There’s a reason this televised concert — billed simply as Elvis when it debuted on NBC in December of 1968 — is known colloquially as "The Comeback Special." Filmed at a time when the King's career was in serious need of resuscitation, this 70-plus-minute broadcast reminded Americans why they swooned over the Mississippi-born multi-threat the decade before. Mixing in-the-round performances with elaborate dance numbers fit for a variety show, Elvis remains an intimate spectacle, anchored by a greatest-hits set list and a leading man who can howl, croon, and throw choreographed punches with the best of them. (And though his sex appeal may have waned a bit by '68, he could still hold a camera, no problem.) Legend has it that when the production was in its earliest of planning stages, Presley told an executive, "I want everyone to know what I can really do." After Elvis, they did.
