Director Marty Pasetta Talks about 'Aloha': Forty years ago last month, NBC aired the 90-minute special 'Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite' after a shorter version was seen around the globe LIVE on Jan. 14, 1973. (Right:Elvis, Waterson & Pasetta)
It was the first time satellite technology was used to transmit a live concert around the world and the project gave Presley one last magnificent credit to add to his legend.
The idea for a satellite broadcast was conceived by Presley's manager, Col Parker, while they both lived part-time in Palm Springs in 1972. Parker sold the idea to RCA, which owned NBC, and NBC's vice president of nighttime programming, part-time Palm Springs resident John Hamlin, assigned it to Marty Pasetta.
Pasetta, 81, who now lives in La Quinta, Calif., says he's not sure how many people saw the broadcast.
"What I was told by NBC and others is that every third person on Earth saw that first show when it went out," Pasetta said in his memorabilia-laden home office. "In Africa and places like that, it played in theaters. They didn't have television."
By the accounts of those closest to him, the Aloha concert was the last time Presley suspended his prescription drug abuse and performed at his optimum 175-pound weight.
Biographer Peter Guralnick and Sonny West credit Pasetta for inspiring the singer to clean up his act. After meeting Pasetta, West said that Elvis insisted that he and two other bodyguards join him on a diet to burn up the fat in his system. Pasetta said he told Presley at their first sit-down meeting, attended by two bodyguards, he had to lose weight before the concert.
"He sat straight and the guys on either side of him took out their guns and laid them down on the table, and if you don't think I was scared, you're crazy.
"I said, 'I want you skinny because I'm going to use close-ups,' which wasn't very popular in television in those days. I said, 'I'm going to go from your neck to the top of your head. That's going to be your sex appeal on the tube, along with your voice, and it's going to make a landmark.'
"He jumped out his chair. He grabbed me, put his arms around me and said, 'You're the first person who was ever honest to me.' He said, 'I will lose the weight for you,' and he lost 20 pounds in two months."
Working with Elvis
Pasetta was just coming off his Academy Awards broadcast directorial debut when Hamlin offered him the opportunity to work with Presley. Pasetta wasn't sure he wanted to do it at first. Hamlin told him to watch Presley at the Long Beach Arena that November and Presley gave an uninspiring performance.

"He stood there like a lump," said Pasetta. "He didn't do anything. I went back to NBC and said, 'Hey, guys, what am I going to do with this guy? How long is the show? 90 minutes? I can't tap dance that much. It doesn't look like he's going to move.' They said, 'That's your problem.' "
The concert film would feature Presley giving a one-hour benefit concert at the HIC Center. Pasetta tried to provide an international reach by putting Elvis' name on the set in various international alphabets and fonts. He also tried to convey Presley's romantic appeal, much to Parker's consternation.
"I wanted to put a runway in, 8 foot wide, so he could walk down the center," said Pasetta. "I wanted to put girls around there and I wanted the stage 6 feet off of the floor. The Colonel always had the stage 10 feet above the floor and he had guards across the front. He didn't want to have anybody touch his boy.
"When I told this to the Colonel, he had a fit. He said, 'I'm not lowering the stage. I'm going to have my guards there and he can stand there and sing.' I said, 'That's not going to work on the tube for an hour and a half show.' He said, 'No. I won't do it. You can't do the show.' "
But Pasetta says Presley loved his ideas and, in one of the few instances in his career, he overruled his manager.

"Elvis said to me, 'The Colonel controls my business. I control my creativity and my music and my show. He has nothing to say about it. That's your rule. You will deal with Joe Esposito'," said Pasetta. "I talked to Joe, the Colonel — everybody. But I tried not to deal too much with the Colonel. I had enough problems getting the show on."
The production however was fraught with technical problems. A day before the broadcast, it was discovered someone had cut the power lines going into the auditorium. Pasetta called Don Ho and, "He got people out of bed and they came back and fixed it just in time."
The day of the show, it was discovered the backstage equipment was creating a humming sound. Pasetta called Ho again and, "Don said, 'Call the Navy yard.' We had a truckload lead sheets that were brought over two hours before the show and we lined them up and got our sound back."
Then, at the start of the show, knowing they had to shoot the entire concert continuously, "My technical director froze on me," Pasetta said. "I had to cut the first part of the show. He was nervous."
The soundtrack entered the Billboard charts on Feb. 24, bolstered by Presley's best reviews in years. It would be his last No. 1 album. The next week, Parker signed a seven-year deal for Presley to remain with RCA.
Aloha From Hawaii also temporarily quieted demands for Presley to tour overseas, something Parker was reticent to do.
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Boxcar 'Elvis - Aloha Via Satellite: A 40th Anniv Commemorative Release' SPECIAL PREVIEW : On January 14th 1973, Elvis Presley's "Aloha from Hawaii - Via Satellite" was the world's first Satellite TV broadcast of a full live concert by an entertainer with a global viewing audience of 1.5 Billion. This massive, most comprehensive 450 page hardback volume is packaged with hundreds of photographs many of which have never before been seen. Collected here exclusively, are also scores of historical memorabilia as well as the Colonel Tom Parker's original internal documents and scripts that explores the making of this historical event. It details from the early plans all the way to the Record LP releases that followed this extraordinary event.

Well, that was interesting, and there was nothing there that Elvis told me other than the troubles they had with sound systems and the fact that he was nervous and he also felt awful, his eye was bothering him a lot and he had a terrific head ache and had taken medication given by the eye specialist who looked at it and said he had a "detached retina" and should stay in the dark and lay down then get treatment" though I am not sure what that would have been? And he had been retaining water badly, that was the "fat" they claimed he had taken on...so he had to do some things no one speaks of to keep that from happening and "dry" out his body cells to lose the weight. So he exercised a lot though he had been told to stop doing active karate etc because of that colon problem. And he ended up shortly after the show having to go in and have medical treatment that could have killed him...but they managed to untwist his colon or he could have died or had serious surgery that to him would be "like dying". It is amazing that they chose to keep the secrets of his health...he would rather take the ribbing, the bad press and out and out degrading stories of his "drug abuse" and "over eating" etc...than say what was actually wrong with him. Is that pride or just being too easily embarrassed? He said ELVIS had to be perfect, he couldn't have anything wrong etc and he had to stay looking his best. Well, he did look darn good on that show and a lot of folks saw it around the world...he got his wish. He looked like ELVIS...though he didn't do as much active movement as he had done before his body could not take it...he still wowed a lot of folks and he was happy about that. No matter what he did, there are always people who look and don't see anything but negative stuff, and then there are as many who look and see how hard the guy tried to please them and they show it with their love and applause. While the other type continues to show it with their guessing, imagination and believe the lies told by so many who were doing what he was accused of doing. I don't think there would have been anything he could ever have done that he would actually have that type people say something good about it...as he said,
"you can't walk in that man's shoes...so shut the f..... up!" Sorry, that is totally not appropriate for this website...but it's Elvis...and we all know about his little surprise comments...I had to use it here... for him...it fit.
Love to all,
wanda

I to Wish that Elvis would have Told about his Health Problems, I Under Stand that Elvis like his Private Life to Remain Private. But I think Elvis didn't Under Stand by Not Letting his Fans Know he had Been Born with Certain Chronic Illness' That was where His Fans and Some of the Women he Dated thought he should have been that Person they seen on Stage and Off Stage To I also think Elvis' Fans would have Been Even More Loyal and Defended Him Even More if they Knew. But I also Under Stand Elvis being Embarrassed to let His Fans and The Press Know, how he Struggled with his Bowel Problems. I think if Elvis hadn't been so Insecure anyway about himself , he would have been Able to let it be Known about his Bad Health and I think All The Trash that has been said about Elvis Now wouldn't have Happened and he would have the Respect He Should Have.

What we have to realize is that Elvis was a very proud man. And to be honest: Who of us would tell everybody if we had such a lot of heavy and life-threatening illnesses as Elvis had? I think nobody would do.

In one way it is understandable that we fans like that Elvis would reveal how sick he really was, but on the other hand he wanted to live up to his image.
Rather, he admitted that false conclusions and lies were told before he admitted that his fans and his family would have to worry about him.

I'm not sure if I'm being able to finish my translation of "Elvis' Aloha from Hawaii" before I'm going in holidays - because of lack of time. But I will try my best.
There are a lot of unknown facts and I think everybody will enjoy the report.