The Last Return of the King

The year was 1973. Elvis’ censored movements on the Ed Sullivan show were now a thing of the past. He was no longer stuck under contract to continue making what he considered to be “dumb ass flicks.” The small room-like stage of the 1968 Comeback Special was now dismantled and gone. Documentaries following Elvis on tour and in Las Vegas were now just the icing on a tremendous cake.

Colonel Tom Parker decided to give the whole world a chance to see an Elvis concert live. “It’s impossible for Elvis to play in every major city” was his excuse. Many people, including Elvis, did not know that Colonel Parker was an illegal immigrant from Holland. He turned down many shows and tours anywhere outside of the United States in fear of deportation.

In September of 1972, Elvis gave a press conference promoting the performance as the press in the United States would call it: Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii. Those who attended the concert would pay the admission of whatever they could afford to the Kui Lee Cancer Fund. *Kui Lee was a Hawaiian-Chinese singer/songwriter who had died of lymph gland cancer in 1963. The Kui Lee Cancer Fund was created to raise cancer research at the University of Hawaii.*

The electricity and vigor that ran through Elvis as he walked on stage was evident. The audience had his attention. This was his time to shine. The world was now literally at his stage. The variety of songs were a mix of every moment of Elvis Presley’s life from "Hound Dog" to "Suspicious Minds." Over 5,500 people attended the show and $75,000 was raised.

Elvis was secretly hurting, though. The little boy grin would never again hold a cover to the pain that Elvis was personally facing. You could tell later on that his laughter that in previous times would throw fans in hysterics along with him, would later become that of nervousness and defeat. Elvis started his career with a dream — a dream to give to those he loved a better life. The clock kept going, but for Elvis the light was starting to dim. He knew now, what he had known all along. “An image is one thing; a human being is another.”