1977 did not start off too badly. The concert in Pittsburgh was a success, and later in January, Elvis proposed to Ginger Alden, who had, a few months earlier, replaced Linda Thompson as his regular girlfriend.
In February, Elvis was going to do a short recording session in Nashville for RCA, but that was cancelled. Elvis was out on tour again from mid-February, and at the end of the tour, he took Ginger and most of the entourage to Hawaii for a holiday.
The holiday was cut short when Elvis apparently got sand in his eye, and Dr Nick was concerned it might scratch his cornea.
There was another short tour coming up for the last week in March and the first week of April. However, after the first week, Elvis had to be admitted to the hospital for five days from April 1, for what was described as intestinal flu. By April 21, though, he was back on tour again through to May 3, and again between May 20 and June 2.
Once again, Elvis is said to have gained weight very quickly. There was hardly any respite, and on June 17, Elvis was on the road again until June 26 for what would be his very last tour.
CBS Television cameras would be present in Omaha on June 19 and Rapid City on June 21 to film a new television special. Some commentators have claimed this may have been a ploy by Colonel Parker to demonstrate to Elvis how unhealthy he had become. However, given that CBS agreed to pay $750,000 for a fifty-minute TV special that required no extra work from Elvis, it is more likely that Parker saw the dollar signs. This would be equivalent to about $4.1 million today.
Despite his failing health, Elvis gives terrific performances of “Hurt” and “How Great Thou Art” and a poignant “My Way” featuring the lines “And now the end is near” and “To think I did all that”. It is clear from the audience’s reaction as Elvis hands out scarves that they were oblivious to the reality of the situation.
The TV Special aired once in October 1977, just two months after Elvis died. Like all the TV specials aired when Elvis was alive, the viewing figures were immense. It was clear to all involved, though, that this was no “Aloha From Hawaii”. Due to the upsetting nature of Elvis’s appearance, the family decided that the TV special was never to be aired again. It is, however, freely available on YouTube, as are the full concerts filmed in Omaha and Rapid City.
One song associated with the TV Special was not actually used in the broadcast. “Unchained Melody” was performed at the Rapid City concert with Elvis accompanying himself on the piano. It was first shown in the 1990 video production “Elvis: The Great Performances, Centre Stage”. More recently, it was used at the end of the Baz Luhrmann movie “ELVIS”, initially recreated by Austin Butler, then transforming into the original footage for the ending. It was a dramatic, operatic performance, one that would challenge a classically trained opera singer. It served to demonstrate that no matter whatever else Elvis had gone through in recent years, he could still deliver a thrilling performance and as he had said in 1971, “I learned very early in life that: ‘Without a song, the day would never end; without a song, a man ain’t got a friend; without a song, the road would never bend, without a song’. So, I keep singing a song. Goodnight. Thank you”.
