Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970) - full transcript

Good morning, Hollywood camera.
How are you?

Gentlemen, how are you?

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me
and Bridge Over Troubled Water.

We can fake it.

These are the same guys
that I use all the time.

My rhythm group.

These are my backbone of my whole show.

As you can tell, we don't know this song.
We haven't rehearsed it.

We're just fooling around.

One more time.

This one just gave up, didn't it?



Lunch.

I need another pair of pants.

You didn't?

I burst the seat of my pants.

We never did get it right on stage
because we... It was retarded...

...and I wanted it quick.

I wanted the group to say "heart away".

Were we in tempo?

Where's the director? There he is.

You want me to let you know
when we're gonna do that...

What do you call it?

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me.
Just to let you know.

We're not gonna do it now.

And Elvis will cut you off.
Just keep watching him.



You want to try "Twenty Days"?

Yeah.

We don't sing unless...

It worked.

Here he comes.

Hi, Phil.

They say ignore these cameras.

- Where's Gigi?
- Gigi is no longer with us.

You've got to be kidding!

He had to quit.

See, what happened, Gigi was married
and had a baby, an infant...

...and he had a little boy back in Memphis.

So he had to leave the little boy
in Memphis, because...

...his wife's parents
were keeping the little boy...

...and they wouldn't let him
take him out of town.

So, they had one child in California,
and one back there.

They were traveling back and forth
and it was too much for him.

But if it was his child.
Can't he take his child with him?

It's not really his child, it was...

...his wife's child by a previous marriage.

- And she couldn't take him?
- She wouldn't take him away.

- It was just a family thing. He quit.
- Yeah.

- I sure hated to lose him 'cause...
- I know he hated to go, too.

Okay.

The horns are answering it here.

Right on top of "friend".

Right on top of "friend" like...

Hold it.

Right.

I'd like to point out a problem.
When it switches, it sounds like...

When it switches, it sounds like
some of the guys are just lost...

... which is the way it is,
but we don't have to emphasize it.

- I made a mistake.
- It's all right.

I wanna try something.
This is the last verse.

We can do a yodel.

Play that song.

Sing it slow.

Mary in the Morning.

"Mary at suppertime"

Kill that blower.

Or blow that killer. Whatever.

James, one minute, man.

Wait a minute.
They don't tell you when to start.

Like a big old screaming eagle
out there, man.

You can't use those words.
They'll cut it right out.

They'll cut it out.

They'll put an X rating
right across your big mouth.

"Mouth" I said.

That shows how you think.
I wouldn't say that.

They'll cut that out. They won't leave it in.

You can't say "big ass" in this family.

"Okay." Mary in the Morning.

Sing it again.

Just a chord.

You only got about another 45 minutes
of sitting around.

I know you've been great,
but listen to this.

That's the wildest laugh.

That's about how I feel.

No wonder he can't have a good time.
He's reading telegrams while we talk.

"Here's hoping you have a very successful
opening and that you break both legs."

- Goddamn!
- Tom Jones.

"My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me?"

Signed, "The Pope".

"Best wishes for a continuing
successful Vegas show."

"I hope you get a raise
in the next six months, Joyce Brazil."

Don't pick your nose on camera.

Don't pick your nose on camera, man.

It starts to get tense about this time.

I just hope I don't forget the words to...

..."I Just Can't Help Believin'".
I hope I don't forget the words.

Right there, that's the first verse.
You got the rest of it.

If I get through the first one, I get it.

Very proud. Nice to see you.
Hope you enjoy our show tonight.

- Have you seen Elvis before?
- I've seen him twice.

Good. We've a better show tonight.

Well, he was absolutely fantastic that time.

Nice to see you tonight.
Nice to have you with us.

Glad to have you aboard
to see Elvis tonight.

Well, of course.
He sings those Spanish songs like nobody.

Hello!

Mrs. Xavier Cugat.
How are you? Good to see you.

You came to see Elvis?

You should've seen me at dinner tonight.
I was going...

In tempo.

I never swallowed any of it.
It was all right here.

Hello, how are you?

I came to see that "pectoral destruction".

If the songs don't go well,
we can do a medley of...

We can pray.

- Has the show started yet?
- Yes.

- Who's on?
- Sammy says bring in the machine.

Straight vodka, man, it's good for you.

We could put the words of
"I Just Can't Help Believin'" on that stool.

That's it, you know. I just...

Tapers off to nothing.

I knew a song about...

I don't know, when I was a baby.

You got to lean on your knee, like this.
Like a fool.

It's a very tender love song. It's a ballad.

You get up into a girl's face,
you know, very close...

... and you say:

"Yeah!"

And it blows her hair straight back.

You know, when I first started...

... in this business...

... I was a little, bitty guy...

... with a shaky leg.

So, Ed Sullivan saw me and said:

"Son of a bitch."

Anyway, they put me on TV
and filmed me from the waist up.

You know, I'm going...

Anyway, MGM is doing a movie...

... called...

...Elvis Loses his Excess.

"Shakes his Excess Off", or whatever it is.

So don't let these cameras throw you.

Give me an E, or a G, or an F, or a D.

Or a B-flat minor, plus one.

I don't know what I'm talking about.

If you milk this thing long enough...

I'll put this in front of you, Ronnie.

Play it, Jim.

I made a movie about it.

What are you laughing at?
This is my first guitar. I was little.

I told you.

Little bitty cat,
trying to get people to listen to me.

Listen to me, I'm good.

Not with that voice, you ain't.

Anyway...

Anyway, my first movie,
ladies and gentlemen.

That's really this guitar doing that.

How you doing, sir?

Thank you.

Are you afraid of me?

Hang loose, I'll be with you in a minute.

I'll be over there.

Sorry I couldn't make it up there.

Take it home, baby!

That's it.

Thank you very much.

Everybody ready?

I'm not.

I'm not.

Okay.

What you got there?

What's that look for?

Picture of me?

That's very nice.

Looks like Engelbert Humperdinck.

Yeah, sure will.

Time-out, folks. Just one second.

Bahija. Is that your name?

- You want me to have this one?
- Do you like it?

Thank you very much. Yes, it's very nice.

I can't do that. I'm sorry.

Hang loose, you'll get it back.

Okay.

I just did a country and western album.

In it is a song. It's called:

Just Pretend.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Play the song, James.

One, two, three, four!

What are you looking at back there?

Thank you.

Good evening.

Just grab hold, honey, anywhere.

There you go.

Hi, little girl.

Oh, what's the matter, baby?

Please, kiss me!

I love you!

Okay. Sure.

You want to get serious
or just play a little bit?

Okay.

If we start doing those,
we'll be up here all night.

Okay.

Play the song, James.

Thank you very much. Water.

Suspicious Minds.

Thank you very much.

Fantastic audience.

Thank you very much.

- Hello, Elvis.
- Glad to meet you.

Harry, what have you got on?

The show was beautiful.

How you doing? Nice to meet you.

I've made it back, huh?

I almost put it off, because...

I was a little too nervous at first.

The show was beautiful.

You were terrific. You did all my moves.

- How are you? Good to see you.
- Good to see you.

You've met my wife before, I think.

- It was a great show.
- Thank you.

- It was a sweaty show.
- You worked awfully hard.

Maybe too hard, I don't know.

I don't know, but he started to rev up.

You started to rev up,
and it never stopped.

- Hi, I'm Ann.
- Nice to meet you.