An Elvis co-star shares her childhood memories of The King on movie set
Victoria Paige Meyerink was just six years old when she sat on Elvis’s knee in the 1968 film Speedway, but she still remembers every minute.
“We got to hang out on the MGM (Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer) lot and play for several weeks, and have lunch together every day,” Meyerink said of her time co-starring with The King. Meyerink was a featured guest at Windsor’s Kingfest, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the film. She shared her memories of the rock ‘n’ roll legend. “I was having fun with a pro, a friend, someone I enjoyed being with.” Meyerink introduced an anniversary screening of Speedway in front of a Kingfest crowd of about 100 at the Hellenic Cultural Centre on Walker Road Saturday afternoon. The movie is a musical action film in which Elvis plays a race car driver. Meyerink acted in several scenes with Elvis, and was happy to share her memories with his admirers.
“The fans certainly love it,” said Meyerink. “It’s a way of celebrating Elvis’s life and keeping his memory alive. It’s amazing to me how many millions and millions of fans there are worldwide, and how many of these festivals there are.” Meyerink met Elvis tribute artist Norm Ackland Jr., the organizer of Windsor’s Kingfest, in 2013 at the Collingwood Elvis Festival, where Ackland Jr. was crowned gospel champion. Since then, the two kept in touch. Ackland Jr. invited Meyerink to Windsor for the Speedway anniversary celebration.
“It’s very intimate this year,” he said. Crowd sizes averaged 150 over the four days of showcases. “It lets the crowd get much closer to the entertainers. We will probably grow the festival again in the future.”
Ackland Jr., 44, has been a performing Elvis tribute artist for more than 30 years. His father, Norm Ackland Sr., celebrated 50 years as an Elvis impersonator this year, and his 12-year-old son, Jax, also does gigs as the King. “The Elvis world is a world unto itself, and it’s really a privilege to be a part of it,” said Meyerink. Elvis, who died in 1977 at the age of 42, “was genuine and a gentleman,” Meyerink said of her co-star. “Very charming and endearing, but it was real.”
At the festival, Meyerink showed the crowd the dress she wore in her musical number with Elvis all those years ago. She joked that it no longer fit, but said she was glad to still have the small piece of Elvis history.
This was the 12th-annual Kingfest, formerly known as Windsor Elvis Festival.