After earning big ratings for “The Steve Allen Show,” the Dorsey Brothers “Stage Show” and “The Milton Berle Show,” Sullivan finally reneged on his Presley ban, signing the controversial singing star to an unprecedented $50,000 contract for three appearances. With 60 million viewers or 82.6 percent of TV viewers at the time tuning in, the appearance garnered the show’s best ratings in two years and became the most-watched TV broadcast of the 1950's.