he played the piano great and so we'd sing or he and the guys would play pool and us girls would just you know start laughing about whatever - we were just teenagers and Elvis would be so funny - - he'd come over and he'd want to know what was so funny – he was so nosy – he was so cute. He always had this insecurity that we were talking about him - and we might have been talking about him but not in the way he thought! He was cute. 

In the beginning years I sometimes had a hard time dealing with the southern accent like when he'd pull me to him and he'd say "Give me some sugar baby" and I didn't know what that meant. I felt embarrassed so then he'd land one on me and give me a big kiss and say "That's what sugar is baby." It was wonderful you died and went to heaven a few times. He had the softest sweetest lips and he just kissed you like he loved you so much and made you feel like a princess. He was just so special and to grow up knowing him – I couldn't believe it. 

We had many all night talks about his mom, spiritual things and just whatever was on his mind. If he felt like talking about it - I listened, I'd give my input and I think he liked that. I could keep up with him very easily. For instance, he asked me "Little Bit, do you think I'll get to see my mother again?" And he was really being serious and I said I truly believed it I mean I had you know gone to Bible classes as a kid and I mean it was my opinion – I certainly wasn't a preacher but I had a lot of insight which he liked about me and I wasn't a dummy but I wasn't the brightest bulb in the chandelier for being a kid you know – but he obviously enjoyed it because many nights he just liked to share some quiet time away from people and because I was the only one there that had ever met his mother he just felt the need to talk about her. 

Sometimes I'd come up and have dinner with him – I mean these were the most delightful fun times because it was just the movies he was doing -- he wasn't going on stage and I think I had the best years of him. I really did. He was gentle and he was sweet and he was loveable, and a southern gentleman - really he was. 

Colonel Parker really liked me for what reason I have no clue but whatever I wanted – I'd ask him a question – and he'd always say hi and I wanted my mom to meet Elvis – well he arranged a dinner downstairs at the Beverly Wilshire and Elvis came down and met my mom and we had dinner. When one of Elvis's movies was coming out he liked me to be in front of the theater holding a sign or dressed real cute – you know something to do with the movie and I did that for him. 

The last time I saw him was 72 and I went backstage because James Burton invited me backstage – I told him I would be in the audience and I didn't realize that would be the last time I saw him. By then I had been married and divorced and I think he was going through a divorce so we had just a few minutes to talk – we talked about Lisa and I had two little boys – so we tried to catch up with everything.’