Elvis in Concert is a television special originally aired by CBS on October 3, 1977, starring Elvis Presley and produced by Dwight Hemion and Gary Smith. The posthumous program was filmed in Omaha, Nebraska, and Rapid City, South Dakota, in June 1977, during Presley's last concert tour. It became the singer's third and last television special.
By the late 1970s, Presley suffered from multiple health issues, and he was heavily dependent on prescription narcotics following a decade of heavy use: his physical appearance was affected as he gained weight, while his ability to perform on stage was compromised. Additionally, Presley's personal relationships were strained, and the singer was involved in an FBI investigation after he was the victim of a scam surrounding one of his personal jets.
His manager, Colonel Tom Parker, worked on a deal with CBS at the time for the new special to be filmed during Presley's tour in the summer of 1977. Parker was criticized by Presley's close entourage for accepting the deal despite the singer's poor condition. The dates were selected by the television network for the similarity of its arenas and proximity. Minimal footage of the first night could be used due to Presley's poor performance, while most of the special consisted of the Rapid City concert. The special was completed with backstage footage and interviews that were interspersed with the concert.
Despite Presley's death on August 16, 1977, the network chose to keep the original October release date for the special. Elvis in Concert was met with reviews that mostly focused on Presley's degraded appearance and performance, while also remarking on the support his fans still showed. The program became the most-watched show for that week with 24.1 million spectators. Footage of the special was included in films and documentaries in the following decades, but no official releases on home media were produced by Elvis Presley Enterprises on account of Presley's appearance.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
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