In 1956, Elvis Presley was a 21-year-old new singing sensation and both he and his new Rockabilly sound were unknown outside of the South. In ELVIS '56, filmmakers Alan and Susan Raymond (An American Family) open a time capsule to reveal the legendary performer at the very beginning of his meteoric career. Narrated by Levon Helm (The Band), ELVIS '56 captures the sights and sounds of that pivotal year using exclusive, previously unseen photographs shot on tour in 1956, kinescopes of Presley's controversial appearances on TV, plus newsreel clips and radio interviews. Footage of performances on The Milton Berle Show, The Steve Allen Show and The Ed Sullivan Show capture the young, explosively talented Presley on the brink of his soon-to-be superstardom. Although he bombed in his first Las Vegas show, just one year later, he achieved widespread fame, selling a billion records worldwide, to become the highest-paid star in Hollywood.
