Elvis Presley’s 1956 controversial performance on the Milton Berle Show

I bet you just about shit your pants when you watched it for the first time back in the 1950s, op

Hard to do when I was born in 1986 r1

What's controversial about it? My Google broke down today, so I have to ask DL residents here.

R3 On June 5, 1956 when Elvis was performing on The Milton Berle Show, something came over him and at the end of singing “Hound Dog” he extended the song, adding not one, but two slowed-down striptease-style verses.

Though seemingly harmless to watch by today’s standards, Elvis made some exaggerated bump and grind movements during those last two verses which caused a national controversy. The media went into an uproar after seeing Elvis’ gyrating on stage in an “obscene performance,” and the nickname “Elvis The Pelvis” took hold.

With Steve Allen threatening to cancel Presley’s upcoming performance on his show in July, Elvis was pressured into toning down his movements. On July 1, 1956, Steve Allen introduced “the new Elvis Presley” as Elvis walked onstage in a tuxedo and tails to set things right with the older generation. Allen declared this less threatening appearance Presley’s “first comeback.”

To add fuel to the fire, one month later a judge in Jacksonville, Florida threatened Presley with jail time if he did not restrain himself during his live concerts there on August 10-11, 1956. Elvis was reduced to moving only his pinky finger to keep the peace. This change in performance style is what led up to Presley’s highly anticipated appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Since Presley had already toned down his act for The Steve Allen Show, it seemed that Ed Sullivan would not have to worry about Elvis causing any controversy. But surprisingly, Ed Sullivan still felt the need to censor Elvis.

However, contrary to popular belief, Presley was not censored from the waist up on all three of his appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. He was only fully and intentionally censored on his last appearance on January 6, 1957.

Op saw it ALL first-hand! Nice try with the 1986 lie.

Thank you R4 for taking time to answer my question.

But which one of his shows where he got a raging hard-on?

Elvis looked like a Greek god in his prime. I hope the new movie coming out next year will show him respect and earn him more fans.

He never looked Greek.

Did you watch it first hand as an adult too, R6? Don’t get pisssd just asking, ok

This is an interesting video.

The cover is real.

The 50's were so repressed.

[quote] The 50's were so repressed

I used to sit in the East Wing and watch the Negro gardener and hyperventilate over the possibilities.

Nobody thought twice about Berle’s big schlong?

Milton Berle had to be the most unfunny "comedian" until Steven Colbert came along.

I’ll take Steven Colbert over Jimmy Fallon.

Depravity is the current "in" thing in this country. The morals of this country have evaporated and look there's that pig, Kim and her family making millions, watch tv and the gutter language and situations are hilarious. No, I'm no in my dotage or a senile, just someone that appreciates taste and view the decline of this country.

I thought he looked drunk when he slowed the performance. I would have guessed that was the controversy--that he mimicked a raging drunk on stage.

It was the way he sang and the hip movements.

They said you was high class. Well, that was just a lie.

What is this song really about?

Fleas

So he's shaking off like that because he is supposed to have fleas from a dog? Are the fleas supposed to be up his butt and under his sack?

Didn’t super unfunny Berle have some kerfuffle with Ru Paul?

If Elvis did that today, they would say his suffers from Dyskinesia and he would immediately obtain heroic victim status for his brave struggles, and anyone who criticized him would be cancelled.