Originally released in 1987, this documentary narrated by Levon Helm (of The Band fame) focuses on Elvis Presley’s early years and includes plenty of hard to find '50s performances, especially from 1956. This is the year that the 21 year old from Mississippi became a star.
To celebrate 70 years of Presley, this definitive film has been remastered in high definition, and invites us to revisit the phenomenon that is Elvis.
For someone like myself who knows very little about Presley, it was really interesting to find out how he signed his first contract at age 20 and it was bought by a major label for a large sum for the time. As soon as he starts performing, his rebellious style immediately turns heads.
Through constant touring, Presley builds up a large fanbase, and it isn’t long until he ends up on TV where he sings to an actual hound dog on the Steve Allen show, a moment he cites as the most ridiculous performance he ever did.
With his success, Presley buys his parents a new house and new cars. He also steps into acting and takes it as seriously as making music, where he shows up on day one with all his lines—and everyone else’s—memorized. In that single year, he became a millionaire.
Of course, not everyone was a fan. “Elvis The Pelvis” sometimes had rules when he was on TV, specifically to what his hips were to not do. There was also some suspicion about a white boy playing black music. But Presley grew up in Mississippi; he was just singing like everyone around him.
Turns out, 1956 was the last year Presley was “accessible” to the world. He would then become so famous that his life would become complicated in a way that few others could get close to him again.
We get snippets on his songs across this film and many TV performances, but hearing about the real person that Presley was is what kept me interested for the hour.