Image 1:
Elvis Presley on The Ed Sullivan Show, 1956. The Colonel negotiated a cool $50,000 for Elvis' three appearances on the Sullivan Show. Legend has it that the first guitar Elvis Presley ever owned was purchased for him by his mother at the Tupelo Hardware Company.
© CBS Photo Archive
Image: 10778-136
Frame Size: 28 x 28 inches
Image 2:
Elvis Presley, during his second appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show". September, 1956. His first appearance occurred on September 9, 1956, though Sullivan himself was not there because he had been in a car accident. Charles Laughton substituted for Sullivan. © CBS Photo Archive
Image: 10778-52
Frame Size: 24 x 28 inches
Image 3:
Elvis Presley, poses outside of TV City before his first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show". September 1, 1956. Elvis made three appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show; September 9, 1956, October 28, 1956 and January 8, 1957. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller composed the torchy "Love Me" in 1954 as a spoof of country ballads. On September 1, Elvis recorded it straight and with feeling, turning it into a serious love song.
© CBS Photo Archive
Image: 10494.1
Frame Size: 24 x 28 inches
Image 4:
Elvis Presley, during his second appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show". September, 1956. Elvis' long ducktail haircut-- heavy on the pomade and accented by sideburns-- spelled "juvenile delinquent" to mainstream America.
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 24 x 28 inches
Image 5:
Elvis Presley, during his second appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show". September, 1956.
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 24 x 28 inches
Image 6:
Elvis Presley, during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956. Of the three appearances, the October performance provides an excellent example of the interaction between Elvis and his audience.
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 20 x 28 inches
Image 7:
Elvis Presley, during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956 at CBS Studio 50, the former name of The Ed Sullivan Theatre. Steve Sholes (RCA's premier artist and repertoire man) signed Elvis in 1955 and served as the producer of Elvis' first recordings for RCA, but little did he know that Elvis would remain a vital artist for RCA long after his death. Pictured here, Elvis admires one of the seven gold records he was presented for his 1956 singles releases-- "Love Me Tender."
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 24 x 28
Image 8:
Elvis Presley, behind the scenes of The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956 at CBS Studio 50, where Sullivan offers some advice for appearing on his program. However, it is Elvis' final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on January 6,1957-- in which the television cameras shot Elvis only from the waist up-- that represents a cornerstone in the Elvis Presley mythology. Speculation runs rampant as to why Sullivan and the censors chose to shoot Elvis from the waist up for his third appearance. He had been appearing on national television for a ear, and though his TV performances usually created controversy, it seems that censoring him during his third appearance on the Sullivan show was akin to shutting the barn door after the horse had already escaped.
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 28 x 28 inches
Image 9:
Elvis Presley, during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956 at CBS Studio 50. At certain intervals Elvis positioned himself as though he were going to break into his more frenzied performing style, but then he backed down, in effect teasing his audience.
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 20 x 28 inches
Image 10:
Elvis Presley, during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956. Throughout the first two sets, in which Elvis chose low-key numbers, he held back from his customary hip and leg movements and body shakes.
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 24 x 28 inches
Image 11:
Elvis Presley, during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956. At CBS Studio 50, the former name of The Ed Sullivan Theatre. He sang three times on this show, beginning with "Don't Be Cruel" and "Love Me Tender," returning a short time later to sing the ballad "Love Me," and concluding with "Hound Dog." Throughout the first two sets, in which Elvis chose low-key numbers, he held back from his customary hip and leg movements and body shakes.
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 28 x 28 inches
Image 12:
Elvis Presley, signs autographs for his fans during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956 at CBS Studio 50. From the time he cut his first record in the summer of 1954 until the day he died, Elvis rarely refused an autograph, and fans were always eager to take advantage of the opportunity to get one.
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 24 x 28 inches
Image 13:
Elvis Presley, during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956 at CBS Studio 50 just before he got his flu shot. During this appearance, he performed "Hound Dog" which became only the second single in history to reach number one on the pop, rhythm and blues, and country-western charts. The first record to accomplish this feat was Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes" in 1956.
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 28 x 24 inches
Image 14:
Elvis Presley, during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956 at CBS Studio 50. Sometime during 1956, Elvis was dubbed "Elvis the Pelvis," a nickname he despised. After Elvis appeared on national television, his life became a rocket ride of fame, fortune, and fan hysteria. As an old friend said at the time, "Elvis belongs to his fans." And there was no turning back.
© CBS Photo Archive
Image: 10778-26
Frame Size: 28 x 24 inches
Image 15:
Elvis Presley, during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956. While introducing his final number, he teased, "I'd like to tell you that we're going to do a sad song for you..." Keeping everyone on edge, he swung his arm in the air as though he were about to break into song, then looked at the audience and stopped. At last, he launched into a fast-paced rendition of "Hound Dog," the song that had caused perhaps the most memorable controversy of the rock 'n' roll era when he performed it a few months earlier on The Milton Berle Show. He could not have chosen a song that had more significance, given his TV appearances over the last year, and he could not have given a more explosive performance of that signature song.
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 24 x 24 inches
Image 16:
Elvis Presley, during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956 at CBS Studio 50. elvis Presley was introduced to a national audience in 1956 at a time when rock 'n' roll was under fire in the press. The controversy centered on whether or not this new style of music, associated predominantly with teenagers, lead to juvenile sex and crime. From April 1956 until the end of that summer, a wave of articles discussing the link between rock 'n' roll and juvenile delinquency appeared in such popular magazines as Time, Newsweek, Life, Look, New York Times Magazine and America.
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 24 x 28 inches
Image 17:
Elvis Presley during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956 at CBS Studio 50. Elvis often teased the crowds by moving so close to them that he was within their grasp.
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 28 x 28 inches
Image 18:
Elvis Presley, with The Colonel and Ed Sullivan during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956 at CBS Studio 50. Colonel Tom Parker, who became his manager on March 15, 1956, managed Elvis for 22 years and then continued to "manage" him in death, was accused in 1981 of having mismanaged Elvis during the last few years of his life. The Colonel's fee for managing Elvis was 25 percent, but in 1967, Parker's share became an unheard-of 50 percent when he signed a new contract with Elvis. The "Colonel" in Parker's name does not refer to military rank. It comes from the peculiar Southern custom of bestowing that title on a gentleman as an honor from a particular state, which in Parker's case was Louisiana and Tennessee.
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 28 x 24 inches
Image 19:
Elvis Presley, during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956. When Elvis became a household name in 1956, it was through a heated controversy over the effects of his image and music on the younger generation. The medium of television had much to do with thrusting Elvis into that public eye. Though many fans and pop culture enthusiasts can recall with fondness Elvis' major television appearances, few realize the impact TV had on his career. In December, 1955, Colonel Tom Parker and RCA gambled that television would make an excellent medium to introduce Elvis Presley to a national audience. When Elvis charged in front of the cameras for the first time on Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey's Stage Show on January 28, 1956, he began a love-hate relationship with the television industry that kept his name on the front page for most of that year.
© CBS Photo Archive
Image: 10778-54
Frame Size: 24 x 28 inches
Image 20:
Elvis Presley, during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956. At CBS Studio 50, the former name of The Ed Sullivan Theatre. The Sullivan appearances generated much hype an publicity. In 1956, Elvis became a weapon in the ratings war between variety shows, resulting in some of television's most notorious moments.
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 24 x 28 inches
Image 21:
Elvis Presley, during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956 at CBS Studio 50. In December 1955, Colonel Tom Parker and RCA gambled that television would make an excellent medium to introduce Elvis Presley to a national audience. When Elvis charged in front of the cameras for the first time on Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey's Stage Show on January 28, 1956, he began a love-hate relationship with the television industry that kept his name on the front page for most of that year. With each appearance, Elvis grew more at ease in front of the cameras, and he became more aware of the reaction of the studio audience to his performance.
© CBS Photo Archive
Image:10778-151
Frame Size: 24 x 28 inches
Image 22:
Elvis Presley, during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956 at CBS Studio 50. The major problem with Elvis in the eyes of authority figures was the way he used his performing style to whip his largely female audiences into a frenzy during his concert performances. His gyrating pelvis, leg movements, and continual motion were considered far too provocative for mainstream audiences.
© CBS Photo Archive
Image: 10778-32
Frame Size: 28 x 28 inches
Image 23:
Elvis Presley, gets a flu shot during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956. At CBS Studio 50, the former name of The Ed Sullivan Theatre.
© CBS Photo Archive
Image: 10778-28
Frame Size: 28 x 24 inches
Image 24:
Elvis Presley, during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, October 28, 1956 at CBS Studio 50. Teenage girls mobbed Elvis at every opportunity -- a reaction many parents found disturbing. Police were assigned to surround the area just below the stage to keep the crowds away from him. Focusing on the hysteria generated by his performing style, newspaper stories painted Elvis as a catalyst for misbehavior among his fans.
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 34 x 20 inches
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© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 28 x 20 inches
Image 26:
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size:24 x 24 inches
Image 27:
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 28 x 20 inches
Image 28:
Elvis Presley, sings with Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey during a 1956 Special Event Stage Show.
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 24 x 28 inches
Image 29:
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 24 x 28 inches
Image 30:
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 24 x 28 inches
Image 31:
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 28 x 28 inches
Image 32:
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 28 x 28 inches
Image 33:
© CBS Photo Archive
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Frame Size: 24 x 28 inches
