Do The Clam
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Re: Do The Clam
Not profitable enough, but still in the black. The other aspect is Elvis made large fees, more money than could be made with record sales. Record sales makes surprisingly little money for the artist, that is why his publication royalties were so important. Elvis did not do the concert thing in the 70s specifically to bolster record sales, but he make money on touring itself. There have been many recording artists through the years who have made the point that they really do not make much money from their record companies. They have to find related endeavors to make their fortunes--touring, movies, TV appearances, publishing etc.
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Re: Do The Clam
drjohncarpenter wrote:Would this not have even begun until November 1968, after the NBC-TV special was completed and being pre-screened for review?Chris Roberts wrote:The vast majority of us on this board know differently. But unfortunately to many people who weren't around in the 50's, and know how influential and innovative Elvis in particular, but other rock pioneer's were as well, do in their ignorance think the Beatles were "the big bang of rock". It forever frustrates me that this is so.
When in 1968 the media kept informing us of Elvis's comeback, I thought at the time, as far as I was concerned he had never been away. After all I had seen him in the cinema at least three times a year since 1963, bought each of his three singles and albums each year and seen him on the news (his wedding) and read about him in the musical weeklies. To me someone who was having a 'comeback' would be that he/she had been retired from the business for some years.
I can only suppose they meant a 'comeback' to TV or the live stage.
As far as I remember it was being talked about, certainly throughout the second half of '68.
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Re: Do The Clam
I know of no reports of the media informing people of "Elvis's comeback" in June-October 1968.Chris Roberts wrote:drjohncarpenter wrote:Would this not have even begun until November 1968, after the NBC-TV special was completed and being pre-screened for review?Chris Roberts wrote:The vast majority of us on this board know differently. But unfortunately to many people who weren't around in the 50's, and know how influential and innovative Elvis in particular, but other rock pioneer's were as well, do in their ignorance think the Beatles were "the big bang of rock". It forever frustrates me that this is so.
When in 1968 the media kept informing us of Elvis's comeback, I thought at the time, as far as I was concerned he had never been away. After all I had seen him in the cinema at least three times a year since 1963, bought each of his three singles and albums each year and seen him on the news (his wedding) and read about him in the musical weeklies. To me someone who was having a 'comeback' would be that he/she had been retired from the business for some years.
I can only suppose they meant a 'comeback' to TV or the live stage.
As far as I remember it was being talked about, certainly throughout the second half of '68.
.
Dr. John Carpenter, M.D.
Stop, look and listen, baby <<--->> that's my philosophy!
Dr. John Carpenter, M.D.
Stop, look and listen, baby <<--->> that's my philosophy!
Re: Do The Clam
I doubt "comeback" was a term used as a prediction, it was a term used as a result of the TV Special. As for his comeback having origins in 1966, that could only describe Elvis' renewed interest in studio recording after a 2+ year absence. And the material was generally more mature than much of what came before, less formulaic. The special was a fortunate collimation of events and decisions. Serendipity if you will.
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Re: Do The Clam
Ive shared this anecdote before and of course the all Elvis, all gold, all the time crew accused me of lying. The day after his marriage my elementary school teacher started us back from lunch telling us how sad she was and that she had her heart broken yesterday. She went on to say that Elvis Presley had gotten married and she had been holding out hope for herself. None of the 47 or so kids knew who he was. Top of his game in 1967. Simply delusional top of his game in the mid 60s.drjohncarpenter wrote:Um, sorry, one look at the pop music world in 1964-1967 proves this is simply untrue. The historical record cannot be disputed.jetblack wrote:The Beatles, Tom Jones and Peter Noone (Herman's Hermits) all met Elvis in '64 and '65 and he a made worldwide news on his marriage to Priscilla in 1967 so he was still a major force.
It does. It continues to prove that the terrible "Do The Clam" was never "number one" in Japan, or a "smash hit" there, and further undermines the desperation of some to try and legitimize Elvis' career free-fall by making such false statements over and over again.elvisalisellers wrote:At the very least, it made the Top 10 in Japan [Billboard July 10, 1965] > https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=UykEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA24drjohncarpenter wrote:And, for the umpteenth time, there is nothing credible supporting the contention "Do The Clam," the worst single A-side to date in Presley's career to that point, even charted in Japan, let alone was "number one."
Hope this helps!
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Re: Do The Clam
Well, that's not the fact today...most children, at least here in the UK, know who Elvis is !fn2drive wrote:Ive shared this anecdote before and of course the all Elvis, all gold, all the time crew accused me of lying. The day after his marriage my elementary school teacher started us back from lunch telling us how sad she was and that she had her heart broken yesterday. She went on to say that Elvis Presley had gotten married and she had been holding out hope for herself. None of the 47 or so kids knew who he was. Top of his game in 1967. Simply delusional top of his game in the mid 60s.drjohncarpenter wrote:Um, sorry, one look at the pop music world in 1964-1967 proves this is simply untrue. The historical record cannot be disputed.jetblack wrote:The Beatles, Tom Jones and Peter Noone (Herman's Hermits) all met Elvis in '64 and '65 and he a made worldwide news on his marriage to Priscilla in 1967 so he was still a major force.
It does. It continues to prove that the terrible "Do The Clam" was never "number one" in Japan, or a "smash hit" there, and further undermines the desperation of some to try and legitimize Elvis' career free-fall by making such false statements over and over again.elvisalisellers wrote:At the very least, it made the Top 10 in Japan [Billboard July 10, 1965] > https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=UykEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA24drjohncarpenter wrote:And, for the umpteenth time, there is nothing credible supporting the contention "Do The Clam," the worst single A-side to date in Presley's career to that point, even charted in Japan, let alone was "number one."
Hope this helps!
I was shocked to hear my 21 year old daughter who manages a Gym tell me that almost all of her work mates hadn't heard of Prince when they heard he'd died !
47 pupils to a class ??? .........

Re: Do The Clam
Considering the vast amount of exposure Elvis films were getting on prime-time network television in 1967/68 - and the excellent ratings they achieved - I suspect none of the 47 children in your class had a television in their house?
IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR - 1/1/67 - Sunday, ABC – rating 21.5
Girls Girls Girls/Fun in Acapulco re-issued in January.
FLAMING STAR - 1/18/67 - Wednesday, ABC – rating 16.9
WILD IN THE COUNTRY - 3/15/67 - Wednesday, ABC – rating 21.1
Easy Come, Easy Go reviewed 3/27, opens in March.
KISSIN’ COUSINS – 4/2/67 – Sunday, ABC – rating 20.4
Double Trouble reviewed 4/10, opens in April.
BLUE HAWAII – 4/25/67 – Tuesday, NBC – rating 20.6
IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD’S FAIR – 7/9/67 – Sunday, ABC – rating 17.0
WILD IN THE COUNTRY – 7/12/67 – Wednesday, ABC – rating 13.7
FLAMING STAR – 8/16/67 – Wednesday, ABC – rating 14.4
FUN IN ACAPULCO - 9/12/67 - Tuesday, NBC – rating 25.5
PARADISE HAWAIIAN STYLE - 9/20/67 - Wednesday, ABC – rating 21.8
VIVA LAS VEGAS - 10/6/67 - Friday, CBS – rating 24.2
GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS - 10/10/67 - Tuesday, NBC – rating 25.1
Clambake reviewed 11/6, opens in December.
TICKLE ME - 12/8/67 - Friday, CBS – rating 26.6
An article in Weekly Variety dated 12/13/67 listed the 60 top rated network movie premieres as determined by Nielson. Elvis had 4 films in that list, more than any other star.
17. FUN IN ACAPULCO - NBC Tuesday night - 42.6 share
21. GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS - NBC Tuesday night - 41.6 share
26. VIVA LAS VEGAS - CBS Friday night - 43.4 share
41. PARADISE HAWAIIAN STYLE - ABC Wednesday night - 36.0 share
Interesting to note that just three weeks after the article, ROUSTABOUT premiered on ABC and got the highest rating of any Elvis feature ever shown in prime-time.
ROUSTABOUT - 1/3/68 - Wednesday, ABC – rating 29.1
Stay Away Joe reviewed 3/18, opens in March.
FUN IN ACAPULCO – 4/27/68 – Saturday, NBC – rating 20.9
Speedway reviewed 5/27, opens in June.
GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS – 6/15/68 – Saturday, NBC – rating 18.3 (originally announced for 6/8 but Robert Kennedy’s funeral is covered by the network. "Flower Drum Song" is substituted.)
FLAMING STAR – 7/17/68 – Wednesday, ABC – rating 16.5
TICKLE ME – 7/25/68 – Thursday, CBS – rating 19.0
BLUE HAWAII – 8/28/68 – Wednesday, ABC – rating 16.2
VIVA LAS VEGAS – 9/13/68 – Friday, CBS – rating 22.8
PARADISE HAWAIIAN STYLE – 9/15/68 – Saturday, ABC – rating 16.5
ROUSTABOUT – 9/18/68 – Wednesday, ABC – rating 19.5
Live a Little, Love a Little reviewed 10/14, opens in October.
HARUM SCARUM - 10/24/68 - Thursday, CBS – rating 19.9
Singer Presents Elvis 12/3/68 – Tuesday, NBC - watched by 42% of the viewing audience.
IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR - 1/1/67 - Sunday, ABC – rating 21.5
Girls Girls Girls/Fun in Acapulco re-issued in January.
FLAMING STAR - 1/18/67 - Wednesday, ABC – rating 16.9
WILD IN THE COUNTRY - 3/15/67 - Wednesday, ABC – rating 21.1
Easy Come, Easy Go reviewed 3/27, opens in March.
KISSIN’ COUSINS – 4/2/67 – Sunday, ABC – rating 20.4
Double Trouble reviewed 4/10, opens in April.
BLUE HAWAII – 4/25/67 – Tuesday, NBC – rating 20.6
IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD’S FAIR – 7/9/67 – Sunday, ABC – rating 17.0
WILD IN THE COUNTRY – 7/12/67 – Wednesday, ABC – rating 13.7
FLAMING STAR – 8/16/67 – Wednesday, ABC – rating 14.4
FUN IN ACAPULCO - 9/12/67 - Tuesday, NBC – rating 25.5
PARADISE HAWAIIAN STYLE - 9/20/67 - Wednesday, ABC – rating 21.8
VIVA LAS VEGAS - 10/6/67 - Friday, CBS – rating 24.2
GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS - 10/10/67 - Tuesday, NBC – rating 25.1
Clambake reviewed 11/6, opens in December.
TICKLE ME - 12/8/67 - Friday, CBS – rating 26.6
An article in Weekly Variety dated 12/13/67 listed the 60 top rated network movie premieres as determined by Nielson. Elvis had 4 films in that list, more than any other star.
17. FUN IN ACAPULCO - NBC Tuesday night - 42.6 share
21. GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS - NBC Tuesday night - 41.6 share
26. VIVA LAS VEGAS - CBS Friday night - 43.4 share
41. PARADISE HAWAIIAN STYLE - ABC Wednesday night - 36.0 share
Interesting to note that just three weeks after the article, ROUSTABOUT premiered on ABC and got the highest rating of any Elvis feature ever shown in prime-time.
ROUSTABOUT - 1/3/68 - Wednesday, ABC – rating 29.1
Stay Away Joe reviewed 3/18, opens in March.
FUN IN ACAPULCO – 4/27/68 – Saturday, NBC – rating 20.9
Speedway reviewed 5/27, opens in June.
GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS – 6/15/68 – Saturday, NBC – rating 18.3 (originally announced for 6/8 but Robert Kennedy’s funeral is covered by the network. "Flower Drum Song" is substituted.)
FLAMING STAR – 7/17/68 – Wednesday, ABC – rating 16.5
TICKLE ME – 7/25/68 – Thursday, CBS – rating 19.0
BLUE HAWAII – 8/28/68 – Wednesday, ABC – rating 16.2
VIVA LAS VEGAS – 9/13/68 – Friday, CBS – rating 22.8
PARADISE HAWAIIAN STYLE – 9/15/68 – Saturday, ABC – rating 16.5
ROUSTABOUT – 9/18/68 – Wednesday, ABC – rating 19.5
Live a Little, Love a Little reviewed 10/14, opens in October.
HARUM SCARUM - 10/24/68 - Thursday, CBS – rating 19.9
Singer Presents Elvis 12/3/68 – Tuesday, NBC - watched by 42% of the viewing audience.
Re: Do The Clam
Nice find Honey Talk Nelson!
And yet despite this and the wealth of additional information, some here would have us accept that Elvis was an irrelevant washed-up has-been in 1967!!!
Dear oh dear!
And yet despite this and the wealth of additional information, some here would have us accept that Elvis was an irrelevant washed-up has-been in 1967!!!
Dear oh dear!

Re: Do The Clam
Thanks, it's just a small part of the massive Elvis Movie Statistics thread, featuring extensive research with never-before-documented information found by yours truly in original primary source materials!
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=55990
The reason NBC considered Elvis for a network special was because of the excellent ratings his movies were getting on television during those years he was "forgotten."
http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=55990
The reason NBC considered Elvis for a network special was because of the excellent ratings his movies were getting on television during those years he was "forgotten."
Re: Do The Clam
Dear oh dear. Your implicit suggestion that throughout the mid - latter part of that year the Presley fan-base was unaware of the events of June 68 really does beggar belief.drjohncarpenter wrote:I know of no reports of the media informing people of "Elvis's comeback" in June-October 1968.Chris Roberts wrote:drjohncarpenter wrote:Would this not have even begun until November 1968, after the NBC-TV special was completed and being pre-screened for review?Chris Roberts wrote:The vast majority of us on this board know differently. But unfortunately to many people who weren't around in the 50's, and know how influential and innovative Elvis in particular, but other rock pioneer's were as well, do in their ignorance think the Beatles were "the big bang of rock". It forever frustrates me that this is so.
When in 1968 the media kept informing us of Elvis's comeback, I thought at the time, as far as I was concerned he had never been away. After all I had seen him in the cinema at least three times a year since 1963, bought each of his three singles and albums each year and seen him on the news (his wedding) and read about him in the musical weeklies. To me someone who was having a 'comeback' would be that he/she had been retired from the business for some years.
I can only suppose they meant a 'comeback' to TV or the live stage.
As far as I remember it was being talked about, certainly throughout the second half of '68.

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Re: Do The Clam
HoneyTalkNelson, thanks for your post. Do you know, by the way, if Elvis was paid for these films being on TV. I wonder if the Colonel took some money for such viewings.
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Re: Do The Clam
It's likely they all had TVs in their homes, they just weren't watching old Elvis movies on a Sunday night. They were more interested in the exciting new groups, singles and albums that were released in that magical year, 1967.HoneyTalkNelson wrote:Considering the vast amount of exposure Elvis films were getting on prime-time network television in 1967/68 - and the excellent ratings they achieved - I suspect none of the 47 children in your class had a television in their house?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967_in_music
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Year-End_Hot_100_singles_of_1967
http://rateyourmusic.com/list/csaunders9/60_best_albums_of_1967/
Sadly, you will be hard-pressed to find the name "Elvis" on any of these pages. It shouldn't have been this way.
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Stop, look and listen, baby <<--->> that's my philosophy!
Dr. John Carpenter, M.D.
Stop, look and listen, baby <<--->> that's my philosophy!
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Re: Do The Clam
Maybe the kids simply did not watch them as they had never heard of him and then thought he was irrelevant to the music scene at that time. They were probably into artists who meant something to them. So it was probably the adults who did the watching.HoneyTalkNelson wrote:Considering the vast amount of exposure Elvis films were getting on prime-time network television in 1967/68 - and the excellent ratings they achieved - I suspect none of the 47 children in your class had a television in their house?
IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR - 1/1/67 - Sunday, ABC – rating 21.5
Girls Girls Girls/Fun in Acapulco re-issued in January.
FLAMING STAR - 1/18/67 - Wednesday, ABC – rating 16.9
WILD IN THE COUNTRY - 3/15/67 - Wednesday, ABC – rating 21.1
Easy Come, Easy Go reviewed 3/27, opens in March.
KISSIN’ COUSINS – 4/2/67 – Sunday, ABC – rating 20.4
Double Trouble reviewed 4/10, opens in April.
BLUE HAWAII – 4/25/67 – Tuesday, NBC – rating 20.6
IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD’S FAIR – 7/9/67 – Sunday, ABC – rating 17.0
WILD IN THE COUNTRY – 7/12/67 – Wednesday, ABC – rating 13.7
FLAMING STAR – 8/16/67 – Wednesday, ABC – rating 14.4
FUN IN ACAPULCO - 9/12/67 - Tuesday, NBC – rating 25.5
PARADISE HAWAIIAN STYLE - 9/20/67 - Wednesday, ABC – rating 21.8
VIVA LAS VEGAS - 10/6/67 - Friday, CBS – rating 24.2
GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS - 10/10/67 - Tuesday, NBC – rating 25.1
Clambake reviewed 11/6, opens in December.
TICKLE ME - 12/8/67 - Friday, CBS – rating 26.6
An article in Weekly Variety dated 12/13/67 listed the 60 top rated network movie premieres as determined by Nielson. Elvis had 4 films in that list, more than any other star.
17. FUN IN ACAPULCO - NBC Tuesday night - 42.6 share
21. GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS - NBC Tuesday night - 41.6 share
26. VIVA LAS VEGAS - CBS Friday night - 43.4 share
41. PARADISE HAWAIIAN STYLE - ABC Wednesday night - 36.0 share
Interesting to note that just three weeks after the article, ROUSTABOUT premiered on ABC and got the highest rating of any Elvis feature ever shown in prime-time.
ROUSTABOUT - 1/3/68 - Wednesday, ABC – rating 29.1
Stay Away Joe reviewed 3/18, opens in March.
FUN IN ACAPULCO – 4/27/68 – Saturday, NBC – rating 20.9
Speedway reviewed 5/27, opens in June.
GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS – 6/15/68 – Saturday, NBC – rating 18.3 (originally announced for 6/8 but Robert Kennedy’s funeral is covered by the network. "Flower Drum Song" is substituted.)
FLAMING STAR – 7/17/68 – Wednesday, ABC – rating 16.5
TICKLE ME – 7/25/68 – Thursday, CBS – rating 19.0
BLUE HAWAII – 8/28/68 – Wednesday, ABC – rating 16.2
VIVA LAS VEGAS – 9/13/68 – Friday, CBS – rating 22.8
PARADISE HAWAIIAN STYLE – 9/15/68 – Saturday, ABC – rating 16.5
ROUSTABOUT – 9/18/68 – Wednesday, ABC – rating 19.5
Live a Little, Love a Little reviewed 10/14, opens in October.
HARUM SCARUM - 10/24/68 - Thursday, CBS – rating 19.9
Singer Presents Elvis 12/3/68 – Tuesday, NBC - watched by 42% of the viewing audience.
I can remember seeing placards when The Beatles arrived in New York in '64 proclaiming that Elvis Is Dead - Long Live The Beatles. And that was a year before stuff like Do The Clam was being released.
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Re: Do The Clam
'Elvis is dead, long live the Beatles'. That reminds me that in 1958 I said to my older sister "You never hear of Bill Haley anymore" she replied "He's dead". As a 13 year old I replied "I didn't know he had died" her answer "Not dead physically stupid - just Dead".
Yes by 1964 the 10 to 15 year olds certainly wanted their own heroes, just like my sister and I had in 1956, so that placard, which was seen around the world upon their arrival to the US, is no surprise.
Yes by 1964 the 10 to 15 year olds certainly wanted their own heroes, just like my sister and I had in 1956, so that placard, which was seen around the world upon their arrival to the US, is no surprise.
Re: Do The Clam
You really have no clue if they had a TV or not.... Nor what they were watching on a Sunday night. You're just making that up. We're back to that "credibility" thing again.drjohncarpenter wrote:It's likely they all had TVs in their homes, they just weren't watching old Elvis movies on a Sunday night.HoneyTalkNelson wrote:Considering the vast amount of exposure Elvis films were getting on prime-time network television in 1967/68 - and the excellent ratings they achieved - I suspect none of the 47 children in your class had a television in their house?

In any case, clearly Elvis Presley movies were generating a HUGE TV audience in 1967. Very evidently the historical record demonstrates that millions upon millions were watching them. Yet another nail in the naysayers' coffin.
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Re: Do The Clam
Watching TV was FREE. A novelty if you like to see Elvis on TV as he sure wasn't appearing anywhere else apart from the latest movie at the cinema. A shame similar numbers of people were not buying the records though. That's the acid test during this period.Hard Rocker wrote:You really have no clue if they had a TV or not.... Nor what they were watching on a Sunday night. You're just making that up. We're back to that "credibility" thing again.drjohncarpenter wrote:It's likely they all had TVs in their homes, they just weren't watching old Elvis movies on a Sunday night.HoneyTalkNelson wrote:Considering the vast amount of exposure Elvis films were getting on prime-time network television in 1967/68 - and the excellent ratings they achieved - I suspect none of the 47 children in your class had a television in their house?
![]()
In any case, clearly Elvis Presley movies were generating a HUGE TV audience in 1967. Very evidently the historical record demonstrates that millions upon millions were watching them. Yet another nail in the naysayers' coffin.
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Living is easy with eyes closed...misunderstanding all you see...
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Re: Do The Clam
"millions upon millions watching them", only in your own imagination.Hard Rocker wrote:You really have no clue if they had a TV or not.... Nor what they were watching on a Sunday night. You're just making that up. We're back to that "credibility" thing again.drjohncarpenter wrote:It's likely they all had TVs in their homes, they just weren't watching old Elvis movies on a Sunday night.HoneyTalkNelson wrote:Considering the vast amount of exposure Elvis films were getting on prime-time network television in 1967/68 - and the excellent ratings they achieved - I suspect none of the 47 children in your class had a television in their house?
![]()
In any case, clearly Elvis Presley movies were generating a HUGE TV audience in 1967. Very evidently the historical record demonstrates that millions upon millions were watching them. Yet another nail in the naysayers' coffin.
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Re: Do The Clam
Well, It's Hard Rocker's opinion and he like to derail so many topics so it's not a surprise on this one.
Re: Do The Clam
Here are some facts instead of opinions.jurasic1968 wrote:Well, It's Hard Rocker's opinion and he like to derail so many topics so it's not a surprise on this one.
Fact - Yes many watched those Elvis movies during those years, but the ones I heard about most were the kids whose parents had those movies on after school. In the US we had something called the 4:30 PM movie. They were run before the evening news. They were badly edited and many kids and their parents who grew up with Elvis watched them. I cant speak of who watched Elvis movies in prime time. I would assume a popular film like Blue Hawaii got good ratings.
Fact - 1965 - Most of the people I knew who bought every Elvis releases had stopped doing so by 1965/66 due to the drop in quality. No one brought his records to parties, no band played his songs at high school dances, no one danced to his music. He was an afterthought to most teens, replaced by new artists, and new sounds. To teens he represented the older days just like Sinatra did to kids of the late 50's but Elvis had a loyal built in fan based that basically assured him 400,000 sales for every release, so he was still selling but there were no automatic top 10s like the old days. By now most everyone I knew considered him a movie star more than a relevant music maker. After Crying In The Chapel, I dont recall hearing Elvis on the radio again until 1968 and before Crying In The Chapel, I maybe heard Do The Clam once with the DJ actually making fun of it (the new dance craze line). Those are the facts where I was. So despite a number one in Japan and Denmark,thats the way it was.
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Re: Do The Clam
Billboard shows Do The Clam reaching a high of No 8 with two weeks at Number 10 in Japan. I can see a number 1 in Malaysia but nothing during June/July for a Number 1 in Japan. I'm still awaiting data for August but it is probably too late for it to chart then as the next single was probably scheduled. .r&b wrote:Here are some facts instead of opinions.jurasic1968 wrote:Well, It's Hard Rocker's opinion and he like to derail so many topics so it's not a surprise on this one.
Fact - Yes many watched those Elvis movies during those years, but the ones I heard about most were the kids whose parents had those movies on after school. In the US we had something called the 4:30 PM movie. They were run before the evening news. They were badly edited and many kids and their parents who grew up with Elvis watched them. I cant speak of who watched Elvis movies in prime time. I would assume a popular film like Blue Hawaii got good ratings.
Fact - 1965 - Most of the people I knew who bought every Elvis releases had stopped doing so by 1965/66 due to the drop in quality. No one brought his records to parties, no band played his songs at high school dances, no one danced to his music. He was an afterthought to most teens, replaced by new artists, and new sounds. To teens he represented the older days just like Sinatra did to kids of the late 50's but Elvis had a loyal built in fan based that basically assured him 400,000 sales for every release, so he was still selling but there were no automatic top 10s like the old days. By now most everyone I knew considered him a movie star more than a relevant music maker. After Crying In The Chapel, I dont recall hearing Elvis on the radio again until 1968 and before Crying In The Chapel, I maybe heard Do The Clam once with the DJ actually making fun of it (the new dance craze line). Those are the facts where I was. So despite a number one in Japan and Denmark,thats the way it was.
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Re: Do The Clam
Of course they are. And the reason for their extremely favorable ranking in 1967 was Elvis Presley's continuing popularity.Greystoke wrote:Television ratings are absolutely relevant.
Whether it be sky-high TV viewing figures or global number one smash hits such as Do The Clam or Crying In The Chapel (etc.) during a relatively quieter period for The King, we can see that despite the normal peaks and troughs of any career, clearly Presley's popularity endured the whole way throughout the 1960's - beginning to end - all over the planet.
No-one is suggesting that it was on a par with 56, but the notion that he was a washed-up has-been has been continually put to the sword and completely discredited on this thread... alongside the credibility of those who have tried and miserably failed to invent an alternative (and completely fabricated!) narrative.
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Re: Do The Clam
The ratings may have been good, but as I previously said, it did not cost the viewer anything and there was a novelty factor here of seeing Elvis in the living room on TV. I suspect viewers were made up of die hard fans, teenagers who were now in adulthood having grown up with Elvis and others who could probably take him or leave him. However high the ratings may have been, they did not apparently stem the decline in general record sales during this period or get the attention of current teenagers who found no real interest in Elvis. It is just a shame that Elvis did not record much better songs in 65/67, do a tour or an appearance on TV show o promote said music. And singing Old Macdonald on the back of a truck in 67 didn't exactly help either.Greystoke wrote:Television ratings are absolutely relevant. Both commercially and with regards to exposure, or in respect to how popular any given movie or television show may be. Elvis’s NBC Special and Aloha from Hawaii are prime examples of that.
In some respects, the degree to which Elvis’s movies were sold to television placed them in competition with his latest cinema releases, although I don't suspect his box office appeal was dented considerably, because this was succumbing regardless, but such was a microcosm of how television has been affecting cinema attendance as a whole since the early-fifties.
But make no mistake, Elvis’s movies were attracting millions of viewers on television despite his box office appeal and record sales being on the wean. Which doesn't suggest for one moment that his popularity was riding the crest of a new wave when all else indicates otherwise; but in a growing market, his movies were well-placed and the ratings speak for themselves.
This, to the extent that Elvis starred in more high-rated movies on television during the 1960s than any other actor. Which may not have placed any of his movies amongst the ten highest rated films of the period, but four of his films earned ratings of over 25.0, with Roustabout`s 29.1 rating just behind Something of Value`s 29.6 rating, which was the tenth highest-rated film of the era on television.
The highest-rated film of the period was The Birds, which had a rating of 38.9. Bridge on the River Kwai was second, with a rating of 38.3. Whilst movies made for television, such as My Sweet Charlie, were pulling increasingly large audiences at this time, with a 31.7 rating in this instance. Which - along with the popularity of his movies on television - suggests that Elvis may have been able to find lucrative offers to act on television during the late-sixties/early-seventies, given that his box office decline meant he was unlikely to be offered comparable salaries to what he was familiar with during the 1960s. This being something that, once again, made Streisand`s offer of $500,000 + 10% of the gross to star in A Star is Born so much of a gift.
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Re: Do The Clam
"...do the clam, DO the claaam, grab your baby by the ha-a-and!" 

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Re: Do The Clam
And members do not keep suggesting he was a washed up has been either. It's just a figment of your distorted imagination.Hard Rocker wrote:Of course they are. And the reason for their extremely favorable ranking in 1967 was Elvis Presley's continuing popularity.Greystoke wrote:Television ratings are absolutely relevant.
Whether it be sky-high TV viewing figures or global number one smash hits such as Do The Clam or Crying In The Chapel (etc.) during a relatively quieter period for The King, we can see that despite the normal peaks and troughs of any career, clearly Presley's popularity endured the whole way throughout the 1960's - beginning to end - all over the planet.
No-one is suggesting that it was on a par with 56, but the notion that he was a washed-up has-been has been continually put to the sword and completely discredited on this thread... alongside the credibility of those who have tried and miserably failed to invent an alternative (and completely fabricated!) narrative.
Last edited by emjel on Mon May 30, 2016 5:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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