Elvis on the Rise

Elvis Presley's three appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956 made him a rock and roll superstar. The press called him Elvis the Pelvis. Because so many people were shocked by Elvis's dance moves, for his last appearance on the show, in January 1957, the singer was filmed only from the waist up. Elvis wiggled his eyebrows and his shoulders as he sang, and crooked his little finger to suggest the banned dance movies. The fans went bananas.

The Ed Sullivan Show appearances were so successful that Colonel Parker decided he would demand an extremely high price for Elvis to make TV appearances. Elvis did not appear on television again until 1960. This was in part because Elvis was ready for the next step: He was going to be a movie star.