Making Elvis audiences laugh is old hat to comedian Shore

For Las Vegas comedian Sammy Shore, today's appearance at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts is "like coming back home," even though he never lived in Memphis.

Shore, the comedian who was the opening act for Elvis Presley in Las Vegas from 1969 to 1972, now is the opening act for Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Shawn Klush in the town where Shore's wife once wore the Miss Memphis crown.

Shore, father of actor-comedian Pauly Shore, is working on a new comedy act he calls "Two Gals and a Geezer." At 81 and still touring, he's one of the oldest acts on the road or, as he calls it, "the last comic breathing."

While singers now typically have other singers as opening acts, Vegas often used standup comics to open for its biggest stars. Shore had been opening for Tom Jones when Elvis and his manager, Col. Tom Parker, saw him.

Shore, whose act relied heavily on physical comedy, had been playing a Southern minister character, "Brother Sam," that appealed to Elvis and Parker. There was a knock on Shore's dressing room door. "The Colonel said, 'Sammy that preacher bit was a really funny bit. How would you like to open for Elvis in three weeks at the International Hotel?'"

The Elvis act would follow an engagement by Barbra Streisand, who had just christened the new hotel's showroom, the biggest in town. Elvis would break every attendance record in the city.

That meant pressure for Shore. "They didn't want to see Sammy Shore. They wanted to see Elvis, so, of course, it was a handicap," he says. But Shore was used to rising to the occasion. One reviewer when he appeared with Tom Jones had said, "Even if the Welshman doesn't show up, Sammy Shore would be worth the price of admission."

Elvis' road manager, Joe Esposito, says Shore "was very different. He's not a typical comedian. He does crazy stuff on stage. He's very hyper, physical. His energy on stage is amazing."

Elvis friend George Klein calls Shore "an old-school funny comedian. He was clean and hip. That's what the Colonel liked about him, and Elvis liked him too."

Later, Shore would work into his act how Elvis told him his bodyguards were there partly to keep away hordes of girls. "I said, 'Why don't you go where the girls won't bother you -- my dressing room.'"

So Elvis did. Shore says Elvis often visited and sat on the floor to talk about everything from feeling like a prisoner of fame to the Bible. "He was a very religious guy, just a sweet, sweet man."

He says he didn't delve into Elvis' personal life or drug use. "I just knew that every night Dr. George (Nichopoulos) would pass my dressing room. He'd say, 'I've got to go see Elvis and give him a booster shot.'"

Shore's story is part of a new book, "The Man Who Made Elvis Laugh: A Life In American Comedy."

After leaving Elvis' entourage, Shore opened The Comedy Store in Los Angeles with partner Rudy DeLuca. He would later lose the store to previous wife, Mitzi Shore, in a divorce settlement.

He now is married to Miss Memphis 1969 Suzanne Dennie, later Miss Alabama.

Shore met her on a blind date in Los Angeles 17 years ago and says she keeps him in check. "She tells me, 'If you ever decide to leave me, I'll drive you.'"

Shore on stage

Sammy Shore is the opening act today for Elvis tribute artist Shawn Klush at the 3:30-5 p.m. concert at Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, 255 N. Main. Klush, billed as "The Closest to the King," was the 2007 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest winner. Tickets are $22-$30 at Ticketmaster or the Cannon Center box office.