Elvis In Concert

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For the soundtrack album from this special, see Elvis in Concert (album).

Elvis In Concert is a 1977 TV special starring Elvis Presley. It was Elvis' third TV special, following Elvis (aka The '68 Comeback Special) and Aloha From Hawaii. It was filmed during Presley's final tour in the cities of Omaha, Nebraska on June 19, 1977 and Rapid City, South Dakota on June 21, 1977. It was shown on CBS in October of 1977. It was the #1 rated show of the year.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Production

In early 1977, Elvis Presley signed a deal with CBS for a new television special. It was agreed that CBS would videotape concerts during the summer of 1977. The final special was culled from footage from two performances on June 19, 1977 in Omaha and June 21, 1977 Rapid City although much of the footage from Omaha was considered unusable due to sound and performance problems[1]. This concert has been heavily edited and bootlegs (possible stolen tapes) have appeared on auction web sites over the years. The show was shot on NTSC BETA videotape although many flm conversions have appeared over the years. Contrary to belief no Super Dutch Extended Version exists, only those that many Elvis purists have purchased on eBay which times in at over 3 hours. Much of the unearthed footage is typical film conversions displaying Elvis at his worst. Anyone with the original NTSC (Not PAL) video tape version is sitting on a goldmine.

During the special, Presley performs a number of songs spanning his career. A notable moment is his performance of "Are You Lonesome Tonight" in which he appears to forget the words during the song's long monologue portion; this footage was included in the later documentary This is Elvis to illustrate his poor condition at the time. Presley also sings his much-performed "My Way" although he has to use a lyric sheet; this performance is notable for the song's prophetic lyric, "And now the end is near and so I face the final curtain."

According to Roy Carr and Mick Farren in Elvis: The Illustrated Record, CBS officials considered postponing broadcast of the special in hopes of obtaining better performance footage of Presley, but his death in August 1977 rendered this moot.[2] Its broadcast received mixed reaction; Carr and Farren condemned it as a "travesty", adding, "Had it been shown during his lifetime, it would have caused more irrevocable damage to what was left of his career than almost a decade of starring in third-rate movies."[3]

A misconception regarding Elvis in Concert stems from a statement broadcast by Presley's father, Vernon Presley at the program's conclusion in which he said viewers had just witnessed Elvis' final performance. In fact, Presley made five more concert appearances before giving what would be his final show in Indianapolis, Indiana on June 26.[4]. However the CBS Special was Elvis' last concerts shot on NTSC Beta videotape (possibly the best format except PAL at that time).

[edit] Official Release

This special has never been released on VHS or DVD. Although many fans want this released, due to the strength of Presley's voice (which fans consider to have been better than ever), this is the official statement on the matter from Elvis Presley Enterprises:

Because of the severity of Elvis' health problems at the time the special was shot, Elvis was far from his best in the way he looked and the way he performed, though there are some truly brilliant moments in the footage. The true fans look at this through the eyes of love, respect and understanding, and see the great historical value - as do all the members of our staff. But, this not so with much of the general public and the media. It's not that we don't want the fans to have this footage or that we don't know how much it would mean to them. We do. There just simply is no way to get it only to the real fans (and we've exhausted all kinds of ideas) without also having Elvis served up to the general public and press for ridicule. They already emphasize and exaggerate the tragedy and sadness of the last years of his life too much. Right now, the emphasis for us is to remind them of all that came before. We receive many calls, letters and E-mails from fans pushing for us to release this footage on home video. There is not a single argument in favor of our releasing it that has come from fans that hasn't come up amongst our management team. We talk about it at length periodically. Up to now, some members of the management team who decide these things have not become comfortable with releasing it. Perhaps that could change someday. For now, our position remains as explained herein. "Not now" does not necessarily mean "not ever". We'll see. In the meantime, we truly understand, respect and appreciate and share on so many levels the feelings of those fans who want the 1977 material released.

[edit] List of songs/scenes

[edit] Soundtrack

Main article: Elvis in Concert (album)

RCA released a soundtrack album in conjunction with the television special's broadcast. The album augments the televised performances with a second album of additional recordings made during the Omaha and Rapid City concerts.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Focus on Elvis: Elvis on Tour 1977
  2. ^ Roy Carr and Mick Farren, Elvis: The Illustrated Record (Harmony Books, 1982), p. 166
  3. ^ Roy Carr and Mick Farren, Elvis: The Illustrated Record (Harmony Books, 1982), p. 166
  4. ^ Roy Carr and Mick Farren, Elvis: The Illustrated Record (Harmony Books, 1982), p. 140

[edit] External links