Take a walk through Shreveport and Bossier in Elvis' shoes ahead of the new biopic

Meredith G. White, Shreveport Times
·2 min read
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Baz Luhrmann's movie "Elvis" opens at the Robinson Film Center on Friday, June 24 and Shreveport is filled with mementos of Elvis Presley's time in the city.

So put on your blue suede shoes and follow the King's footsteps through Shreveport.

The Robinson Film Center

"Elvis" is a biographical musical that follows the King's rise to fame that stars Tom Hanks and Austin Butler in the titular role.

The film opens on Friday, June 24 and you can visit the RFC website to purchase tickets and check out showtimes.

A new exhibit is going up at Masur Museum in Monroe, La., that features photographs of a young Elvis Presley on the stage of the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, La. The show focuses on 40 black and white photographs taken by Shreveport photojournalists Jack Barham and Langston McEachern, most depicting Elvis in his final performance in Shreveport on Dec. 15, 1956. (AP Photo,file)

The Municipal Auditorium

Elvis made many trips to Shreveport and the Municipal hosted many of his performances with the Louisiana Hayride from 1954-1956. He spent enough time there that the street out front was renamed after him and a bronze statue was put up.

Stan's Record Shop

An old photo of Stan "The Record Man" Lewis' and Elvis Presley.
An old photo of Stan "The Record Man" Lewis' and Elvis Presley.

Presley held many autograph parties at the record shop that was previously located across from First United Methodist Church of Shreveport. When he wasn't signing things, he still enjoyed popping in to browse through the records.

Food Finds

Shreveport has many options for Cajun fare and Presley frequented many places like Kickapoo Restaurant at the corner of Benton Rd. and E. Texas in Bossier City that was demolished in 1984.

Presley was also often seen at Southern Maid Donuts on Greenwood and even did a radio jingle promoting them in 1954. That was the only commercial Presley did throughout his entire career.

While it's unknown if Presley frequented Cobb's Barbecue on McCormick in downtown Bossier City, it is known that he practiced for his Louisiana Hayride performances in an apartment behind the establishment.

A Place to Rest

The King stayed at several places that are no longer around or have been re-branded like the Captain Shreve Hotel at the corner of Market and Travis in downtown Shreveport that was demolished.

Other places included the former inn at Cross Lake - where he liked to fish - Lake Cliff or at the Al-Ida Motel that is now the Siesta on E. Texas in Bossier City.

Hirsch Memorial Coliseum

Presley returned to the Louisiana Hayride in December of 1956 and Shreveport went wild. Moving from the Municipal to the Hirsch to accommodate the larger crowd of about 9,000 fans.

It was at this performance that the iconic line that Hayride producer Horace Logan saying

Rockin' Elvis Studio: Take a photo in front of the world-famous, microphone-tilting, guitar-slinging Elvis Presley in downtown Shreveport. This bronze statue of the iconic performer stands tall in front of the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, where he performed on the Louisiana Hayride for the first time in October 1954. See, even the “King of Rock and Roll” couldn’t resist a stop in Shreveport.

Meredith G. White is the arts and culture reporter for the Shreveport Times. You can find her on Facebook as Meredith G. White, on Instagram and Twitter as @meredithgwhite, and email her at mgwhite@gannett.com. 

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Walk through Shreveport in Elvis' shoes before seeing the new biopic