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Writer's picturePeter K F Cheung SBS

Viva Elvis!

Updated: Aug 17, 2022

  1. FADE IN


  2. Act 1


  3. INT. STUDIO - 10:00


  4. From the internet radio, we hear: Elvis Presley died today in 1977.


  5. PETER (V.O.): Time flies.


  6. FLASHBACK


  7. INT. HOME - DAY (1977)


  8. Peter (23) is listening to the radio: Elvis Presley has died today...

  9. PETER (V.O.): Is that right? How can the King die!


  10. END FLASHBACK


  11. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I was young, my idols were like immortal gods to me.


  12. Peter surfs "Elvis Presley - Wikipedia" with his smart phone.


  13. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): He was just 42.


  14. Act 2


  15. INT. STUDIO - CONTINUOUS


  16. Taking a look of a book "The Rock 'N' Roll Age" hiding among the guitars, Peter picks it up to read.


  17. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I've never read it.


  18. Seeing a Bargain-Priced sticker of $7.98 on the cover, Peter recalls something.


  19. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I bought it in a San Francisco book store during one of my duty visits to US.


  20. Peter opens the book to read, from 1945 onwards.


  21. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In 1954, Elvis failed in an audition and was told that he couldn't sing.


  22. Reading.


  23. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In 1956, Elvis got his debut album. Its cover image of his playing the guitar defines it as the rock and roll instrument.


  24. Peter looks at the guitars nearby.


  25. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I got a vintage "Elvis Presley" acoustic guitar. I used it to write and perform songs. I gave it to my elder son as a present.


  26. Recalling.


  27. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Of Elvis' songs, I love his 1960 number "The Girl of My Best Friend."


  28. Recalling.

  29. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): When I was very young, I loved a Chinese song called "多少柔情,多少涙".


  30. Pausing.


  31. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Years later, I discovered that it was actually a cover version of Elvis Presley's 1961 song "Summer Kisses, Winter Tears".


  32. INT. MALL RESTAURANT - 12:30


  33. Peter is having a light lunch.


  34. PETER (V.O.): I decide to dedicate today to remember one of my teenage idols.


  35. INT. STUDIO - 14:30


  36. Peter sets up his iPad mini.


  37. PETER (V.O.): In the 1960s, I watched most of Elvis' movies in the after-office-hours screenings in Yuen Long cinemas.


  38. Recalling.


  39. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): The most memorable ones were "Blue Hawaii" (籃色夏威夷) and "Viva Las Vegas"(龍鳳春光).


  40. As Peter types "Blue Hawaii", some icons appear. Peter clicks one and soon we see the landscape images of Diamond Head appearing on screen.

  41. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): In 1989, Sharon and I joined a packaged tour to US. Our first stop was Honolulu in Hawaii.


  42. Pausing.


  43. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): It was our first and last visit. I'm privileged to have an encore on screen now.


  44. As Peter types "Viva Las Vegas", we see images of Las Vegas neon lights appearing on screen.


  45. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We also went to Las Vegas. I had an encore some 10 years later.


  46. Then, the showing on screen stops.


  47. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): I can bear with the Ads. But there's a streaming problem.


  48. Tapping an icon, the movie begins to play from the beginning again.


  49. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): After a lapse of over 50 years, I don't mind the involuntary encores.


  50. Further repeats.


  51. Act 3


  52. INT. STUDIO - 20:00


  53. Putting aside the iPad Mini, Peter is in thoughts.


  54. PETER (V.O.): What's the meaning of "Viva"?

  55. Checking with his smart phone, we see on screen: Italian & Spanish: Long live.


  56. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): We only live through this life once. No one can come back for an encore.

  57. Peter surfs the web again.


  58. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Elvis was born on Jan 8, 1935. If he was alive, he should be 87 now.


  59. Worshipping.


  60. PETER (V.O.) (Cont'd): Anyhow, Viva Elvis!


  61. THE END


  62. FADE OUT








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