He had one chance to show the world he was still the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Discover the story behind Elvis Presley's triumphant '68 comeback special.
Direction
Hehir turns talking heads into urgent testimony
Editing
Archive footage cut with knife-edge precision
Production
Reconstructs the '68 special's chaos from raw NBC reels
Director
Jason Hehir
Elvis Presley
Self (archive footage)
Priscilla Presley
Self
Darlene Love
Self
Jerry Schilling
Self
Bruce Springsteen
Self
Billy Corgan
Self
Conan O'Brien
Self
Baz Luhrmann
Self
Paul McCartney
Self (archive footage)
Ringo Starr
Self (archive footage)
John Lennon
Self (archive footage)
Mick Jagger
Self (archive photo)
Martin Luther King Jr.
Self (archive footage)
Bob Dylan
Self (archive footage)
Joan Baez
Self (archive footage)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The iconic black leather suit was a last-minute compromise; Elvis originally wanted a more elaborate costume that got nixed.
The '68 special essentially invented the 'unplugged' format decades before MTV, with Elvis insisting on the intimate sit-down sessions against NBC's wishes.
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