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| 1968 Comeback! |
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In 1968 Elvis had grown very tired of doing movies. He had worked on 28 movies over his carrer, 24 of those in the 1960's. He still had not truley accomplished what he wanted in acting, after 1962 his movie carrer went down hill at the box office. He enjoyed some success in movies like, "Viva Las Vegas" and "Girl Happy" but he never would be at the top again with movies like "King Creole" and "Blue Hawaii". He was just proving in the 50's how good he could be as an actor but he was dealt a joker in the end when it came to Hollywood. After deciding to take some time off before filming Charro! Elvis and The Colonel decided it was the perfect time for Elvis to begin performing infront of live audiences again. Elvis was very eager to begin. The creators for the concert decided it would be a 'Televised Comeback Concert' that would premier on NBC. They gave it the title simply, ELVIS. Elvis began working franticly on the special and was in a perfect working mood. He worked on old songs, new songs and movie hits. He was espically happy this year because of the birth of his daughter Lisa Marie in February. During the days of June 20th threw 30th, the show was shot with a live audience at hand. Elvis was very nervous but knew that this could determine the future of his carrer in music. He had to prove he wasn't a has-been in popular music. During the working time, Elvis and some buddies were sitting around during a break, joking, singing etc. The young Director of the special, Steve Binder, saw this and came up with a fast plan of action to put Elvis, centerstage, with old stage buddies and have a jam session in the show. When Binder mentioned it to Elvis, the King loved the idea. Scotty Moore, guitarist for Elvis in 1950's, D.J. Fontana, drummer for Elvis in the 1950's, and a few others were put on a small boxing ring floor which would become the stage for the 1968 Elvis Special. After months of hard work, December 3rd rolled around quickly for Elvis. At 9:00pm on December 3rd, the final and recorded version of ELVIS was showed on NBC. Elvis began with a rebel look singing "Trouble". The show became a quick success as more and more people tuned in watching Elvis chat with old friends and sing the songs that made him an American Icon. Elvis finished with the song "If I Can Dream" it was to let America reflect on the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., John Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy. The song reached number 12 and the album went to number 8. Elvis was truley back and he had reclaimed his thrown as the undisputed King of Rock 'N' Roll. For a look at Elvis' concerts in the 1970's visit Elvis: 1973 Aloha!
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