Dana MacKay

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Dana MacKay - 1979

Name: Dana MacKay

Birth Name:
Dana Christopher MacKay

Occupation: Singer, Actor
Years Active: 1978-1993

Personal Manager:
Frank Argelander

Movie Agent:
Jack Fields and Associates

Martial Arts Practiced:
Seishindo Kenpo Karate
Instructor: Frank Argelander

Spouse:
Mary Linda Huffman

Children: Misty Vargas

Dana MacKay - Was a successful Elvis Presley impersonator, singer, performer and actor, also refered to as “America’s first Elvis".

In August 1978 while attending the Long Beach International Karate Championships, Dana MacKay met Kenpo Karate martial artist Frank Argelander. Argelander expressed interest in managing Dana's career and teaching him Kenpo Karate, the art Elvis Presley had learned from Kenpo Karate instructor Ed Parker.

In November 1978, Argelander traveled to Fresno, California, collected Dana and all his belongings and returned to Los Angeles. Dana moved on to the Strode ranch for a short while where Argelander was living at the time. Dana began extensive training in acting and singing with a professional acting coach, and martial arts training with Frank Argelander. Woody Strode spent many hours giving Dana valuable information about the movie business. Having great confidence in MacKay, Mr. Strode introduced him to agent Jack Fields and Associate, a leading movie agent in Hollywood, who then signed MacKay as a client.

(From the Notes of Frank Landers autobiography: "Dana's training in martial arts was a modified training program, for the purpose of entertaining the crowd at live shows. MacKay and I would talk at great length about martial arts and how he would love to learn more about my developing art, SeishinDo Karate. One of the hardest moments for me, and one that tested my integrity, was that Dana wanted to have pictures of him in a martial arts uniform, or "Gi" wearing a black belt with a few stripes on it; my reply, "no". I remember how much bad press was directed at Ed Parker over his promotion of Elvis Presley to 8th degree black belt. MacKay was a dedicated person in everything he did, and would spend hours learning every move Elvis made, and his singing was dead on. I loved watching him throw a kick or punch as he was singing, it was amazing how much he looked like Elvis".)

Argelander signed Dana MacKay to a personal management contract in 1979 and set up a meeting with TV icon, and movie producer Dick Clark. They discussed the possibility of having Dana MacKay play the lead role of Elvis Presley in Dick Clark's new made for TV movie, Elvis.

Though Dick Clark was excited by Dana's uncanny resemblance to Elvis Presley, he was concerned whether MacKay could handle the acting role. The studio executives were looking at Kurt Russell who looked nothing like Elvis, but had a tremendous amount of acting skills. Clark still had faith in MacKay and decided to hire a acting coach to instruct Dana in some fundamental acting techniques needed to impress the studio executives. MacKay and Argelander were put up in the Hilton Universal Hotel and provided with an acting coach for MacKay. Clark and his studio executives gave Dana a screen test at the end of the month to determine whether or not MacKay could handle the acting challenge.

One week before the screen test, and in classic Hollywood style, Argelander was contacted by famed talent agent Joyce Selznick who set up a meeting at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Argelander and MacKay arrived to find Joyce Selznick and a relatively unknown actor named David Hasselhoff of The Young and the Restless sitting on a couch. After Selznick finished her business with Hasselhoff, introductions were made and Selznick got right to the point, she wanted Dana MacKay to sign with her and to break Argelander's contract. Selznick pointed out how powerful she and the Selznick name was, and how determined she was to get Dana's contract. Dana simply replied that "Frank is my manager", and the two got up and left. One of the qualities of Dana MacKay was his kindness and loyalty to others.

The news was not good for Dana at the conclusion of the screen test. The studio decided on Kurt Russell, citing Dana's poor acting performance. Dana's theatrical agent Jack Fields and Associates, tried to get Dana work, but his looks were so much like Elvis it was hard to place him.

Argelander and MacKay decided that a live show was the next step and Las Vegas was the place to be, so Dana headed for Vegas, where he became the first to play Elvis in “Legends in Concert” at the Imperial Palace.

In 1981 Dana landed the role of Elvis at 35 years old for a new movie titled "This is Elvis". MacKay bought a Las Vegas mansion and moved in with his girlfriend, Mary Linda Huffman, an ex Las Vegas pageant queen, calling their new home “Mini-Graceland.”


The Murder

The Mini-Graceland gates on October 30, 1993 would no longer be the entrance to a young man's dream of being the greatest Elvis Presley impersonator alive. That dream was cut short when Dana MacKay, and girlfriend Mary Huffman were discovered shot to death in their home, “gangland-style execution" as the tabloid news described the scene. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department has it's own theory on what happened, but the case is cold and unsolved. Read the Las Vegas Sun account of the case.

Video from Las Vegas 8 News - Metro cold case detectives are asking for your help in solving a double murder that has baffled police for 16 years. It is a crime with Las Vegas flavor. A well-known Elvis tribute artist and his beauty queen girlfriend were shot and killed in what looked like a mob-style hit.



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