AUGUST 2025; AN EXPANDED OMNIBUS EDITION COMBINING PARTS 1 & 2, ALONG WITH SOME ADDITIONAL CONTENT, IS NOW AVAILABLE. CHECK YOUR USUAL PLATFORM, OR FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW :)
https://dec4podcast.com/2023/01/22/elvis-thats-the-way-it-is-parts-i-and-ii/
Welcome to part one of our deep dive into the influential 1970 MGM concert documentary, Elvis That's The Way It Is. Host George Fairbrother is joined for this two-part special by Gary Wells, whose website, soulrideblog.com, Your Home for Vintage Leisure, is loved by thousands of readers in over 100 countries.
It's the summer of 1970, and Elvis is riding an exhilarating wave of renewed commercial and artistic success. Having escaped his declining movie career and returned to live performance and non-soundtrack work in the studio, he is once again making some great music, topping the charts, and is already the number one live act in Las Vegas. From a number of different perspectives, Elvis That’s the Way It Is documents the leadup to Elvis’ third season at the International Hotel, and also takes us into the showroom for the first few performances. Director Denis Sanders said, “What we're trying to do is capture Elvis the entertainer, from the point of view of the fans, the hotel, the city, the audience.”
The movie came about at a time of huge upheaval in the world of entertainment. George and Gary discuss some of the fascinating people that made this unique era what it was, and discover the artists and crew that created a remarkable cinematic moment in time.
For a little bonus segment at the end of this episode, George and Gary talk about the ending to Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. (Spoiler Warning!)
There's a companion newsletter to these episodes with some additional insights, links and suggested reading, viewing and listening. Link here.
Original podcast theme music by Gainesville.
(Links may not work on all distributed platforms. You can also go to www.georgefairbrother.com/dec4)
