If you've seen as many Elvis films as I have, certain patterns begin to expose themselves. One of these patterns is Elvis's pal and bodyguard, Red West.
Robert "Red" West appeared in sixteen of Elvis' 33 feature films, all in some minor role. In "Harum Scarum", Red played one of the assassins (he would eventually be karate-chopped into submission by the King). In "Tickle Me" he plays a jealous boyfriend who starts a bar fight. (Ambivalence about a "Deliverance" type of role must have kept him out of "Kissin' Cousins.") West also wrote songs for Elvis, Pat Boone, Ricky Nelson and Johnny Rivers! (credit to IMDB).
Red was unforgettable in Clambake. During the worst Elvis musical number ever recorded -- Confidence -- he played a Good Humor man who takes a rubber-tipped arrow in the forehead (maybe it was headed for Elvis). That's what I call a pal.
Pal or not, Elvis's dad eventually canned West and two of his bodyguard buddies as being a little too aggressive in beating Presley's crazed fans back. You can read about it in Red's book: "Elvis: What Happened" (seriously!). Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/Elvis-What-Happened-Sonny-Hebler/dp/B000I17ZIQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219624457&sr=8-2
Red has an entry in Wikipedia, in which we learn he is also good friends with Robert Conrad. Quite a coincidence, as I've been told I look like William Conrad (with glasses).
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