The
68 Comeback was a meant to be a Christmas show, with Elvis
singing Christmas carols and a few sketches! Thankfully the
Colonel didn't get his way and Steve Binder guided Elvis to a
blockbuster show that catapulted Elvis back into the
stratosphere.
Steve Binder had an idea that was clever
without actually being true, he had a vision of the early Elvis,
this vision has Elvis wearing leather pants and jacket although
this was a look that was originally from the rockers of the
1950's, Binder wanted to link this to Elvis and give him a
cutting edge style.
The Leather suit Idea was discussed
with a more than willing Elvis who was shown designs from
Bill Belew,
The look comprised of close fitting leather
pants with a jacket that had Napoleonic collars, this
accentuated Elvis slender and tanned features and gave him a
real wow factor throughout the show.
It
was Binders idea to highlight Elvis' earlier career with a
Sit Down Show which incidentally could easily be considered
the forerunner to the unplugged style that MTV has adopted, In
this section Elvis chatted with his pals who had been drafted in
to recapture the sound and feel of the 50's
Scotty Moore,
&
D. J. Fontana,
Bill Black has died in 1965. The show was loose with Elvis
discussing the movies and how music had changed and production
techniques improving. Elvis also discussed the fact he made 30
plus Movies with a curled lip, wich left all the guys laughing. The special included an extravagant
musical sequences featuring Gospel-style numbers, a
semi-autobiographical "mini-movie" centred around the song
"Guitar Man" and other re-recordings given lavish set
designs Including a bordello Scene.
The end of the show
had Elvis sing the moving song 'If I Can Dream' where the
audience is asked to help with world peace. Elvis is seen
wearing a white suit against a backdrop with huge red letters
spelling out Elvis, this iconic backdrop has epitomised the
grand scale of the production and is synonymous with Elvis
Presley throughout the world.
