On September 9 1956, exactly 64 years ago today, Elvis Presley made his first of the three appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. But did you know that he was deemed unfit for the show? Yes, you have read it right, Read the full article to know the story.
Elvis’ first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show was a great success for The King but it was full of controversies.
Here is a fact that will shock you, As per express.co.uk, Sullivan had refused an offer to hire Elvis Presley for $50,000, having had difficulties with rock ’n’ roll stars in the past. The report also stated, “While according to Greil Marcus’ Elvis Presley: The Ed Sullivan Shows, he felt Elvis was “unfit for family viewing”.
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The reason for such a belief was the dancing style of Elvis Presley, especially the way he rotated his pelvis as it used to be considered too s*xualised for the family audience. But despite everything, The King’s ratings were excellent for his appearance on another show. And this is the reason that the $50,000 fees for The Ed Sullivan Show were negotiated.
The camera even tried to censor Elvis Presley when he used to start his pelvis dance. The shots were deliberately taken above his waist. But the studio still could watch the whole performance. Around 60 million people saw the show at that time, and it was a record in itself as the number meant 82.6 per cent of the television audience.
Elvis Presley made his appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show two more times on October 28, 1956, and January 6, 1957.
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