On this day in history, September 9, 1956, Elvis Presley, at the age of 21, made his first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and broke television records.
Previously, Ed Sullivan had banned Elvis from appearing on his show due to his famous “gyrations.” However, after seeing the massive ratings that other shows received when Elvis performed, Sullivan reconsidered his ban.
The History Channel’s website states that Sullivan signed Elvis to a three-appearance contract and paid him an unprecedented fee of $50,000.
Adjusted for inflation, that contract would be worth over $500,000 in 2023, according to Inflationtool.com.
Elvis Presley’s appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in September 1956 was watched by 60 million viewers — over 80% of the total number of TV viewers in the United States. (CBS via Getty Images)
Presley’s appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” was watched by 60 million viewers, making it the most-watched television broadcast of the decade, according to the History Channel.
This number was equivalent to 82.6% of the total number of television viewers in the United States.
During his appearance, Elvis performed three of his songs, “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Hound Dog,” and “Love Me Tender,” as well as Little Richard’s “Ready Teddy.”
On this day in history, September 8, 1966, the iconic TV series “Star Trek” premiered.
While “The Ed Sullivan Show” was based in New York City, Elvis was in California shooting his first movie, “Love Me Tender,” so he performed remotely from Los Angeles.
Elvis told the screaming audience that appearing on “The Ed Sullivan Show” was “probably the greatest honor I have ever had in my life.”
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Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
