“Hound Dog” on ’56 Berle Show

 

 

"Hound Dog" on '56 Berle Show
Was Top Elvis R&R Moment

The King of Rock 'n' roll obviously had many notable rock 'n' roll moments during his career, but Elvis Presley's single 
most significant musical performance came on June 5, 1956, when he appeared on Milton Berle's nationally televised 
variety show. His sexually-charged rendition of "Hound Dog" that evening and the virulent condemnation of it that flowed
 from the press and the pulpit, pushed Presley to the forefront in the cultural battle for the hearts of minds of teenagers
 in the mid-fifties.

By early June 1956, the nation certainly knew who Elvis Presley was. He already had appeared on national TV seven times, 
including an earlier appearance on Milton Berle's show on April 3. His personal appearances across the country had begun
 to draw huge crowds along with criticism from local and national press outlets. After the June 5 Berle show, however, 
Presley's profile exploded. His role as a polarizing figure expanded. He attracted larger crowds and defenders on one hand and
 more increasingly inflamed critics on the other.
Several factors made Presley's second performance on the Milton Berle Show different from his previous TV appearances. 
First, there was the decision to perform "Hound Dog" on the show. Elvis had been using the provocative number in his stage
 show for some time, but this was the first time the entire country would see it on the small screen. While playing a two-week
 stint in Las Vegas in late April and early May, Elvis had seen Freddie Bell and the Bellboys perform "Hound Dog" in their Vegas
 lounge act.
The ultimate fallout over Elvis's controversial performance of "Hound Dog" on the Milton Berle Show of June 5, 1956, is that all of the
 condemnation heaped on Presley immediately afterward backfired on the critics who did the heaping. By ratcheting up the controversy, 
the pundits made Elvis even more popular. The critics continued to denounce Presley, but his increasing number of young supporters
 dug in their heels in his defense.
During the first half of 1956, when Elvis Presley brought his show to town, local press coverage varied widely. After June 5, however,
 Elvis was front page news everywhere he went. No single event gave Elvis Presley's career a greater boost than that provided by those
 two-and-a-half rock 'n' rollin' minutes on Uncle Miltie's show on June 5, 1956.
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