Tom Brown, Elvis share another birthday

Just in front of his desk is a massive poster of the 1972 concert film “Elvis on Tour,” featuring an image of Presley crouching low in mid-verse. It’s a movie Brown helped encourage Warner Bros. to finally release to DVD and Blu-Ray last summer.

This year Brown is celebrating his birthday with the King again. As fans flock to Memphis for this weekend’s 2011 Elvis Presley Birthday Celebration, Brown puts his best blue suede shoe forward for the festivities. He’ll be interviewing some of Presley’s former movie co-stars and a pair of his back-up singers in front of legions of Elvis fans.

But this is nothing new for Brown. For the past 11 years he’s been hosting events during Elvis Week, the yearly fan gathering in Memphis on and around the Aug. 16 anniversary of the performer’s death.

“Tom Brown is not only one of the most knowledgeable expert Elvis masters out there, his enthusiasm for the movies and music matches up extremely well with all of the Graceland activities and events,” said Tony Yoken, operations manager for Elvis Radio, the Memphis-based satellite radio station on Sirius XM.

Brown recently faced down his fears in November while hosting events on the Elvis Cruise, a four-day journey from Jacksonville to the Bahamas co-produced by Atlanta-based Sixthman. Call it the Love Me Tender Boat, a floating Presley fan festival featuring live performances by some of the King’s former bandmates and nearly a dozen Elvis tribute artists.

“My wife was a little concerned for me because I don’t swim and I’m deathly afraid of the water,” Brown said. “But I kind of adapted that Butch and Sundance attitude of if anything happens, the fall will kill me.”

Brown’s worries were soon washed away by his passion for Elvis. Although he’s a special guest at these events, Brown is first and foremost a fan. And he still gets a kick out of hanging with Elvis’ friends and cohorts, including Jerry Schilling, one of Presley’s closest pals and business associates.

“Here’s an executive who does what he does out of his love for Elvis and the fans,” said Schilling. “And he does a great job keeping Elvis alive on TCM.”

But Brown’s job isn’t simply about making sure Elvis doesn’t leave the building. He continues snagging additional praise for original TCM productions. The Marlon Brando, Johnny Mercer, Bette Davis and Cary Grant documentaries, all of which he oversaw production, were each nominated for Emmys. And numerous Telly Awards shine above his desk, including one for “Private Screenings: Tony Curtis,” featuring conversations with the late Hollywood icon, with whom Brown developed a close friendship.

His lifelong love for Presley has made him the go-to-guy for both Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE) and TCM. When EPE needs Brown’s Kingly knowledge, he’s the man for the job. And if his network gives a nod to Presley on celluloid, Brown is on the case.

“Last year we had 24 hours of Elvis movies to celebrate his 75th birthday,” Brown said. “Charlie Tabesh, our program director, came to me with a list of movies, dropped it on my desk and just said, ‘Schedule it.’”

The collision of both of Brown’s worlds came sort of serendipitously. As a kid, while listening to an Elvis soundtrack in the background, he dreamed of becoming the next Johnny Carson or Tom Snyder.

After graduating from the University of Mississippi and working as an entertainment journalist, those lines eventually crossed when he arrived at TCM.

“I have a great love for TV production and classic movies,” Brown said. “I’m at the only network in the world for that. Being from Tupelo, I kind of took the Elvis thing and ran with it.”

This includes producing and directing a segment last year with TCM host Robert Osborne interviewing Schilling and Priscilla Presley before a block of Elvis flicks. Among Brown’s other notable Presley projects was an after-hours private shoot in Graceland starring Osborne and Presley’s good friend, Memphis disc jockey George Klein.

“I was riding with George up the Graceland driveway,” Brown said. “And I looked at him and said, ‘I feel like I’m in the Memphis Mafia.’ And George said, ‘With as much as you’ve done for Elvis, if he were around, you’d be in the Mafia.’ I’m like, OK, greatest moment ever right there.”

Brown continues to do a lot for Presley’s film catalog. Although some critics are quick to dismiss many of these movies, Brown recognizes their place along the historic Hollywood landscape.

“He gives Elvis a lot of film credibility by choosing which films to run, how it’s all set up and who’s interviewed before each movie,” Schilling said. “Nobody takes care of Elvis’ work on film as good as Tom Brown. And that’s really important, because those films are what’s bringing in new fans.”

With Brown taking care of business, some of those new fans may be cutting a figurative slice of Presley's birthday cake along with him next year.

ELVIS BIRTHDAY EVENTS

Here’s a hunka, hunka list of Elvis-related activities taking place this weekend to commemorate what would be the legendary singer’s 76th birthday.

Elvis Presley double-feature on Turner Classic Movies

Elvis plays dual roles in “Kissin’ Cousins” (4 p.m.) and romances Shelley Fabares in “Clambake” (6 p.m.). Saturday. www.tcm.com.

Elvis Gospel Show

Elvis tribute artist Damon Hendrix and his spot-on vocals revisit Presley’s spiritual side. 2 p.m. Sunday. $5. Red Sky Neighborhood Grill, 2033 Buford Highway, Buford. 770-614-0031, www.redskyneighborhoodgrill.com.

Mike Geier’s Kingsized Elvis Royale

Geier blows out Elvis’ birthday candles with his powerhouse vocals and is joined onstage by the Kingsized Rock ‘n’ Roll Orchestra and Dames Aflame Dancers. 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $27.60. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave., Atlanta. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.