Why Was Elvis Vaccinated Against Polio at ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’?

Elvis Presley was a man of many talents: a musical pioneer, an actor, a fashion icon, a philanthropist, a peanut butter and banana sandwich enthusiast. He wore so many hats that sometimes accomplishments that would be the peak achievement of anyone else’s life kind of just get lost in the shuffle. Like the time when Elvis helped to massively increase the number of young Americans who were inoculated against polio.

For Americans in the 1950s, polio was a terrifying fact of life. The disease had existed for centuries, but became more prevalent at the end of the 1800s. By the late ’40s, it was an epidemic in the United States. In 1952, the worst year for polio in the U.S., 3,200 people died from the disease, and 21,000 were mildly to severely paralyzed. Unsure of exactly how this disease of the central nervous system was transmitted, Americans took drastic measures. Local quarantines were issued. Frightened parents kept their children home, as polio mostly infected the young. Towns closed beaches and pools out of fear that the disease would be transmitted through the water. Cats, mosquitoes and even the hot summer weather were all feared as possible causes of outbreaks.

Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine was approved in mid 1955, and in the following months, millions of American children were vaccinated. Teenagers, however, were a harder sell. They often viewed polio as a children’s disease, one they were not at risk of (which was not true — President Franklin D. Roosevelt contracted a disabling case of the disease at age 39). Immunization rates for teens were at an abysmal 0.6%. The March of Dimes, the children’s health organization that had partially funded research for the vaccine, wanted to find a celebrity who could connect with adolescents and convince them that getting inoculated against polio was not just healthy, but also hip.

And in 1956, no one was hipper than Elvis Presley. “Heartbreak Hotel” had been released in January, with his debut album following in March and hitting the top of the Billboard charts for two months. June saw his infamous performance of “Hound Dog” on The Milton Berle Show, which vexed parents but made him an idol to teens nationwide. His September performance of “Love Me Tender” and “Don’t Be Cruel” on The Ed Sullivan Show was watched by 60 million people.

October 28, 1956/Credit: Everett Collection

So there was no better way to sell teens on vaccines than to give them the King’s stamp of approval. On Oct. 28, backstage before his second Ed Sullivan appearance, Presley took the polio vaccine, administered by a doctor from the city’s health department, in front of a crowd of reporters. Dr. Leona Baumgartner, the city health commissioner, decried that only 10% of New York City teens had been vaccinated and hoped Elvis fans would be inspired by his actions, saying, “He is setting a fine example for the youth of the country.” Presley posed for smiling photos before heading to the stage to deliver a crowd-thrilling rendition of “Hound Dog.”

Youth vaccination rates jumped to 80% within months of Elvis’ appearance. Can Elvis alone be credited for encouraging teens to get the jab? We’ll never know for sure. There were other factors in play, too, like better access to the vaccine and youth-oriented activist groups like Teens Against Polio, an organization that sponsored sock hops that only teens vaccinated against polio could attend. But there’s no question that Elvis’ backstage inoculation changed how young people perceived the vaccine. From wearing a pompadour to driving a pink Cadillac, anything Elvis did was cool … and now, getting vaccinated against polio was on that list.