ELVIS TAKES OFF TINY TIM AND RICHARD HARRIS
Las week I told you how I was chosen to sit on the steps of the stage when Elvis was performing before the tele-film camera in Burbank. They were recording the hour-long Spectacular to be seen in American on December 3.
I promised to tell you about my further encounters with Elvis this week, so here goes. . .
As Elvis left the stage, his face dripping with perspiration, his straight hair hanging over his eyes after such an energetic half-hour workout, everyone expected the end had – too soon – arrived.
Wrong! After a few moments the executive producer appeared to inform us that this had been a dress rehearsal and Elvis would be back as soon as his leather suit dried out, and go through it all again.
Great News
It was great news because to have a small taste of greatness would have been cruel. The first set whet our appetites and the gathering was openly happy that the appetite might now be satisfied (if that’s possible)!
During the half-hour break, Priscilla Presley, Elvis’ wife, descended from the seats where she was watching him and glided backstage to see her husband. She did not return.
Meantime, the executive producer stayed on stage to entertain the audience by answering questions about El. I asked how much he had contributed to the creation of the TV Speccial. The producer said El had done about 75 per cent of the creating. He also said el was easy to work with and his professionalism had cut the time allowed for filming.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=682371229268209
To fil time and keep us occupied, as if we weren’t content to merely sit and wait for him to rturn, the producer called the Blossoms on stage to do a song. This Negro (remember this was 1968 and the correct way to describe the black girls) girl trio, who performed on the old “Shindig” show and have aided the righteous Brothers on their tours, backed up Elvis vocally in the special.
“We’d like to sing a gospel song for you,” one of the girls said.
“You know, Elvis really loves gospel songs. Every time we’ve had a break in the past two weeks he drags us off to some corner to sing gospel tunes, isn’t that a groove?” she went on.
Then they sang a gospel tune and it was a groove too. I would have loved to hear Elvis join with the, but anyway. . .
A few more minutes, in which the executive producer introduced all of Elvis’ buddies and then HE was back. This time he was much more at ease in front of the audience. He began to joke with those of us close by, sitting on the platform.
“I hope you don’t mind if we do a few of those numbers again,” he smiled, “I really goofed up some of them the last time.”
The band was ready and it began again. But this time seemed even more exciting because it was likely we knew him better. That may seem hard to compr4hend since we’d only been there a couple of hours, but that’s the way he makes you feel!
Some new twists
Some of the songs had been recorded previously and when he’d get to them in the medley he just cut up the original lyric. Like when “Love Me Tender” came around again he sang “. . .you have made my life a wreck and I hate you so. . .” then he’d laugh and go on to the next tune.
Once through the whole medley and everything stopped for a prop change. A special set had to be set up for the finale.
Instead of leaving this time, Elvis bent down to me (are you ready for that – me!) and said “What would you like to hear?”
I blurted out, “Youre time Hasn’t Come yet, Baby.” He gave me an inquisitive look and I said: “The new single.”
“Right,” he said and started singing the song.
The microphone was turned off. He called to have someone turn it on. Another girl said, “Sing ‘U.S. Male,’” and he said in a deep voice “I’m a U.S. Male. . .but still the mic was off.
Others ere calling out songs now and while he waited for someone to turn on the mic he bent down to sign some autographs. He got back up and strummed the electric guitar and tried again, but still no sound. So he left.
It’s really awful to complain in light of what we were all experiencing, but to think we would have had private little 15-minute concert except for that rotten dead-mic, well. . .it would have been great.
The set was ready. It was a black box some 25 feet long and as high and wide as a room. At one end there were flashing colored lights darting in all directions. At the open end was our platform and the microphone.
Elvis returned, casually, but things were not quite ready. The mic was on now. Someone asked “How’s your daughter?” Elvis answered, “Oh, about this long,” he held his hands out about a foot apart as he smiled broadly.
“How long have I got?” he questions the director, “I’m getting embarrassed.”
There was no answer, so he began singing “Tiptoe through the tulips” in Tiny Tim style. It was hilarious and even he couldn’t help breaking into laughter. “Well, how about. . .’someone left the cake out in the rain’. . .” He was now mimicking, in an extra-deep voice, Richard Harris’ hit record “MacArthur Park.” Again, he laughed.
Everything was ready now. He took that special stance and GLARED at the camera. The music started. . .”If you’re lookin’ for trouble. . .you’ve come to the right place.” Rough and tough, he was singing “Trouble,” twitching lip and all. But then he called, “wait, wait. . .” and the tape stopped.
He looked at us and said: “Did you see that?” He was laughing again. “I got my lip caught on the microphone!”
He goofed the famous lip twitch. Of course, it had to be right. It all started again and this time it was perfect.
In the middle of “Trouble” the tape broke into “Guitar Man” with Elvis singing “well, I’ve come a long way from the carwash. . .” and he sings about heading back down the road with a guitar slung over his back. He picks up his guitar, slings it over his back and walks off down the black corridor into the flashing lights symbolizing the future.
The audience was hysterical and that’s good because the reaction is all on tape too. It was so spontaneous and so beautiful. What I gather the special is all about is sort of a life story of Elvis through his music, ending of course, with him walking into the unknown future, that for him can only get better. All I can say is I didn’t sleep for two nights and I’m still having dreams. I guess that’s what can happen when you’re touched by magic!
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