[2][3] This is because it showed Elvis near the end of his life, when he was in poor health due to various hereditary ailments and over use of many prescribed medications.

Parts of the special were recreated for the movie Elvis, specifically Presley's performance of "Unchained Melody".

The final special was culled from footage of two performances, on June 19, 1977, in Omaha, and June 21, 1977, in Rapid City, South Dakota; albeit much of the footage from Omaha was considered unusable due to sound and performance problems.

Dubbed the "Laughing Version" (due to Elvis breaking into fits of laughter during the recitation), it even made the UK charts after Presley's death; and he also poked fun at the song during his 1968 Comeback Special, pretending to mumble the recitation instead of speaking it.

His final album, Moody Blue, also included a live rendition of "Little Darlin'", recorded earlier in 1977, in which Presley similarly poked fun at that song's recitation portion.

According to Roy Carr and Mick Farren in Elvis: The Illustrated Record, CBS officials considered postponing broadcast of the special in hopes of obtaining better performance footage of Presley, but his death in August 1977 cancelled this plan.

[7] Its broadcast received mixed reaction; Carr and Farren condemned it as a "travesty", adding, "Had it been shown during his lifetime, it would have caused more irrevocable damage to what was left of his career than almost a decade of starring in third-rate movies.

In fact, Presley made five more concert appearances before giving what would be his final show in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 26.

"[10] The fan site Elvis Information Network deemed the program "a challenging special to watch...

The pudginess of his face and his substantial girth is a long way from the panther like sleekness exhibited in Elvis: That's the Way It Is, a documentary about Presley released in 1970.