3rd April 1956, Tuesday

[Graeme]

Day number 7757Site Date Map

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[Alan]

The Milton Berle Show, one of the most popular programs of the Golden Age of Television was broadcast live from the deck of the USS Hancock on NBC while docked at the Naval Air Base in San Diego, California on this day.
The show starred the Esther Williams, Berle's comedy sidekick, Arnold Stang and the Harry James Orchestra featuring Buddy Rich and featured Elvis, Scotty, Bill and DJ.
Elvis Presley Fan Club members were sent a 12" x 18 1/2" TV/Concert double-sided announcement / promotional handbill from the Colonel to publicly thank Milton Berle for having Elvis perform on his program and to promote the upcoming concerts in San Diego.
      
Clickthe button below to watch the entire hour long show.

      

[ColinB]

Less cropped:

[Alan]

      Elvis was due in San Diego for the Berle Show, which was scheduled to be broadcast on April 3 from the deck of the U.S.S. Hancock, docked atthe San Diego naval station. The Milton Berle Show was a definite step up from the Dorseys. Milton Berle, the original "Mr. Television," was still a major starand had booked Presley only as a favour to his agent Abe Lastfogel. Berle met Elvis and the Colonel for the first time at the airport. "I sat in the middle and Colonel Parker was on the other side and Elvis was on my right. So I said, 'Oh, here's the contract for the show,' and I was about to hand it to Elvis when Colonel Parker grabbed it, says,'Don't show that boy that contract!' So Elvis didn't know what he was getting. Colonel Parker held a hard hand!"
      They went directly to rehearsal, where Scotty, Bill and D.J. met them, having just rolled into town themselves after an arduous cross-country trek. D.J. was thrilled at the presence of the great drummer Buddy Rich, a member of the Harry James Orchestra, but Rich did not return the compliment. The musicians all sniffed when Elvis did not produce any charts,and when he launched into "Blue Suede Shoes," Rich rolled his eyes at Harry James and said, audibly, "This is the worst."
      The show itself was one more unmitigated triumph. It was a windy day, and flags were flying in the breeze, with the ocean as backdrop and an audience that was as good-natured as it was enthusiastic. Elvis opened with "Heartbreak Hotel," naturally, after an elaborate introduction by Berle, who came out onstage dressed in an admiral's uniform with plenty of gold braid. The performer that television viewers saw appeared in yet another stage of radical metamorphosis, more self-assured by half, more in command of look and style than he had been just ten days before - but it is the stark visual imagery that sets off his performance most, as he stands, all in black save for white tie, white belt, and white bucks, legs spread wide apart and apoint of hitherto-unremarked stillness, just inviting the crowd to come to him.
      They did. The song was greeted by an audience made up predominantly of sailors and their dates with an apprpriate mixture of screams and laughter - because it is clear by now that the performer is playing with them. It may not be clear to the little girls, but there isno aggression in this act, he isteasing them, fooling with them, his laughter is their laughter, for the first time in his life he is one of them. He then introduced "my latest release", 'Blue Suede Shoes,' " and launched into the song in a loose, carefree manner that far surpassed any of his previous televised efforts. The crowd was with him all the way, and when he went into the repeated, almost mantra-like coda, Bill got on the bass and rode it for all it was worth, hands up in the air, legs sticking out, and whooping as the crowd whooped happily back. It was a moment, a picture, a perfectly lt snapshot, that the Colonel vowed was never going to take attention away from hs boy again.
      Next was a comedy sketch with Berle in which the comedian came out dressed identically to his guest star, only with his pants rolled up and looking like a rube in oversize blue suede shoes. He was, he declared in the broadcast Catskills cornpone accent, Elvis' twin bother, Melvin, who had taught Elvis everything he knew. They played with that for a while,with Elvis declaring, "I owe it all to you, Melvin," and then they went into a reprise of "Blue Suede Shoes," which Elvis flung himself into as good naturedly as he had the earler rendition, while Berle pranced about the stage and did a limber send-up of his enthusiastic young friend. It would have been hard to detect any sign of resentment, if resentment existed, on the part of "America's newest singing sensation," whether because Berle was spoofing his act or because of the twin-brother routine; itwas all just show business, after all - Gladys was probably laughing at home with some of the cousins and Grandma Minnie. They had always enjoyed Uncle Miltie, ever since they got their first television set; he was, of course a very important and powerful figure in the business, said Colonel Parker, and Elvis should never forget, Mr Berle was doing them a favour by having him on the show.