Elvis 1968 Comeback Views
Elvis, starring Elvis Presley, was the title of a 1968 United States television special. Sponsored by The Singer Sewing Machine Company, it 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, but the soundtrack album was released simply as NBC-TV Special. It was directed by Steve Binder and produced by Binder and Bones Howe.
From the Production of the '68 Special. Elvis' manager Colonel Tom Parker began negotiations with NBC in October of 1967 to produce an Elvis movie and a Christmas TV special slated for the 1968 Christmas season. The agreement was announced by NBC vice-president Tom Sarnoff on January 12, 1968. Elvis' first television appearance in more than eight years would be a Christmas special for which NBC would pay $250,000 and they would pay $850,000 to produce an Elvis movie and an additional $25,000 for the film's music. The movie Change of Habit was a product of this agreement as well as the TV special Elvis, also known as the '68 Comeback Special.
68 Comeback Special DVD In 1968 Elvis Presley was breathtakingly handsome and his vocal style was honed to perfection. It was the task of art director Eugene 'Gene' McAvoy to design the showcase that would frame Elvis visually for the audience. From the opening scene of Elvis and the 89 guitar men in silhouette (or 89 boys as they were called in the script) to the finale with Elvis standing in front of his name in lights, Mr. McAvoy provided sets that complimented the star and the story. Claude Thompson did double duty as the makeup artist and one of the choreographers. His makeup talents were used in the 1956 movie 'Around the World in Eighty Days' and in TV series such as 'The High Chaparral' and 'Little House On the Prairie'. While his choreography can be seen in the 1976 movie 'King Kong' and the 1985 movie 'The Color Purple'.
It's no secret that Elvis Presley was not particularly well served by the machinations of his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. It was in 1968, however, that Elvis broke free from his spell, if only for a short while, defying Parker's vision of Elvis' adult years and, in the process, engineeringl rock music's most stunning (and satisfying) comeback.
Elvis 1968 Comeback Images
