Elvis Lives : . . . (Sort of)

Danny Uwnawich, an Elvis Presley impersonator, was standing outside the house he is building in Northridge recently when a motorist drove by, leaned out his window and shouted, “All right! It’s true!”

Indeed, Elvis lives, at least in spirit. Consider the house that Uwnawich is building: an estimated $1-million miniature replica of Presley’s famous Graceland mansion.

“I want it here for the people that have never been to Graceland,” said Uwnawich, a professional Elvis impersonator who plans to move into the 2-story, Georgian-style house at Parthenia Street and Zelzah Avenue when it is completed in May. “I want this to be a landmark, like Graceland comes to the Valley.”

Some of Uwnawich’s neighbors are a bit wary of the project, even though he promises to keep the house as a private residence and not open it for tours.

“So Elvis is in my neighborhood. Who cares?” said one resident who asked not to be identified. “I just don’t want a wild party.”

Clare Rowan, who has lived on Parthenia Street for 22 years, adopted a brighter outlook. “At least we know we don’t live in a planned community.” Curious to get a look at the final product, Rowan said, “I’m anxious to see them get finished.”

Uwnawich, who has been impersonating Elvis on stage for 16 years, said he searched for 6 years for an appropriate site for “Melody Land,” as he calls his Graceland replica. He finally settled on Parthenia Street because “I wanted it on a big boulevard” for maximum exposure.

He purchased the 1-acre site in 1986, had the house on the lot torn down and started building the Elvis tribute in 1987.

Only the house’s wooden frame is finished, but the resemblance to Graceland is already apparent. Large white wrought-iron gates installed in front are shaped like an open music book. Ornamental guitar players and musical notes decorate the gates--just like those at the original mansion outside of Memphis, Tenn.

Neighbors say the gates have caused quite a stir with passing motorists, who often stop and get out of their cars to get a closer look.

“The only people who have those gates is me and him ,” said Uwnawich, a 10-year Van Nuys resident.

“Melody Land” will be considerably smaller than Graceland--it will have only three bedrooms--but Uwnawich insists that it will accurately resemble the larger mansion in many other ways.

‘Monument to Elvis’

Inside, it will have a mini-museum to house Uwnawich’s $10,000 collection of Elvis memorabilia, including books, records and photos, as well as clothing, scarfs and rings that were once owned by Presley. A small recording studio will be built behind the house for rehearsals by Uwnawich and his band.

“I’ve always wanted this,” Uwnawich said. “I give it all my energy. I want this to be a monument to Elvis.”

The contractor building the 8,000-square-foot house, Ricky P. Davidson, said Uwnawich flew him to Memphis so that he could see Graceland to ensure that its details were accurately reproduced. “He’s spending a lot of money. He’s a very particular guy; he knows what he wants.

“It’s going to be a big party house--an entertaining house,” Davidson said.

When he’s not on the road impersonating his idol, Uwnawich works as an actor. His screen credits include “The Living Legend,” “Halloween III” and “Kojak,” as well as a small role in the made-for-TV movie, “Elvis and Me,” based on Priscilla Presley’s account of her life with Elvis.

Uwnawich, who goes by the stage name Danny U., said he started impersonating Presley 16 years ago, doing stage shows in Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area. “At first, I wanted to be a guitar player. I wanted to be successful. So I figured I wanted to follow a guy that everybody liked and was successful, and Elvis was king, the king of rock ‘n’ roll.”

Uwnawich claims to have been the first professional Elvis impersonator to have performed in Las Vegas while the King was still alive. He also claims that Elvis saw him perform at a 1973 show in Las Vegas.

After the show, Uwnawich said, Elvis came backstage and gave him a gold chain bearing the letters TCB--”taking care of business,” Elvis’ personal motto.

“I was embarrassed,” Uwnawich said. “My knees were shaking. My face turned red. I felt kind of silly.”

Like his idol, Uwnawich is also somewhat of an enigma. He refuses to answer questions about his yearly income. He insists that he is 29 years old, while records at the state Department of Motor Vehicles list his age as 34. He remains vague and elusive about how he got started as an impersonator. And it is unclear whether Uwnawich is originally from Louisiana or Texas.

Alan Stein, a spokesman for the LA Cabaret in Encino, confirmed that Uwnawich and his band have performed at the club several times. “He does a good Elvis,” Stein said. “I’ve seen other Elvis acts before. He’s pretty authentic.”

Part of that authenticity may be the work of Patti Parry, Elvis’ personal hairdresser for 17 years. Parry, who works at Valerie’s salon in Beverly Hills, cuts Uwnawich’s hair. “He’s very adamant” about the style, Parry said. “He wants it just like Elvis.”

Parry said she saw one of Uwnawich’s shows at the LA Cabaret. “I think he’s very talented. He has a really nice voice and he follows every movement. I was very impressed.”

So was Julie White, Uwnawich’s girlfriend. White, 25, said she met her beau several years ago in Las Vegas. “I went to see his show. I went there to throw eggs at him because that’s what I do to all the Elvis impersonators.”

‘Spirit Got Into Him’

But Uwnawich was different. “It’s like the spirit got into him,” White said. “He captured me. The way he moved. The way he walked, the way he put his words together, everything.”

But if life with the King was difficult for Priscilla Presley, the last 3 years have not been easy for White and Danny U. “Our life style is so strange,” White said. “Sometimes it’s too much. We don’t have any privacy.

“People are always asking him for autographs when we go out to eat . . . women tugging on him, pulling him. All the attention. It’s too much.”

The fuss doesn’t go to Uwnawich’s head, though. “I don’t think I’m Elvis,” he said. “I’m not that kind of guy. When I do shows, it’s just Danny U. doing a tribute to Elvis. It’s fun . . . it brings back memories. It makes me happy.”

So what does he think of the tabloid rumors that Elvis is alive?

“He wouldn’t do that to his daughter, Lisa Marie,” Uwnawich said. “He loved her too much. No, there will never be another Elvis. Never in a million years.”