Elvis (1968 TV program)
| Elvis | |
|---|---|
Elvis Presley in his '68 Comeback Special
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| Directed by | Steve Binder |
| Produced by |
Steve Binder Bones Howe |
| Written by |
Chris Bearde Allen Blye |
| Starring | Elvis Presley |
| Edited by | Wayne Kenworthy Armond Poitras |
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Production
company |
Binder/Howe Productions
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| Distributed by |
NBC (TV Special) Sony Music Entertainment (DVD releases) |
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Release date
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Running time
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76 minutes |
| Language | English |
Elvis, starring Elvis Presley, is a United States television special that aired on December 3, 1968 on the NBC television network. The special is commonly referred to as the '68 Comeback Special, because of subsequent developments in Presley's career. It was directed by Steve Binder and produced by Binder and Bones Howe. Music from the special was released before the broadcast, on the album Elvis (NBC TV Special).
Presley's informal jamming in front of a small audience in the special is regarded as a forerunner of the "unplugged" concept, later popularized by MTV.
Despite huge success in both his music and acting careers following his release from the army in 1960, Presley never toured in the United States from 1962 to 1968. The music scene had changed dramatically since his last U.S. #1 single in 1962, and Presley was in no doubt that bands such as the Beatles, and the British Invasion in general, were leading "the swinging sixties".
Partly due to the repetitive scripts and laughable song choices, as well as the general feeling that he was "uncool", Presley's films had been making less money with each release and he was tiring of Hollywood.Colonel Tom Parker, Presley's manager, had found it increasingly difficult to secure the usual $1,000,000 fee for a Presley film, and had no alternative than to take a different approach. Parker negotiated a deal with NBC for $1,250,000 to finance both a television special and a film (1969's Change of Habit).
Parker wanted the show, which was scheduled as a Christmas season broadcast, to be little more than Presley singing Christmas carols. He believed the special could simply be a TV-version of the Christmas radio show Presley had contributed to the year before. Binder argued that the special was an opportunity to re-establish the singer's reputation after years of formulaic movies and recordings of variable quality. He and Howe hired writers to script a show with specific themes: large set designs, dance sequences and big productions of Presley's hits. However, Binder was open to any variations on this that would showcase the singer's talent, and Presley was apparently very happy to go along with this flexible approach.
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