While a high degree of artistic experimentation and daring had existed within the underground of the world’s great cities long before 1956 (the Belle Epoque, Dada, futurism, surrealism, erotica, etc.), nothing had prepared the puritanical forces of America for Elvis Presley‘s performance on the Milton Berle Show.
Elvis, cresting at the time, adored by girls and emulated by boys, debuted his cover of the song “Hound Dog” on the program without his guitar. Instead, Presley brought his suggestive hip gyrations to the masses, which scandalized the studio audience and the nation. Presley, as influential as he was in fusing black and white forms of music together and bringing it to the world, was no Alfred Jarry, Marcel Duchamp or Comte de Lautreamont, but his hip gyrations and the nature of the song (written by Leiber and Stoller) were an incredibly revolutionary moment in pop culture.
The collective gasp of American puritans must have been something to see if it could have been witnessed in its totality simultaneously. And what magic it must have been to see the “Leave It To Beaver” of the 1950s world disintegrate and the forces of progress advance.
Below is the video of Elvis debuting “Hound Dog.” Dig it.
June 05, 2012 at 1:45 pm, Elvis Presley’s ‘grunt and groin’ act on ‘Milton Berle Show’ was Lady Gaga … – New York Daily News | The Online Home of Rock Music Guide said:
[...] rise to rock and roll royalty. The pompadoured southern boy with the swivel hips was just 21 …Elvis debuted 'Hound Dog' and hip gyrations 66 years ago todayDeath and Taxesall 2 news [...]
June 05, 2012 at 6:20 pm, Guillermo F. Perez-Argüello said:
The show attracted 22 million viewers and it was broadcast 56 years go, not 66. Because of the scandal it created, including 800,000 letters of protest (sent to NBC, and to Milton Berle, personally), and his being the subject of a huge blast by the Catholic Church in a June edition of the Jesuits' official magazine, "America", Presley attracted 40 million viewers less than a month later, at ABC's Steve Allen Show, on 1 July. That got the attention of Ed Sullivan, whose CBS Sunday prime time show was normally the most watched, but was beaten by Allen's for that night only. So he booked him for three appearances. But not even Sullivan could anticipate the ratings Presley gave him, a 82.6 share and 62 million watching, on 9 September ( the first of the three), that being the highest percentage ever obtained by any network in the history of television. And that record, folks, and here I am referring to the "share, remains to this date, as does the second largest, a 77.3 share obtained by a January 1953 episode of "I love Lucy", in which she gave birth to Desi Arnaz Jr.
June 06, 2012 at 12:30 am, Harry Cheadle said:
Fun fact: "Leave It to Beaver" didn't premiere until 1957. So I'll assume that the reference to the "Leave it to Beaver 1950s world" is, like, figurative.
June 07, 2012 at 5:10 am, Linda Sigmon said:
This is a very informative comment about Elvis's TV appearances in 1956.