The Milton Berle Show

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By the end of 1955, Elvis Presley had done plenty of touring and had already recorded two dozen single hits on the country and western charts. He was heading for superstardom at this time. Elvis made it to the top of the pop charts with “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956. To make a name for himself, he made appearances on TV, and a big sensation would be created when he appeared on The Milton Berle Show. For those of you who don’t recognize the name, Milton Berle was a popular comedian and TV star known to his adoring fans as “Uncle Miltie." Elvis made his appearance on the show by putting his guitar to one side and giving his performance of “Hound Dog” all that he had. The only difference this time when he appeared on TV was that he was being filmed from head to toe. All of his other TV appearances had him appearing from the waist up or holding a guitar. For the first time people got to see Elvis gyrating and twisting. Knowing what everyone now knows about Elvis, it was surprising that critics weren’t impressed by his performance. In fact, the comments of critics included things like his singing wasn’t impressive and that the movements he made didn’t belong in the world of popular music. Of course, Elvis proved everybody wrong and went on to become the King of Rock and Roll.