Elvis leverages TV and film industry to promote his music

With Colonel Tom Parker calling the shots to manage the career of vocalist Elvis Presley, beginning in the mid-1950s, the sky was the limit.

Parker sought to capitalize on extraordinary opportunities that would gain nationwide exposure for his client through television and propel Elvis toward Hollywood film stardom. Wealth, fame and fortune were all within a wiggle of Elvis’ hips.

Here’s a bit of how that went, beginning in 1956:

Elvis and his band made their first network television appearance in January 1956 on the Jackie Gleason-produced “Stage Show,” starring Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, on CBS.

Tommy Dorsey, Elvis Presley and Jimmy Dorsey 

Elvis arrived in Los Angeles in March 1956 for a three-day screen-testing session at the Paramount Pictures studio in Hollywood, which was arranged for veteran motion picture producer Hal Wallis (shown below).

Screenwriter Allan Weiss was asked to sit in, and Weiss offered this assessment: “In viewing the test, one thing was clear. It would be a mistake to try to force this strong personality (Elvis Presley) into a preconceived role. His parts must be tailored for him, designed to exploit the thing he did best – sing.”

“Wallis knew the public would never accept Elvis in straight roles. They wanted the singer; if they could have the actor, too, all the better,” Weiss said.

After observing Elvis’ first screen test, a scene from the play “The Girls of Summer,” drama coach Charlotte Clary offered great encouragement. She declared: “Now that is a natural born actor.”

As a result, Paramount signed Elvis to a multi-year, multi-film contract.

However, Wallis was unable to quickly come up with a suitable project for Elvis, so he “reluctantly loaned his new star out” to 20th Century Fox for his first movie, “Love Me Tender,” a western drama set in Texas immediately following the Civil War.

 

Beginning in April 1956, Elvis began a series of television appearances on “The Milton Berle Show” on NBC. The public was introduced to The Jordanaires, a back-up vocal quartet that added a new dimension to Elvis’ performances. The group had formed in 1948, specializing in gospel music.

 

In the mid-1950s, members of The Jordanaires were Gordon Stoker (first tenor), Neal Matthews (second tenor and lead vocals), Hoyt Hawkins (baritone and lead vocals) and Hugh Jarrett (bass vocals). Jarrett was replaced by Ray Walker in 1958.

In July 1956, Elvis appeared on television’s “The Steve Allen Show” on NBC to sing his songs and participate in a cowboy comedy sketch with Allen, Imogene Coca and Andy Griffith.

 

In August 1956, Elvis began filming his scenes for the “Love Me Tender” movie, directed by Robert D. Webb and starring Richard Egan and Debra Paget (shown below) in leading roles. 

 

Sept. 9, 1956, was a red-letter day in Elvis Presley annals, marking his first appearance on the top-ranked television variety program of the era, “The Ed Sullivan Show” on CBS. It was a dream-come-true moment for everyone on “Team Elvis” as well as his growing legion of fans.

 

In fact, the History Channel ranked Sept. 9, 1956, as one of the “10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America,” because of the societal barriers that toppled that day.

Host Ed Sullivan had been hesitant and reluctant to book Elvis as a guest. Elvis was deemed by many adults as being too controversial for family-oriented audiences, according to the Graceland archivist.

 

“Elvis had a reputation among conservative leaders and parents.” They often labeled his performances as “inappropriate,” the Graceland spokesperson said. “Many adults were outraged by his bumps, grinds and gyrating hips. Elvis was simply unlike any other performer they’d ever seen, and they were concerned. Sullivan initially wanted to distance himself from the harsh criticism that Presley was receiving.”

“It was a surprise, then, when Sullivan announced that Elvis would perform not just once, but three times on his show. Sullivan had watched Elvis’ career blossom and knew he’d pull in high ratings if he allowed Elvis to perform, so the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was to be paid $50,000 for all three performances – an unprecedented amount at the time.”

 

Interestingly, on Sept. 9, 1956, neither Elvis nor Ed Sullivan was in the network studio in New York City for filming. (Sullivan was recovering from serious injuries that he had recently suffered in an automobile crash, and Elvis was still on the “Love Me Tender” movie set in Hollywood.)

British actor Charles Laughton (shown below) filled in and served as host for Presley’s debut performance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Elvis participated through a live remote broadcast from California.

 

He warmed up the audience by singing “Don’t Be Cruel,” a few verses of “Hound Dog” and “Ready Teddy,” a song written by John Marascalco and Robert Blackwell that was first made popular by Little Richard.

 

Elvis brought the house down with “Love Me Tender,” as the song had not yet been released. Not only did the performance increase hype for the upcoming movie (scheduled to premier Nov. 15), it sparked more than 1 million pre-orders, overwhelming RCA Records.

Hence, “Love Me Tender” became the first record “to go gold” before even arriving in music stores.

The TV show itself was a huge success, with an estimated 60 million people, or 82.6% of the entire television audience, tuning in to watch.

Ed Sullivan recuperated and was able to host Elvis’s second and third appearances on the Sullivan show in the New York studio in late October 1956 and early January 1957.

Picking up again from the Graceland spokesperson: “At the conclusion of the final show, Ed Sullivan wished Elvis well and told the audience that Elvis was a ‘real decent, fine boy....We want to say that we’ve never had a more pleasant experience with a big name than we’ve had with you.’”

“This endorsement even further validated Elvis to a wide audience as he humbly accepted the compliments. All three of Elvis’ performances on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ served as steppingstones to his success and…becoming the most popular solo artist in the history of entertainment.”

Reflecting on Elvis’ accomplishments in 1956, The Wall Street Journal reported that Elvis had a “pivotal career year” as “regional popularity gave way to unprecedented national and international fame.”

The publication noted that 1956 saw “the beginning of Elvis souvenir merchandising, the beginning of a successful movie career, huge record sales, history-making television appearances…and more.”

“Elvis has become the primary symbol of the new youth culture in America.” Further, his unique blend (white country and gospel music, black R&B and gospel with white pop music), his of charisma and talent…have helped him greatly to begin, without premeditation, a cycle of change in music and pop culture and the mores of American society, The Wall Street Journal article continued.

“Nothing will ever be the same for Elvis Presley or for the world.”