Friday-Sunday, December 2-4, 2005

The comeback king...

The camera panned in on the singer's face as he snarled as much as sang: "If you're lookin' for trouble, you came to the right place" and the beginning of the highest-rated television special of 1968 would usher in one of the greatest comebacks in show business history. The King was back, long live The King...

The "Elvis" special, broadcast on the night of December 3rd, 1968 was as pivotal a moment in the career of Elvis Presley as "That's Alright, Mama" and "Heartbreak Hotel". This was the show that brought Elvis back to his throne...

From "Trouble/Guitar Man" to "If I Can Dream" and all the great medleys containing all those Elvis classics sandwiched between, Elvis ruled. Looking trim and fit in his black motorcycle jacket, Elvises shy and boyish charm coupled with a voice that never sounded better, mesmerized us all...

In 2004, RCA issued a deluxe DVD release containing every scrap of video footage from the making of the special, including bloopers, alternate performances of the original special taped at the NBC Burbank studios which are complete and unedited versions of the 4-one hour shows. If you like Elvis and you don't have it yet, get it. You owe it to yourself to have Elvises greatest TV moment...

More on this special in my commentary...

December 2 Memories...

1816) The 1st savings bank in the U.S., the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society opens for business...

1901) Gilette patents the 1st disposable razor...

1927) Ford rolls out the Model A, the successor to the Model T (for $385 it could've been yours)...

1956) San Francisco University's Bill Russell stars as the USA picks up a gold medal in basketball with a 89-55 trouncing of Russia at the Melbourne, Australia Olympics...

1957) Sam Cooke tops the charts with "You Send Me"...

1959) Bobby Darin is the surprised subject on "This Is Your Life"...

1961) Fidel Castro declares himself a Marxist-Leninist who would lead Cuba to Communism ( and ruin)...

1963) "Dominique" is #1 for The Singing Nun (written by Sister Luc-Gabrielle, the song eulogizes the founder of the Dominican order)...

1964) Ringo Starr's tonsils are removed (any guess as to how much that would fetch on eBay today ?)...

1967) New York City's Cardinal Francis Spellman dies at 78...

1969) Boeing shows off its 747 jumbo jet as 191 reporters and photographers fly from Seattle to New York City (just wondering, was it a one-way trip ?)...

1970) The Environmental Protection Agency is born...

1972) "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon is released...

1974) Carl Douglas tops the charts with "Kung Fu Fighting" (recently used in a Geico commercial)...

1975) Ohio State running back Archie Griffin wins the Heisman Trophy for the 2nd straight year (becoming the only player to win it twice and also starting the curse of winning this baby twice as Archie's career in the NFL was quite forgetful)...

1978) Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand collaborate on "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" and top the charts...

1979) Kris Kristofferson forgets to bring Rita Coolidge flowers, they divorce...

1982) Barney Clark receives an artificial heart, the 1st operation of its kind (the retired dentist will live 112 days with the device)...

1983) MTV airs Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video for the 1st time...

1985) Miami quarterback Dan Marino defends his team's undefeated 1972 season on the field as he leads the Dolphins to a 38-24 victory over the previously undefeated Chicago Bears...

1991) The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the Shirelles, B.J. Thomas and Gene Pitney are owed $1.2 million in unpaid royalties...

1992) WQEW replaces WQXR on 1560 in New York City (WQEW adapts a nostalgia type old-WNEW-AM format)...

1994) "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss is convicted in Los Angeles on 3 counts of "pandering" (or as Bill Clinton might opine, "it depends on what your definition of pandering is")...

1995) The Guinness ("brilliant") Book of World Records confirms that Ace of Base's "The Sign" is the best-selling debut of all-time with 19 million copies sold...

1998) First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and Garth Brooks turn on the lights of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree (Hillary thanks her co-button pusher, saying : "Thank you for helping me Mr. Brooks or may I call you Mel ?")...

1998) Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates donates $100 million to help immunize children in developing countries (something Gates continues to do and he should be applauded for his generosity)...

2001) Enron Corp. files for Chapter 11 after Dynegy walks away from an $8.4 billion buyout (it is the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history)...

Happy Birthday To...

1924) Alexander Haig...

1925) Julie Harris...

1944) Cathy Lee Crosby...

1954) Stone Phillips...

1973) Tennis player Monica Seles...

1981) Britney Spears...

Commentary...

When Elvis knocked the world dead with his TV special on December 3, 1968, it was the 1st time he performed live since 1961. He was joined on stage by the legendary D.J. Fontana on drums and Scotty Moore on guitar and 3 other musicians. The backup vocalists were The Blossoms featuring Darlene Love, Fanita James and Jean King (a fitting name)...

It's reported but not confirmed that The King put so much into his performance that he collapsed from exhaustion backstage...

Phil Spector was one of 3 producers of the show...

Saturday, December 3, 2005...

December 3 Memories...

1828) Andrew Jackson is elected the 7th president of the U.S...

1833) Oberlin College in Ohio opens as the 1st coeducational school of higher education in the U.S...

1931) Alka Seltzer goes "plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is" as its sold for the 1st time...

1949) Notre Dame stretches its unbeaten streak to 4 seasons and 38 games by beating the Kyle Rote-led SMU Mustangs 27-20 (the Irish win their 7th national championship)...

1961) The Beatles meet Brian Epstein for the 1st time in his record store in Liverpool...

1965) "Rubber Soul" is released by the Beatles...

1966) The 1st Monkees concert is held in Honolulu (hey you have to break in your act somewhere)...

1967) Surgeon Dr. Christian Barnard performs the 1st human heart transplant (patient Louis Washkansky lives for 18 days with the new heart)...

1968) The "Elvis" special is aired on NBC-TV (Dec. 2nd feature story)...

1968) Major League Baseball decides to lower the pitcher's mound to get more run production...

1973) Ringo Starr releases "You're Sixteen" (his second straight chart topper)...

1979) 11 fans are crushed to death at Cincinnati's Riverfront Coliseum before a concert by The Who (laws were changed following this tragedy to prevent "first come-first serve" seating at future shows)...

1994) AIDS activist Elizabeth Glaser dies at 47 (she and her 2 children were infected after a blood transfusion. Her actor-husband takes up her cause and is still active today)...

2002) Thousands of files showing that the Archdiocese of Boston protected clergy after sex and drug abuse are released...

Happy Birthday To...

1927) Ferlin Husky...

1927) Andy Williams...

1931) Jaye P. Morgan...

1948) Ozzy Osbourne...

1960) Julianne Moore...

1960) Daryl Hannah...

1965) Katarina Witt...

Sunday, December 4, 2005...

December 4 Memories...

1783) General George Washington says farewell to his officers at Fraunces Tavern (still serving food in lower Manhattan)...

1918) President Woodrow Wilson becomes the 1st chief executive to travel outside the U.S. as he sets sail for France and the Versailles Peace Conference...

1956) Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash record together at Sun Records (the session that featured the "Million Dollar Quartet" would not be released for 25 years)...

1961) Gene Chandler's "Duke of Earl" is released...

1978) Diane Feinstein becomes San Francisco's 1st woman mayor when she's named to replace George Moscone, who was murdered...

1987) Madonna files for divorce from actor Sean Penn but changes her mind. She will file again in January, 1988 ("he loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not")...

1988) Roy Orbison gives his final concert in Akron, Ohio...

1990) Due to the Persian Gulf crisis gas hits $1.60 a gallon in New York City (so you think that's high, eh ?)...

1991) Pan American World Airways goes "belly up" (perhaps a good thing they weren't flying)...

1991) AP correspondent Terry Anderson is released as a hostage in Lebanon after nearly 7 years in captivity...

1993) Frank Zappa dies at 52...

1995) Michael Jackson appears with legendary mime Marcel Marceau at a New York press conference promoting a Jackson special airing on HBO (the movie title "Dumb and Dumber" is born)...

Happy Birthday To...

1921) Deanna Durbin...

1934) Game show host Wink Martindale...

1937) "Jethro" from "Beverly Hills Hillbillies" Max Baer Jr...

1940) Freddy Cannon, the pride and joy of Revere Beach, Mass...

1949) Jeff Bridges...

1973) Tyra Banks...