Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Add Upworthy to your Google News feed.
Google News Button

Elvis Presley was a man of many appetites–especially food. And one dish he is infamous for loving is the peanut butter and banana sandwich. In an unearthed BBC Four interview from 1995, Presley's longtime cook at his Graceland home, Mary Jenkins, shared the secrets behind the iconic meal.

In abbreviated version of the interview on Memphis Forgotten's Instagram, more is explained about Mary and her impact on 'The King of Rock & Roll' and his diet. "Did you know Elvis Presley’s legendary love for food had a lot to do with the magic of his cook, Mary Jenkins? 👑🍳 She was the heart behind The King’s favorite meals, including his iconic peanut butter & banana sandwiches and mouthwatering cheeseburgers. 🍌🥜🍔," the caption of the post reads.


"When I walked in the dining room I said 'Good morning!' and he said, 'Good morning! I said, 'What are we gonna have for breakfast thing morning?' He said, 'Fried peanut butter and banana sandwich.' And I looked at him and I said, 'What?!' He said, 'Fried peanut butter and banana sandwich.' I said, 'I never heard of it!'" she shared.

The video shows Jenkins preparing the sandwich exactly how Presley liked them. As she cooks, she talks about the first time he ever had her make the peanut butter and banana sandwich for him–which didn't go exactly smooth.

Elvis Presleyelvis love GIFGiphy

"The first time I went in, fixed the sandwich and put it on the tray and brought it back–that wasn't right. His father was sitting there, and he said Mary I'm going with you and help you, and maybe both of us can get it right.' I said, 'Okay!' He said, 'Let's toast the bread first'," she explains. "So we toast the bread, then spread the peanut butter on and slice the bananas and put 'em on and put them into the skillet and kept turning them with the spatula, and turning them until they get heated all the way through. Then I take them and cut them and put them on the platter and take them back ot him. And he said, 'Now that's what I want! That's right!' And then smiled.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The video continues, and Jenkins explains how making the peanut butter and banana sandwich became a very regular occurrence. "If he wanted them in the morning when he woke up, I would have to fix 'em. If he wanted them at 2 o'clock in the morning, I would have to still have to fix em for him. Whenever he get a taste for 'em, he'd call down and that's what he wanted. Well yeah, I imagine that helped to make him heavy, because he wanted them real rich," she said, showing the sandwiches sizzling in hot butter in the skillet."

Jenkins tells the interviewer

They had him on a strict diet one time. They had food coming in from California for him. Sometimes he'd eat it, sometimes he wouldn't. He said it was the only thing he got any enjoyment out of–was eating," she says.

Finally, Mary tells a funny story about how she corroborated with Presley to sneak him food into the hospital while he was on a strict diet.

"When he was in the hospital, he would call me to bring him in different foods. One day he called me and told me and said, 'Mary they have me on a diet.' And I want you to slip me some hot dogs with kraut on them. Wrap 'em up and slip 'em in to me and tell them you have some clothes you bringing me up here. So I went on in with the bag in my hand, and handed it to him. And he looked at me and smiled. He said, 'Mary, we can get by 'em, can't we?' And I said, 'Yeah we sure can.' And he opened that bag and went to workin' on them hot dogs."

The clip got a passionate response from viewers. "I love this. You can tell she really loved Elvis. I want to see more. ❤️," one wrote. Another added, "2 am sandwiches is wild work😂😂😂." And another wrote, "Mary is priceless ❤️."

More For You

consumerism, marketing, unnecessary products, gaslighting, modern life

Confused shopper

Canva

These 21 products gaslight you into thinking they’re essential. They’re not.

Some things in life are actually necessary—clean water, decent healthcare, basic human decency. But then there are the things that feel like they’re gaslighting us. The things we’re told we can’t live without, even though we survived just fine before they existed. Things like "smart" fridges, lawn fertilizer services, and yes—whole body deodorant.

Recently, we asked our Facebook audience: What's a product or service that feels like it's gaslighting all of us into thinking it's necessary? More than 8,000 responses poured in. The answers were passionate, funny, and surprisingly unified.

Keep ReadingShow less
A Tim Hortons and a biker.

Representative Image: Luc Perreault's experience outside a Tim Hortons has opened a lot of eyes.

A mom told her daughter not to talk to the ‘dirty biker.’ His epic response is pure class.

We've all heard the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover," but in reality, snap judgments happen every day. Whether it's based on someone's clothes, tattoos, or demeanor, these assumptions can often be unfair—and completely wrong. One Canadian biker experienced this firsthand when a mother at a Tim Hortons dismissed him as a "dirty biker" in front of her child. Instead of reacting with anger, he shared a powerful message on Facebook that resonated with thousands.

Luc Perreault, a burly, tattooed biker, had stopped at Tim Hortons for a coffee when he exchanged a friendly smile with a little girl. But rather than receiving kindness in return, he overheard the child's mother pulling her away and saying, "No, no, dear, we don’t talk to dirty bikers."

Keep ReadingShow less
Her baby was pronounced dead. What happened when she held him stunned the room.

Representative Image: The first moments of a child's life can be precarious, but new moms have power in these moments.

Representative image by Canva

Her baby was pronounced dead. What happened when she held him stunned the room.

Life rarely gives us the storybook moment where darkness turns to triumph—but it does happen. Kate and David Ogg had such a moment. The Australian couple welcomed premature twins into the world on March 25, 2010, but their joy quickly turned to heartbreak when doctors told them that their baby boy, Jamie, hadn’t survived. What happened next would become a story of love, resilience, and the extraordinary power of a mother’s touch.

Kate and David had been ecstatic to learn they were expecting twins, but their excitement was overshadowed when the babies arrived prematurely at just 27 weeks. Doctors worked tirelessly to save them, but after 20 minutes of efforts, Jamie was pronounced dead. Devastated, the medical team placed his tiny body on Kate’s chest so she could say her goodbyes.

Keep ReadingShow less
She offered a homeless man some pizza—he was actually a Hollywood star in disguise
Canva

She offered a homeless man some pizza—he was actually a Hollywood star in disguise

A simple act of kindness turned into an unforgettable story for one woman and her family while visiting New York City. Karine Gombeau, a French tourist, was exploring the city with her husband and teenage son when she spotted a man rummaging through a trash can near Grand Central Terminal. Moved by what she saw, she decided to offer the man some leftover pizza.

"He should have my pizza instead of going through that bin."

— Karine Gombeau

What she didn’t know? That “homeless man” was actually Hollywood legend Richard Gere.

Keep ReadingShow less
Her baby was pronounced dead. What happened when she held him stunned the room.

Representative Image: The first moments of a child's life can be precarious, but new moms have power in these moments.

Representative image by Canva

Her baby was pronounced dead. What happened when she held him stunned the room.

Life rarely gives us the storybook moment where darkness turns to triumph—but it does happen. Kate and David Ogg had such a moment. The Australian couple welcomed premature twins into the world on March 25, 2010, but their joy quickly turned to heartbreak when doctors told them that their baby boy, Jamie, hadn’t survived. What happened next would become a story of love, resilience, and the extraordinary power of a mother’s touch.

Kate and David had been ecstatic to learn they were expecting twins, but their excitement was overshadowed when the babies arrived prematurely at just 27 weeks. Doctors worked tirelessly to save them, but after 20 minutes of efforts, Jamie was pronounced dead. Devastated, the medical team placed his tiny body on Kate’s chest so she could say her goodbyes.

Keep ReadingShow less