--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When Elvis made his mass-media debut on…" description: "\"When Elvis made his mass-media debut on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' - his notorious gyrations filmed only from the waist up - I fell off the family chaise l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1f/john-lahr-15002_debut_when-elvis-made-his-mass-media-debut-on_1983915.png" --- # When Elvis made his mass-media debut on 'The Ed Sullivan… ![“When Elvis made his mass-media debut on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' - his notorious gyrations filmed only from the waist up - I fell off the family chaise longue with delight.” quote by John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1f/john-lahr-15002_debut_when-elvis-made-his-mass-media-debut-on_1983915.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1f/john-lahr-15002_debut_when-elvis-made-his-mass-media-debut-on_1983915.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1f/john-lahr-15002_debut_when-elvis-made-his-mass-media-debut-on_1983915.png) > “When Elvis made his mass-media debut on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' - his notorious gyrations filmed only from the waist up - I fell off the family chaise longue with delight.” [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Elvis’s iconic TV performance sparked personal joy, illustrating how pop culture moments can create vivid, shared memories. **In simple terms:** Pop culture can evoke strong personal reactions. Key Takeaway Cherish memorable cultural moments. Themes pop culture nostalgia celebration Mood joyful nostalgic Type reflective celebratory When to use this quote - family gatherings - concerts - film screenings - personal reflection Key Concepts Media influence collective memory Questions to Reflect On - Which media moment still makes you smile? - How do shared memories shape personal identity? A Different Perspective Not everyone shares the same cultural reference, limiting universal impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Debut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debut/) [Delight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delight/) [Ed sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ed-sullivan/) [Elvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elvis/) [Elvis Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elvis-mass-3403038/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Filmed Waist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmed-waist-3403040/) [Gyrations Filmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gyrations-filmed-3403039/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Mass media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass-media/) [Media](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/media/) [Notorious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notorious/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) ## Related quotes > [“This was the low point of Presley’s career: the bulky jumpsuit and isosceles sideburns era. His colon had expanded so dramatically that it crowded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/this-was-the-low-point-of-presley-s-career-the-bulky-jumpsuit-and/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [Ed Sullivan brought me to TV first in 1952, then Garry Moore's program gave me a lot of confidence and freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-king/ed-sullivan-brought-me-to-tv-first-in-1952-then-garry-moore-s-program/) [Alan King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-king/) > [I don't think Ed Sullivan had anything to do with Carib Song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-dunham/i-don-t-think-ed-sullivan-had-anything-to-do-with-carib-song/) [Katherine Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-dunham/) > [If you're looking at the array of performers, there's just a lot of people that it's about getting closer to them. That's not really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/if-you-re-looking-at-the-array-of-performers-there-s-just-a-lot-of/) [John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/) > [More than any other drummer, Ringo Starr changed my life. The impact and memory of that band on Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weinberg/more-than-any-other-drummer-ringo-starr-changed-my-life-the-impact/) [Max Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weinberg/) > [ Most magic is a trick, an illusion. But \[when The Beatles played the Ed Sullivan Show\], this was real. Man oh man, was it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-petty/most-magic-is-a-trick-an-illusion-but-when-the-beatles-played-the-ed/) [Tom Petty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-petty/) > [I remember tap-dancing and singing in front of the TV when I was a kid, telling my dad to stop watching Ed Sullivan or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andie-macdowell/i-remember-tap-dancing-and-singing-in-front-of-the-tv-when-i-was-a/) [Andie MacDowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andie-macdowell/) > [ After the Ed Sullivan Show, Feb. 9, 1964, at approx. 8:04pm \[laughs\], after that moment every album, every guitar, evey set of drums that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-thorogood/after-the-ed-sullivan-show-feb-9-1964-at-approx-8-04pm-laughs-after/) [George Thorogood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-thorogood/) > [ \[On turning down an invitation to appear for four minutes on the Ed Sullivan Show:\] Honey, it takes Moms four minutes just to get… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moms-mabley/on-turning-down-an-invitation-to-appear-for-four-minutes-on-the-ed/) [Moms Mabley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moms-mabley/) > [And I was booked once to go on 'Ed Sullivan' and I got bumped and ran out the back door crying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aretha-franklin/and-i-was-booked-once-to-go-on-ed-sullivan-and-i-got-bumped-and-ran/) [Aretha Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aretha-franklin/) > [The Dave Clark Five had more appearances on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' than The Beatles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shaffer/the-dave-clark-five-had-more-appearances-on-the-ed-sullivan-show-than/) [Paul Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shaffer/) > [Everything that you'd see on The Ed Sullivan Show was at the Tannen's Magic. You'd think that if you could afford a trick like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-copperfield/everything-that-you-d-see-on-the-ed-sullivan-show-was-at-the-tannen-s/) [David Copperfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-copperfield/) > [I grew up in the 1950s and '60s, when it was almost a holiday when a black act would go on Ed Sullivan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-grew-up-in-the-1950s-and-60s-when-it-was-almost-a-holiday-when-a/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I was the first to promote The Beatles in the States, and Ed Sullivan called me first about them before he ever booked them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sid-bernstein/i-was-the-first-to-promote-the-beatles-in-the-states-and-ed-sullivan/) [Sid Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sid-bernstein/) > [Ed Sullivan will be around as long as someone else has talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/ed-sullivan-will-be-around-as-long-as-someone-else-has-talent/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) ## More by John Lahr > [The British playwright Nina Raine is one of her generation's most promising talents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/the-british-playwright-nina-raine-is-one-of-her-generation-s-most/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) > [Broadway shows in New York draw two times the attendance of all New York sports teams put together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/broadway-shows-in-new-york-draw-two-times-the-attendance-of-all-new/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) > [The pigeons are shitting on George M. Cohan. I shoo them off. They fly up and perch on his hat. Cohan would've never given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/the-pigeons-are-shitting-on-george-m-cohan-i-shoo-them-off-they-fly/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) > [I go to the theatre expecting to have a good time. I want each play and performance to take me somewhere. Naturally, this doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/i-go-to-the-theatre-expecting-to-have-a-good-time-i-want-each-play/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) > [Dame Edna is that rarest sighting in our time of the absolute comic, an inspired personification of caprice whose comedy answered the primal call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/dame-edna-is-that-rarest-sighting-in-our-time-of-the-absolute-comic/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) > [We were postwar middle-class white kids living in the slipstream of the greatest per-capita rise in income in the history of Western civilization; we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/we-were-postwar-middle-class-white-kids-living-in-the-slipstream-of/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) > [Momentum was part of the exhilaration and the exhaustion of the twentieth century which Coward decoded for the British but borrowed wholesale from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/momentum-was-part-of-the-exhilaration-and-the-exhaustion-of-the/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) > [Death of a Salesman' is a brilliant taxonomy of the spiritual atrophy of mid-twentieth-century white America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/death-of-a-salesman-is-a-brilliant-taxonomy-of-the-spiritual-atrophy/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) > [I detest literature. I abominate the theatre. I have a horror of culture. I am only interested in magic!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/i-detest-literature-i-abominate-the-theatre-i-have-a-horror-of/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) > [Entertainment is not politically neutral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/entertainment-is-not-politically-neutral/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) > [In 1957, 'West Side Story' had introduced the musical to the reckless dark side of teen-age life; 'Bye Bye Birdie,' set in Sweet Apple,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/in-1957-west-side-story-had-introduced-the-musical-to-the-reckless/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) > [The New Yorker's' drama critics have always had a comparable authority because, for the most part, the magazine made it a practice to employ…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/the-new-yorker-s-drama-critics-have-always-had-a-comparable-authority/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) > [I know in an existential sense that life can change on a dime ... something has instantly and inexorably changed in American life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/i-know-in-an-existential-sense-that-life-can-change-on-a-dime/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) > [Writers don't always know what they mean - that's why they write. Their work stands in for them. On the page, the reader meets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/writers-don-t-always-know-what-they-mean-that-s-why-they-write-their/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) > [Tony Awards boost Broadway attendance and sell the shows on the road. They're the sugar to swat the fly. If you needed more explanation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/tony-awards-boost-broadway-attendance-and-sell-the-shows-on-the-road/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) [Explore all 44 John Lahr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) ## More Debut quotes > [When I made my debut as an actor in 'Rock On!' I was confident to get in front of the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farhan-akhtar/when-i-made-my-debut-as-an-actor-in-rock-on-i-was-confident-to-get-in/) [Farhan Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farhan-akhtar/) > [John Lane has long been recognized as one of the South's finest poets and memoirists. This debut establishes him as one of our finest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/john-lane-has-long-been-recognized-as-one-of-the-south-s-finest-poets/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [Doing 'Kucch Luv Jaisaa' was like a debut. There were never any apprehensions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-shah/doing-kucch-luv-jaisaa-was-like-a-debut-there-were-never-any/) [Shefali Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-shah/) > [I had been a student in Vienna, and one of the neat little things I had found out was about that zoo. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-had-been-a-student-in-vienna-and-one-of-the-neat-little-things-i/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [The debut show, “Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary,” is supposed to be about how artists reuse humble or unusual materials. There’s good work here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/the-debut-show-second-lives-remixing-the-ordinary-is-supposed-to-be/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Debut novels are difficult because nobody knows you... they just don't find a huge audience, because that's how the market works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/debut-novels-are-difficult-because-nobody-knows-you-they-just-don-t/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [It took me nine years to get my first release. I have worked for it. I have earned it. I couldn't have asked for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shweta-tripathi/it-took-me-nine-years-to-get-my-first-release-i-have-worked-for-it-i/) [Shweta Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shweta-tripathi/) > [Going into the UFC debut, you have to wonder what's going on, what's the workout going to be like. It's just an honor to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sage-northcutt/going-into-the-ufc-debut-you-have-to-wonder-what-s-going-on-what-s/) [Sage Northcutt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sage-northcutt/) > [You only get one chance of an England debut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shearer/you-only-get-one-chance-of-an-england-debut/) [Alan Shearer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shearer/) > [The Thickety is a sinister, magical debut with a marvelous and shocking heroine. J.A. White’s elegant writing and masterful plot kept me turning pages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-mcmann/the-thickety-is-a-sinister-magical-debut-with-a-marvelous-and/) [Lisa McMann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-mcmann/) > [HBO is not an advertiser-based model, it's a subscription model. So what's significant to HBO is not necessarily the debut of an episode, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mann/hbo-is-not-an-advertiser-based-model-it-s-a-subscription-model-so/) [Michael Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mann/) > [For Birmingham, I scored four on my debut. It's not bad. First one was a tap-in; it set me up nice for the day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-lingard/for-birmingham-i-scored-four-on-my-debut-it-s-not-bad-first-one-was-a/) [Jesse Lingard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-lingard/) > [When I made my IPL debut, I was nervous because there were people around me, and the cameras focused on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prithvi-shaw/when-i-made-my-ipl-debut-i-was-nervous-because-there-were-people/) [Prithvi Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prithvi-shaw/) > [It's kind of cool that we've quietly been selling a million albums. We knew the album wasn't going to debut at No. 1. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacoby-shaddix/it-s-kind-of-cool-that-we-ve-quietly-been-selling-a-million-albums-we/) [Jacoby Shaddix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacoby-shaddix/) > [We made our debut in Japan about few years ago and when we went on a morning show there to promote our album, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungri/we-made-our-debut-in-japan-about-few-years-ago-and-when-we-went-on-a/) [Seungri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungri/) [Browse all 359 Debut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debut/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When Elvis made his mass-media debut on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' - his notorious gyrations filmed only from the waist up - I fell off the family chaise longue with delight.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Lahr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/when-elvis-made-his-mass-media-debut-on-the-ed-sullivan-show-his/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Debut" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/when-elvis-made-his-mass-media-debut-on-the-ed-sullivan-show-his/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1f/john-lahr-15002_debut_when-elvis-made-his-mass-media-debut-on_1983915.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1f/john-lahr-15002_debut_when-elvis-made-his-mass-media-debut-on_1983915.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1f/john-lahr-15002_debut_when-elvis-made-his-mass-media-debut-on_1983915.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When Elvis made his mass-media debut on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' - his notorious gyrations filmed only from…” — John Lahr", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "John Lahr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When Elvis made his mass-media debut...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/when-elvis-made-his-mass-media-debut-on-the-ed-sullivan-show-his/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/when-elvis-made-his-mass-media-debut-on-the-ed-sullivan-show-his/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```