Elvis Presley's Debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show" Recounted

Fifty-three years ago this month, on September 9, 1956, an estimated 60 million people tuned-in as Elvis Presley made his iconic appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Elvis's performance included soulful deliveries of mega-hits Don't Be Cruel, Love Me Tender, and Hound Dog, along with an undecidedly controversial, hip-gyrating rendition of Ready Teddy. One of the most significant musical and cultural events in modern history, Elvis's appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show gave birth to Rock 'N' Roll and transformed Elvis Presley from a regional sensation into a worldwide phenomenon.

Although Elvis Presley's appearance was viewed by ½ of all Americans owning televisions, Ed Sullivan initially vowed never to book Elvis Presley on his family-oriented show because of reports that Elvis used incitive body movements during his performances. The backstory to the Elvis appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show was a testament to the times--the hegemonic conservatism of the 1950s, the nascency of Rock 'N' Roll, and the controversial reputation of Presley. On July 1, 1956, however, Elvis Presley appeared on the Steve Allen Show, a Sunday night rival of The Ed Sullivan Show, and Allen doubled the ratings of Sullivan. Shortly thereafter, Ed Sullivan pulled back his earlier comments and signed Elvis Presley to three appearances at an unprecedented rate of $50,000.

The September 1956 appearance of Elvis Presley on The Ed Sullivan Show was widely anticipated by both teenagers and young adults. The Elvis appearance was also anxiety-inducing for many parents, Ed Sullivan, and CBS. Some parents worried that Elvis Presley's provocative dancing and Rock 'N' Roll music would serve to widen an already burgeoning generation gap as depicted a year earlier in the iconic 1955 film, Rebel Without A Cause. For that same reason, Sullivan and CBS fretted about the potential conflict between their short-term need to contend with Allen and their long-term status as Sunday night's most popular family-oriented program.

At first, some production complications ensued. Just prior to the Elvis Presley appearance, Ed Sullivan was involved in an automobile accident that would cause him to miss five shows. Additionally, rather than appearing at Sullivan's CBS set in New York City, the Elvis appearance had to be telecast from Hollywood because Elvis Presley was on location filming the movie, Love Me Tender. As it turned out, however, the telecast was a major boon for both Elvis Presley and The Ed Sullivan Show. Sullivan was ably replaced by guest host, Charles Loughton, an Oscar-winning actor. And, as Elvis and his band took the stage to screaming fans, Presley offered solace to CBS and parents with a humble and gracious lead-in. Elvis said: "Thank you, Mr. Loughton, ladies and gentlemen. Wow, this is probably the greatest honor that I've ever had in my life. There's not much I can say except that it makes you feel good and we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts." As Elvis began to perform, he was ironically panned mostly from the waist up during the slower-paced, Don't Be Cruel and ballad, Love Me Tender, but was largely presented in full view to the television audience during the up-tempo songs, Ready Teddy and Hound Dog, where Presley engaged in some of his evocative dancing.

After the The Ed Sullivan Show appearance, Elvis's eponymous 1956 albums, Elvis Presley and Elvis, both went Gold and became firmly established at No. 1 on both the U.S. and U.K. album charts. The best-selling solo artist in music history, Elvis would go on to record a 9x Platinum album, a 3x Platinum album, two 2x Platinum albums, 2 platinum albums, and 9 gold albums. Arguably the 20th century's most important cultural icon, the so-called "King of Rock 'N' Roll" launched his career in earnest 53-years ago this month.

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Source(s):

Candace Rich, Elvis Presley: The Early Years, Fifties Web
CookieMCMLVII, Don't Be Cruel, Youtube
Elvis Presley: The Official Site of the King of Rock 'N' Roll, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
The Ed Sullivan Show, Museum of Broadcast Communications
The Steve Allen Show, Museum of Broadcast Communications