Through the rearview mirror lens of pop culture history, an Elvis Presley TV special hardly seems like a risky or edgy thing. Wasn’t Elvis on television all the time, from those hip-wiggling appearances in the 1950s through the concert specials in the 1970s when he rocked the bejeweled white jumpsuits and the exaggerated, mutton-chop sideburns?
True indeed — but as we’re reminded in the Netflix documentary “Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley,” the 1968 NBC special originally titled “Singer Presents Elvis” was arguably the single most defining TV hour of Presley’s career. It was also considered to be a huge risk at the time, as it marked Presley’s return to live performing for the first time in seven years and represented perhaps his last chance to reclaim his authentic self. (The “Singer” in that title was for the sponsoring Singer Sewing Machine Co., which tells you Elvis was a long way removed from the time when he was considered dangerous by mainstream America.)
Directed by Jason Hehir of “The Last Dance” fame, “Return of the King” benefits from access to the personal files of Elvis and his notorious manager, Col. Tom Parker, behind-the-scenes as well as aired footage of the NBC special, and interviews from superfans Conan O’Brien, Bruce Springsteen, “Elvis” director Baz Luhrmann, Billy Corgan and the late Robbie Robertson, with Priscilla Presley also providing some golden memories. (Priscilla, who was present for the taping of the special, had never seen her husband perform live until that moment.)
Elvis was 33 at the time and had spent the last decade in “movie jail,” contractually bound to make one forgettable film after another and becoming irrelevant to younger audiences after the British invasion led by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and the success of cutting-edge American artists such as Jimi Hendrix. For the NBC special, he lost more than 20 pounds and got into shape, donned a leather ensemble and reunited with longtime bandmates including guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer DJ Fontana for jam sessions that play like a precursor to “MTV Unplugged.” Still, there was a chance it would all go sideways, what with the Colonel pushing for cheesy skits where Elvis would showcase his karate skills, and Presley being visibly nervous. (We see outtakes where he’s sweating profusely, missing cues and telling the director, “It’s getting embarrassing standing out here. … I gotta do something.”)
Says Priscilla: “He was definitely aware of the stakes, yes. And he knew that this could be a failure, and that would be it, it could ruin his career.”
After spending a bit too much time taking us through the all-too-familiar chapters of Elvis’ career, from his embrace (and yes, appropriation) of Black music to his ascension to stardom to the Army stint to the movie career that turned him into a caricature, “Return of the King” soars in the final segments, as we see Elvis rise to the challenge and achieve greatness in the live-on-tape performance. “That was the rebirthing of Elvis Presley,” says Bruce Springsteen.
Billy Corgan sums it up best: “We sit here and judge how he handled normal life. The pressures of marriage, fatherhood, celebrity, Col. Tom Parker’s bull—-. But in the midst of this … lightning strikes. And all we’re left to do is sort through the pieces and go, God, I wish there was more. Why isn’t there more?”