January 14, 1973: NBC had the rights to cover Super Bowl VII. They also had the rights to air Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite. This concert was broadcast all over the world from the Honolulu International Center, now named the Neal S. Blaisdell Center, after the Mayor who got it built. The one major country on Earth that did not broadcast it live was America, because NBC thought it would be too much to ask of their viewers to watch 2 epic events in one day. So they held it back, and broadcast it on April 4, 1973.
Elvis Presley had just turned 38, and had also just finalized his divorce from his wife Priscilla. He came onstage wearing a white jumpsuit with an eagle on the front, an eagle on the back, and a big belt with a double-eagle buckle.
He sang hits from all phases of his career: The early "Memphis Flash" days, his Hollywood exile, and his Las Vegas comeback. As usual, he closed with "Can't Help Falling In Love," which was certainly appropriate on this occasion, because it was used in his 1961 film Blue Hawaii.
It was not one of his better performances. Certainly, he wasn't as into it was he was for his "Comeback Special" in 1968 (also on NBC), or for the Vegas show he did that was included in the 1970 documentary Elvis: That's the Way It Is. He was tired, and the emotional stress of the divorce was weighing on him. He looked like he was still in good shape, but the prescription drugs he was taking had already begun to take their toll. Within 5 years, the King of Rock and Roll was dead.
UPDATE: It took me until 2024 to think of this, but the 1970s were Schrödinger's Decade. There was too much overwrought music, and, at the same time, not enough of it.
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January 14, 1973 was a Sunday. In Super Bowl VII -- obviously, the only football game played that day -- the Miami Dolphins beat the Washington Redskins, 14-7 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, completing their unique undefeated season. I have a separate entry for that event.
Baseball was out of season. There were 4 games played in the NBA:
* The New York Knicks beat the Seattle SuperSonics, 86-84 at the Seattle Center Coliseum.
* The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Atlanta Hawks, 102-100 at The Omni in Atlanta. Jerry Wes scored 37 points for the Lakers.
* The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls, 100-95 at the Milwaukee Exposition & Convention Center Arena, a.k.a. The MECCA. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 35 points and 17 rebounds.
* And the Baltimore Bullets beat the Phoenix Suns, 95-94 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.
There were 2 games played in the American Basketball Association. The Carolina Cougars beat the Memphis Tams, 104-100 at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis. And the Kentucky Colonels beat the San Diego Conquistadors, 100-97 at the San Diego Sports Arena (now the Pechanga Arena).
There were 7 games played in the NHL that day:
* The New York Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-2 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia.
* The New York Islanders, in their 1st year of play, lost to the St. Louis Blues, 2-1 at the Nassau Coliseum.
* The Boston Bruins beat the Buffalo Sabres, 6-0 at the Boston Garden.
* The other expansion team, the Atlanta Flames, beat the Los Angeles Kings, 4-1 at The Omni in Atlanta. This building, in its 1st season, hosted both the NBA and the NHL on this day.
* The Detroit Red Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-2 at the Olympia Stadium in Detroit.
* The Chicago Black Hawks and the California Golden Seals played to a tie, 6-6 at the Chicago Stadium.
* The Montreal Canadiens beat the Vancouver Canucks, 3-0 at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.
* And the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Minnesota North Stars were not scheduled.
And the World Hockey Association, in its 1st season, played 2 games that day. The Minnesota Fighting Saints beat the Ottawa Nationals, 3-2 in overtime at the St. Paul Civic Center. And the Winnipeg Jets beat the Cleveland Crusaders, 3-1 at the Winnipeg Arena.
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