Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Saturday, April 1
    Trending
    • This Day in History on April 1st
    • This Day in History on March 31st
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through March 30th, 2023)
    • This Day in History on March 30th
    • Heroic Police Officers Neutralize Mentally Ill Woman Attacking Children
    • This Day in History on March 29th
    • Who Has Declared Their Candidacy for US President in 2024 So Far?
    • This Day in History on March 28th
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»Lifestyle»Animals/Pets»June 5, 1956: Elvis Presley Introduces “Hound Dog” On TV (The Milton Berle Show)
    Animals/Pets

    June 5, 1956: Elvis Presley Introduces “Hound Dog” On TV (The Milton Berle Show)

    Major DanBy Major DanJune 5, 2016Updated:April 3, 202092 Comments3 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On June 5, 1956, the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, introduced what would become his top selling hit, “Hound Dog,” on The Milton Berle Show, an early television favorite.

    Digging Deeper

    Elvis’s performance included exaggerated gyrations that drove the girls in the audience wild, and enraged parents and prudes across the country.

    By this time Elvis had a number 1 hit with “Heartbreak Hotel” and was touring, continuing to draw animosity from the conservative media and prompting the Catholic Church (La Crosse, Wisconsin diocese) to contact J. Edgar Hoover of the FBI about Elvis being a threat to American security!

    When Elvis appeared on The Steve Allen Show for his next television performance of the classic song, he performed it wearing a tuxedo and singing to a Basset Hound (real live one) wearing a top hat.

    The doleful dog just lay there quietly while Elvis sang, a truly hilarious moment in television history.  Elvis later said the thought that performance was “the most ridiculous of my career.”

    Actually, proving that you cannot go wrong by associating with a hound dog, the song sold 10 million records for Elvis and is ranked #19 by Rolling Stone among the greatest songs of all time.  Elvis took this tune to the top of the US Pop, R&B, and Country charts, all at the same time.  For 11 weeks “Hound Dog” ruled the pop charts, a record that lasted until 1992.

    How much did the bored looking Basset Hound on the Steve Allen Show have to do with the song’s and Elvis’s success?  It is hard to say, but we at History and Headlines believe probably a lot.  Hound dogs, like our lovable Hush Puppies, are pack animals and take to people as part of their pack.

    “Loyal as a hound dog” is a saying with some reason behind it.  Basset hounds and Bloodhounds have the keenest noses of all the dogs, Greyhounds are the fastest dog, and Dachshunds are the bravest critter on the face of the earth (just ask one).  Beagles are used to detect bombs and illegal substances, keeping us safe, and Snoopy, a Beagle, is probably the most famous dog in history.

    Snoopy from Peanuts.

    Question for students (and subscribers): Various sources name different songs as Elvis Presley’s greatest hit, so do you think it was “Hound Dog” or some other classic?  Let us know which ones you think should be considered his greatest hit in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Leiber, Jerry and Elvis Presley.  Hound Dog.  OnlineSheetMusic.com, 2009.

    Leiber, Jerry and Mike Stoller.  Hound Dog: The Leiber & Stoller Autobiography.  Simon & Schuster, 2009.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous Article10 Horrible Ways to Die
    Next Article June 6, 1997: “Prom Mom” Gives Birth at Prom, Leaves Baby to Die in Trash
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    April 2, 2023: On a Wing and a Prayer Virtual Screening Opportunity

    March 27, 2023

    R.I.P. Lance Reddick (1962-2023)

    March 23, 2023

    April 4, 2023: Your Chance to Preview Air

    March 19, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    This Day in History on April 1st

    April 1, 2023

    This Day in History on March 31st

    March 31, 2023

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through March 30th, 2023)

    March 30, 2023

    This Day in History on March 30th

    March 30, 2023

    Heroic Police Officers Neutralize Mentally Ill Woman Attacking Children

    March 30, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2023 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.