Memphis Summer Blues

Elvira’s thirteen, and she’s never had the type of family that you could find in a storybook. She snipes at her mother Mel and father, Tony, and Mel are constantly bickering. She can’t stand her own eight-year old sister, the sometimes lisping, baby-talking, way-too-cute Kerrie. Her mother has been estranged from her family for years. Tony’s first love is Elvis, and he’s leaving to compete in one more Elvis-Look-alike contest. He’s a fan of the King, and he’s been an Elvis impersonator forever, so how can he pass up one more gig? Mel thinks he should, for her sake, and for the sake of the new baby that’s on the way.

Unfortunately, Tony goes away angry, and for Elvira, it feels like everything is falling apart. Kerrie’s afraid she’s losing her mother’s attention, and Elvira’s not keen on having to put up with yet another baby — on top of Mel, whom she feels like she has to keep an eye on. And then Mel’s long-lost family intrudes — a call from her sister makes it seems like her mother is not long for this world. Mel throws the girls into the car, and heads for Memphis, determined to do one thing to make things right.

Love Me Tender is the story of a family who may not be the kind found in books or on TV commercials, who show that love — in all its forms — is what makes their family — and every family — work.