Steve Allen first saw Elvis Presley on January 28, 1956 at the Dorsey Brothers Stage Show on competing network CBS. Everyone was enthusiastic about the young singer’s charm and charisma and decided to reserve Elvis for his broadcast on NBC.
Although he was not a fan of rock ‘n’ roll music, Allen could not avoid the fact that Elvis Presley was able to give his audience numbers a big boost.
Elvis was booked for the first Steve Allen show in July. He flew to New York on a charter flight on June 29, 1956 to rehearse for the show. On Sunday, July 1, 1956, the day it was broadcast, Elvis arrived at the Hudson Theater in New York, where the taping was taking place, that afternoon
After the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll signed a few autographs in front of the theater, he immediately met with host Steve Allen to discuss the details of his performance. All told Elvis to sing the song “Hound Dog”
Elvis, who entered the stage dressed in a tuxedo tuxedo (named after Tuxedo Park, a private country club of high-ranking and wealthy New Yorkers), sang his hit “Hound Dog” to a dog with a hat
This was followed by a version of “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You”. In another sequence, the young singer disguised as a cowboy – under the name Tumbleweed