20th-century rock and roll icon Elvis Presley‘s fears come to light after his friends and family members reveal one of his biggest phobias. The late King’s inner circle known as the Memphis Mafia recall some of his fears involving one particular animal.

Danny Smith is the son of Presley’s cousin, Billy. Smith learned this new fact about Elvis after his father let it slip in conversation. In an interview on Danny’s Memphis Mafia Kid YouTube channel, he responded to the question of if Elvis had any phobias saying, “He did. Everybody probably [knows] about the flying, which he eventually got over.”

Elvis fans may recall in his early days as a singer, The King, and his bandmates, Scotty Moore and Bill Black boarded a private flight hosted by The Colonel. The crew had to make an emergency landing due to fuel-related issues leading to Presley’s fear of planes. The musician did his best to avoid flying after the experience so as to not worry his mother, Gladys. In fact, the unfortunate experience even led the star to take a boat to Hawaii.

A new fear of the rock and roll icon is out in the open after Elvis Presley’s relative reveals he didn’t like a certain reptile. “He didn’t like snakes,” said Danny.

Having lived in Tennesse since he was 13-years-old, Elvis came across his fair share of the scaled species. The Volunteer State is home to a variety of snakes including Worm snakes, Red Corn snakes, and the poisonous Cottonmouth snakes.

One maid at Graceland remembered Elvis chasing a serpent back to its hiding place at the base of a tree. Then, he took his rifle and began “blazing away” at the creature. Apparently, Elvis and the Memphis Mafia liked to shoot reptiles around the Graceland property for fun.

Billy describes another Elvis memory involving snakes on the Memphis Mafia Kid YouTube. “I tell you one thing he did like to do,” he began. “When he bought Graceland, a lot of people got to know him around the area. One lady, her name was Miss Cook and her husband had a pond… and it was snake-infested. So we all went snake hunting and he got a thrill out of that. Killing snakes.”

Danny continued saying, “He didn’t like closed-in areas, and [then there is] another one that Daddy told me, that even I didn’t know.”

“If [Elvis] were sitting like somewhere [at] the movies or whatever, he didn’t like somebody that he didn’t know or trusted sitting behind him. He just didn’t like that,” he added.

Billy shares one strange encounter Elvis experienced during his early days. “One time he was sitting in a car and somebody recognized him,” Billy recalls. “So they walked up and they said, ‘Can I have your autograph?’ and handed him a piece of paper. He started signing it, [then] the guy hit him right in the side of the jaw.”

Sadly, shocking experiences such as this would cause Elvis to have nightmares. Billy remembers that if he caught Elvis having a bad dream, it was best to comfort him by calmly talking instead of rushing him to wake up

Burt Reynolds Opened Up About How Much Fun He Had Filming ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ in Georgia

written by Megan Molseed February 11, 2022

The 1977 Burt Reynolds and Sally Field film, Smokey and the Bandit is one of Reynolds’ most memorable films. Smokey and the Bandit was such a big commercial – and critical – success that it even spawned two sequels. One of which saw the return of Reynolds in his role as Bandit. The film certainly made an impact on pop culture, making it an iconic hit, even to this day. And, notes Burt Reynolds in a 2016 interview, it was one of the best times he has had while filming a movie.

In fact, the movie star discussed worrying slightly that the fun he had while filming in Georgia may hurt the overall product. A sort of “if you’re having too much fun during filming, the movie will turn out lousy,” Reynolds explains. Thankfully, though, this was not the case!

“I thought, This is just too damn much fun,” Burt Reynolds recalls of his time filming Smokey and the Bandit in Georgia.

“There’s got to be a bad ending to it,” the iconic movie star adds in the 2016 conversation with Cowboys & Indians. “Yet, the movie made a fortune.”

Fun On the ‘Smokey and the Bandit’ Set Made Some Execs A Little Nervous!

Burt Reynolds goes on to note that the studio behind the hit 1977 film classic wasn’t loving the good time Reynolds and the rest of the cast and crew were having on the movie set. And, the star notes, the pressure was on while on the Smokey and the Bandit set.

“We were under pressure from the suits at the studio,” the former Gunsmoke star remembers in the July 2016 conversation.

“They knew we were having a great time,” Reynolds adds. “And they weren’t too thrilled about that.”

But, the actor says, that did not slow down the perfection that was to become Smokey and the Bandit. In fact, notes Reynolds, the film’s director, Hal Needham got some high praise once the film was released.

“What’s wonderful though — what’s shocking, really — is that after [Lawrence of Arabia director] David Lean saw it, he told Hal what everybody told him: what a great filmmaker he is,” Burt Reynolds remembers. “He said, ‘I love Smokey and the Bandit.’”

Even the legendary filmmaker – the mind behind some great works such as 2001: A Space Odyssey; Clockwork Orange; Eyes Wide Shut; and Citizen Kane – Orson Welles loved the iconic action/comedy film. As did another major film icon, Alfred Hitchock. Hitchcock, of course, is the man who gave us films such as Psycho; The Birds; and Dial M. For Murder.

“It was one of Orson’s favorite films,” Burt Reynolds recalls in the 2016 interview.

“Alfred Hitchcock told me he liked it, too,” the movie star adds.