Elvis Presley once got candid on his heartbreak hotel.
In the new documentary “Return of the King: The Fall & Rise of Elvis Presley,” which hits Netflix Wednesday, fans will get a glimpse at the rock ‘n’ roll legend’s 1968 comeback, “Elvis.”
The special — which aired on NBC — is credited with reviving Presley’s career after many critics believed it was over.
Elvis Presley during his 1968 Comeback Special on NBC. NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images“Hollywood’s image of me was wrong and I knew it, and I couldn’t do anything about it,” the singer said in a clip from the documentary, per People. “I didn’t know what to do. I just felt I was obligated to things I didn’t fully believe in.”
Presley starred in over 30 Hollywood movies before his death at 42 in 1977.
“At a certain stage, I had no say so in it,” the icon said of his film career. “I didn’t have final approval of the script, which means I couldn’t say, ‘This is not good for me,’ and so I became very discouraged.”
Elvis performs onstage in 1972. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images“They couldn’t have paid me no amount of money in the world to make me feel I had any satisfaction inside,” Presley added.
Elsewhere in the doc, the actor’s ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, views footage of Elvis in the 1967 musical “Double Trouble.” She watched as he sang the children’s song “Old MacDonald” despite being a Grammy-winning musician.
“That to me is a crime,” the 79-year-old says while watching the scene. “It is a crime. To put him in that situation and sing that song. It made him a laughingstock. And he knew it.”
Elvis sits cheek-to-cheek with his bride, Priscilla, following their wedding May 1, 1967. Bettmann ArchiveThis isn’t the first time Priscilla has opened up about Elvis’ desire to work on meaningful projects.
“Musically, I think he was pretty happy with how things had turned out,” she said in a 2023 interview with the Times UK. “He loved knowing that his music meant something to people.”
Elvis and Priscilla with their daughter Lisa Marie in 1968. Bettmann Archive“I remember sitting with him at Graceland listening to some of the songs he was recording,” Priscilla said, “and I asked him why he sang so many ballads. He answered me straight away, ‘Because those songs touch the heart. Life’s truth is in those songs.’ He was right.”
Elvis and Priscilla were married from 1967 to 1973 and had one child, daughter Lisa Marie Presley. Elvis died of a heart attack Aug. 16, 1977. Lisa Marie passed away in 2023 of complications resulting from a small bowel obstruction.
