Elvis - Aloha from Hawaii (1973) on Netflix
NR19731h 5mDocumentaryMusic
Elvis Presley gives a concert in Honolulu that goes out live by satellite to audiences in Asia and Oceania. Admission money goes to the Kui Lee Cancer Fund.
- Netflix4.3/5
- IMDb8.5/101,798 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
The Honolulu International Center hosts a concert by Elvis Presley that is carried live by satellite to viewers in Asia and Oceania, with Europe seeing it later. The start time, 12:30 a.m. in Honolulu, is chosen to land in prime time in Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, South Korea and South Vietnam. NBC holds the American broadcast back to April, when a ninety-minute version of the special airs. Donations collected at the show go to the Kui Lee Cancer Fund, set up to pay for cancer research at the University of Hawaii; Presley gives the first one thousand dollars, and the audience decides the rest. For the occasion he asks his designer for a patriotic suit, and wears a white jumpsuit with a bald eagle in gold, blue and red stones across the chest and back.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Elvis - Aloha from Hawaii (1973)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Elvis Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker prevented him from performing in Europe and Asia, which has been attributed to Parker being an illegal immigrant who concealed his Dutch origins and feared deportation if he left the United States.
- Parker came up with the idea in February 1972 after watching the live broadcast of Richard Nixon's visit to China, and he brought the proposal to NBC's president Tom Sarnoff.
- During rehearsals Presley gave the costume's belt to Jack Lord's wife, so Bill Belew had to find more rubies, worked overtime with his team to make a replacement, and flew to Hawaii with the new belt.
- Two hours before the show began, the sound system picked up a hum caused by the stage lights. To isolate the equipment, sound engineers borrowed thick lead sheets from the United States Navy.
- Aloha from Hawaii was the first live satellite broadcast built around one performer. The special's production cost totaled US$2.5 million, a record at the time of its broadcast.
- The proceeds of the concert exceeded the planned US$25,000, and US$75,000 was raised for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund, which benefited cancer research at the University of Hawaii.
