Elvis That's The Way It Is Sparknotes

Elvis: That’s the Way It Is

The documentary opens up with a live performance in Phoenix, AZ, of the artist of the century, Elvis Presley. This documentary was to document Elvis’ return to live shows after doing movies for a while. The time was July 1970, Culver City, CA, when a group of men pulled into MGM Studios for rehearsals before a show. They head into to the studio to go over the arrangements for a show later on at nighttime but for this documentary there are clips of several shows, that show Elvis performing different songs, wearing different jumpsuits and the reactions of the different audiences. The clips also showing Elvis, the band, backup singers, support staff, celebrities, and the fans’ commentaries about what Elvis means

to them.
Back at MGM Studios, behind the practice scenes of the music shows the work dedication that these men have towards the jobs they love. Also it shows their playfulness, as a way to let out stream no matter if it embarrassed them or not. Such as when Elvis and his MGM office manager, Joe Esposito, ride a bicycle built for two on the studio lot. When they come to the building they want they get off but Elvis makes it seem he was riding a horse because he walks like he is saddle sore and laughs about it. Then they go back to rehearse the songs that are going to be used in the shows and to which part they want to emphasis the most, the climax of the song.
The backup singers, The Sweet Inspirations (started in 1963 by Cissy Houston, mother of Whitney Houston but left to raise Whitney when she was born) and The Imperials, are shown rehearsing to Elvis recordings of the song in the room of the hotel where that particular show is going to be held.

For this segment of the documentary that would be in Las Vegas and eventually Elvis and rest of the band show up to rehearse with the backup singers before the show starts later that night. Again they rehearse various songs, from slow to rock, to Christmas, to yodeling, to gospel and country. This shows the range of music genres that Elvis and his entourage know and can sing (of course without the help of autotune which is being used in today’s

music).
After the hotel rehearsal scenes are shown, the next footage is of what goes o behind the scenes of the show. Phone operators taking reservations and ticket takers passing out reserved tickets, hotel staff setting up tables, cutlery and souvenir stands, the marquee lights and letters spelling out Elvis are being put up. Fans are shown arriving by bus wearing their Elvis attire. Elvis is show reading telegrams from fellow artists wishing him a good show, especially one that says, “Here’s hoping you have a very successful opening and that you break both legs,” signed Tom Jones. Which shows the good nature ribbing between two artists.
The celebrities that attended the show are shown next.

Celebrities such as Juliet Prowse, George Hamilton, Cary Grant, Xavier Cugart and his wife Charro, and Sammy Davis Jr. Which shows the wide variety of celebrities that attended such shows. The music starts up, Elvis walks out onto the stage and signs “That’s Alright Mamma”, audiences screams wildly as Elvis struts his stuff across the stage, show the sensuality that he’s known for. He is also playful on stage by telling stories, jokes, changing the words in his songs, make funny faces and makes fun of his critics. Even though Elvis is singing a song, he stops and interacts with his audience by getting down from the stage and walking through the audience by giving out kisses or handshakes and people line up for the chance to do so. Eventually he makes his way back to the stage to finish his song “Love Me

Tender.”
Later on in his other shows he handed out scarves to the audience when they approached the stage when he sang that song. As Elvis sings his songs different clips of the same song but him wearing different jumpsuits are shown, to show the six different shows that were filmed from July to September of 1970 and the release date of this documentary was in November of 1970. Fans are shown to give their commentary as to what Elvis means to them. Fans of all walks of life, gender, social and economic status and race. Since there were three different versions of release for Elvis:That’s the Way It Is, 1970, 2001, and 2014, the latter two versions had edited the commentaries of the fans, known as the talking heads, known amongst Elvis’ entourage but had more footage of Elvis and his shows. This paper is based on the original documentary that came out in 1970.
This documentary still stands the test of time of giving some insight of what happened in the 1970s, of the music, the fashion and of course the changes in culture. All due to one man who dared to cross all lines separating people from one and another through gender, age, social status, economic background, and race. He believed music should bring people together not apart and legend and beliefs are still carried forth to this day and age, through his fans both old and new.