ABSTRACT
Phone lines resembled Christmas Day. Teens rushed to call their friends: “Turn on . . . you won’t believe it!” For a fee of approximately $1,250 the faltering “ Stage Show” outrated Perry Como for the first time. In a frequently cited quote Gleason merely said, “It was and is our opinion that Elvis would appeal to the majority of the people.” 1
Whatever the magic, it shocked and ignited those watching. Televi sion executives, particularly at CBS, read the numbers. Gleason was pacified for a while. The media and public reactions were mixed. The handful of written accounts were negative; few critics had seen the controversial performance. Adolescents loved it, while their parents scowled. The middle-aged titans of the Golden Age of Television-Bill Paley, Frank Stanton, David Sarnoff-didn’t understand the phenome non, but could read the “overnights.” The musical genie was out of the bottle.
