Elvis Presley Steve Allen Show Jul 1956: I Want & Hound Dog

Elvis Presley at the Steve Allen Show on 1st July 1956 performing: I Want You, I Need You, I Love You and Hound Dog.

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Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• elvis
• presley
• tv
• steve
• allen
• show
• july
• 1956
• hound
• dog
• want
• you
• need
• love

[MisterMasterShafter1]

This set-up with Allen was a result of Elvis' infamous performance on Milton Berle a few weeks earlier, where he went into the half-tempo bump and grind ending version of Hound Dog and was basically f---ing the air and his legs and hips going every which way. That's the one they showed in Forrest Gump. It set off a firestorm of protests, and this here was an attempt to tone Elvis down on TV to try and cool it all off. That's why Allen referred to it at the start as Elvis' "first comeback".

[zyxwut321]

@jmacbops:

Steve Allen detested rock and roll because he was older (in his 30s which would be like your 40s today) and didn't really understand it. He was a very bright man who hoped that jazz would play a bigger role in our popular culture and simply didn't appreciate the gut level response rock and roll got. This disconnect is embarrassing to watch now knowing what we know now but back then rock was this emerging monster no one knew what to make of. Allen was just trying to control the wave.

[klutzyknockoutlady]

A partial list of Steve Allen compositions:

""The Theme From Picnic"

"The Start Of Something Big"

"The Gravy Waltz"

"Pretend You Don't See Her" (featured in the film "Goodfellas")

Now, let's see...Elvis wrote how many songs...?????

[xjohnnydsonx]

i think everyone reads this wrong, elvis is not being humiliated intentionally, it's showbiz' and everyone connected knows elvis is one talented guy and it's a showbiz tongue in cheeck way of sticking it to the critics and squares and keeping the exposure. they all knew once the mums heard elvis sing a few ballads they were hooked.

[12Mrpenguin]

I wonder if the dog is thinking what the crap is happening or oh my Jesus it's evis Presly

[38ddkelly]

All Elvis did here was prove that he was a thousand times the man Steve Allen was. He handled Allen's attempt to humiliate him with more class than anyone had a right to expect.

[bobinator3010]

I wish I could be the dog...

[zyxwut321]

@JackRabbitSlim:

Steve Allen was uptight but he was no idiot. He boldly brought on artists like Frank Zappa, Nat King Cole and Lenny Bruce. He was also famous for his deep, abiding respect and advocacy for jazz and wasn't hesitant to bring on black artists at a time in the 1950s when doing so risked sponsors and protests. He was also an open secular humanist and a noted composer & literary scholar. In his own misguided way Allen was actually trying to reintroduce Presley after his scandal.

[toolpool]

@suehowes55 Apparently so...

[MsFlashbash]

Elvis thought this was the most ridiculous performance of his career.