John Katsilometes talks with a Las Vegas Hilton employee who has fond memories of hanging out with Elvis Presley

By John Katsilometes

Thursday, June 22, 2006 | 7:12 a.m.

Janie Steele arrived in Las Vegas in 1964, fresh from South Carolina, and went to work as a data processor for the Nevada Test Site.

Six years later she was friends with Elvis Presley.

In October 1970 Steele moved on to the International (today the Las Vegas Hilton) to work as a "camera girl" in the showroom. These were the young women who photographed anyone visiting the show, and in those days the city's biggest show - which would sell out 837 consecutive times from July 31, 1969, to Dec. 12, 1976 - was Elvis'.

"I first met him one night when a co-worker and I were invited up to his suite on the 30th floor, between shows," Steele said Wednesday afternoon as the statue of Elvis was re-unveiled in a courtyard in front of the Hilton's main lobby. "We all sat down and ate dinner he had steak, but I don't remember what else. But he was really nice, and we got to go upstairs many times and really got to know all the musicians, and all of his buddies who hung around with him."

Steele joined LV Hilton General Manager and Chief Executive Rudy Prieto in dropping the blue satin sheet that draped the Elvis statue for the unveiling. The bronze figure has been a fixture at the hotel since 1978, but was taken off the property several months ago and stored in a warehouse while renovations were made to the Hilton lobby.

It was fitting that Steele represented the Hilton employees; she has been with the company for 36 years and now is a clerk in the accounts receivable department. She is one of those rare casino employees who actually worked with Elvis and is still employed here.

"People forget that he worked so hard - two shows a night, seven nights a week - and we became like a family. That suite was very much like his home, and we respected that," Steele said. "He practiced his karate up there. He would gather everyone around the piano and sing gospel songs. I was not a big Elvis fan when I moved to Las Vegas, but meeting him - wow, it was such an event. He called me 'Little Girl' all the time. That was my nickname."

The last time she saw Elvis, Steele recalled, she was concerned about his appearance, but had no idea of his addiction to prescription pills.

"He was overweight, but I didn't think much of it. I remember coming up from behind him and putting my arms around him and noticing how much weight he'd gained," she said. "But I never saw him do anything like drink, or anything like that. I just thought he'd gotten heavy. And he had a big bottle of water, Spring Mountain water, and he was the first person I ever saw drink bottled water."

Steele laughed when remembering her sister's reaction to meeting Elvis. "She said, 'Tell me I'm not dreaming, that's really him. Please tell me I'm not dreaming.' She loved Elvis. You know, we all did."

NoteMart

No August for Reba: If you want to catch Reba McEntire at the LV Hilton Theater, you'll have to do so in July. The hotel has announced on its Web site that McEntire will not be able to fulfill her scheduled August dates (Aug. 24-26). Official word is that she is committed to taping her sitcom, "Reba," which was picked up (unexpectedly, evidently) by the new CW and that her taping schedule conflicts with her performance schedule. McEntire returns to Los Angeles for taping on Aug. 9; her remaining dates at the Hilton are July 19-23 and July 26-30.

Stardust closing moved up: Word around the Stardust is that it will be closed as early as October, rather than December as originally planned.

Several employees have departed or are in the process of leaving the old hotel, many of them for other Boyd Gaming properties

Heavy mental: Speaking of the Stardust, I caught Gerry McCambridge there on Tuesday night during his VIP opening-night performance of "The Mentalist." As he says, what happens in the show, stays in the show, but I can report that his act defies explanation. McCambridge called on a friend sitting next to me and rattled off a series of individuals, events and even an automobile in this person's life that he could not have been told about in advance. Impossible. And I have never been so scared in my life that this guy would call on me next

More from Nathan: Congrats, in advance, for another column mention for comic magician Nathan Burton. He debuted as a contestant Wednesday night on "America's Got Talent." Burton, who trotted out his famous Microwave of Death for the show, is part of the talent-search series hosted by Regis Philbin and produced by Simon Cowell

Fred zone: Being made official today is that W Las Vegas will be the first outlet outside Southern California for trendy celeb retailer Fred Segal, which has plans to bring a 100,000-square-foot store (the retailer's first non-freestanding store) to the under-development project on Harmon Avenue. Jennifer Aniston, Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney and Madonna are among the more famously fashionable Fred Segal frequenters.

Edge Group, owner of W Las Vegas, recently purchased the Las Ramblas land on Harmon (now called Edge East) from Clooney and the Related Group. W Las Vegas, a $2 billion project, is scheduled to open in late 2009

The Donald on the small screen: Word has it (that means we are hearing this unofficially) that Donald Trump has been given the go-ahead for a seventh round of "The Apprentice" and is looking to Las Vegas or Miami to serve as home base for that season, which would follow the Los Angeles-based edition (which premieres in January)

He means the car, we think: A red 2006 Corvette parked at Angel Park with the Las Vegas Centennial plate reading QUIKE (Corvettes and BMWs seem to be the leaders in vanity plates on Las Vegas roadways).