The Rebel and the King - Softcover

The Rebel & The King is a celebratory, first person account written by Academy Award nominated actor, Nick Adams, about his close friendship with Elvis Presley, during their whirlwind eight days in Memphis when Presley returned to Tupelo for his Homecoming Concert in 1956. Posthumously published by Nick Adams' daughter, Allyson Adams, after she discovered the unedited manuscript in a box of her father's memorabilia. Book includes facsimile of original text, edited version, 15 photos (some never before seen), and foreword by Allyson Adams. Elvis Presley had just exploded on the American scene and was filming his first movie, Love Me Tender, when he introduced himself to Nick Adams on the backlot of 20th Century Fox. Nick was a struggling actor, part of the Rebel Without A Cause gang and showed Elvis the town, introducing him to Natalie Wood. Nick was infamous for writing about his famous friends, including James Dean, and he and Elvis became fast friends. "I would rather live one day as a lion, than a thousand years as a lamb. And that was the first thing that came to my mind when I sat down to write this story about Elvis." Nick Adams, 1956

Nick Adams was an Academy Award nominated film and television actor noted for his appearance in film classics Rebel Without a Cause, Mister Roberts, Picnic, Pillow Talk and No Time for Sergeants. He lived a short and fast-paced life in Hollywood only to die young, and somewhat mysteriously. His friendships with James Dean, Natalie Wood, Dennis Hopper and Elvis Presley are legendary. Nick starred in and co-created the iconic western television series, The Rebel, with the famous song by Johnny Cash in 1959-61. Then after his Twilight of Honor Academy Award nomination, he made Godzilla movies, Monster Zero, Frankenstein Meets the Outer Space Monster, and Boris Karloff's last horror movie, Die Monster Die. Nick Adams died tragically of an overdose at 36.