‘Graceland’ Is Mostly a PR Promo

For an hour tonight, the Discovery Channel becomes an arm of the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau as it presents “Elvis Presley’s Graceland” (8 p.m.), a breathless PR pitch masquerading as a home tour.

The presentation comes on the eve of the 24th anniversary of Presley’s death, as fans gather for their annual candlelight vigil at the rock ‘n’ roll giant’s beloved home. But rather than try to explain what draws them there--or, more important, what drew Presley there--the program merely provides a brief catalog of the home’s features, then heads for the gift shop to try to entice viewers to buy Elvis mugs and collector’s plates online.

After a brief biographical setup that includes such purple prose as a reference to “the king of rock ‘n’ roll” needing a “castle,” the show races through Graceland’s rooms with barely enough time to take in the oversized couches or mirrored, velveted and shagged trimmings, then hurries on to visit the archivists who maintain a warehouse full of Presley’s possessions, the stable master who looks after the horses and too many other people who have too little to say. Meanwhile, the voice-over narration is on the order of “the maintenance staff ... takes care of watering, planting, trimming and making sure Graceland’s grounds are in tiptop shape”--prompting you to shout, “Well, duh ... “ at the screen.

How about an attempt to explain the origins of Presley’s idiosyncratic sense of style and its manifestation in Graceland’s wild furnishings? How about an in-depth look at a few of Presley’s most-beloved belongings? But that’s too much to expect from a program that lets the merchandising director claim, in all seriousness, that his job is to “sell memories.”