The King of Rock and Roll teams up with the prevalent television variety show, as Elvis Presley first appears on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on September 9, 1956.
After earning big ratings for “The Steve Allen Show,” the Dorsey Brothers “Stage Show,” and “The Milton Berle Show,” Sullivan finally reneged on his ban on Presley, signing the controversial song star to an unprecedented deal. of $ 50,000 for three appearances.
With 60 million viewers – or 82.6% of viewers at the time – tuning in, the appearance garnered the show’s best ratings in two years and became the # 1 TV show. looked from the 1950s.
Although “The Ed Sullivan Show” was filmed in New York City, Presley performed remotely from the CBS studio in Los Angeles (he was shooting his first movie, “Love Me Tender”, in California). At the time, his debut album, “Elvis Presley” had already debuted and “Heartbreak Hotel” was a hit single, but it wasn’t quite “The King” yet.
On the variety show, the then 21-year-old Presley was introduced by British actor Charles Laughton, who replaced Sullivan that night, as the legendary host recovered from a serious car accident at him. Presley performed Little Richard’s “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Ready Teddy” and “Hound Dog” and viewers were able to watch the singer from head to toe despite fears of “vulgar” hip movements. He also sang “Love Me Tender” and, according to Variety, “For the first time in the history of the recording industry, a single record achieved a million sales before being released to the public.”
Presley, in a plaid jacket, told audiences performing on the show was “probably the greatest honor I’ve ever had in my life,” before kicking things off with “Don’t Be.” Cruel”. He said ‘Thank you ladies’ to screaming fans and then introduced ‘Love Me Tender’ as ‘completely unlike anything we’ve ever done’.
During his second segment, Presley sang “Ready Teddy” and “Hound Dog”. Laughton’s closing remarks that night? “Well, what did someone say? Does music have charms to appease the wild beast?
“When it was over, parents and critics, as usual, made a lot of futile grunts at the vulgarity of this weird phenomenon that somehow has to be reckoned with,” commented a reviewer of Time the magazine wrote at the time.
Other guests for the evening included singers Dorothy Sarnoff and Amru Sani, a comedy act from novelty quartet The Vagabonds, a tap duo and an acrobat act.
In his second performance on October 28, 1956, Presley performed “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Hound Dog” again with “Love Me Tender”. And on his third and final performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on January 6, 1957, he sang seven songs, including the gospel song “Peace in the Valley,” in three segments, but the episode is most famous for. television censors. refusing to show Elvis below the waist.
At the end of his performance, however, Sullivan called Presley “a really decent and fine boy.” … We have never had such a pleasant experience on our show with a big name as the one we had with you.
READ MORE: 7 Fascinating Facts About Elvis Presley
