The Museum of Television & Radio Presents American Pop
Monday, June 28, 2004
New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA—The Museum of Television & Radio presents American Pop, a freewheeling survey of American popular music as experienced through the medium of television. Under the umbrella title American Pop, the series will offer thematic screenings featuring performances and interviews with American pop stars as well as rarely seen programs produced to showcase popular music. The fourth part of this ongoing series, Singer Presents Elvis, opens on August 6, 2004, and runs through October 3, 2004, in both New York and Los Angeles.
The Museum honors the anniversary of Elvis Presley's death with screenings of the classic 1968 comeback special, Singer Presents Elvis. This special—Elvis's first television appearance in eight years—is colloquially known as the King's "comeback," and it proved to be one of the most significant events in his career. After drifting from his rock ‘n' roll roots with a series of largely bland films and recordings, Presley proved in this program that he remained a vital, potent live performer. A wide-ranging song selection reflects his musical roots in blues and gospel and illustrates the importance of his contributions to popular music. This screening includes excerpts from One Night with You, a 1985 repackaging of the improvised segment of the special, which contains material not used in the original program. (1968; 90 minutes)
American Pop: Singer Presents Elvis will screen in New York, Thursdays through Sundays at 4:00 p.m., and in Los Angeles Wednesdays through Sundays at 1:00 p.m. Screenings are included with the Museum's suggested contribution: Members free; $10.00 for adults; $8.00 for senior citizens and students; and $5.00 for children under fourteen. Admission is free in Los Angeles.
Previous American Pop screenings included Soul Survivors, featuring the work of Al Green and James Brown; The Shock of the New, featuringCBS News Special: Inside Pop—The Rock Revolution, hosted by Leonard Bernstein, and The First Hour of MTV; and Teen Idol, documenting the evolution of the teen pop idol.
The Museum of Television & Radio, with locations in New York and Los Angeles, is a nonprofit organization founded by William S. Paley to collect and preserve television and radio programs and advertisements and to make them available to the public. Since opening in 1976, the Museum has organized exhibitions, screening and listening series, seminars, and education classes to showcase its collection of over 100,000 television and radio programs and advertisements. Programs in the Museum's permanent collection are selected for their artistic, cultural, and historic significance.
The Museum of Television & Radio in New York, located at 25 West 52 Street in Manhattan, is open Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 6:00 p.m. and until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays. The Museum of Television & Radio in California, located at 465 North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills, is open Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 5:00 p.m. Both Museums are closed on New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Suggested contribution: Members free; $10.00 for adults; $8.00 for senior citizens and students; and $5.00 for children under fourteen. Admission is free in Los Angeles. The public areas in both Museums are accessible to wheelchairs, and assisted listening devices are available. Programs are subject to change. You may call the Museum in New York at (212) 621-6800, or in Los Angeles at (310) 786-1000. Visit the Museum's website at www.mtr.org.