DVD Review: Elvis: The Ed Sullivan Shows

The rumblings began early in 1956... subtle shifts in the plates of popular culture, almost imperceptible at the surface, but stentorian in nature, waiting impatiently to change the texture of the landscape. Meanwhile, the American citizenry went about its collective business, somnambulized by a false sense of duck and tuck security. The GIs had returned from Korea, tricking out Chevys and Fords, discovering the freedom of Harleys and Indians, and conspicuously consuming every appliance General Electric had to offer.

The rumblings just beneath the complacent surface turned into a burp on 27 January 1956, when Elvis Presley released his major label debut single, "Heartbreak Hotel." He was already something of a a cause celebre in the South, having released a handful of cuts on what would now be called "indie" label Sun. But this was major—Elvis was nationwide. The next day, he appeared on the low-rated Dorsey Brothers' Stage Show. It was a less than auspicious debut. It's said they couldn't give tickets away in Times Square. Word spread quickly, though, and within weeks, Elvis was a Hot Property. Milton Berle booked him for two appearances 3 April, and Steve Allen quickly followed suit, having Elvis live 1 July, going mano y mano against the colossal Ed Sullivan Show.

The rumblings and burps had grown to tremors. They would not be quelled.

Ed Sullivan was the undisputed ruler of network TV in 1956. His resume as an entertainment reporter dated back to the '30s. He was an iconoclastic Irishman who'd tried his hand at boxing, and brought his pugilistic style to his reportage. A man of strong convictions, an early supporter of civil rights, he was nonetheless perplexed by the idea of the hip-shaking, vaguely adrodgynous Elvis. He had said he'd not have him on his show. That was before Steve Allen pummelled him in the ratings by featuring Elvis.

Sullivan's people put an unheard of 50 grand on the table, and Elvis did not one, but three performances on the vaunted Ed Sullivan Show. The rumblings, the burps, the tremors could not be contained any longer. Something had to blow.

On a Sunday night 7 PM EST, 9 September 1956, the world changed forever. Elvis exploded onto the national consciousness with a nod and a wink, and we would never be the same.

Elvis: The Ed Sullivan Shows chronicles the event the way it really happened, kinescope cameras rolling, presenting it uncut, and providing us a glimpse of the American zeitgeist a half-century ago. Elvis was a novelty at that point, considered a flash in the pan who'd be a passing memory within a year.

Article Author: Ray Ellis

Ray Ellis is a freelance writer who has been dissecting pop culture and its effect on how we view ourselves for over twenty years, ruffling feathers and dragging unsuspecting pedestrians along for the ride whenever possible.

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