MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) –  Elvis Presley was born 80 years ago today and
eighteen years after his birth, in 1953, Presley walked into Sun Records
in Memphis and recorded the song "My Happiness” for $4. The 78 RPM 
acetate record was his first recording, a gift for his mother Gladys. 

But, as the story goes, Presley stopped by a friend’s house to listen to the
recording and left it there. The Presley family did not have a record player,
according to Elvis Presley Enterprises, which operates Graceland.

The record has remained in his friend’s safe for decades and today, it will
be auctioned off at Graceland, the late singer’s longtime Memphis home,
along with other Presley-related memorabilia on what would have been
‘the King’s’ 80th birthday. The acetate is in original condition and it is
playable.

                           
                             Elvis Presley at eighteen

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Little Jimmy Dickens (James Cecil Dickens)
(December 19, 1920 – January 2, 2015)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. AP) –  Little Jimmy Dickens, a diminutive singer-songwriter who
was the oldest cast member of the Grand Ole Opry, has died.

Dickens died Friday at a Nashville-area hospital of cardiac arrest after suffering a
stroke on Christmas Day, Opry spokeswoman Jessie Schmidt said.

Dickens, who stood 4-foot-11, had performed on the Opry almost continuously
since 1948. His last performance was Dec. 20 as part of his birthday celebration.

Donna Douglas (born Doris Smith) (September 26, 1933 – January 1, 2015)

(FOX) – According to multiple media reports, Donna Douglas, the actress who
won over TV viewers as Elly May Clampett on “The Beverly Hillbillies,” has died, 

The star’s granddaughter told TMZ, Douglas died in her Louisiana home
surrounded by friends and family.

Douglas appeared “The Beverly Hillbillies” for all nine seasons of the show
and reprised her role in a TV movie reboot of the series in 1981.

Throughout the ‘50s and ‘60s the 1957 Miss New Orleans winner appeared
in series like “The Twilight Zone” and “Mr. Ed.” In 1966, she transitioned to
film with a role opposite Elvis Presley in the movie “Frankie and Johnny.”

After her “Hillbillies” fame faded, Douglas recorded several gospel music
albums.

Douglas’ agents did not immediately return FOX News request for comment.

Edward Kirk Herrmann (July 21, 1943 – December 31, 2014)

(AP) – Edward Herrmann, the actor who brought Franklin D. Roosevelt
to life in films and documentaries, won a Tony Award and was the stuffy
dad on TV’s "Gilmore Girls," died Wednesday.

According to this son Rory, Herrmann died at Memorial Sloan Kettering
Hospital of brain cancer. The actor, who had been hospitalized for several
weeks, was surrounded by family members including his wife, Star, and
his three children. 

Burt Reynolds in Smokey and the Bandit.

The 1977 Pontiac Trans Am owned by Burt Reynolds.

Burt Reynolds has sold his black 1977 Pontiac Trans Am at auction for
$450,000. It was only a promotional vehicle from his hit movie Smokey
and the Bandit, and is not one of the actual cars used in the film.

The vehicle had only been expected to fetch $60,000 to $80,000, according
to Julien’s Auction, which conducted auction of a wide range of Reynolds
memorabilia over the weekend in Las Vegas. The auction house says that
the car had been given to Reynolds to help promote the movie, which co-
starred Sally Field, Jerry Reed and Jackie Gleason.

1977

Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds turned 78 in February.