September 9, 1956: Elvis Presley makes the first of three contracted appearances on Ed Sullivans CBS show. (Sullivan had previously announced he would never have such an act on, but ratings prevailed and Sullivan offered Elvis a record $50,000 for the three shows.) Charles Laughton hosts, filling in for an ailing Sullivan. Elvis performs Dont Be Cruel, Love Me Tender, Ready Teddy, and Hound Dog, but is shot from the waist up only, due to a scandalous swivel-hipped performance on NBC-TVs Milton Berle Show a few months earlier. A record 54 million viewers -- nearly 83 percent of the nations sets! -- are tuned in to the event; the next day, pre-orders for Love Me Tender begin rolling in, forcing the release of the single to be bumped up by weeks. In a particularly bad break, the Rock and Roll Trio (a/k/a The Johnny Burnette Trio) appear on Ted Macks Original Amateur Hour over on ABC, and though they win the contest for the next three weeks, no one is watching. youtu.be/COFHGFZxtnY
Posted on: Wed, 10 Sep 2014 00:26:09 +0000
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