For years, Elvis fans always received responses to their correspondence, and in the early 1960s, lucky devotees, including Carol Reed, were sent what appeared to be handwritten letters from Elvis himself (in reality, the fan response letter was a copy of a handwritten letter on which the name of the recipient was handwritten by a secretary). Offered are a pair of fan response letters in which Elvis shares his thoughts. The contents of the letters are as follows:
Time has flown by and we are now facing a new year. I want to wish you a late but a prosperous new year. I am sorry I haven’t gotten around to it sooner, but I’m sure you understand how rushed I am around Christmas time. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and I sincerely hope this new year will be the most prosperous and happiest one you have ever had. I want to thank you for your loyal support and for your nice cards and letters for the year of 1962, and all others in the past. My new picture I recently finished is called “It Happened at The World’s Fair” and is suppose [sic] to be released around Easter. I hope you like it. I had a wonderful Christmas, Birthday and New Year at home with my folks. I am now leaving for the West Coast to start filming a new picture which as of now is named “Holiday In Acupulo,” [sic] part of it will be filmed in Acupulo, [sic] Mexico. I hope to be back home in Memphis some-time in April for a few days rest between pictures. As I am pressed for time, I guess I’d better run now. Keep writting [sic] your wonderful letters and I will answer you every chance I get. Best wishes to you and yours. Sincerely yours, Elvis Presley.
My how time does fly, its [sic] seems that only a few days ago that the New Year of 1963 had just come in. Now the year 1963 has passed and we find that we are entering into a new year, 1964. I sincerely hope that you had a wonderful year in 1963 and that 1964 will be a much better one for you and yours. May I extend to you my deepest gratitude and sincere “thanks” for your wonderful and loyal support in the years passed. It is my wish to please you with my entertaining and I do appreciate the wonderful cards and letters that I received from you. I sincerely hope that you will find the time to continue to write. I had a very nice Christmas and Birthday at home with my folks and I do hope that you had a nice one, also. I will be returning to the West Coast in the next few days to start working on a new picture. My latest pictures which I recently finished we [sic] be released sometime in the summer. I hope you liked the recent release which is titled “Fun In Acapulco,” if you have seen it. I will be in Nashville one day before my return to the West Coast to record more songs. I will close for now. I hope to hear from you again soon. Sincerely, Your friend as always, Elvis Presley.
These original letters come with period mailing envelopes (one may be from another fan mailing) hand-addressed to Carol Reed in Farmington, Michigan and are both postmarked from January 1963. The response letters each measure 11 by 8 1/2 inches (27.94 x 21.59 cm), the envelopes each measure 4 by 9 1/2 inches (10.16 x 24.13 cm) and the grouping is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Graceland Authenticated.
The letters and envelopes present with expected wear from mailing and storage, with mild toning and some small tears and edge wear. Excellent condition.