Joe apparently reassured his boss that everything would no doubt be edited out from the final cut.

But the routine was extremely difficult to set up, with pieces of falling scenery, and the director, Norman Taurog, decided to use the takes he already had.

Considering the still very conservative nature of much of the American public, it seems incredible that nobody spotted the issue or that a fuss wasn’t made at the time.

Joe added: “I couldn’t believe it when the movie came out. There was Elvis, dancing around the apartment with Little Elvis at attention and aimed directly at Laurel!

“Of course, you had to be looking for it to notice. I’m guessing that only the few of us who knew were looking in that area and saw Little Elvis in action.”