Editing Elvis Presley (section)

==== ''Steve Allen Show'' and first Sullivan appearance ====
[[File:Elvis Presley and Ed Sullivan October 1956.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|alt=Photo of Elvis and Ed Sullivan|[[Ed Sullivan]] and Presley during rehearsals for his second appearance on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'', October 26, 1956]]
The Berle shows drew such high ratings that Presley was booked for a July 1 appearance on NBC's ''[[The Steve Allen Show]]'' in New York. [[Steve Allen|Allen]], who was no fan of rock and roll, introduced a "new Elvis" in a white bowtie and black tails. Presley sang "Hound Dog" for less than a minute to a [[basset hound]] wearing a top hat and bowtie. As described by television historian Jake Austen, "Allen thought Presley was talentless and absurd&nbsp;... [he] set things up so that Presley would show his contrition".{{sfn|Austen|2005|p=13}} Allen later wrote that he found Presley's "strange, gangly, country-boy charisma, his hard-to-define cuteness, and his charming eccentricity intriguing" and worked him into the "comedy fabric" of his program.{{sfn|Allen|1992|p=270}} Just before the final rehearsal for the show, Presley told a reporter, "I don't want to do anything to make people dislike me. I think TV is important so I'm going to go along, but I won't be able to give the kind of show I do in a personal appearance."{{sfn|Rock 'N Roll Stars|1956|p=5}} Presley would refer back to the Allen show as the most ridiculous performance of his career.{{sfn|Keogh|2004|p=73}} Later that night, he appeared on ''[[Hy Gardner Calling]]'', a popular local television show. Pressed on whether he had learned anything from the criticism of him, Presley responded, "No, I haven't&nbsp;... I don't see how any type of music would have any bad influence on people when it's only music.&nbsp;... how would rock 'n' roll music make anyone rebel against their parents?"{{sfn|Guralnick|Jorgensen|1999|p=73}}

The next day, Presley recorded "Hound Dog", "[[Any Way You Want Me (That's How I Will Be)|Any Way You Want Me]]" and "[[Don't Be Cruel]]". The Jordanaires sang harmony, as they had on ''The Steve Allen Show''; they would work with Presley through the 1960s. A few days later, Presley made an outdoor concert appearance in Memphis, at which he announced, "You know, those people in New York are not gonna change me none. I'm gonna show you what the real Elvis is like tonight."{{sfn|Jorgensen|1998|p=51}} In August, a judge in [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]], Florida, ordered Presley to tame his act. Throughout the following performance, he largely kept still, except for wiggling his little finger suggestively in mockery of the order.{{sfn|Guralnick|Jorgensen|1999|pp=80–81}} The single pairing "Don't Be Cruel" with "Hound Dog" ruled the top of the charts for eleven weeks—a mark that would not be surpassed for 36 years.{{sfn|Whitburn|1993|p=5}} Recording sessions for Presley's second album took place in Hollywood in early September. Leiber and Stoller, the writers of "Hound Dog", contributed "[[Love Me (Leiber/Stoller song)|Love Me]]".{{sfn|Jorgensen|1998|pp=60–65}}

Allen's show with Presley had, for the first time, beaten ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' in the ratings. Sullivan booked Presley for three appearances for an unprecedented $50,000.{{sfn|Austen|2005|p=16}} The first, on September 9, 1956, was seen by approximately 60 million viewers—a record 82.6 percent of the television audience.{{sfn|Edgerton|2007|p=187}} Actor [[Charles Laughton]] hosted the show, filling in while Sullivan was recovering from a car accident.{{sfn|Marcus|2006}} According to legend, Presley was shot only from the waist up. Watching clips of the Allen and Berle shows, Sullivan had opined that Presley "got some kind of device hanging down below the crotch of his pants—so when he moves his legs back and forth you can see the outline of his cock.&nbsp;... I think it's a [[Coca-Cola|Coke]] bottle.&nbsp;... We just can't have this on a Sunday night. This is a family show!"{{sfn|Brown|Broeske|1997|p=93}} Sullivan publicly told ''[[TV Guide]]'', "As for his gyrations, the whole thing can be controlled with camera shots."{{sfn|Austen|2005|p=16}} In fact, Presley was shown head-to-toe. Though the camerawork was relatively discreet during his debut, with leg-concealing closeups when he danced, the studio audience reacted with screams.{{sfn|Guralnick|1994|p=338}}{{sfn|Gibson|2005}} Presley's performance of his forthcoming single, the ballad "[[Love Me Tender (song)|Love Me Tender]]", prompted a record-shattering million advance orders.{{sfn|Victor|2008|p=439}} More than any other single event, it was this first appearance on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' that made Presley a national celebrity.{{sfn|Marcus|2006}}

Accompanying Presley's rise to fame, a cultural shift was taking place that he both helped inspire and came to symbolize. The historian Marty Jezer wrote that Presley began the "biggest pop craze" since [[Glenn Miller]] and [[Frank Sinatra]] and brought rock and roll to mainstream culture: <blockquote>As Presley set the artistic pace, other artists followed.&nbsp;... Presley, more than anyone else, gave the young a belief in themselves as a distinct and somehow unified generation—the first in America ever to feel the power of an integrated youth culture.{{sfn|Jezer|1982|p=281}}</blockquote>