The '68 Elvis Comeback Special (continued)

June 27: At 6 pm, Elvis and his band tape the informal jam session on center stage at NBC's Studio 4, a performance many consider his best of all time. However, the Colonel, unhappy with the direction of the show, has withheld all tickets to the performance, forcing staffers to run into a nearby Bob's Big Boy restaurant (4211 W. Riverside Dr., Burbank) and plead with patrons to come see a real honest-to-goodness Elvis concert. (The King himself is extremely nervous at performing live for the first time in seven years, and is told by Binder that once he goes out there, he can just get up and leave if he can't take it. A close look at the performance shows that, once on stage, he pretends to do just that.) Two shows, an afternoon and an evening, are performed. This performance would later serve as the inspiration for MTV's Unplugged series.
The songs performed at the "Sitdown Show" are as follows: "That's All Right, Mama," "Heartbreak Hotel," "Love Me," "Baby What You Want Me To Do," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" "When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again," "Santa Claus Is Back in Town," "Blue Christmas," "Tiger Man," "Trying To Get To You," "One Night," and "Memories."
June 28: Elvis tapes the "gospel medley" portion of the show as well as a controversial "bordello" scene that was never broadcast: NBC censors had no objections, but the sponsor, Singer Sewing Machines, didn't want to upset viewers.
June 29: Elvis performs the show's intro as well as the two "stand-up" musical sets, this time in front of a packed house. The songs performed are as follows: "Heartbreak Hotel," "Hound Dog," "One Night," "All Shook Up," "Can't Help Falling In Love," "Jailhouse Rock," "Don't Be Cruel," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Love Me Tender," the "Trouble / Guitar Man" intro, and a first pass at "If I Can Dream."
June 30: The finale of the TV show, "If I Can Dream," is perfected by Presley in five takes.
August 20: Having just seen a rough cut of the TV special, the Colonel is outraged, and in a two-page memorandum to the producers outlines several grievances, most notably a complete lack of Christmas songs. If at least one Christmas song isn't featured, threatens Parker, the network will be forced to do an entire Christmas special with Elvis to honor its contract. The dispute is resolved easily enough when a version of "Blue Christmas" from the "sit-down" show is edited back in.
December 3: The TV special, whose official title is simply Singer Presents Elvis, debuts on NBC at 9 pm EST and is a giant commercial and critical smash, taking in a full 42 percent of the nation's television viewing audience and cementing Elvis' "comeback" for all time.
December 10: Fresh off the success of the special, Colonel Tom Parker negotiates a performance deal with the William Morris Agency: eight shows a week in Vegas for one month. Price: half a million dollars.

Original Broadcast: Elvis '68 Comeback Special

Opening: "Trouble" / "Guitar Man" (medley)
Sitdown show:
"Lawdy Miss Clawdy"
"Baby, What You Want Me To Do"
Standup show:
"Heartbreak Hotel" / "Hound Dog" / "All Shook Up" (medley)
"Can't Help Falling In Love"
"Jailhouse Rock"
"Love Me Tender"
"Are You Lonesome To-night?"
Gospel production number:
"Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" / "Where Could I Go But To The Lord?" / "Up Above My Head" / "Saved" (medley)
Sitdown show:
"Baby, What You Want Me To Do" (reprise)
"Blue Christmas"
"One Night"
Performance:
"Memories"
Guitar Man production number:
"Nothingville" / "Guitar Man" / "Let Yourself Go" / "Big Boss Man" / "It Hurts Me" / "Little Egypt" / "Trouble" / "Guitar Man" (medley)
Closing number:
"If I Can Dream"

Sitdown show #1 (6 pm): Elvis '68 Comeback Special

"That's All Right"
"Heartbreak Hotel"
"Love Me"
"Baby, What You Want Me To Do"
"Blue Suede Shoes"
"Baby, What You Want Me To Do" (reprise)
"Lawdy Miss Clawdy"
"Are You Lonesome To-night?"
"When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again"
"Blue Christmas"
"Trying To Get To You"
"One Night"
"Baby, What You Want Me To Do" (reprise)
"One Night" (reprise)

Sitdown show #2 (8 pm): Elvis '68 Comeback Special

"Heartbreak Hotel"
"Baby, What You Want Me To Do"
"That's All Right"
"Are You Lonesome To-night?"
"Baby, What You Want Me To Do" (reprise)
"Blue Suede Shoes"
"One Night"
"Love Me"
"Trying To Get To You"
"Lawdy Miss Clawdy"
"Santa Claus Is Back In Town"
"Blue Christmas"
"Tiger Man"
"When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again"

Official Singles: Elvis '68 Comeback Special

November 5, 1968: "If I Can Dream" b/w "Edge Of Reality" (RCA Victor 47-9670)
February 25, 1969: "Memories" b/w "Charro" (RCA Victor 47-9731)

Official Soundtrack Album: Elvis '68 Comeback Special

November 22, 1968:

Elvis NBC TV Special (RCA LPM 4088):
Side 1:
"Trouble / Guitar Man"
"Lawdy Miss Clawdy"
"Baby What You Want Me To Do"
"Dialogue"
"Medley: Heartbreak Hotel / Hound Dog / All Shook Up" "Can't Help Falling In Love" "Jailhouse Rock" "Love Me Tender"
Side 2:
"Medley: Where Could I Go But To The Lord? / Up Above My Head / Saved"
"Dialogue"
"Blue Christmas"
"One Night"
"Memories"
"Nothingville"
"Dialogue"
"Medley: Big Boss Man / Guitar Man / Little Egypt / Trouble / Guitar Man"
"If I Can Dream"