Phyllis Diller and the 68 Comeback

[pmp]

So, the 68 comeback show was on the BBC tonight, and I only caught the end of it, but saw this credit. Now, I haven't watched it for a while, but how does Downtown and a medley of songs by Phyllis Diller fit into the 68 comeback???

20240518_215026.jpg

[ElSandro68]

These songs were played for "atmosphere" during shooting the "Let Yourself Go" inserts. You can read more about that in the booklet of the '68 Comeback Special Deluxe Edition DVD. The songs are featured in the "Outtake section" of the DVD & Blu-ray and are therefore listed in the credits. They created different credits for the DVD Deluxe Edition and the DVD Special Edition featuring different background music (e.g. A little less conversation) and clips. Here we see the credits created for the blu-ray version using the "Trouble/Guitar man" segment with Elvis standing in "ELVIS".

[pmp]

These songs were played for "atmosphere" during shooting the "Let Yourself Go" inserts. You can read more about that in the booklet of the '68 Comeback Special Deluxe Edition DVD. The songs are featured in the "Outtake section" of the DVD & Blu-ray and are therefore listed in the credits. They created different credits for the DVD Deluxe Edition and the DVD Special Edition featuring different background music (e.g. A little less conversation) and clips. Here we see the credits created for the blu-ray version using the "Trouble/Guitar man" segment with Elvis standing in "ELVIS".

Ah OK. Thank you for the info. You'd think they'd have come up with slightly alternate credits for TV showings. Have to say, if this is the blu ray version, it looks awful. Glad I didn't buy it.

[javierTCB]

These songs were played for "atmosphere" during shooting the "Let Yourself Go" inserts. You can read more about that in the booklet of the '68 Comeback Special Deluxe Edition DVD. The songs are featured in the "Outtake section" of the DVD & Blu-ray and are therefore listed in the credits...

"I Get a Kick Out Of You / Blues In The Night / I Enjoy Being a Girl / My Man" medley performed by Phyllis Diller from her 1968 NBC television program The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show.




Same thing with "Downtown" by Andy Williams.

[Cryogenic]

These songs were played for "atmosphere" during shooting the "Let Yourself Go" inserts. You can read more about that in the booklet of the '68 Comeback Special Deluxe Edition DVD. The songs are featured in the "Outtake section" of the DVD & Blu-ray and are therefore listed in the credits...

"I Get a Kick Out Of You / Blues In The Night / I Enjoy Being a Girl / My Man" medley performed by Phyllis Diller from her 1968 NBC television program The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show.




Same thing with "Downtown" by Andy Williams.

Priscilla's favourite outtakes!

[Dan_T]

I watched it tonight and noticed many songs in the end credits that were not shown in the screened edit.

Should have used the 2nd sit down version of Lawdy Miss Clawdy, imo, of course was good to have a day of Elvis on BBC though !

[Dan_T]

My ex partner bought the Blu Ray box set for me,and paid alot of money for it, bless her but I prefer the DVD edition.

[Cryogenic]

My ex partner bought the Blu Ray box set for me,and paid alot of money for it, bless her but I prefer the DVD edition.

As someone who doesn't own the Blu-ray version (and doesn't own a Blu-ray player), how's that?

[ElSandro68]

The Blu-ray picture looks a little grainy and the colors appear somewhat paler. The DVD therefore looks better with a TV or Blu-ray player that has good upscaling.

[pmp]

My ex partner bought the Blu Ray box set for me,and paid alot of money for it, bless her but I prefer the DVD edition.

The same is true of Aloha. The blu ray looks noticeably worse.

[Jaime1234]

What I am interested is the ratings. Can someone provide them when they are released, please

[Cryogenic]

The Blu-ray picture looks a little grainy and the colors appear somewhat paler. The DVD therefore looks better with a TV or Blu-ray player that has good upscaling.

The same is true of Aloha. The blu ray looks noticeably worse.

That's very disappointing to hear -- and, given the higher quality video medium, self-defeating? I mean, why would you want your product to look worse on a superior format?

You know, the official "VEVO" uploads on YouTube, in HD, especially for "Aloha", also look like crap. Impressive picture detail, but the colours are awful. Elvis is literally a beetroot colour, which he definitely is not on the DVD ("Deluxe Edition" release from 2004, at least).

What the hell happened there?

[drjohncarpenter]

So, the 68 comeback show was on the BBC tonight, and I only caught the end of it, but saw this credit. Now, I haven't watched it for a while, but how does Downtown and a medley of songs by Phyllis Diller fit into the 68 comeback???

20240518_215026.jpg

These songs were played for "atmosphere" during shooting the "Let Yourself Go" inserts. You can read more about that in the booklet of the '68 Comeback Special Deluxe Edition DVD. The songs are featured in the "Outtake section" of the DVD & Blu-ray and are therefore listed in the credits. They created different credits for the DVD Deluxe Edition and the DVD Special Edition featuring different background music (e.g. A little less conversation) and clips. Here we see the credits created for the blu-ray version using the "Trouble/Guitar man" segment with Elvis standing in "ELVIS".

One of the odd things about these Phyllis Diller song credits is that the first "The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show" was taped on July 16, 1968, about two weeks after "Singer Presents Elvis" finished at NBC Burbank, according to the leather-bound script:

680716_The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show_script.jpg

https://3d.si.edu/object/nmah_1247724



Looking at the TV Guide listings for the 14 episodes that aired between September 15 and December 22, only one of these songs by Diller appears, "I Enjoy Being A Girl." It's listed in the credits for the episode which aired on December 15th.

But apparently none of the other songs ever aired on her variety show.

Maybe Binder or Howe found a rehearsal tape sitting around and just threw it on as a joke between takes. Elvis and starlet Sue Henning sure seem to think the music is kind of funny, given their reactions.

Otherwise, why would these songs have been taped before Phyllis had even done her first show?

'

[ElSandro68]

That's correct, here is what's written in the DVD booklet:


Andy Williams and Phyllis Diller - huh?

No sound was needed for the shots in this part of the shooting for the production number. These components were shot as "inserts" for the "Let Yourself Go" portion already shot.

Some of the Elvis material from the special was played for "atmosphere" during shooting these inserts.

As a prank, producer/director Steve Binder and his cohorts ran tape of Andy Williams singing "Downtown" during the shooting of #620 (palms together) and then a tape of comedienne Phyllis Diller singing a medley of songs during shooting of #622 (spooning).

The tapes were handy because the Andy Williams television series and his various television specials over the years were shot at NBC and in 1968. Phyllis Diller's short-lived television series "The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show" was in production at NBC.

The sound made it onto the videotape of these segments and is included here so that, while viewing the material, you have context for the reactions of Elvis and actress Susan Henning. You are hearing what they were hearing as they shot the scene.

[pmp]

Looking at the TV Guide listings for the 14 episodes that aired between September 15 and December 22, only one of these songs by Diller appears, "I Enjoy Being A Girl." It's listed in the credits for the episode which aired on December 15th.

But apparently none of the other songs ever aired on her variety show.

That's not necessarily so. The TV guide only listed what it viewed as the "highlights" and not every song used on every show. That was the same for whatever show they were covering. TV guide generally didn't list every song for variety shows such as Andy Williams or Dean Martin either. It's also worth mentioning that they also were not immune to listing songs that didn't appear in the finished edit of the show.

I love that Diller was up against a modern opera about Lizzie Borden in the schedule, though.

As for the taping date of the Diller show, do we know if the songs were pre-recorded before the July date?

[Cryogenic]

That's correct, here is what's written in the DVD booklet:


Andy Williams and Phyllis Diller - huh?

No sound was needed for the shots in this part of the shooting for the production number. These components were shot as "inserts" for the "Let Yourself Go" portion already shot.

Some of the Elvis material from the special was played for "atmosphere" during shooting these inserts.

As a prank, producer/director Steve Binder and his cohorts ran tape of Andy Williams singing "Downtown" during the shooting of #620 (palms together) and then a tape of comedienne Phyllis Diller singing a medley of songs during shooting of #622 (spooning).

The tapes were handy because the Andy Williams television series and his various television specials over the years were shot at NBC and in 1968. Phyllis Diller's short-lived television series "The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show" was in production at NBC.

The sound made it onto the videotape of these segments and is included here so that, while viewing the material, you have context for the reactions of Elvis and actress Susan Henning. You are hearing what they were hearing as they shot the scene.

Y'know, reading this, I almost get the impression that Binder was in some way egging Elvis and Susan Henning on -- encouraging them to be extra playful, and all but sanctioning their affair. Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but if Binder was complicit in catalysing the chemistry between them, then he was a bit of a naughty fella. Interestingly, he admitted in at least one interview that he basically got into television for the women. Surely, he was being a bit flip, but perhaps, through this admission about himself, he understood the erotic energy within Elvis more than most. Elvis wasn't really his guy growing up, he's also admitted, but it seems he took a genuine shine to Elvis quite quickly when they began working together. And work, for the two of them, seemed also to be play! Binder certainly did everything he could to make Elvis feel safe enough and sufficiently inspired (in the TV Special as a whole) to unleash all that locked up energy coursing naturally inside. Could anybody else have gotten the same result? Maybe not!

[drjohncarpenter]

That's not necessarily so. The TV guide only listed what it viewed as the "highlights" and not every song used on every show. That was the same for whatever show they were covering. TV guide generally didn't list every song for variety shows such as Andy Williams or Dean Martin either. It's also worth mentioning that they also were not immune to listing songs that didn't appear in the finished edit of the show.

I love that Diller was up against a modern opera about Lizzie Borden in the schedule, though.

As for the taping date of the Diller show, do we know if the songs were pre-recorded before the July date?

"Do we know . . ."

Well, you sure don't. ALL of her show songs were pre-records. Usually they operated with an episode in production 6 to 8 weeks prior to air. The first show began work in July, and it aired in September. And so on. That is why I brought up the disparity, because it does not make sense, given the information we have.

I do know that Diller was the STAR of her show, and any solo performances would have -- and were -- listed by TV Guide. Only one number from what we see on the Presley Blu-ray credits appeared, as I found out.

You clearly do not know how the magazine worked then, perhaps because you lived in another country from where it was published.

But do take some of your own time to research further in 2024. Maybe you can add something to this topic.

[drjohncarpenter]

That's correct, here is what's written in the DVD booklet:


Andy Williams and Phyllis Diller - huh?

No sound was needed for the shots in this part of the shooting for the production number. These components were shot as "inserts" for the "Let Yourself Go" portion already shot.

Some of the Elvis material from the special was played for "atmosphere" during shooting these inserts.

As a prank, producer/director Steve Binder and his cohorts ran tape of Andy Williams singing "Downtown" during the shooting of #620 (palms together) and then a tape of comedienne Phyllis Diller singing a medley of songs during shooting of #622 (spooning).

The tapes were handy because the Andy Williams television series and his various television specials over the years were shot at NBC and in 1968. Phyllis Diller's short-lived television series "The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show" was in production at NBC.

The sound made it onto the videotape of these segments and is included here so that, while viewing the material, you have context for the reactions of Elvis and actress Susan Henning. You are hearing what they were hearing as they shot the scene.

As the script for Diller's first episode indicated, the show was not in production on June 28th. They began about three weeks later.

[pmp]

That's not necessarily so. The TV guide only listed what it viewed as the "highlights" and not every song used on every show. That was the same for whatever show they were covering. TV guide generally didn't list every song for variety shows such as Andy Williams or Dean Martin either. It's also worth mentioning that they also were not immune to listing songs that didn't appear in the finished edit of the show.

I love that Diller was up against a modern opera about Lizzie Borden in the schedule, though.

As for the taping date of the Diller show, do we know if the songs were pre-recorded before the July date?

"Do we know . . ."

Well, you sure don't. ALL of her show songs were pre-records. Usually they operated with an episode in production 6 to 8 weeks prior to air. The first show began work in July, and it aired in September. And so on. That is why I brought up the disparity, because it does not make sense, given the information we have.

I do know that Diller was the STAR of her show, and any solo performances would have -- and were -- listed by TV Guide. Only one number from what we see on the Presley Blu-ray credits appeared, as I found out.

You clearly do not know how the magazine worked then, perhaps because you lived in another country from where it was published.

But do take some of your own time to research further in 2024. Maybe you can add something to this topic.

I asked if the SONGS were pre-recorded - as in, was she miming to them on the show? If so, the songs could have been recorded BEFORE the series began filming. Comprendez?

[drjohncarpenter]

I asked if the SONGS were pre-recorded - as in, was she miming to them on the show? If so, the songs could have been recorded BEFORE the series began filming. Comprendez?

As I've written several times, evidence shows production began in July. Pre-records would be scheduled at that point, not before. The first show was set for air in September.

In an even tighter example, Elvis' pre-records were done less than two weeks before he went before the cameras.

¿Comprendes, Mendes?