One Night: More Elvis On Tour Theater Event and Blu-Ray Details

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Elvis On Tour Countdown: 26 days to theater event, 1 month to Blu

The Mystery Train Elvis Blog didn’t even exist yet when I first posted in January about Elvis On Tour coming to Blu-ray over on my sci-fi blog. Now, over six months later, the Blu-ray release of the Golden Globe winner for best documentary of 1972 is just a month away. The film, featuring Elvis on stage and off during the spring of that year, makes its Blu-ray and DVD debut on August 3 from Warner Home Video.

What I never could have predicted back then is that in even less time than that, fans here in the United States will be able to experience the Elvis On Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration in theaters across the country. Only 26 days away, the event will feature the entire Elvis On Tour movie as recently restored and remastered for high definition, as well as an introduction by Elvis’ ex-wife Priscilla Presley and never-before-seen footage. Sponsored by Fathom Events, Warner Home Video, and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Elvis On Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration hits theaters one night only on July 29.

I’ve had the pleasure of attending two Fathom events before. The first, and most spectacular, was a special edit of ELVIS: ’68 Comeback Special to promote the deluxe edition DVD release. I was born in 1975, so I never had a chance to see Elvis in concert. Not only that, but I had never even seen him on the big screen in a movie theater. Fathom Events changed that with this incredible presentation. As an Elvis fan, it was a night I’ll never forget – the closest I’ll ever come to seeing him live.

I’m sure Elvis On Tour will feel much the same way. In fact, if I was born 10 or 15 years earlier, I very well may have attended a concert or two from that very tour, which had stops in my home state.

Be sure to check out Warner Home Video’s www.elvisthemovies.com, which is currently promoting Elvis On Tour and will soon have downloads and a photo gallery.

In case you missed them, here are some of the previous posts on Elvis On Tour from The Mystery Train:

Elvis on stage in 1972 during production of Elvis On Tour

Elvis on stage in 1972 during production of Elvis On Tour

See below for a full press release with even more Elvis On Tour details. Note that it mentions “Teddy Bear,” “Hound Dog,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” none of which are actually in the original Elvis On Tour movie and, thus, may be part of the “never-before-seen footage” portion of the event. We’ll find out on July 29.

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Elvis on Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration to Hit Big Screens Nationwide for Exclusive One-Night Event with Never-Before-Seen Footage This July

NCM Fathom, Warner Home Video and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. Bring Golden Globe®- Winning Concert Documentary to Select Movie Theaters on July 29th featuring Exclusive Segments with Priscilla Presley

Centennial, Colo. – June 30, 2010 – Commemorating the 75th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s birth, Warner Home Video, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. and NCM Fathom are teaming up to present Elvis on Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration special in-theater event that celebrates the timeless music of the rock ‘n’ roll icon. The event, featuring remastered film footage shot with The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll ™ on tour and in concert, will be broadcast to more than 460 select movie theaters on Thursday, July 29th at 7:00 p.m. local time.  In addition, this exclusive event will feature performances and interviews from the 1972 Golden Globe® Best Documentary winner, “Elvis on Tour,” and a specially-produced, exclusive retrospective from Priscilla Presley.  Elvis on Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration includes never-before-seen Elvis tour footage as well as montage sequences produced by Academy Award®-winning director Martin Scorsese that showcase The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s early career and movies.

Tickets for Elvis on Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration are available at participating box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, please visit the website (theaters and participants may be subject to change).

Since Elvis’s passing, Priscilla Presley has helped keep his legacy alive as an advocate for his music and as the founder of Elvis Presley Enterprises. As someone who knew the king better than almost anyone, her introduction at the beginning of the event promises to express the depth to which Elvis touched the lives of not just those who knew him, but the whole world.

“I was thrilled when I heard fans will be gathering in theaters across America on July 29 for this Elvis experience, and again in August during Elvis Week in Memphis,” said Priscilla Presley. “Those of us who witnessed Elvis in concert know how incredible it was to see him performing live. Now, through this in-theater event and DVD, millions more will get to experience that magic.”

“Elvis on Tour,” Elvis’ last film before his death in 1977, follows The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll as he embarked on a 15-city U.S. tour in April 1972.  More than 25 performances spotlight Elvis’ talent, range and showmanship in captivating on-stage performances and intimate backstage rehearsals with his band.  Shot with multi-cameras and presented in a split-screen format similar to “Woodstock” the movie, “Elvis on Tour” combines concert, rehearsal and backstage footage to provide all the excitement of having a front-row seat at the show. Concert performances include “Burning Love,” “Don’t be Cruel,” “Teddy Bear,” “Hound Dog,” “Love Me Tender,” “Suspicious Minds,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight” and many more favorites.

Elvis on Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration also features Elvis’ infamous appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and his first performance of “Burning Love,” which was so new, he referred to the lyric sheet during the song.

“Elvis is an American pop culture icon and lives on in the hearts of millions and will return to the silver screen for a command performance at this historic event,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom. “Elvis fans of all ages can experience The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll again in this restored and stunning presentation of the award-winning music documentary.”

Elvis on Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration will appear in 467 select U.S. movie theaters, including AMC Entertainment Inc., Celebration! Cinema, Cinemark Holdings, Inc., Clearview Cinemas, Cobb Theatres, Georgia Theatre Company, Goodrich Quality Theatres, Hollywood Theaters, Kerasotes Showplace Theatres, Marcus Theatres, National Amusements, Rave Motion Pictures and Regal Entertainment Group movie theaters, as well as Bainbridge 5 (Seattle, WA), The Carolina (Asheville, NC), The Grand Theatre (Bismarck, ND), the Palace Cinema 9 (South Burlington, VT), Penn Cinema (Lititz, PA) and El Raton Theatre (Raton, NM) through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network – North America’s largest cinema broadcast network.

During Elvis Week events in August of 2010, a special screening will also take place at The Orpheum Theater in Memphis, the same movie house Elvis frequented as a teenager. Tickets to the Elvis Week showing in Memphis are available by going to www.ElvisWeek.com.

“Elvis 75th Anniversary DVD Collection,” available from Warner Home Video on August 3, features 17 of The King of Rock ‘n Roll’s films, including the new “Elvis on Tour” and fan favorites “Jailhouse Rock” and “Viva Las Vegas.” Visit the Warner Home Video official website http://www.elvisthemovies.com/ for more information on events and products.

About National CineMedia (NCM)
NCM operates NCM Media Networks, a leading integrated media company reaching U.S. consumers in movie theaters, online and through mobile technology. The NCM Cinema Network and NCM Fathom present cinema advertising and events across the nation’s largest digital in-theater network, comprised of theaters owned by AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) and other leading regional theater circuits. NCM’s theater network covers 171 Designated Market Areas® (49 of the top 50) and includes approximately 17,100 screens (15,500 digital). During 2009, approximately 680 million patrons attended movies shown in theaters currently included in NCM’s network (excluding Consolidated Theatres). The NCM Interactive Network offers 360-degree integrated marketing opportunities in combination with cinema, encompassing approximately 40 entertainment-related web sites, online widgets and mobile applications. National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) owns a 38.3% interest in and is the managing member of National CineMedia LLC. For more information, visit www.ncm.com or www.fathomevents.com.

About Warner Home Video
With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, a division of the Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, commands the largest distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video’s film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Home Video and New Line Home Entertainment.

About Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) is based in Memphis, with additional offices in Los Angeles. In addition to Graceland and its related attractions in Memphis, including the Heartbreak Hotel, EPE is aggressively involved in a worldwide licensing program, merchandising, music publishing, and television, film, video and Internet projects. For more information on EPE and Graceland, visit www.elvis.com . EPE is a subsidiary of CKX, Inc. (www.ckx.com), a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ Global Market® under the ticker symbol CKXE.

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Original image and press release courtesy of Goodman Media International, Inc. Used with permission.

Journey Back in Time to Elvis Presley’s Memphis

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When I was 15, my family took a summer vacation to Tennessee. Though we took a detour through Nashville, the main destination, of course, was Graceland in Memphis. One of the things I was unprepared for in the Graceland area was the sheer volume of Elvis merchandise available.

Back then, there were no online stores. While Elvis was certainly available in various places at home, especially in record stores, I had never seen anything like this. For instance, there was an entire record store devoted to Elvis that seemingly had every record he ever released (looking back, probably not).

While I had brought along what I considered a decent amount of spending money (probably the most amount of money I ever had at one time to that point), I quickly realized I was going to have to be very judicious in what I bought. I tried to focus on things that I had never seen before and definitely couldn’t buy back home. Records were out. Though they had records I had never seen, all of them were much more expensive than the prices I was used to paying.

Two of the items I bought were reprints of the two Memphis newspapers’ coverage of Elvis’ death in August 1977, the Memphis Press-Scimitar and the Commercial Appeal. While the articles represented a sad time, I enjoyed reading about Elvis within the context of his times – rather than with years of posthumous baggage.

That’s why I’m looking forward to the July 30, 2010, release of Elvis Presley’s Memphis, a 160-page hardcover book from the archives of The Commercial Appeal and Elvis Presley Enterprises. Along with photographs, the book will include reprints of various articles covering Elvis’ life.

I’ve given EPE a hard time this month over the Mr. Potato Head Elvis Presley fiasco, so it’s only fair for me to point out that the Elvis Presley’s Memphis book may turn out to be one of their best products since the release of the ELVIS: ’68 Comeback Special- Deluxe Edition and Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii-Deluxe Edition DVD sets.

If you happen to be in Memphis during Elvis Week in August, be on the lookout for an exclusive edition of this book that includes a DVD. The rest of us can pre-order the book alone over at Pediment Books.

“Together all alone”

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I’ve recently been playing Elvis’ last couple of non-compilation albums, From Elvis Presley Boulevard and Moody Blue, as well as associated outtakes on The Jungle Room Sessions and other releases. He recorded many of these songs in the den at Graceland in February and October of 1976.

I’ve also been listening to songs from Elvis In Concert, the first album released after he passed away, containing songs from his last concert tour in June 1977.

From Elvis Presley Boulevard (1976)

From Elvis Presley Boulevard (1976)

These recordings represent the last audio documentation we have of Elvis Presley the artist. From Elvis Presley Boulevard and Moody Blue are two of his finest albums. By this time, Elvis was apparently reluctant to record, so it is only through the efforts of people like producer Felton Jarvis that we have these recordings at all.

Boulevard has a thematically dark tone, established right from the beginning. If your Elvis experience is limited to the likes of “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Hound Dog,” it can make for some revealing and, at times, difficult listening.

I’m so hurt to think that you lied to me. I’m hurt way down deep inside of me. You said our love was true, and we’d never part. Now you want someone new, and it breaks my heart.” –From “Hurt,” Elvis Presley song, 1976 (written by Crane/Jacobs)

The pain is so evident in his voice as he pours out what is left of that broken heart. Reluctant or not, the results are some of the most honest music of his life.

What will become of me when you’re no longer here? If I can’t stop loving you, what am I to do? You’ll be free, but where will I be?” –From “Never Again,” Elvis Presley song, 1976 (written by Wheeler/Chesnut)

Let there be no doubt that Elvis could still rock, though. In the midst of Boulevard‘s otherwise slow songs suddenly appears “For The Heart,” and Elvis tears it up.

Though a gloomy tone is still present, Moody Blue lightens things up a bit compared to Boulevard. Rockers “Way Down,” “Moody Blue,” and a fun 1977 live version of “Little Darlin'” help in this regard, as does a 1974 live recording of “Let Me Be There” – first released on Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis.

I can still remember the first time I played Moody Blue. It was an album I borrowed from the local library, before I had any Elvis records of my own. I was fascinated by the fact that the record was blue rather than black. It began with a beautiful, haunting version of “Unchained Melody.” That song, as well as “Little Darlin'” and “Way Down” caught my attention, though I remember listening to the whole record over and over. What a perfect Elvis album.

You don’t have to face the music. You don’t have to face the crowd. Just go back where you came from. You ain’t even proud.” –From “It’s Easy For You,” Elvis Presley song, 1976 (written by Webber/Rice)

This turned into a longer post than I first planned. All I really wanted to say was how much joy listening to these songs has brought me in the last couple of days. Sometimes, you can listen to something in a whole new way. A song you’ve heard a hundred times can suddenly sound new.

That’s the great thing about being an Elvis fan, there is so much music out there to explore. I’ll never stop listening.

It’s Official! Elvis On Tour to Rock Almost Every US State!

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It is now one hundred percent official. Elvis On Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration will be appearing in theaters in over 45 US states on July 29. Today, Elvis Presley Enterprises and Fathom Events finally announced a story we’ve been talking about here for nearly two weeks.

From the (poorly worded) press release:

This one night event will feature much of the last film footage shot with Elvis, a specially produced, exclusive retrospective from Priscilla Presley, and never-before-seen Elvis footage. More than 25 numbers spotlighting Elvis Presley’s talent, range and showmanship fill this lively chronicle of his multi-city 1972 series of concerts.”

The event promotes the August 3 Blu-ray and DVD release of the 1972 documentary Elvis On Tour.

To purchase tickets to a theatrical showing in your area, use the link supplied over on this Elvis.com story: Elvis on Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration in Theaters in July.

Tell every Elvis fan you know about this. We need to get those theaters full, and it’s playing in tons of locations.

Here’s the full list from Fathom.com: Participating Theatres – Elvis on Tour: 75th Anniversary Celebration

Thank you to Warner Brothers, Elvis Presley Enterprises, and Fathom Events for making this happen.

See you on the road, with Elvis! Don’t miss it.

Elvis On Tour (1972)

Elvis On Tour (1972)

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[Update 6/19/2010: Here is some information about a European screening of Elvis On Tour, ElvisNews.com: On Tour European Premiere In Belgium With Jerry Schilling.]

Potatoes, Secret Movies, and Elvis Blogs

/ TY

A legendary potato

I’ve posted about the Mr. Potato Head Elvis Presley here a couple of times in the last week or so. Most recently, I had some fun with the idea and speculated about what some of the rejected marketing slogans for that dubious product might have been.

Other Elvis bloggers have also handled this hot potato. For instance, Phil over at ElvisBlog surmises that a 50s gold lamé suit incarnation of the big spud will follow the 70s white jumpsuit and ’68 special leather suit versions already in the works. If you’re going to insult Elvis fans, it’s only fair, of course, to insult fans of every Elvis decade. That way, no one feels left out.

In Phil’s post, you’ll see what amounts to a rogue’s gallery of mostly awful Elvis “collectibles” in the same vein as the potato. One that I apparently missed when it first arrived on the scene is “Plush Piggy Elvis” – which admittedly is even worse than the Potato Head. While the potato is official, I’m really hoping that piggy was an unauthorized product, though. Not even EPE would be that stupid, would they?

The secret Elvis On Tour movie

Well, I’m not going to let the potato get me down. Elvis On Tour‘s looming Blu-ray release is enough to satisfy me for 75th anniversary products. Last week, I also told you how Fandango, AMC, and others are advertising a theatrical showing of the film on July 29 at various theaters across the United States (billed as Elvis On Tour 75th Anniversary Celebration).

As far as I’ve seen, there’s still been nothing official posted from sponsors Warner Home Video, Elvis Presley Enterprises, or Fathom Events. However, I can assure you that the tickets are very much on sale now – as I purchased mine from Fandango over the weekend.

I’m really looking forward to seeing Elvis On Tour in the theater. I just hope enough word gets out that I won’t be the only one there!

Seriously, seeing Elvis On Tour on the big screen will make the 75th anniversary a memorable one for me. I can’t think of a better way to remember Elvis than to see him live in concert in the closest way we can.

300 posts and counting

Speaking of milestones, Thomas is celebrating the 300th post over at his Elvis Today blog, so congratulations to him. Having read all 300 of them, I can safely say that Elvis Today sets itself apart from the rest of us by being a very personal and insightful blog of consistent high quality. When it comes to blogging, Thomas sets the ideal. I just wish he’d hurry up with the next 300 posts.

They’re not all bad

Besides Elvis On Tour, another upcoming, authorized Elvis product actually looks pretty terrific. I’ll have a post about that within the next few days.

Until next time, have fun everyone!

How to Win Auction Items and Explore Elvis the Music Fan

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I don’t usually pay a whole lot of attention to Elvis-related items that go up for auction. A lot of times, it is boring stuff like locks of his hair.

A recent British auction caught my eye, though. From Elvis Unlimited, here are excerpts from a description by Scotty Moore, Elvis’ first guitarist, of the lot he put up for auction in May:

I write this letter to confirm that I own a very special collection of records that used to belong to Elvis, and to confirm the story of the records: In early January 1968 […], Elvis asked if I could transfer his old favourite 78 RPM records to reel-to-reel tape for him at my studio. I told him yes.

When we met at the sessions in Nashville, which took place on January 15th and 16th 1968, Elvis brought with him a briefcase with 26 78s wrapped in the January 14th edition of the Memphis newspaper The Commercial Appeal.

Elvis left me the briefcase with the records and asked me to mail the tape back to his house in Memphis, which I did. I made a safety copy for myself and kept the records and tape in my studio in Nashville. Elvis never asked for the records to be returned. […]

Some years later – around 1973, I believe, I was cleaning out my studio when I noticed the briefcase with the 78 RPM records. I called Graceland who took notice of the titles, and I took the records back to my home studio in Nashville where they have been kept safe in my home ever since. […]

These records were some of Elvis’ first and all time favourite records. They influenced Elvis as a musician and vocalist for sure.”

For me, I find this a fascinating look at Elvis the music fan. That’s right, it’s Elvis as one of us.

Below is the list of records. If Elvis lived in modern times and had an iPod, this could certainly have been one of his playlists. I’ve italicized songs that Elvis is known to have professionally recorded.

  • Joe Turner: Corrine Corrina b/w Boogie Woogie Country Girl
  • The Dominoes: That’s What You’re Doing To Me b/w When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano
  • Ivory Joe Hunter: It’s A Sin b/w Don’t You Believe Her
  • Roy Brown: Hurry, Hurry Baby b/w Travelin’ Man
  • Fats Domino: Blueberry Hill b/w Honey Chile
  • The Crickets: You’re Mine b/w Milk And Gin
  • Tommy Edwards: It’s All In The Game b/w All Over Again
  • Ray Charles: I Got A Woman b/w Come Back
  • Hank Snow: I’m Gonna Bid My Blues Goodbye b/w Just A Faded Petal From A Beautiful Bouquet
  • Louis Jones And His Band: Rock And Roll Bells b/w All Over, Goodbye
  • Lowell Fulson: Reconsider Baby b/w I Believe I’ll Give Up
  • Brownie Mcghee: I’m 10,000 Years Old b/w Cherry Red
  • The Four Lads: Moments To Remember b/w Dream On, My Love, Dream On
  • Johnny Ace With The Beale Streeter: My Song b/w Follow The Rule
  • Roy Hamilton: Hurt b/w Star Of Love
  • Sammy Davis Jr: Because Of You Parts 1 & 2
  • Fats Domino: Ain’t It A Shame b/w La-La
  • Lloyd Price: Lawdy Miss Clawdy b/w Mailman Blues
  • Buddy Blake: Rosie b/w You’ll Cry For Me
  • The Pearls: Your Cheatin’ Heart b/w I Sure Need You
  • Ivory Joe Hunter: Since I Met You Baby b/w You Can’t Stop This Rockin’ And Rollin’
  • Carl Perkins: Matchbox b/w Your True Love
  • Billy Ward And His Dominoes: Rags To Riches b/w Don’t Thank Me
  • The Billy Vaughn Orchestra: The Shifting Whispering Sands Parts 1 & 2
  • Arthur Gunter: Baby Let’s Play House b/w Blues After Hours
  • Willie Mae ‘Big Mama’ Thornton: Hound Dog b/w Night Mare

The lot of 26 records ending up fetching well over $100,000 US at auction. It was a big check to write, but I’m looking forward to receiving the records.

Just kidding, I don’t have that kind of splurge money. However, I did think of one relatively inexpensive way to “win” this auction – by buying and downloading the same songs from iTunes or Amazon. Plus, I already have a few of them on my iPod.

It turns out that 39 of the above songs are available on iTunes. The 13 “missing” songs are not currently available for download from the US versions of iTunes or Amazon. However, they may be available on CD – which I did not check as of yet.

A couple of CDs were released in the last few years purporting to contain songs that inspired Elvis, including some of the above tunes. Personally, I think it’s more fun to track down the exact ones in his collection – almost the equivalent of a young Elvis finding a much-wanted single in a Beale Street record shop.

In any event, for about $50 or less, you can download and listen to songs that Elvis enjoyed and gain new insight into the artist. For more information on the records, including pictures, see the official Scotty Moore site.

Exclusive: Rejected Marketing Slogans for Mr. Potato Head Elvis Presley

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Yesterday, I told you about Elvis Presley Enterprise’s new Mr. Potato Head Elvis Presley. Today, I’ve already started to see the national media sniffing at this story. A couple of the newscasters on television cable news network CNN had a good laugh about it, including photos of the overweight spud bulging out of his jumpsuit. The media always prefers to makes jokes out of Elvis stories, but does Elvis Presley Enterprises really need to make it this easy for them?

Anyway, today, I have an exclusive list of rejected marketing slogans* for Mr. Potato Head Elvis Presley. Here they are:

  • Build Your Dreams On Suspicious Rinds
  • It’s Elvis In Spudway: Smooth, Fast, And No Lumps!
  • Keep Buyin’ Them Taters
  • 50,000,000 Elvis Spuds Can’t Be Wrong
  • Always On Your Rind
  • The Memphis Spud
  • Kids, When Your Potato Has Sideburns, You’d Better Run!
  • Your Lovin’ Teddy Spud!
  • Worse. Than. The. Duck.
  • Elvis: The Complete Mashers
  • Will Work As Food
  • It’s A Hunka’ Hunka’ Burnin’ Mush
  • Elvis Potato Head Today, Elvis’ Golden Fries Tomorrow
  • One For The Money
  • Gentle On Your Rind

By the way, the only way to make Elvis Presley Enterprises stop authorizing these kind of junk products is for Elvis fans to stop buying them. So, avoid the potato, and let your family and friends know that you don’t want it either. Why let them waste their money?

*not really