 |
| Elvis performing “Hound Dog” on the June 5, ’56 Milton Berle show |
JUNE 5, 1956
Can you imagine such a title? When we now see Elvis performing “Hound Dog” on the June 5, ’56 Milton Berle show, it seems normal by today’s standards, but in 1956 it was outrageous.
They say there’s nothing like bad publicity, and this performance proves it.
Suddenly, everyone was talking about this performance, and Elvis was “coming forward.”
A star, a true Rock’n’Roll rebel.
 Elvis performing “Hound Dog” on the June 5, ’56 Milton Berle show |
By the end of the song, she changed the tempo from Rock’n’Roll to Blues, strutting, hips swaying with her black hair shining.
The girls were screaming, fainting.
The next day, the press crucified him.
A Catholic publication headlined the report with the headline “BEWARE OF ELVIS PRESLEY,” and major publications like the ‘New York Times’ and the ‘Daily News’ proclaimed that Elvis had no talent outside of shaking his hips.
The critics destroyed it, but in reality, they only added fuel to the Presleyan flame.
New York Daily News: “…tinged with a kind of animalism that should be confined to brothels.”
New York Journal-American:
“…Elvis disguises his singing limitations with the most suggestive and low movements similar to the dance of an aborigine appearance.”
This performance of June 5 ’56 was one of the most important milestones in Elvis Presley‘s career.
Sources: Graceland / History.com / YouTube / ‘Elvis Today’ magazine / book ‘Elvis Presley – The Son of America’
Information provided by Elvis Shop Argentina
