Share:                           
Permalink:       

DVD Review: ELVIS: THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW
The Classic Performances

Studio: Image Entertainment
Year: 1956
Cast: Elvis Presley, Ed Sullivan, Charles Laughton
Director: John Wray
Release Date: August 04, 2009
Rating: Not Rated for (hip gyrating)
Run Time: 46m:34s
Genre(s): music

"You ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine." - Elvis Presley

Buy Now @ Amazon

The performances of Elvis Presley on three 1956 episodes of The Ed Sullivan Show shook American music to its foundations. This trimmed-down disc cuts out all the Topo Gigio, Seņor Wences and other forgettable stuff and gets you straight to the Elvis.

Movie Grade: B

DVD Grade: B-

On the other hand, one might miss that surrounding material; like the episodes featuring The Beatles, part of the fascination of these programs is the contrast between the musicians featured on the disc, and the vanilla (or worse) acts that surrounded them. That contrast is almost like a slap in the face, and that's particularly true in the case of Elvis' appearances on the show. Those who appreciate that contextual relationship will want to seek out instead Image's disc from 2006 that includes these three programs in complete form (still in print).

But if you just want the Elvis portions (and the intros), you've come to the right place. It's suitable for those of little patience or who just want to get right to the good stuff. The problem, however, is that these shows are taking place just as Presley was ascending to the top, and thus he has a very limited catalogue of hits to choose from, and it very quickly gets repetitive as we hear Don't Be Cruel, Hound Dog, and Love Me Tender repeatedly. There are a few other tunes that help break up the monotony as well, however, including Heartbreak Hotel, Love Me, Ready Teddy, Too Much, When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again, and Peace in the Valley.

Oddly enough, his first performance is introduced not by Ed Sullivan but by none other than Charles Laughton, which is an even odder pairing with Elvis. As the extras note, Sullivan had been in a car crash after booking Presley, and for a few weeks various luminaries had filled in for him, and Laughton got the privilege of introducing Presley to the masses for the first time. His wry British demeanor is an amusing contrast to Elvis's hearty Southern boy persona. It's interesting to watch his evolution over these three shows, from a fairly clumsy and self-conscious boy to an accomplished and already nearly cynical showman, who knows just when to sneer and set the girls to screaming. When Sullivan takes the stage, he's obviously hugely enjoying himself, so any initial concern about Presley was clearly long gone, perhaps because he had seen the ratings from the first show.

Since the programs apparently exist only as black-and-white kinescopes, there's obviously a limit to how good these performances can look. But they're not bad, with the expected video blur on rapid movement and a fairly high contrast. There is a fair amount of detail and it's reasonably attractive. Those watching at home in 1956 couldn't see it quite as well as this anyway. The audio is present in both the original mono and a beefed-up 5.1 remix that puts more oomph behind the vocals and the backing guitars. The first episode has an annoying background hum, but the others sound pretty decent. The Jordanaires, the doo-wop backup singers behind Elvis in his early career, come across well, with a smooth texture that lends depth to Presley's lead vocals.

Some interesting supporting materials are also present. These include home movies of an early live performance of April 1955, which probably is the oldest Elvis performance footage in existence. Unfortunately, it's also silent, but you can see the nascent performer before he knew what he was doing (he even has to pull up his pants at one point). It includes commentary by Jack Schilling, an associate of Elvis, who met him a little later. Some Schilling's own home movies from the set of Clambake are present here, as we watch Presley chatting with fans and costars (again silent). There's also footage of Elvis and Priscilla riding horses at Graceland. Clips from later segments of The Ed Sullivan Show feature Sullivan talking about Presley joining the army, a John Byner imitation of Sullivan and Presley and a Jack Carter routine, discussion of a telegram from Elvis to the Beatles, and other shot clips. The intros and promos for the three shows are also here. Sam Phillips, Wink Martindale and others contribute remembrances of Elvis and Ed Sullivan in interview segments. The extras are the same as on the three-disc version with the complete shows, which is a pleasant and user-friendly surprise.

Posted by: Mark Zimmer - October 4, 2009, 7:03 pm - DVD Review
Keywords: rock, rockabilly, doo-wop, jordanaires