Elvis' Women: Judy Tyler

Judy Tyler

Jailhouse Rock, 1957

Real Name: Judith Hess
Born: 1934
Died: July 3rd, 1957
Husband: Gregory Lafayette

Judy began her show business career on the "Howdy Doody" TV show, at the age of seventeen. She appeared in the Rodgers and Hammerstein play, Pipe Dream, before starring in her first film, Bop Girl Goes Calypso, with Bobby Troup, the songwriter who wrote "Route 66". I sat through this one not long ago, and it's pretty bad. There's some genuine calypso performances, though (especially that Lord Flea!), if that's your idea of a good time. Judy's performances, however, make one lurch for the fast-forward button, although I'm not sure that's really her singing.

The same year, 1957, she began work on her second and final film. She would play Peggy Van Alden, the young record promoter who takes Vince Everett (Elvis) under her wing. She gets to deliver one of the classic lines from the film: "I like the way you swing a guitar!" Mostly, though, the audience just wonders why her classy character ever bothers with Vince, who seems to go out of his way to treat her badly. But, of course, in these early rock films, a woman's supposed to love her rebel no matter what, in the hopes that she will melt his cold heart and in the end, get him to sing "Young And Beautiful".

Judy Tyler's sudden death in a car accident came just as Jailhouse Rock was set to be released. Judy's husband was also killed in the crash. Elvis' friends say that Elvis would never watch the film after that.