Elvis was burned in effigy after an appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show"

Colonel Parker negotiated a deal for Elvis Presley to make three appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" for a big deal of $50,000 in the summer of 1956. Although Sullivan had earlier stated he wouldn't bring the famous singer on his family-friendly TV variety show, he changed his mind after rival Steve Allen invited Elvis to perform on his program in July 1956, which significantly hurt Sullivan's ratings. On September 9, 1956, 60 million people—more than 80% of the TV audience—watched when Elvis made his debut on Sullivan's show. (In actuality, Sullivan was unable to serve as the show's host because he had been hurt in a vehicle accident that August.)

In response to Elvis Presley's performance of his popular song "Hound Dog" during his second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, aggressive crowds in St. Louis and Nashville burnt the singer in effigy. This is because, in the 1950s, rock and roll was coming under more and more criticism for its alleged detrimental impact on American youth. As a result, Elvis was the object of this fury.

In January 1957, the singer made his last performance on Sullivan's show. This time, network censors required that he be shot only from the waist up. Sullivan gave Elvis Presley a particular nod at the end of the broadcast despite this stipulation, calling him "a real lovely, fine boy" and saying that "we've never had a pleasanter time on our show with a huge star than we've had with you."