Playing House Away From Home

Chapter 1

The truth was, that the movie had been planned for years, when he was still tied down by his Hal Wallis contract. Elvis Presley and Loretta Lynn, still a rising country star in the year of 1963, as 1930's farmers on their way to the Promised Land of California. It wasn't so much that Elvis loved it, it simply sounded better than most anything else he was offered at the time. An opportunity to prove that he could rise to the challenge and act if given the chance. Somehow the project was always put on the back burner. His film schedule for other movies and her tour schedule did not match at first, then Loretta Lynn turned out to be pregnant and the movie was postponed yet again.

In the meantime Elvis made his stage comeback and Loretta became the first lady of country music. Elvis was positive that there never would be a movie. But Arthur Hillbrook, the director, hung on to his vision and vehemently refused to either drop the project or find another set of actors. He wanted Elvis Presley and Loretta Lynn and in early 1970, he got his wish. Somehow their schedules matched for once and it was declared that filming would take place in the fall of 1970.

And now he was flying out to start recording a soundtrack with a woman he had never met as they had both been too busy with work and family to sneak in a meeting despite living only three hours away from each other...when either one of them was home. There was a very distinct possibility that they would not hit it off to the point of being able to convincingly play a married couple. It had been easier in his other movies, where his character and the female lead started out as strangers and could ease into more intimate interaction.

Elvis expelled an audible sigh as he once again went through the script he held in his lap as the plane zoomed through the air. He barely suppressed an eye roll when Red's face popped up and the aforementioned cackled. "Did they change 'em into coal miners? Cause you heard what that Loretta Lynn sounds like, right?"

"I do," Lamar said before switching into an imitation of a strong Kentucky accent. "I was borned in the holler and my daddy's a coal miner and granddaddy's a coal miner and my husband's not a coal miner but he comes home a-drinkin' with lovin' on his mind."

The Mafia burst out in a round of laughter. Once it subsided Red said, "I wonder if she can even read that script. If she don't Elvis might have to help her."

Elvis merely shook his head. "I gotta learn these lyrics, man."

Sometimes it seemed as though the Mafia didn't know when to quit. The jokes had been coming non stop ever since he found out- the fact that Tom was set off by the mere mention of Loretta Lynn's name did not help matters. His guys, however, were having a blast. He glanced at Tom, who appeared to be fast asleep with his hat pulled halfway over his face.

"Okay," he heard Sonny say, "On a scale from one to ten, ten being the best and one the worst, how attractive do you think Loretta Lynn is?"

"One," Lamar deadpanned.

Red shrugged. "She ain't that bad," he said, stressing the 'that'. "E?"

"How about you talk about somethin' different?" Elvis suggested through gritted teeth but the guys paid him no mind.

Elvis felt his stomach drop when he caught Tom stir out of the corner of his eye. It was ridiculous really, that he, a grown man, was terrified of his manager half the time. He waited with bated breath, but Tom only let out a snort and continued to snore.

Elvis looked down at his watch. They would be landing soon.

~*~

They went to a local studio to start recording the songs the very same day, after hurriedly unpacking and scarfing down some food. Still, they were late and Loretta Lynn was already in the process of recording something.