Elvis at 21

"The nation was waking up from the doldrums of the post-war Eisenhower era, ready for something new."

Photo-Op is a regular feature of Alex Chadwick's Day to Day, and this show, Elvis at 21, (11/10/2006 - 8:56) features an exhibit of some of the 3,000 photos that Al Wertheimer took for RCA in 1956 when Elvis Presley was transformed from an unknown young singer to the most famous entertainer in the world.

Musings

• The interview focuses on one special photo, The Kiss. Anyone can play photo critic on this one. Take a look and see what you think before listening to Al Wertheimer's explanation.
  
  
• Explain the special fascination with these photos generally, or, conversely, the appeal of the young Elvis. Perhaps today it is hard to understand the blandness that pervaded American culture of the 1950's prior to Elvis's ascent to stardom, although it might help to note that one of the major pre-Elvis stars was Pat Boone.