Show would go on to be deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in 2006 in the National Film Registry.
While singing a duet of "On the Path of Glory" with guest Harry Belafonte, she touched his arm,[9] which prompted complaints from the advertising manager of the sponsor of the show, the Plymouth division of Chrysler.
[10] The car giant feared the brief moment would offend Southern viewers at a time when racial mixing was still a major issue of controversy in the US.
[11] However, director Binder, Clark and her husband/producer refused, destroyed all other takes of the song, and delivered the finished program to NBC with "the touch" intact.
[14] It aired on April 2, 1968, to high ratings and critical acclaim,[15] and marked the first time a man and woman of different races exchanged physical contact on American television.
"[5] Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, already had firm ideas for the show: "Thanks to the courage of a young producer named Steve Binder, Elvis did not appear in a tuxedo and croon 'Silent night' to a room of cameramen for his upcoming Christmas special."
In a move slated to recapture the raw Elvis of the 1950s, Binder continued to stand up to Parker and reunited the star with Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana.
[citation needed] According to Samuel Roy, Binder also "tried to warn Elvis of the danger of his environment and the people around him", but the singer was "rather naive and would not listen."