The Film Frontier Blog

Space: An Elvis Odyssey [The Film Frontier blog]

/ TY

Thomas Melin over at the Elvis Today Blog asks readers what song they would choose to be woken up to if they were flying in space for NASA (“Hound Dog Most Played Elvis Song In Space” — Elvis Today Blog). NASA’s astronaut wake-up songs are a tradition dating back to the mid-1960s. As Thomas notes, the most played Elvis song for astronauts is “Hound Dog.”

As much as I love Elvis, I have to admit that I would pick the classic Star Trek theme as my wake-up song. As for Elvis songs, it definitely would not be “Hound Dog.” That would not even make the long list, much less the short one.

Maybe something like “If I Can Dream,” or even “Follow That Dream” — because surely I would feel like I was dreaming if I were fortunate enough to be there.

Thomas is also the author of The Elvis Today Blog, a book that shares his thoughts and insights on Elvis, available now from Blurb.

A refreshing portrait of Elvis after the Army [The Film Frontier blog]

/ TY

I run across cool stuff every now and then that I just want to point out to you. Peter Guralnick’s Last Train To Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley represents the definitive account of Elvis’ early years. Though many herald it along with Last Train, his follow-up volume, Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley, often leaves something to be desired.

Guralnick at least treats his subject with a sympathetic eye, which is better than most Elvis biographers, but his disdain for much of Elvis’ post-Army career is still evident. As someone who happens to love and enjoy this later Elvis, I do not like to see those years so easily dismissed. The great thing is, someone else has already said all of this far better than I ever could.

Drjohncarpenter over on the For Elvis CD Collectors message board recommended “Elvis In The Dark” by Daniel Wolff. It contains a critical look not only at the post-Army Elvis, but also at Guralnick’s biography. Wolff is the author of a Sam Cooke biography as well as a couple of volumes on Bruce Springsteen. After reading this piece, one of the best I have ever seen about Elvis, my hope is that Wolff will write a Presley biography some day as well.

* * *

There was a sad announcement this week in the Elvis world. Sylvia Shemwell recently passed away. She was a member of the Sweet Inspirations, the vocal group that backed Elvis on stage from his return to live performances in 1969 through his death in 1977.

Before becoming part of Elvis’ show, the Sweet Inspirations were already a Grammy-winning gospel group that once backed Aretha Franklin. Outside of their time with Elvis, their best known hit was “Sweet Inspiration,” released in 1968.

Sylvia appears with Elvis in the documentary movies That’s The Way It Is (1970) and Elvis On Tour (1972). She also appears with him in the television specials Aloha From Hawaii (1973) and Elvis In Concert (1977) as well as countless live concert albums.

You see a more recent photo of her over on ElvisNews.com: Sylvia Shemwell Passed Away.

As for the official Elvis site, as far as I could find, there was no mention of her in their news section. They did, however, find the time to promote a so-called Elvis “Tribute” Artist competition.

My thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends during this time. Sylvia: Thank you for the music.

* * *

Myrna Smith, another member of the Sweet Inspirations who backed Elvis during the same time and events, was recently hospitalized in Great Britain. It sounds like she is doing better, though, and will hopefully be released soon.

John Wilkinson played rhythm guitar for Elvis in the 1969 through 1977 era, again appearing in those same events. Wilkinson is battling cancer and was recently hospitalized in Missouri.

I was thinking the other day, because of Elvis, I have been listening to these people for pretty much my entire life. I wish all of them well.

Celebrate 75 years of Elvis with his best recordings [The Film Frontier blog]

/ TY

75 Years of Elvis PresleySeventy-five years ago today, on January 8, 1935, Elvis Aaron Presley was born in a humble, two-room house in the small town of Tupelo, Mississippi. His twin brother, Jesse Garon, was stillborn. Elvis would remain an only-child.

Two decades later, Elvis led a cultural revolution through the introduction of a new style of music that fused country, rhythm & blues, and gospel. Eventually, it would become known as rock ‘n’ roll . . . and Elvis as the King.

Freely moving back and forth among his favorite musical genres rather than limiting himself only to rock ‘n’ roll, Elvis recorded nearly 750 different songs in his lifetime. In celebration of what would have been his 75th birthday, here is a ranking of what I consider Elvis Presley’s best recordings.

#1: Always On My Mind (Rehearsal-1972)
[Writers: Mark James/Wayne Carson/Johnny Christopher]
Album: This Is Elvis
Just a day after his formal recording of the song, Elvis poured his heart even more into this rehearsal of “Always On My Mind” staged for MGM. The cameras were rolling for the movie Elvis On Tour, but this performance unfortunately hit the cutting room floor in favor of the similarly-themed “Separate Ways.” 1981’s posthumous documentary and soundtrack This Is Elvis later resurrected it. A window into his soul, this is the finest Elvis performance yet released.
Other notable version: 1972 master (Separate Ways).

#2: If I Can Dream (Alternate-1968)
[W. Earl Brown]
Memories
In the United States, 1968 saw the assassinations of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy. However, television provided two quiet visions of hope to close the year. First, there was this tremendous recording by Elvis, which ended his December 3 TV special. With its message of peace and brotherhood, “If I Can Dream” transcended even Elvis, ultimately meaning far more than yet another hit or the beginning of a comeback. He would never sing with more conviction than on this song. Exactly three weeks later, the crew of Apollo 8, in orbit around the moon on a test flight, read from the book of Genesis to a live TV audience. These separate yet linked moments in television history helped begin the healing process.
Other notable versions: 1968 master (ELVIS-TV Special); 1968 alternate (A Life In Music).

#3: Suspicious Minds (Live-1969)
[Mark James]
Elvis At The International
Other notable versions: 1969 master (Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits, Volume 1); 1970 live (That’s The Way It Is: Special Edition [2000]).

#4: Mystery Train (1955)
[Herman “Little Junior” Parker/Sam Phillips]
For LP Fans Only
Other notable versions: 1969 live (Collectors Gold); 1969 live (From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis); 1970 live (That’s The Way It Is: Special Edition [2000]); 1970 live (One Night In Vegas).

#5: Can’t Help Falling In Love (1961)
[George Weiss/Hugo Peretti/Luigi Creatore]
Blue Hawaii
Other notable versions: 1961 alternate (Blue Hawaii [1997 Special Edition]); 1968 live (ELVIS-TV Special); 1969 live (From Memphis To Vegas/From Vegas To Memphis); 1970 live (That’s The Way It Is: Special Edition [2000]).

#6: Are You Lonesome Tonight (1960)
[Roy Turk/Lou Handman]
Elvis’ Golden Records, Volume 3
Other notable versions: 1969 live/”laughing” version (Elvis Aron Presley); 1968 live (Memories); 1969 live (Elvis: Viva Las Vegas-Limited Edition [2007]).

#7: Reconsider Baby (1960)
[Lowell Fulson]
Elvis Is Back!

#8: Jailhouse Rock (1957)
[Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller]
Elvis’ Golden Records
Other notable version: 1968 live (ELVIS-TV Special).

#9: One Night (1957)
[Dave Bartholomew/Pearl King]
50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong: Elvis’ Gold Records Volume 2
Other notable version: 1968 live (Memories [Disc 2, Track 15]).

#10: Baby, Let’s Play House (1955)
[Arthur Gunter]
A Date With Elvis

#11: Love Me (1956)
[Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller]
Elvis
Other notable versions: 1968 live (Memories); 1970 live (That’s The Way It Is: Special Edition [2000]); 1970 live (Live In Las Vegas).

#12: How The Web Was Woven (1970)
[Clive Westlake/Dave Most]
That’s The Way It Is
Other notable version: 1970 alternate (The Nashville Marathon).

#13: Baby, What You Want Me To Do (Live-1968)
[Jimmy Reed]
Tiger Man [Track 6]
Other notable version: 1968 live (Memories [Disc 2, Track 16]).

#14: Kentucky Rain (1969)
[Eddie Rabbitt/Dick Heard]
Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits, Volume 1
Other notable version: 1970 live (Elvis Aron Presley).

#15: Santa Claus Is Back In Town (1957)
[Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller]
Elvis’ Christmas Album
Other notable version: 1968 live (Tiger Man).

#16: Don’t Be Cruel (1956)
[Otis Blackwell]
Elvis’ Golden Records
Other notable versions: 1957 live (A Golden Celebration); 1968 live (Memories).

#17: Polk Salad Annie (Live-1970)
[Tony Joe White]
Today, Tomorrow & Forever
Other notable versions: 1970 live master (On Stage); 1970 live (That’s The Way It Is: Special Edition [2000]).

#18: I’ve Lost You (1970)
[Ken Howard/Alan Blaikley]
Worldwide Gold Award Hits, Volume 2

#19: Stranger In The Crowd (1970)
[Winfield Scott]
That’s The Way It Is
Other notable version: 1970 live (That’s The Way It Is: Special Edition [2000]).

#20: You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ (Live-1970 [Extended])
[Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil]
That’s The Way It Is: Special Edition (2000) [Disc 2]

#21: Walk A Mile In My Shoes (Live-1970)
[Joe South]
Live In Las Vegas [Disc 2]
Other notable versions: 1970 live (Polk Salad Annie); 1970 live master (On Stage).

#22: Just Pretend (1970)
[Doug Flett/Guy Fletcher]
That’s The Way It Is
Other notable version: 1970 live (Live In Las Vegas).

#23: The Wonder Of You (Live-1970)
[Baker Knight]
On Stage

#24: Lawdy, Miss Clawdy (Live-1968)
[Lloyd Price]
Memories
Other notable version: 1956 master (For LP Fans Only).

#25: Trying To Get To You (Live-1968)
[Rose Marie McCoy/Margie Singleton]
A Life In Music
Other notable version: 1955 master (Elvis Presley).

* * *

Though his life was relatively short, Elvis made good use of his time here by bringing joy to many people and making the world better than it would have been without him. That is just about the most any of us can really hope to accomplish on this Earth. Today, his songs continue to inspire millions – including me. I cannot imagine my life without his music.

Happy birthday, Elvis, and thank you.

An imaginary Elvis boxed set to replace Good Rockin’ Tonight [The Film Frontier blog]

/ TY

Chasing The Dream, The Legend of Elvis“Every dream that I ever dreamed has come true a hundred times.” –Elvis Presley

Sony Legacy is releasing in the US on Tuesday a new Elvis Presley boxed set. Arriving a month before the 75th anniversary of his birth, Elvis 75: Good Rockin’ Tonight is a four CD set claiming to be the “first major Elvis Presley retrospective to cover the full spectrum of the artist’s world-changing career.”

If you have been an Elvis fan longer than five minutes, you no doubt know the first career-spanning retrospective bit is all marketing hype. There have been countless career-spanning compilations since Elvis’ death in 1977, many on CD.

I think the only kernel of “truth” here is that this is the first release containing both the acetate demo of “My Happiness” that Elvis paid to record in 1953, ostensibly leading to the start of his career a year later, and 2002’s JXL remix of “A Little Less Conversation,” his most recent chart-topper.

Judging by Sony Legacy’s From Elvis In Memphis release, I’m sure the sound quality on Good Rockin’ Tonight will be outstanding. However, I already have all of these recordings from other releases, and this set really is not aimed at longtime fans like me.

For fun, I decided to try out the listening experience anyway by assembling a playlist on my iPod using the Good Rockin’ Tonight track listing – which you can view over on the Sony Legacy site.

While enjoyable (they are Elvis, after all), the 100 tracks Sony Legacy selected for Good Rockin’ Tonight ultimately left me unsatisfied when taken as a whole. Though I agree with about 70% of the song choices, I would probably not give this set to a new fan as a way of explaining, “This is Elvis.”

This left me to wonder what songs I would choose to accomplish such a goal. Which 100 songs would I select to represent best Elvis’ entire career for new fans or those who have only collected a small portion of his recordings? How would I sum up my concept of Elvis in 100 songs?

I soon found that I could not do much better in 100 songs than Sony Legacy did. Attempting to cover a career as wide-ranging as that of Elvis Presley in only 100 songs turned out to be a no-win scenario.

As any Star Trek fan can tell you, there is only one way to beat a no-win scenario.

Therefore, I cheated. For my imaginary Elvis boxed set, I decided to use five CDs rather than only four. The fifth disc, combined with using up more of the space on the first four than Sony did, allowed my ultimate Elvis retrospective to contain 145 songs.

When selecting songs, I followed a couple of rules.

1. Each song must have been officially released at some point in 1954 through 1977 (the years of Elvis’ career). This eliminated a lot of alternate takes and live performances released in the years after his death that are actually among my favorites, but really do not belong on this kind of retrospective.

2. Songs of historical significance to Elvis’ career must be given extra weight. This meant that certain well-known songs had to make the set, regardless of my personal preference.

By no means, therefore, would this be a listing of “my 145 favorite Elvis songs.” Instead, I will save a list like that for another time. Though some of the best-known Elvis songs are actually not particular favorites of mine, the purpose of this imaginary boxed set is to place his hits and other best-known songs within the context of his overall career. Expanding to 145 songs still left me plenty of room to add some of the lesser-known material that I tend to prefer.

Here is what I came up with for my imaginary five CD boxed set.

Chasing The Dream: The Legend of Elvis

DISC 1
01. That’s All Right (1954)
02. Blue Moon of Kentucky
03. Good Rockin’ Tonight
04. Baby, Let’s Play House (1955)
05. Mystery Train
06. Trying To Get To You
07. Heartbreak Hotel (1956)
08. I Was The One
09. Blue Suede Shoes
10. My Baby Left Me
11. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
12. Shake, Rattle & Roll
13. I Want You, I Need You, I Love You
14. Hound Dog
15. Don’t Be Cruel
16. Any Way You Want Me
17. Love Me Tender
18. Love Me
19. Paralyzed
20. Too Much
21. Rip It Up
22. All Shook Up (1957)
23. Mean Woman Blues
24. Peace In The Valley
25. Teddy Bear
26. Is It So Strange
27. I Beg Of You
28. One Night
29. When It Rains, It Really Pours
30. Jailhouse Rock
31. Young and Beautiful
32. Baby, I Don’t Care
33. Treat Me Nice
34. Don’t

DISC 2
01. Hard Headed Woman (1958)
02. As Long As I Have You
03. Wear My Ring Around Your Neck
04. I Need Your Love Tonight
05. A Big Hunk O’ Love
06. A Fool Such As I
07. I Got Stung
08. Make Me Know It (1960)
09. Stuck On You
10. Fame And Fortune
11. A Mess Of Blues
12. Like A Baby
13. It’s Now Or Never
14. Dirty, Dirty Feeling
15. I Gotta Know
16. Such A Night
17. Are You Lonesome Tonight
18. Reconsider Baby
19. Surrender
20. Crying In The Chapel
21. Working On The Building
22. I’m Coming Home (1961)
23. I Feel So Bad
24. I Want You With Me
25. Sentimental Me
26. Can’t Help Falling In Love
27. Kiss Me Quick
28. His Latest Flame
29. Little Sister
30. Follow That Dream
31. Good Luck Charm
32. Anything That’s Part Of You
33. Night Rider

DISC 3
01. King Of The Whole Wide World
02. Fountain Of Love (1962)
03. You’ll Be Gone
04. Suspicion
05. She’s Not You
06. Return To Sender
07. Bossa Nova Baby (1963)
08. Devil In Disguise
09. Witchcraft
10. Long, Lonely Highway
11. Viva Las Vegas
12. Memphis, Tennessee (1964)
13. It Hurts Me
14. Please Don’t Stop Loving Me (1965)
15. Run On (1966)
16. How Great Thou Art
17. Indescribably Blue
18. I’ll Remember You
19. City By Night
20. Let Yourself Go (1967)
21. Guitar Man
22. Hi-Heel Sneakers
23. You’ll Never Walk Alone
24. All I Needed Was The Rain
25. US Male (1968)
26. If I Can Dream
27. Memories
28. Tiger Man (Live, Burbank)
29. Heartbreak Hotel/Hound Dog/All Shook Up (Live, Burbank)
30. Clean Up Your Own Backyard

DISC 4
01. Long Black Limousine (1969)
02. Wearin’ That Loved On Look
03. Don’t Cry Daddy
04. In The Ghetto
05. Rubberneckin’
06. Suspicious Minds
07. Stranger In My Own Home Town
08. Power Of My Love
09. After Loving You
10. Do You Know Who I Am
11. Kentucky Rain
12. Any Day Now
13. My Babe (Live, Las Vegas)
14. The Wonder Of You (Live-1970, Las Vegas)
15. Polk Salad Annie (Live, Las Vegas)
16. I’ve Lost You
17. Little Cabin Home On The Hill
18. How The Web Was Woven
19. Stranger In The Crowd
20. Just Pretend
21. I Really Don’t Want To Know
22. You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ (Live, Las Vegas)
23. Amazing Grace (1971)
24. Early Morning Rain

DISC 5
01. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
02. It’s Still Here
03. I’m Leavin’
04. Separate Ways (1972)
05. Burning Love
06. Always On My Mind
07. The Impossible Dream (Live, New York)
08. An American Trilogy (Live-1973, Honolulu)
09. I’ve Got A Thing About You, Baby
10. It’s Midnight
11. Thinking About You
12. Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues
13. Promised Land
14. Your Love’s Been A Long Time Coming
15. Why Me, Lord (Live-1974, Memphis)
16. Shake A Hand (1975)
17. Bringing It Back
18. Moody Blue (1976)
19. For The Heart
20. Hurt
21. Way Down
22. Pledging My Love
23. He’ll Have To Go
24. My Way (Live-1977, Rapid City)

I made a playlist on my iPod with these songs, and I absolutely love it. If you already have these songs, you should try it, too. Once you listen to them in sequence, you feel as if you have experienced Elvis’ entire music career, as if you were with him on the journey.

If Sony Legacy would only make this “Fan Edition” CD set some day, this is something that I would gladly give any new fan, a release that perfectly captures the career of Elvis Presley. A fan can dream, can’t he?

Though it may look like it at first glance, the above is not simply Elvis 75: Good Rockin’ Tonight plus 45 more tracks. In addition to bumping up the total number of tracks, I also tossed out a fair number from Good Rockin’ Tonight to make room for others.

REMOVED
My Happiness (1953)
I Forgot To Remember To Forget (1955)
I Got A Woman (1956)
One-Sided Love Affair
I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry
Blue Christmas (1957)
Trouble (1958)
King Creole
Thrill Of Your Love (1960)
Doin’ The Best I Can
Pocketful Of Rainbows
There’s Always Me (1961)
Judy
I Need Somebody To Lean On (1963)
This Is My Heaven (1965)
Adam And Evil (1966)
Tomorrow Is A Long Time
Big Boss Man (1967)
Too Much Monkey Business (1968)
Only The Strong Survive (1969)
The Fool (1970)
Funny How Time Slips Away
I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water
I Just Can’t Help Believin’ (Live, Las Vegas)
An American Trilogy (Live-1972, Las Vegas)
Steamroller Blues (Live-1973, Honolulu)
Loving Arms
T-R-O-U-B-L-E (1975)
Unchained Melody (Live-1977, Ann Arbor)
A Little Less Conversation (Remix-2002)

Some of the above were harder to part with than others, but these decisions helped expand the horizons of the imaginary set.

ADDED
Trying To Get To You (1955)
Shake, Rattle & Roll (1956)
Any Way You Want Me
Rip It Up
Is It So Strange (1957)
I Beg Of You
When It Rains, It Really Pours
Young And Beautiful
Baby, I Don’t Care
As Long As I Have You (1958)
I Got Stung
Make Me Know It (1960)
Fame And Fortune
Like A Baby
Dirty, Dirty Feeling
I Gotta Know
Working On The Building
I’m Coming Home (1961)
I Want You With Me
Sentimental Me
Kiss Me Quick
Follow That Dream
Anything That’s Part Of You
Night Rider
King Of The Whole Wide World
Fountain Of Love (1962)
You’ll Be Gone
Witchcraft (1963)
Memphis, Tennessee (1964)
Please Don’t Stop Loving Me (1965)
Run On (1966)
Indescribably Blue
I’ll Remember You
City By Night
Let Yourself Go (1967)
Hi-Heel Sneakers
You’ll Never Walk Alone
All I Needed Was The Rain
Tiger Man (Live-1968, Burbank)
Heartbreak Hotel/Hound Dog/All Shook Up (Live, Burbank)
Clean Up Your Own Backyard
Long Black Limousine (1969)
Wearin’ That Loved On Look
Rubberneckin’
Power Of My Love
After Loving You
Do You Know Who I Am
Any Day Now
My Babe (Live, Las Vegas)
The Wonder Of You (Live-1970, Las Vegas)
I’ve Lost You
Little Cabin Home On The Hill
How The Web Was Woven
Stranger In The Crowd
Just Pretend
I Really Don’t Want To Know
You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ (Live, Las Vegas)
Amazing Grace (1971)
Early Morning Rain
Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
It’s Still Here
Separate Ways (1972)
The Impossible Dream (Live, New York)
An American Trilogy (Live-1973, Honolulu)
I’ve Got A Thing About You, Baby
It’s Midnight
Thinking About You
Your Love’s Been A Long Time Coming
Why Me, Lord (Live-1974, Memphis)
Shake A Hand (1975)
Bringing It Back
Moody Blue (1976)
Pledging My Love
He’ll Have To Go
My Way (Live-1977, Rapid City)

To be fair, what would happen if Sony actually released my imaginary set? Other Elvis fans would likely come up with their own improved versions on their MP3 players. I guess that is all part of the fun of being an Elvis fan in the 21st century.

* * *

Update: Wow, folks. Check out Elvis: The Complete Masters Collection, a 36-CD, 711 song Elvis set being released by The Franklin Mint. The cost is $500, which works out to only 70 cents a song – much cheaper than downloading them separately on iTunes or Amazon. It looks like an incredible set: https://www.franklinmintelvis.com/. You can also order them on a subscription basis where you receive three CDs a month for a year. It is about $100 more expensive that way, but allows you to pay in installments. I am not sure what to make of the “creative” way they have compiled the tracks over the 36 volumes, though. Seems a bit strange, plus the first three volumes are only 10 songs each.

REVIEW: The Christmas TV Companion book [The Film Frontier blog]

/ TY

The Christmas TV Companion:
A Guide to Cult Classics, Strange Specials, & Outrageous Oddities
1701 Press, softcover
Release date: November 10, 2009
Author: Joanna Wilson

The Christmas TV CompanionI cover many subjects here on The Film Frontier. Beyond key ones like Star Trek, Star Wars, Superman, and Elvis Presley, I also give love to, among others, The Twilight Zone, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and Charles Schulz’ Peanuts gang from time-to-time. I like to think this is a rather eclectic combination not soon to be found anywhere else.

To some degree, however, all of these topics and more are covered in The Christmas TV Companion by Joanna Wilson. (Fair warning to Superman fans: the associated reference is just an “also appeared in” credit for Margot Kidder on one page.) The book’s main revelation to me is demonstrating a common thread among all of these topics I previously thought were so diverse: Christmas.

The Christmas TV Companion takes readers on a journey through some of pop-culture’s best and worst Christmas moments. Hold on tight for this ride from the traditional to the blasphemous and every point in between.

Core sections of the book are Macabre, Sci-Fi, Variety, Animation, and Dark. With dozens, perhaps hundreds of productions referenced, Wilson is obviously well-versed on her topic. When reading books like this, I fact check by looking at what the writer states about topics on which I am knowledgeable. Wilson’s Elvis, Star Trek, and Star Wars references are all correct – which leads me to trust her on the multitude of other topics covered.

While some shows warrant a line or two, 1978’s infamous Star Wars Holiday Special (is it possible to write the name of that special without including “infamous” in front?) merits five pages of coverage, including a photo of Harvey Korman and Bea Arthur from the show. The special was actually my first exposure to Star Wars, as a three-year-old. I remember very little of it, as I likely fell asleep – which is probably a good thing.

One of my favorite features of this book is the “Make Your Own Marathon” concept. We geeks have been doing this for years, and Wilson’s suggestions add new and creative elements to setting up such marathons. A Star Trek-themed marathon and an Elvis-themed marathon are among the several she provides. She also includes tips on creating your own based on a subject of your choice.

Fellow Trekkies, I can hear you asking, “The only Christmas scene was in Star Trek Generations. How can you have a Star Trek Christmas marathon?” I will not reveal all, but I will throw you a clue as to how these marathons of loose associations work: A certain Star Trek: The Next Generation actor has also appeared as Ebenezer Scrooge.

The Elvis marathon mentions the 1968 ELVIS television special, which aired during the holidays that year, as well as several other Christmas TV shows that have included Elvis in some fashion. An unfortunate omission was Perry White (Lane Smith)’s appearance as “Santa Elvis” in the 1994 “Season’s Greedings” episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Superman even pulls Santa Elvis’ sleigh to deliver toys to orphans. Written by series star Dean Cain, it is one of my favorite episodes of the series.

Very little else is left out, though, and the variety that serves as this book’s strength may also leave your head spinning at times. The Christmas TV Companion works best as a fun reference to thumb through, rather than something to read cover-to-cover. You probably want to keep this book near a computer or notepad, too, as you will find yourself wanting to seek out certain specials or look up more about some topics.

For instance, one of my favorite Christmas songs is “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” I had no idea until reading this book that the song’s original lyrics were actually quite depressing and changed at the last moment for its first appearance in the Judy Garland movie Meet Me In St. Louis. Curious about the original lyrics? You can find them here. You can bet I will start keeping an eye out for Carol for Another Christmas, Rod Serling’s take on A Christmas Carol that aired in 1964, too.

I must give credit to 1701 Press for including an index. A book like this demands one. A couple of recent Elvis books by other publishers lack indexes, and I was beginning to think they were going out of style.

If you are a Christmas special addict like me, you will be glad to know that Wilson’s current project (of which this book is actually derived) is a “comprehensive encyclopedia of Christmas on TV,” due out next year.

With about 135 pages of content outside of the thorough index, it would be easy to underestimate The Christmas TV Companion. Do not let this book’s seemingly short length fool you, though. Each page is full of information. Often Wilson even covers the margins with more trivia on the various productions, performers, or creative types mentioned. Whether by design or fortuitous accident, The Christmas TV Companion appears just small enough to make a perfect stocking stuffer.

The Christmas TV Companion goes on sale Tuesday. It is available for pre-order on Amazon.

Overall Experience: 9 (out of 10)

(1701 Press provided a review copy of this book free-of-charge.)

Blu Dreams: How Michael Jackson’s This Is It could help Elvis fans [The Film Frontier blog]

/ TY

Many fellow Elvis fans seem to have tired of all of the recent comparisons with Michael Jackson. However, they should take notice of one Michael Jackson project. Filmed just days before Jackson’s death in June, This Is It opens in theaters and IMAX later this month.

Assembled from over a hundred hours of footage, the documentary captures rehearsals and other behind-the-scenes moments for Jackson’s concert engagement that ultimately was not to be. If This Is It turns out to be a big success, Jackson’s fans can expect to see even more of that footage in sequels or at least in an expanded version on Blu-ray with lots of bonus material.

Why should we Elvis fans care about this? Success for This Is It may well lead someone at Warner Home Video to finally wake up and remember that they are sitting on dozens of hours of valuable behind-the-scenes, rehearsal, and concert footage of another singer known as “The King.”

In 1970, MGM’s cameras filmed several rehearsals and concerts for his Elvis Summer Festival engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. Released in November of that year, the resulting Elvis: That’s The Way It Is documentary was grand and captured Elvis in his prime–but left dozens of hours on the cutting room floor.

In 1972, MGM’s cameras rolled again, this time for Elvis On Tour, capturing rehearsals, behind-the-scenes, and concerts in March and April. The film went on to win a Golden Globe, the only Elvis movie so honored. Again, dozens of hours of footage were filmed but not used.

Since that time, we have seen a bit of these outtakes. In 1992, Warner released Elvis: The Lost Performances, an incredible one-hour VHS video that included outtakes from both films. In 2001, Warner released a new edit of That’s The Way It Is, containing so many outtakes and changes as to actually be a different film than the original. Though both were compelling, these projects were just the tip of the Elvis documentary iceberg.

Though both versions of That’s The Way It Is are available, Elvis On Tour and The Lost Performances never received DVD releases. Maybe we are unable to go back in time just yet, but Elvis fans should at least be able to experience these historic films and outtakes.

First off, the original versions of Elvis: That’s The Way It Is and Elvis On Tour should be fully restored in high definition and digital sound and released on Blu-ray (as well as DVD for those fans who have not yet upgraded), with top-notch bonus features.

Why stop there? Next, Warner should choose whichever That’s The Way It Is and Elvis On Tour concerts are most complete (not all were filmed in their entirety) and release them as separate, all-new concert experiences. Do not tag them as Elvis On Tour or That’s The Way It Is re-edits, just make completely new projects and leave the original documentaries to stand alone as accounts from the time. Most important, do not over-edit these concerts. Use Elvis’ original setlist and flow as much as possible.

Imagine if a That’s The Way It Is concert was given a full-fledged theatrical release, with an Elvis marketing blitz unheard of since his death. Just think about watching one of the That’s The Way It Is concerts on an IMAX screen.

Sure, theatrical and IMAX releases are long-stretches, but I think at least Blu-ray releases for Elvis: That’s The Way It Is and Elvis On Tour are real possibilities if Michael Jackson’s This Is It takes off.

A fan can dream, can’t he?

Guest blog: Elvis Super 8 Film Festival [The Film Frontier blog]

/ Guest Conductor

First of all, I’d like to thank Ty for giving me an invitation to guest blog here on The Film Frontier. As I’m both an Elvis fan and a movie buff, I thought I’d try to combine those two topics in my post.

As you might know, Elvis Week, where fans from around the world gather in Memphis to celebrate their idol’s life and career, has just ended. Among the many activities a film fest was held on August 11, where a couple of the King’s movies were screened in a real cinema. Reading about it made me think about an old idea of mine for an Elvis film festival.

I got the idea a couple of years ago when I bought some Elvis movies on Tradera, which is kind of a Swedish Ebay. Now, I’m not talking about VHS or DVD copies, but of Super 8 sound and color films.

The films in question are G.I. Blues, Blue Hawaii, Fun In Acapulco, Girls! Girls! Girls! and Roustabout. Each one consists of 375 feet of film and has a running time of about 18 minutes.
The reason I bought them in the first place is that I’m a sentimental guy, I guess. When I was a kid I had my own Super 8 movie camera (just like Elvis!) and I loved to make films, and also to buy home movies (both cartoons and feature films) and watch them with the help of my faithful super 8 projector.

I remember being fascinated by how the distributors of the super 8 movies could manage to edit down a full-length feature film like Son Of Frankenstein into a film with a running time of approximately four minutes, and somehow managed to keep the plot intact.

Thinking a bit more about it now, I realise how spoiled we are nowadays with the DVD format featuring the complete movie in perfect quality, as well as a lot of extra material. Back in the 60’s, 70’s and even the early 80’s people had to make do with four, ten or perhaps twenty minutes of super 8 film, sometimes without sound.

Now, here is my idea of a film festival: As my brother is a big fan of Elvis too, the plan is to invite him, buy a lot of Cheez Doodles that we both love, and screen my five super 8 Elvis movies. It might not be the biggest audience you’ve heard of, but it will be an attentive and appreciative one, of that I’m sure.

There’s just one problem. The reason why this festival hasn’t taken place so far and why I haven’t even watched any of my Elvis super 8 movies yet is because my projector can’t play sound. And watching an Elvis movie where you can’t hear the King singing just isn’t a very interesting concept, is it?

So now is the time to put forth an effort to find a super 8 projector with that capability so I can render my Elvis Super 8 Film Festival possible. Maybe I can find one on Tradera or Ebay. Then my brother and I can finally find out if the plot is intact on my Elvis super 8 movies. Given the not too complicated stories, and the fact that they run for about 18 minutes each, it probably is.

PS: All you sci-fi fans are invited too. You know why? Together with the five Elvis movies the seller threw in a super 8 edit of Star Wars lasting about 10 minutes. And it’s both in colour and with sound.

/Thomas, Elvis Today