Netflix’s new documentary The Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley revisits the period in Presley’s career when he was at a crossroads. Converted in 1961 from Elvis Presley the singer to Elvis Presley the movie star at the behest of his influential manager, Colonel Tom Parker, Presley became dissatisfied and restless. Presley’s film roles became plastic, fake and stereotypical, and he longed to sing again. Then, in 1968, Parker planned a decisive comeback television special to reintroduce Elvis. to your audience on stage. The Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley maps Presley’s production 1968 comeback special.
For Presley, the stakes could not have been higher. While Presley was in the US Army, the music business changed beyond recognition. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones were ravaging the US, and a new socially active movement, led by Bob DylanI was defying norms. Presley’s brand of music, bubblegum pop accompaniments to Elvis Presley’s increasingly brittle performance, was becoming both hackneyed and popular. In The Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley, your ex-wife Priscilla Presley notes: “He was aware of what was at stake. That could be it.”He needn’t have worried – his sizzling performance in the TV special changed everything.
Elvis Presley’s 1968 comeback special revived his music career
The special was Presley’s return to the stage
In the documentary, the 1968 comeback special, director Steve Binder says he heard Presley playing backstage with his original band, The Blue Moon Boys, and was moved enough to approach Parker and suggest he film the sessions and include them. Parker, who had organized a series of film-like musical sketches, responded: “Over my corpse”, but eventually relented, and the The improvised, upbeat and totally instinctive songs that Presley plays with the band are the show’s shining moments.. Bruce Springsteen describes them in the film as transformative: “It’s just a musical revelation. This was the rebirth of Elvis Presley,” he says.
Parker still got what he wanted, and the ’68 Special included some cheesy sketches in between the improv sessions – but it was Elvis’s freedom that made the show a singular success.
At the end of The Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley, the artist is at the height of his powers. In the prime of his life, at 33, with a leather jacket and trademark black hair, he prowls the stage like a big cat. (in the film his wife Priscilla comments: “He was like a tiger. It was like a reincarnation.”). Freed from Parker’s straitjacket, Presley’s performance soared. Parker still got what he wanted, and the ’68 Special included some cheesy sketches in between the improv sessions – but it was Elvis’s freedom that made the show a singular success.
Elvis and Priscilla’s split explained
Elvis and Priscilla’s relationship was complex from the start
While the 1968 comeback special heralded a new phase in Presley’s professional life, but also marked a turning point in his private affairs. His relationship with his wife Priscilla was complex from the beginning. They met in 1959, when she was just 14 and Elvis was 24 and on military duty in Germany. After some cajoling and under strict conditions, Priscilla’s parents allowed her to move to Graceland in May 1963 and they married 4 years later.but the age difference between Priscilla Presley and Elvis has always been questionable. Their daughter, Lisa-Marie, Priscilla reveals in The Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley, was conceived on their wedding night.
Elvis’ renewed career and frequent infidelities, along with his widespread fame, began to show cracks in the relationship. Elvis’ long residency in Las Vegas meant they spent more time apart, and Priscilla had little time for glamor and luxury. this came from being Elvis Presley’s wife. They officially divorced on October 9, 1973, but remained close enough to co-mother Lisa Marie. Priscilla Presley would continue to be a part of Elvis’ life until his death in 1977 and would play an important role in protecting his future legacy.
.
Elvis’ Health and Drug Issues Explained
Presley became addicted to medication and drugs
After his divorce, ensconced in his Las Vegas hotel room, Presley’s health and mental well-being began to suffer. He was increasingly isolated, frequently arguing with Colonel Tom Parker, whom he fired in a fit of rage in 1973 and later rehired. Hand began to become dependent on medication and was taking a dangerous cocktail of drugsincluding sedatives, stimulants and analgesics. He gained a lot of weight, reaching nearly 300 pounds, and took the stage bloated and lethargic, often forgetting the lyrics to his songs and slurring his words.
As a consequence, and as he traveled more extensively, he experienced frequent bouts of depression and paranoia, fueled by his drug addiction.. At the time of their last show in June 1977 he was a shadow of the electric artist who lit up the television screens in the 1968 comeback special nine years before. Journalist Tony Scherman wrote in early 1977 that “Presley has become a grotesque caricature of her former elegant and energetic self.” “Way Down”, Presley’s final single, was released in June 1977, and he performed his final live show at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis on June 26, 1977.
Elvis’ last concert was in June 1977
Presley was still able to perform well
In his last concert, Elvis seemed to have revived a little. Dressed in his usual white rhinestone jumpsuit, he still looked strangely bloated and sickly, but his voice was still strong and powerful.. He played regular hits like “Jailhouse Rock,” “Love Me” and “Hurt,” and fans cheered him to the rafters. When he got to the final song, Sinatra’s “My Way”, and the lyrics “And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain,“The crowd seemed to sense that something was wrong.
Put elvispresleymusic.comreviewer Rita Rose was effusive in her praise: “At 42 years old, Elvis still carries some excess baggage in his belly, but that didn’t stop him from performing in true Presley style.“, she wrote. But beneath the surface, Presley’s diet of drugs and prescription medications was slowly catching up with him.. Before the last show, he told his friends that he felt too tired to perform, but he didn’t want to disappoint his fans.
Elvis Presley died in August 1977 – his cause of death explained
The cause of death was discussed for years
Just over a month later, he was dead. On August 16, 1977, he was scheduled to begin a new tour, which was to fly from Memphis to Portland, Maine, for the first stop. Just hours before his trip, however, his fiancée, Ginger Alden, found him lying on the bathroom floor of their Graceland mansion. Although life-saving resuscitation was performed on the unresponsive singer, it was too late: Elvis Presley was pronounced dead at Baptist Memorial Hospital that same afternoon. The true cause of death was discussed for many years, and only after an autopsy report in 1994 was it finally decided, for pbs.org: “Elvis was chronically ill with diabetes, glaucoma and constipation… and a large and constant flow of drugs.“
The Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley perfectly captures how Presley prepared to rise to the occasion of 1968 comeback special. He made Las Vegas his own and performed 361 more shows before his untimely death. Seen from a distance of 50 years, Elvis’ story certainly has its tragic climaxbut as Conan O’Brien says in the film: “Elvis exists as a tragic figure. We all know how this ends. But after the ’68 special, I like to think he left the stage happy.“
SOURCES: elvispresleymusic.com, pbs.org