''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is an American

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a co ...

that ran on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

from June 20, 1948, to March 28, 1971, and was hosted by

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

entertainment columnist

Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television personality, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New Yor ...

. It was replaced in September 1971 by the '' CBS Sunday Night Movie''. In 2002, ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' was ranked No. 15 on ''TV Guide''s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. In 2013, the series finished No. 31 in ''TV Guide'' Magazine's 60 Best Series of All Time.

History

Ed Sullivan Cole Porter Toast of the Town 1952

Carmen Miranda and Ed Sullivan, 13 September 1953

From 1948 until its cancellation in 1971, the show ran on

every Sunday night from 8–9 p.m.

Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small ...

, and it is one of the few entertainment shows to have run in the same weekly time slot on the same network for more than two decades (during its first season, it ran from 9 to 10 p.m. ET). Virtually every type of entertainment appeared on the show; classical musicians,

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

singers, popular recording artists, songwriters, comedians,

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form ...

dancers, dramatic actors performing

monologues In theatre, a monologue (from el, μονόλογος, from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes a ...

from plays, and

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

acts were regularly featured. The format was essentially the same as

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

and, although vaudeville had undergone a slow demise for a generation, Sullivan presented many ex-vaudevillians on his show. Originally co-created and produced by

Marlo Lewis Marlo Lewis (September 15, 1915 – June 8, 1993) was an American executive producer of variety and comedy shows for CBS and is well known for co-producing the famous ''Ed Sullivan Show''. Early life Lewis was the son of a concert pianist and an ...

, the show was first titled ''Toast of the Town'', but was widely referred to as ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' for years before September 25, 1955, when that became its official name. In the show's June 20, 1948 debut,

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

and

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...

performed along with singer

Monica Lewis Monica Lewis (born May Lewis; May 5, 1922 – June 12, 2015) was an American jazz singer and film actress. Lewis was the longtime voice of Chiquita Banana in that company's animated ad campaign, beginning in 1947. Biography Early life Lewis was ...

and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

composers

Richard Rodgers Richard Charles Rodgers (June 28, 1902 – December 30, 1979) was an American composer who worked primarily in musical theater. With 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs to his credit, Rodgers was one of the most well-known American ...

and

Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (; July 12, 1895 – August 23, 1960) was an American lyricist, librettist, theatrical producer, and (usually uncredited) director in the musical theater for almost 40 years. He won eight ...

previewing the score to their then-new show ''

South Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

'', which opened on Broadway in 1949. From 1948 through 1962, the program's primary sponsor was the Lincoln-Mercury Division of the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

; Sullivan read many commercials for Mercury vehicles live on the air during this period. ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' was originally broadcast via

live television Live television is a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. In a secondary meaning, it may refer to streaming television over the Internet when content or programming is played continuously (not on deman ...

from CBS-TV Studio 51, the Maxine Elliott Theatre, at

and 39th Street, before moving to its permanent home at CBS-TV Studio 50 in New York City (1697 Broadway, at 53rd Street), which was renamed the

Ed Sullivan Theater The Ed Sullivan Theater (originally Hammerstein's Theatre; later the Manhattan Theatre, Billy Rose's Music Hall, CBS Radio Playhouse No. 3, and CBS Studio 50) is a theater at 1697–1699 Broadway, between 53rd and 54th Streets, in the Theater ...

on the occasion of the program's 20th anniversary in June 1968. The last original Sullivan show telecast (#1068) was on March 28, 1971, with guests

Melanie Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark".Joanna Simon,

Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass Danny Davis (May 29, 1925 – June 12, 2008) was an American country music band leader, trumpet player, vocalist and producer, best known as the founder and leader of the Nashville Brass. Early life and career Danny Davis was born as George ...

and

Sandler and Young Sandler and Young were an American musical duo from the 1960s through the 1980s, composed of Belgian singer Tony Sandler and native New Yorker Ralph Young. First success Sandler and Young appeared with Polly Bergen in her show at the Las Vegas ...

. It was one of many older shows with followings in undesirable

key demographic The key demographic or target demographic is a term in commercial broadcasting that refers to the most desirable demographic group to a given advertiser. Key demographics vary by outlet, time of day, and programming type, but they are generally co ...

s that were purged from the network lineups that summer leading into the

Prime Time Access Rule The Prime Time Access Rule (PTAR) was a broadcasting regulation that was instituted in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1970 to restrict the amount of network programming that a local television station either ...

taking effect that fall. Repeats were scheduled through June 6, 1971.

Background

Along with the new talent Sullivan booked each week, he also had recurring characters appear many times a season, such as his "Little Italian Mouse" puppet sidekick Topo Gigio, who debuted December 9, 1962, and

ventriloquist Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is ve ...

Señor Wences debuted December 31, 1950. While most of the episodes aired live from New York City, the show also aired live on occasion from other nations, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan. For many years, ''Ed Sullivan'' was a national event each Sunday evening and was the first exposure for foreign performers to the American public. On the occasion of the show's tenth anniversary telecast, Sullivan commented on how the show had changed during a June 1958 interview syndicated by the

Newspaper Enterprise Association The Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) is an editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States and established in 1902. The oldest syndicate still in operation, the NEA was originally a secondary news ...

(NEA): The show enjoyed phenomenal popularity in the 1950s and early 1960s. As had occurred with the annual telecasts of '' The Wizard of Oz'' in the 1960s and '70s, the family ritual of gathering around the television set to watch Ed Sullivan became almost a U.S. cultural universal. He was regarded as a kingmaker, and performers considered an appearance on his program as a guarantee of stardom, although this sometimes did not turn out to be the case. The show's status is illustrated by the song "Hymn for a Sunday Evening" from the 1960 musical ''

Bye Bye Birdie ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is a stage musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart. Originally titled ''Let's Go Steady'', ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is set in 1958. The short story "Dream Man", authored ...

''. In the song, a family of viewers expresses their regard for the program in worshipful tones. In September 1965, CBS started televising the program in

compatible color Color television or Colour television is a television transmission technology that includes color information for the picture, so the video image can be displayed in color on the television set. It improves on the monochrome or black-and-white ...

, as all three major networks began to switch to 100 percent color prime time schedules. CBS had once backed its own color system, developed by Peter Goldmark, and resisted using RCA's compatible process until 1954. At that time, it built its first New York City color TV studio, Studio 72, in a former RKO movie theater at 2248 Broadway (81st Street). One ''Ed Sullivan Show'' was broadcast on August 22, 1954, from the new studio, but it was mostly used for one-time-only specials such as

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...

's March 31, 1957 ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

''. (The facility was later acquired by TeleTape Productions and became the first studio where the PBS children's program ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000 ...

'' was produced.) CBS Studio 72 was demolished in 1986 and replaced by an apartment house. CBS Studio 50 was finally modernized for color broadcasts in 1965. The 1965–66 season premiere starred the Beatles in an episode airing on September 12, which was the last episode to air in black and white. This occurred because the episode was taped at the Beatles' convenience on August 14, the eve of their Shea Stadium performance and a two-week tour of North America, slightly before the program was ready for color transmission. In the late 1960s, Sullivan remarked that his program was waning as the decade went on. He realized that to keep viewers, the best and brightest in entertainment had to be seen, or else the viewers were going to keep on changing the channel. Along with declining viewership, ''Ed Sullivan'' attracted a higher median age for the average viewer (which most sponsors found undesirable) as the seasons went on. These two factors were the reason the show was cancelled by CBS on March 16, 1971, as part of a mass cancellation of advertiser-averse programming. While Sullivan's landmark program ended without a proper finale, Sullivan produced one-off specials for

until his death in 1974, including an ''Ed Sullivan Show'' 25th anniversary special in 1973. In 1990, television documentary producer

Andrew Solt Andrew Solt (born 13 December 1947) is a British-born American producer, director, and writer of documentary films. Solt has had a long career in television. A frequent focus of his documentaries is rock and roll music, its history and star pe ...

formed SOFA Entertainment, Inc. and purchased the exclusive rights to the complete library of ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' from

's daughter Elizabeth and her husband Bob Precht. The collection consists of 1,087 hours of

kinescopes Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film, directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 1940s ...

and videotapes broadcast by CBS on Sunday nights from 1948 to 1971. Since acquiring the rights to ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' library, SOFA Entertainment has catalogued, organized and cleared performance rights for the original shows. Starting in 1991, SOFA Entertainment has re-introduced ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' to the American public by producing numerous network specials, syndicating a half-hour series (that also aired on TV Land, PBS, VH1 and

Decades A decade () is a period of ten years. Decades may describe any ten-year period, such as those of a person's life, or refer to specific groupings of calendar years. Usage Any period of ten years is a "decade". For example, the statement that "du ...

) and home video compilations. Some of these compilations include ''The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Beatles'', ''All 6 Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Rolling Stones'', ''Elvis: The Ed Sullivan Shows'', ''Motown Gold from the Ed Sullivan Show'', ''Ed Sullivan's Rock 'n Roll Classics'', and 115 half-hour ''The Best of The Ed Sullivan Show'' specials, among others. Performances of this show are also available as video and audio downloads and as an app on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

." In 2021,

MeTV MeTV, an acronym for Memorable Entertainment Television, is an American broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Marketed as "The Definitive Destination for Classic TV", the network airs a variety of classic television program ...

began airing on Sunday nights half hour packages of performances from the show.

The Ed Sullivan Show Orchestra

In the early years of television, both CBS and NBC networks had their own symphony orchestras. NBC's was conducted by

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

and CBS's by

Alfredo Antonini Alfredo Antonini (May 31, 1901 – November 3, 1983) was a leading Italian-American symphony conductor and composer who was active on the international concert stage as well as on the CBS radio and television networks from the 1930s through the e ...

. ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' (originally presented as: ''The Toast Of The Town'') was basically a musical variety show, and thus members of the CBS orchestra were folded into the Ed Sullivan Show Orchestra, conducted by Ray Bloch. During the early days of television, the demands on studio musicians were many-tiered. They needed to be proficient in all genres of music, from classical, to jazz and to rock and roll. ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' would regularly feature singers from the Metropolitan Opera and the staff orchestra would accompany divas such as

Eileen Farrell Eileen Farrell (February 13, 1920 – March 23, 2002) was an American soprano who had a nearly 60-year-long career performing both classical and popular music in concerts, theatres, on radio and television, and on disc. NPR noted, "She possessed ...

Maria Callas Maria Callas . (born Sophie Cecilia Kalos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her ''bel cant ...

Joan Sutherland Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, (7 November 1926 – 10 October 2010) was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano known for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s. She possesse ...

. The musicians needed to be prepared to switch gears for

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

Diahann Carroll Diahann Carroll (; born Carol Diann Johnson; July 17, 1935 – October 4, 2019) was an American actress, singer, model, and activist. She rose to prominence in some of the earliest major film studio, major studio films to feature black cas ...

Sammy Davis, Jr Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...

. and then onto The Jackson Five,

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, s ...

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

Itzhak Perlman Itzhak Perlman ( he, יצחק פרלמן; born August 31, 1945) is an Israeli-American violinist widely considered one of the greatest violinists in the world. Perlman has performed worldwide and throughout the United States, in venues that hav ...

. They also needed to perform with some of the greatest dancers and ballerinas of the time, from Gregory Hines,

Juliet Prowse Juliet Anne Prowse (September 25, 1936 – September 14, 1996) was a dancer and actress whose four-decade career included stage, television and film. She was raised in South Africa, where her family emigrated after World War II. Known for her ...

, Maria Tallchief or Margo Fonteyn to the Peter Gennaro dancers. In the process, the musicians collaborated with several internationally recognized ballet troupes including: Ruth Page's Chicago Opera Ballet, the London Festival Ballet,

Roland Petit Roland Petit (13 January 192410 July 2011) was a French ballet company director, choreographer and dancer. He trained at the Paris Opera Ballet school, and became well known for his creative ballets. Life and work The son of shoe designer Ros ...

's Ballets de Paris and Russia's Igor Moiseyev Ballet. Few musicians are capable of crossing over from one genre to another. However, each member of the Ed Sullivan Show Orchestra was a specialist and more than capable of covering the complete spectrum of music. The lead trumpet player is the "concert master" of a studio orchestra.

Chris Griffin Christopher “Chris” Cross Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series, '' Family Guy''. He is the second of three children of Peter and Lois Griffin and is also the older brother of Stewie Griffin and the younger b ...

(formerly with the trumpet section of

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

, Ziggy Elman and the

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conc ...

Band) was

Ray Bloch Raymond Arthur Bloch (August 3, 1902 – March 29, 1982) Career During the 1920s, he performed with small groups on piano and also conducted ballroom bands. Later in the decade he began appearing as a pianist on radio stations. He began working as ...

's lead trumpet player for the many radio and television shows that he conducted, including the ''Ed Sullivan Show''. Chris remained the lead trumpet player with ''The Ed Sullivan show'' from the first show in 1948 to the last show in 1971. The Trumpet Section was composed of: Chris Griffin; Bernie Privin; Jimmy Nottingham and

Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists". Biography Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan, U ...

. Chris' son Paul Griffin was a regular substitute trumpeter. Trombones: Roland Dupont; Morton Bullman; Frank Rehak and Cliff Heather. Saxes: Toots Mondello; Hymie Schertzer; Ed Zuhlke; etc. Piano: Hank Jones. Drums: Specs Powell/Howard Smith. Percussion: Milton Schlesinger who similarly played from the first to last show. John Serry Sr. often augmented the orchestra as the lead accordionist during the 1950s. Unlike NBC's ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...

'', which celebrated the notoriety of their musicians in

Skitch Henderson Lyle Russel "Skitch" Henderson (January 27, 1918 – November 1, 2005) was a pianist, conductor, and composer. His nickname "Skitch" came from his ability to "re-sketch" a song in a different key. Bing Crosby suggested that he should use the ...

's or

Doc Severinsen Carl Hilding "Doc" Severinsen (born July 7, 1927) is an American retired jazz trumpeter who led the NBC Orchestra on '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Early life Severinsen was born in Arlington, Oregon, to Minnie Mae (1897–1998) ...

's "Tonight Show Band", the CBS producers of ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' decided to hide their famed musicians behind a curtain. Occasionally, CBS would broadcast specials and call upon the orchestra to perform. When Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated, music was hastily composed for the orchestra in a special tribute that also featured jazz pianist

Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...

, who had recently composed an Elegy To His Father.

Notable performances and guests

''The Ed Sullivan Show'' is especially known to the World War II and

baby boomer Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the Western demographic cohort following the Silent Generation and preceding Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964, during the mid-20th century baby boom. ...

generations for introducing acts and airing breakthrough performances by popular 1950s and 1960s musicians such as

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...

The Dave Clark Five The Dave Clark Five, also known as the DC5, were an English rock and roll band formed in 1958 in Tottenham, London. Drummer Dave Clark (musician), Dave Clark served as the group's leader, producer and co-songwriter. In January 1964 they had thei ...

The Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...

Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, ...

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dram ...

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage presence. ...

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

The Mamas and the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of A ...

The Lovin' Spoonful The Lovin' Spoonful is an American rock band popular during the mid- to late-1960s. Founded in New York City in 1965 by lead singer/songwriter John Sebastian and guitarist Zal Yanovsky, the band is widely known for a number of hits, including ...

Herman's Hermits Herman's Hermits are an English beat, rock and pop group formed in 1964 in Manchester, originally called Herman and His Hermits and featuring lead singer Peter Noone. Produced by Mickie Most, the Hermits charted with number ones in the UK ...

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential rock acts ...

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles ch ...

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...

, and The Band. The Canadian comedy duo

Wayne and Shuster Wayne and Shuster were a Canadian comedy duo formed by Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster. They were active professionally from the early 1940s until the late 1980s, first as a live act, then on radio, then as part of ''The Army Show'' that enter ...

appeared on the program 67 times, a record for any performer.

Bill Haley & His Comets Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band founded in 1947 that continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...

performed their hit "

Rock Around the Clock "Rock Around the Clock" is a rock and roll song in the 12-bar blues format written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers (the latter being under the pseudonym "Jimmy De Knight") in 1952. The best-known and most successful rendition was record ...

" in early August 1955, later recognized as the first rock and roll song broadcast on a national television program.

Itzhak Perlman

The American public's first exposure to

was on the show in 1958, when he was 13. This performance was a breakthrough not only for classical music, but also for Perlman, who rode the waves of admiration to new heights of fame lasting a generation.

Elvis Presley

Initial appearance

On September 9, 1956, Presley made his first appearance on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' (after earlier appearances on shows hosted by the

Dorsey Brothers The Dorsey Brothers were an American studio dance band, led by Tommy Dorsey, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. They started recording in 1928 for OKeh Records. History The Dorsey Brothers recorded songs for the dime store labels (Banner Records, Banner, C ...

Milton Berle Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and tel ...

, and

Steve Allen Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television personality, radio personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, and writer. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-cre ...

), even though Sullivan had vowed never to allow Presley on the show. According to Sullivan biographer Michael David Harris, "Sullivan signed Presley when the host was having an intense Sunday-night rivalry with Steve Allen. Allen had the singer on July 1 and trounced Sullivan in the ratings. When asked to comment, ullivansaid that he wouldn't consider presenting Presley before a family audience. Less than two weeks later he changed his mind and signed a contract." At the time, Presley was filming '' Love Me Tender'', so Sullivan's producer,

, flew to Los Angeles to supervise the two segments telecast that night from

CBS Television City Television City, alternatively CBS Television City, is an American television studio complex located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of Fairfax Avenue. Designed by architect William Pereira and Ch ...

in Hollywood. Sullivan, however, was not able to host his show in New York City because he was recovering from a near fatal automobile accident.

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future ...

guest-hosted in Sullivan's place, and opened the show. Music journalist

Greil Marcus Greil Marcus (born June 19, 1945) is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a broader framework of culture and politics. Biography Marcus wa ...

wrote that Sullivan's choice to have Elvis appear after Laughton's introduction was an attempt to make Elvis less prominent in the show. References DVD liner notes by

. For his first set, Elvis played "

Don't Be Cruel "Don't Be Cruel" is a song that was recorded by Elvis Presley and written by Otis Blackwell in 1956.Victor (2008), ''The Elvis Encyclopedia'', p.115-116 It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2004, it was listed #197 in '' Rol ...

" and " Love Me Tender". According to writer Elaine Dundy, Presley sang "Love Me Tender" "straight, subdued and tender ... —a very different Elvis from the one on ''The Steve Allen Show'' three months before". Elvis's second set consisted of " Ready Teddy" and a shortened version of " Hound Dog". Popular mythology states that Sullivan censored Presley by shooting him only from the waist up, but in fact, Presley's whole body was shown in the first and second shows.''TV A-Go-Go: Rock on TV from American Bandstand to American Idol''. Jake Austen. 2005. Chicago Review Press, Inc. . page 16 Although Laughton was the main star and there were seven other acts on the show, Elvis was on camera for more than a quarter of the time allotted to all acts. The show had a 43.7 rating, and was viewed by a record 60,710,000 people which at the time represented an 82.6% share of the television audience, and the largest single audience in television history. The latter percentage share, remains, to this date, the largest in the history of US television.

Second and third appearances

Sullivan hosted a second appearance by Presley on October 28, 1956. For his first segment, Elvis performed "Don't Be Cruel", then "Love Me Tender". For the second segment, Elvis sang " Love Me", and for his third, he sang a nearly four-minute-long version of "Hound Dog". For the third and final appearance on January 6, 1957, Presley performed a medley of "Hound Dog", "Love Me Tender", and "

Heartbreak Hotel "Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being ...

", followed by a full version of "Don't Be Cruel". For a second set later in the show he sang "Too Much" and "

When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again "When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again" is a song written by Wiley Walker and Gene Sullivan in 1940. They first recorded it in 1941. Background According to Gene Sullivan, the song, “When my Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again,” was written out of n ...

". For his last set he sang "

Peace in the Valley "There'll Be Peace in the Valley for Me" is a 1939 song written by Thomas A. Dorsey, originally for Mahalia Jackson. It was copyrighted by Dorsey under this title on January 25, 1939, though it often appears informally as "Peace in the Valley". ...

". For this third appearance, it was decided to shoot the singer only from the waist while he performed. Although much has been made of the fact that Elvis was shown only from the waist up, except for the short section of "Hound Dog", all of the songs on this show were ballads. Although Sullivan praised Elvis at the end of the show, Elvis claimed in a 1969 interview that Sullivan had expressed a very different opinion backstage: "Sullivan's standing over there saying, 'Sumbitch. The second and third appearances drew 57 and 54.6 million viewers, respectively. Years later, Sullivan tried to book Presley again, but declined after Presley's representatives presented a demanding rider.

The Beatles

In late 1963, Sullivan and his entourage happened also to be passing through

Heathrow Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the London airport system (the others bei ...

and witnessed how

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' fans greeted the group on their return from Stockholm, where they had performed a television show as warmup band to local stars

Suzie Suzie or Susie is a feminine given name, and is a short form (hypocorism) of Suzanne, Susannah or Susan. Notable people with this given name include: People * Suzannah Suzie Bates (born 1987), New Zealand cricketer * Suzie Brasher (born 1960 ...

and

Lill Babs Barbro Margareta Svensson (9 March 1938 – 3 April 2018), known by her stage name Lill-Babs, was a Swedish singer, actress and television host. From the early 1950s until her death in 2018, she was one of Sweden's best-known and popular singers. ...

. Sullivan was intrigued, telling his entourage it was the same thing as Elvis all over again. He initially offered Beatles manager

Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein (; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was a British music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1962 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put him i ...

top dollar for a single show but the Beatles manager had a better idea—he wanted exposure for his clients: the Beatles would instead appear three times on the show, for only a minimal fee, but receive top billing and two spots (opening and closing) on each show. The Beatles appeared on three consecutive Sundays in February 1964 to great anticipation and fanfare as "

I Want to Hold Your Hand "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and recorded on 17 October 1963, it was the first Beatles record to be made using four-track equipment. With advance orders ...

" had swiftly risen to No. 1 in the charts. Their first appearance on February 9 is considered a milestone in American pop culture, and furthermore the beginning of the

British Invasion The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States and significant to the rising "counterculture" o ...

in music. The broadcast drew an estimated 73 million viewers, a record for US television at the time (broken three years later by the series finale of '' The Fugitive''). The Beatles followed Ed's show opening intro, performing "

All My Loving "All My Loving" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, from their second UK album ''With the Beatles'' (1963). It was written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney), and produced by George Martin. Though not officially rele ...

"; "

Till There Was You "Till There Was You" is a show tune written in 1950 by Meredith Willson, originally entitled "Till I Met You." It was originally recorded October 25, 1950, by Meredith Willson & his Orchestra and Eileen Wilson. The song was retitled and used ...

", which featured the names of the group members superimposed on closeup shots, including the famous "''SORRY GIRLS, HE'S MARRIED''" caption on

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

; and "

She Loves You "She Loves You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney and recorded by English rock band the Beatles for release as a single in 1963. The single set and surpassed several sales records in the United Kingdom charts, and set a record i ...

". The act that followed the Beatles in the broadcast, magician

Fred Kaps Fred Kaps (official name Abraham Pieter Adrianus Bongers; 8 June 1926 – 23 July 1980) was a Dutch magician, famous for being the only magician to become FISM Grand Prix world champion three times.

, was pre-recorded in order to allow time for an elaborate set change. The group returned later in the program to perform "

I Saw Her Standing There "I Saw Her Standing There" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. It is the opening track on the band's 1963 debut UK album '' Please Please Me'' and their debut US album '' Introducing... The ...

" and "

". The following week's show was broadcast from

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter of which ...

where Cassius Clay (later known as

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, ...

) was in training for his first title bout with

Sonny Liston Charles L. "Sonny" Liston ( 1930 – December 30, 1970) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1953 to 1970. A dominant contender of his era, he became the world heavyweight champion in 1962 after knocking out Floyd Patterson ...

. The occasion was used by both camps for publicity. On the evening of the television show (February 16) a crush of people nearly prevented the band from making it onstage. A wedge of policemen were needed and the band began playing "

" only seconds after reaching their instruments. They continued with " This Boy" and "

", then returned later to close the show with "

", "

From Me to You "From Me to You" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released in April 1963 as their third single. It was written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. The song was the Beatles' first number 1 hit on what became the official U ...

", and "

". They were shown on tape February 23 (this appearance had been taped earlier in the day on February 9 before their first live appearance). They followed Ed's intro with "

Twist and Shout "Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns (later credited as "Bert Russell"). It was originally recorded by the Top Notes, but it did not become a hit in the record charts until it was reworked by the Isley Brothers ...

" and " Please Please Me" and closed the show once again with "

". The Beatles appeared live for the final time on August 14, 1965. The show was broadcast September 12, 1965, and earned Sullivan a 60-percent share of the nighttime audience for one of the appearances. This time they followed three acts before coming out to perform "

I Feel Fine "I Feel Fine" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles that was released in November 1964 as the A-side of their eighth single. It was written by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. The recording includes one o ...

", "

I'm Down "I'm Down" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released on a non-album single as the B-side to "Help!" in July 1965. The song originated in McCartney's attempt ...

", and "

Act Naturally "Act Naturally" is a song written by Johnny Russell, with a writing credit given to Voni Morrison and publishing rights transferred to Buck Owens. It was originally recorded by Buck Owens and the Buckaroos, whose version reached number one on ...

" and then closed the show with " Ticket to Ride", " Yesterday", and "

Help! ''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles " Help!" and " Ticket to Ride", ...

" Although this was their final live appearance on the show, the group provided filmed promotional clips of songs to air exclusively on Sullivan's program over the next few years, including videos of both " Paperback Writer" and "

Rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

" from 1966 and three clips from 1967, including " Penny Lane", "

Strawberry Fields Forever "Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was released on 13 February 1967 as a double A-side single with " Penny Lane". It represented a departu ...

", and "

Hello, Goodbye "Hello, Goodbye" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Backed by John Lennon's "I Am the Walrus", it was issued as a non-album single in November 1967, the group's first r ...

." In late 1967, the group also sent a telegram to Sullivan in addition to their promotional clips, a note which the host read live on air. The group's last appearance on Sullivan's program was via prerecorded promotional clips of their songs " Two of Us" and " Let It Be", broadcast on the show on the first day of March in 1970. Although both videos were recorded in late January 1969, the delay was due to the band's dissatisfaction with the tedious '' Let It Be'' album sessions and the group's impending break-up. In all probability, the scheduling of the March 1970 broadcast was to promote the release of the band's upcoming film '' Let It Be'' in May of that year.

Black artists

The Supremes

were a special act for ''The Ed Sullivan Show''. In addition to 14 appearances, they were a personal favorite of Sullivan, whom he affectionately called "The Girls". Over the five years they performed on the program, the

Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

performed 15 of their hit singles, and numerous

showtunes and other non-Motown songs. The group featuring the most popular lineup of

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups ...

, Mary Wilson, and

Florence Ballard Florence Glenda Chapman (''née'' Ballard; June 30, 1943 – February 22, 1976) was an American singer and a founding member of the Motown vocal female group the Supremes. She sang on 16 top 40 singles with the group, including ten number-o ...

appeared 7 times from December 1964 through May 1967. The group reappeared on the series in October 1967 as the newly rebilled "Diana Ross & the Supremes", with Ballard replacement

Cindy Birdsong Cynthia Ann Birdsong (born December 15, 1939) is an American singer who became famous as a member of The Supremes in 1967, when she replaced co-founding member Florence Ballard. Birdsong had previously been a member of Patti LaBelle & The Blu ...

and Ross more prominently featured. The Supremes' final appearance on the show, shortly before it ended, served as the platform to introduce America to Ross's replacement,

Jean Terrell Velma Jean Terrell (born November 26, 1944) is an American R&B and jazz singer. She replaced Diana Ross as the lead singer of The Supremes in January 1970. Biography Early life and career She is the sister of the former WBA heavyweight box ...

, in March 1970.

Opportunity

In an era when few opportunities existed for black performers on national television, Sullivan was a champion of black talent. He launched the careers of many performers by presenting them to a nationwide TV audience and ignored the criticism. In an NEA interview, Sullivan commented: The show included entertainers such as

Frankie Lymon Franklin Joseph Lymon (September 30, 1942 – February 27, 1968) was an American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of the New York City-based early rock and roll doo-wop group Th ...

Marian Anderson Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United ...

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

Pearl Bailey Pearl Mae Bailey (March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990) was an American actress, singer and author. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in ''St. Louis Woman'' in 1946. She received a Special Tony Award for the title role in ...

, LaVern Baker,

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an internati ...

Brook Benton Benjamin Franklin Peay (September 19, 1931 – April 9, 1988), better known as Brook Benton, was an American singer and songwriter who was popular with rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and pop music audiences during the late 1950s and early 1960 ...

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the hono ...

(and

The Famous Flames The Famous Flames were an American Rhythm and blues, Soul vocal group founded in Toccoa, Georgia, in 1953 by Bobby Byrd. James Brown first began his career as a member of the Famous Flames, emerging as the lead singer by the time of their firs ...

Cab Calloway Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalis ...

Godfrey Cambridge Godfrey MacArthur Cambridge (February 26, 1933 – November 29, 1976) was an American stand-up comic and actor. Alongside Bill Cosby, Dick Gregory, and Nipsey Russell, he was acclaimed by '' Time'' in 1965 as "one of the country's foremost cele ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

Dorothy Dandridge Dorothy Jean Dandridge (November 9, 1922 – September 8, 1965) was an American actress, singer and dancer. She is the first African-American film star to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, which was for her performance in '' C ...

, Sammy Davis, Jr.,

Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, inc ...

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was bas ...

Lola Falana Loletha Elayne Falana or Loletha Elaine Falana (born September 11, 1942), better known by her stage name Lola Falana, is an American singer, dancer, and actress. Early life Lola Falana was born in Camden, New Jersey. She was the third of si ...

The 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Betwe ...

, The

Four Tops The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet from Detroit who helped to define the city's Motown sound of the 1960s. The group's repertoire has included soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, doo-wop, jazz, and show tunes. Founded as the ...

Dick Gregory Richard Claxton Gregory (October 12, 1932 – August 19, 2017) was an American comedian, civil rights leader, business owner and entrepreneur, and vegetarian activist. His writings were best sellers. Gregory became popular among the Afric ...

, W. C. Handy,

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was integral to t ...

Louis Jordan Louis Thomas Jordan (July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was an American saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and bandleader who was popular from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as " the King of the Jukebox", he earned his high ...

, Bill Kenny,

B. B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

George Kirby George Kirby (June 8, 1923 – September 30, 1995) was an American comedian, singer, and actor. Career Born in Chicago, Kirby broke into show business in the 1940s at the Club DeLisa, a South Side establishment that employed a variety-sho ...

Eartha Kitt Eartha Kitt (born Eartha Mae Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song " Santa ...

Gladys Knight & the Pips Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American R&B, soul and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early 1950s. Starting out as simply ...

Little Anthony and the Imperials Little Anthony and the Imperials is an American rhythm and blues/soul vocal group from New York City founded by Clarence Collins in the 1950s and named in part for its lead singer, Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine, who was noted for his h ...

Moms Mabley Loretta Mary Aiken (March 19, 1894 – May 23, 1975), known by her stage name Jackie "Moms" Mabley, was an American stand-up comedian and actress. Mabley began her career on the theater stage in the 1920s and became a veteran entertainer of the ...

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

The Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential group ...

, Melba Moore,

The Platters The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The a ...

Leontyne Price Mary Violet Leontyne Price (born February 10, 1927) is an American soprano who was the first African American soprano to receive international acclaim. From 1961 she began a long association with the Metropolitan Opera, where she was the first Af ...

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, and is widely regarded as on ...

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American record producer, singer, composer and actor. Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his s ...

Della Reese Delloreese Patricia Early (July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017), known professionally as Della Reese, was an American jazz and gospel singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades. She began her long career as a s ...

Nipsey Russell Julius "Nipsey" Russell (September 15, 1918 – October 2, 2005)Nipsey J. Russell, born September 15, 1918, died October 2, 2005. Social Security Administration. ''Social Security Death Index'' ( Death Master File).U.S. Census, January 1, 1920, ...

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...

Sly and the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi ...

The Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

Martha and the Vandellas Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1972 as Martha Reeves & The Vandellas) were an American vocal girl group formed in Detroit in 1957. The group achieved fame in the 1960s with Motown. An act founded by friends Annette Beard, Rosali ...

Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band the Kings of Rhythm and backing voca ...

, Leslie Uggams, Sarah Vaughan, William Warfield,

, Dinah Washington, Ethel Waters, Flip Wilson, Jackie Wilson, Nancy Wilson (jazz singer), Nancy Wilson, and

. Before his death in a plane crash in December 1967, soul singer Otis Redding had been booked to appear on the show the following year. One telecast included African-American bass-baritone Andrew Frierson singing "Ol' Man River" from Jerome Kern, Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, Hammerstein's ''Show Boat'', a song that, at that time, was usually sung on television by white singers, although it was written for a black character in the musical. However, Sullivan featured "rockers", and gave prominence to black musicians "not without censorship". For instance, he scheduled Fats Domino "at the show's end in case he had to cancel a guest". He presented Domino alone at his piano singing as if he were a young Nat King Cole, Nat 'King' Cole or Fats Waller, as he performed "Blueberry Hill". On March 4, 1962, Sullivan presented Domino and his band, who did "Jambalaya (On the Bayou), Jambalaya", Hank Williams' "You Win Again (Hank Williams song), You Win Again", and "Let the Four Winds Blow". All seven of Domino's band members were visible to millions of viewers. On December 1, 1957, Sam Cooke performed a complete version of "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons, For Sentimental Reasons". Cooke had been cut off four weeks earlier during a live performance of "You Send Me" as the show's allotted time expired, causing an outrage among television audiences. Sullivan rebooked Cooke for the December 1 show to overwhelming success.

The Muppets

Between 1966 and 1971, Jim Henson performed some of his Muppet characters on the show. The characters made a total of 25 appearances. Henson's Muppets were introduced on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' on September 18, 1966. Sullivan introduced the characters as "Jim, uh ... Newsom's puppets." The act featured a small ball of fur growing into the Rock and Roll Monster (performed by Jim Henson, Jerry Nelson, and Frank Oz) with three heads and six arms lip-syncing to the unreleased song "Rock It to Me" by The Bruthers. After the act was done, the Rock and Roll Monster shrunk back into the ball of fur which is then eaten by Sour Bird (who was previously used in a commercial for RC Cola, Royal Crown Cola). Over the next few years, Henson's Muppets made more appearances, with performances including: * The Art of Visual Thinking (October 2, 1966) – A remake of the skit of the same name from ''Sam and Friends''. Kermit the Frog, Kermit (performed by Jim Henson) teaches Grump (performed by Frank Oz and voiced by Jerry Juhl) about the concept of visualizing thoughts through drawings shown on the TV screen. This sketch was reprised on June 4, 1967. * Wocka'N'Roll (October 10, 1966) – Fozzie Bear, Joke Runner (performed by Frank Oz) host a Segment called "Wocka 'N' Rolls" where 2,000 Muppets Come Over Joke Runner And tell a joke One By One. * Monster Family (October 23, 1966) – Fred (performed by Jim Henson) appears as a father monster talks to his son (performed by Jerry Juhl) about being a monster. A blue version of Splurge (performed by Frank Oz) appears as the mother. * Java (November 27, 1966) – Two tube-like Muppets (which were designed by Frank Oz) dance to the Al Hirt song "Java". Jim Henson and Frank Oz performed the two puppets and the explosion that provides the punchline was achieved by Jerry Juhl shooting off a fire extinguisher. As the three of them prepared to go onstage that night right before Ed Sullivan introduced them, Jerry Juhl suddenly realized that he left the fire extinguisher in their dressing room which was up on the second floor. Jerry Juhl raced to the elevator hearing the "Java" music through the speakers in the elevator so he knew exactly how much time he had left until it was too late. Jerry Juhl managed to grab the fire extinguisher, run back to the elevator, and make the trip back down to the stage just in time for the climax. This sketch was reprised on May 26, 1968. The act was even done on ''Stuffed and Unstrung'' (an evolved counterpart of ''Puppet Up!''). * Inchworm (November 27, 1966) – Kermit sits on a wall and hums "Glow Worm". Kermit also eats some worms that interrupt him. When it comes to the last one, Kermit grabs it and pulls it, showing how long it is, until it turns out that it happens to be the nose of Big V who ends up eating Kermit. * Music Hath Charms (January 15, 1967) – Kermit plays the piano with some Muppet Monsters dancing to the music. After the song, the piano comes to life and eats Kermit. * I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face, I've Grown Accustomed to Your Face (February 5, 1967) – Kermit and Yorick from ''Sam and Friends'' are featured in this act. Kermit (dressed as a girl) lip-synchs to Rosemary Clooney's cover version as Yorick eats his way out of the handkerchief he is under and then tries to eat Kermit. This was previously done on ''The Jack Paar Show'' and later reprised on this show April 21, 1968, and reprised on August 29, 2011, at the D23 (Disney), D23 Expo by Leslie Carrara-Rudolph (who was operating a rebuilt version of Kermit's pre-frog form) and Brian Henson (who was operating a rebuilt and redesigned version of Yorick). The act was even done on ''Stuffed and Unstrung'' (an evolved counterpart of ''Puppet Up!''). Clooney's cover was used for that event. * I Feel Pretty (April 30, 1967) – The story of an ugly girl named Amanda (performed by Jim Henson) who tries to become beautiful and tries to change her looks using a self-help book in order to gain the affection of Conrad Love (also performed by Jim Henson). Mert from the ''La Choy'' commercials and Fred from the ''Kern's Bakery'' commercials appear as Amanda's friends where they were performed by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl (who also voices the narrator) while Frank Oz does the puppeteering. * Monster Eats Machine (October 8, 1967) – A prototype version of Cookie Monster (performed by Jim Henson) finds a talking machine (voiced by Jim Henson) and eats it while it explains its various parts. After the monster is done eating the machine, its voice is heard from within the monster as it states that nothing can stop it from performing its function, which is to be the most powerful exploding device known to man. On a related note with this sketch, the prototype version of Cookie Monster was previously used as the Wheel-Stealer from the commercial for ''Wheels, Crowns, and Flutes''. The sketch later appeared on ''The Muppet Show'' where the Luncheon Counter Monster also ate a machine explaining its functions. * Rowlf and Jimmy Dean (October 8, 1967) – Jimmy Dean and Rowlf the Dog appear together for the last time and perform "Friendship" while doing the "herd of cows" gag. * Santa Claus Routine with Arthur Godfrey (December 24, 1967) – Arthur Godfrey plays Santa Claus and gets a visit from a group of monsters consisting of Thudge (performed by Jim Henson), Gleep (a prototype of Grover (Sesame Street), Grover performed by Frank Oz), Scudge (performed by Jerry Juhl), Snerk and Snork (performed by Frank Oz). They attempt to steal the toys only to learn that Santa Claus has given them the toys. They then sing "It's Christmas Tomorrow". * Business, Business (February 18, 1968) – Two mean-looking creatures with tube-like necks scat about business while two friendlier creatures scat about values. The Blue Monster and the Orange Creature were performed by Jim Henson while the Green Monster and the Purple Creature were performed by Jerry Juhl. A goof is seen where some hands are shown holding the neck of the creatures. * The Monster Trash Can Dance (October 13, 1968) – Parts of a monster hide in a trash can as an increasingly suspicious Little Girl Sue wanders by. * Sclrap Flyapp (November 24, 1968) – A weird-looking creature seen from the neck up randomly blurts out Sclrap Flyapp and uses its nose blast on any creature that does not say "Sclarp Flyapp". A goof is seen when the Sclrap Flyapp creature is blasted at the end, an opening between its head and neck revealed the puppeteer's hand. This sketch was reworked into the Hugga Wugga sketch on ''The Muppet Show''. * Christmas Reindeer (December 22, 1968) – A bunch of reindeer want snow to fall on Christmas. Dasher and Donner were performed by Jim Henson, Prancer was performed by Frank Oz, Blitzen was performed by Jerry Juhl, and Dancer was performed by Bob Payne. All the reindeer were built by Don Sahlin. * A Change of Face (March 30, 1969) – Rex Robbins changes the face and personality of the Southern Colonel from the ''Southern Bread'' commercials. A similar routine was used with the same puppet on ''The Muppets on Puppets''. * Happy Girl Meets a Monster (May 11, 1969) – The List of Muppets#Additional characters, Beautiful Day Monster (performed by Jim Henson) does all he can to ruin a beautiful day for Little Girl Sue (performed by Jim Henson). Beautiful Day Monster was first seen here before his appearances on ''

'' and ''The Muppet Show''. Later performances by the Muppets include: * Mah Nà Mah Nà (November 30, 1969) – Mahna Mahna (performed by Jim Henson) and the Snowths were featured in this song before it was repeated on ''The Muppet Show''. A goof is seen when Jim Henson's head and arm are seen when Mahna Mahna backs away from the camera. * Big Bird's Dance (December 14, 1969) – Big Bird dances to "Minuet of the Robots" by Jean-Jacques Perrey while bird watchers watch him. Danny Seagren performed Big Bird here, but had no dialogue, even when Sullivan talked to him. * Octopus's Garden (March 1, 1970) – An octopus (performed by Frank Oz) constantly interrupts the singing of "Octopus's Garden" by a diver (performed by Jim Henson) by giving out a bunch of bad puns until he receives comeuppance from a hungry giant clam (performed by Frank Oz). * Come Together (April 12, 1970) – A strange Muppet band sings the classic song by the Beatles while a giant blue and green dancing cowboy slowly falls apart. * What Kind of Fool Am I? (May 31, 1970) – Kermit tries to sing the song on the piano while Grover continues to interrupt him. Several older Muppets make cameo appearances in the finale of the sketch. * The Wild String Quartet (January 17, 1971) – Mahna Mahna (performed by Jim Henson) fills in for a violinist named Beagleman, but ends up playing the drums instead, much to the dismay of Harrison (performed by Richard Hunt (puppeteer), Richard Hunt), Twill (performed by Jerry Nelson) and Grump (performed by Frank Oz). Twill's puppet was recycled from Fred from the ''Munchos'' commercials and later used for Zelda Rose in ''The Muppet Show''. * The Glutton (February 21, 1971) – An incredibly fat man called the Glutton (performed by Jim Henson and assisted by Frank Oz) kept eating things, before being shrunken by a small purple creature and then eaten by a duplicate of himself. After the sketch was over, the Glutton attempted to swallow Ed Sullivan's hand after giving him a handshake.

Broadway

The show is also noteworthy for showcasing performances from numerous classic

musical theatre, musicals of the era, often featuring members of the original Broadway casts. These include: * ''West Side Story (musical), West Side Story'' – Carol Lawrence and Larry Kert singing "Tonight (1956 song), Tonight"; the members of the Jets gang performing "Cool (Leonard Bernstein song), Cool". * ''My Fair Lady'' – Julie Andrews singing "I Could Have Danced All Night" and "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?"; Rex Harrison performing "Why Can't the English?"; Stanley Holloway performing "With a Little Bit of Luck; John Michael King singing "On the Street Where You Live" * ''Camelot (musical), Camelot'' – Richard Burton and Julie Andrews performing an extended scene including the title song and "What Do the Simple Folk Do?"; Robert Goulet singing "If Ever I Would Leave You" and "C'est Moi". * ''Show Boat'' (1961 New York City Center revival) – Andrew Frierson singing "Ol' Man River", and Carol Bruce, from the 1946 Broadway revival, singing "Bill (Show Boat), Bill". * ''Carnival!'' – Anna Maria Alberghetti singing "Love Makes the World Go 'Round". * ''Bye Bye Birdie (1963 film), Bye Bye Birdie'' – Dick Van Dyke singing "Put On A Happy Face", Chita Rivera singing "Spanish Rose", Paul Lynde singing "Kids" and "Hymn for a Sunday Evening (Ed Sullivan)". * ''Oliver!'' – Georgia Brown (English singer), Georgia Brown singing "As Long as He Needs Me"; Davy Jones (actor), Davy Jones singing "Consider Yourself"; Georgia Brown, Davy Jones, Alice Playten, Bruce Prochnik, Clive Revill and the boys singing "I'd Do Anything". The performance was on February 9, 1964 – on the same telecast as The Beatles' first live performance. * ''Oklahoma (musical), Oklahoma!'' – John Raitt, Celeste Holm, Florence Henderson and Barbara Cook performing the Oklahoma (Rodgers and Hammerstein song), title song; Celeste Holm (from the original Broadway cast) performing "I Can't Say No". * ''Sweet Charity'' – Gwen Verdon performing "I'm A Brass Band" and "If My Friends Could See Me Now". * ''The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd'' – Anthony Newley singing "Who Can I Turn To?". * ''Flora the Red Menace'' – Liza Minnelli singing "All I Need Is One Good Break" and "Sing Happy" * ''Flower Drum Song'' – Pat Suzuki performing "I Enjoy Being a Girl (song), I Enjoy Being a Girl". * ''Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (musical), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' – Carol Channing singing "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend". * ''Hair (musical), Hair'' – the cast (including Diane Keaton, Melba Moore, Paul Jabara and co-authors Gerome Ragni and James Rado) performing "Aquarius". * ''Hello, Dolly! (musical), Hello, Dolly!'' –

(from the all-black 1967 revamping of the show) performing "Before the Parade Passes By" with the ensemble. * A performance by

dancer Wayne Lamb * ''I Do! I Do!'' – Gordon MacRae and Carol Lawrence (Broadway replacements for Mary Martin and Robert Preston (actor), Robert Preston) singing the title song from the show, and MacRae singing "I Love My Wife" and "My Cup Runneth Over". * ''Kiss Me, Kate'' – Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Lisa Kirk, and Harold Lang singing "Another Op'nin' Another Show", "We Open In Venice", and "Wunderbar" * ''Man of La Mancha'' – Richard Kiley singing the title song and "The Impossible Dream (The Quest), The Impossible Dream"; Joan Diener in a rare television appearance in her stage role as Aldonza/Dulcinea singing "What Does He Want of Me?", most of the cast singing the show's final reprise of "The Impossible Dream" *''Cabaret (musical), Cabaret'' – Joel Grey singing part of "Wilkommen" and Jill Haworth in her stage role as Sally Bowles singing the title song * ''Purlie'' – Melba Moore singing "I Got Love" and "Purlie". * ''Wildcat (musical), Wildcat'' – Lucille Ball and Paula Stewart singing "Hey, Look Me Over" * ''You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'' – Gary Burghoff, Reva Rose, Bob Balaban, Skip Hinnant, Karen Johnson, and Bill Hinnant singing the title song and "Happiness". * Ethel Merman also occasionally appeared singing hit songs from the shows that she starred in, including ''Annie Get Your Gun (musical), Annie Get Your Gun'', ''Gypsy: A Musical Fable, Gypsy'', ''Happy Hunting (musical), Happy Hunting'', ''Panama Hattie'', and ''Anything Goes''. * Hermione Gingold and Maurice Chevalier performed their duet "I Remember It Well" from the 1958 film ''Gigi (1958 film), Gigi'', on the show. Most of these artists performed in the same makeup and costumes that they wore in the shows, often providing the only visual recordings of these performances by the original cast members, since there were no network telecasts of the Tony Awards until 1967. Many performances have been compiled and released on DVD as ''The Best of Broadway Musicals—Original Cast Performances from The Ed Sullivan Show''.

Mental illness program

In a 1958 NEA interview, Sullivan noted his pride about the show's role in improving the public's understanding of mental illness. Sullivan considered his May 17, 1953, telecast to be the single most important episode in the show's first decade. During that show, a salute to Broadway director Joshua Logan, the two men were watching in the wings, and Sullivan asked Logan how he thought the show was doing. According to Sullivan, Logan told him that the show was becoming "another one of those and-then-I-wrote shows"; Sullivan asked him what he should do about it, and Logan volunteered to talk about his experiences in a mental institution.Big As All Outdoors
''Time'', 17 October 1955. Sullivan took him up on the offer, and in retrospect believed that several advances in the treatment of mental illness could be attributed to the resulting publicity, including the repeal of a Pennsylvania law about the treatment of the mentally ill and the granting of funds for the construction of new psychiatric hospitals.

Film clips

Occasionally Sullivan would feature a Hollywood actor introducing a clip from a film in which he or she currently starred. Burt Lancaster made an appearance in 1962, speaking about Robert Stroud, the character he portrayed in ''Birdman of Alcatraz (film), Birdman of Alcatraz'', and introducing a clip from the film. And although Sir Laurence Olivier personally did not appear on the show, in 1966 Sullivan showed a clip from the Olivier ''Othello (1965 British film), Othello'', the film version of which was then currently showing in New York City.

Controversies

Bo Diddley

On November 20, 1955, African American rock 'n' roll singer and guitarist

appeared on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', only to infuriate Sullivan ("I did two songs and he got mad"). Diddley had been asked to sing Tennessee Ernie Ford's hit "Sixteen Tons," which he agreed. But while the show was on air, he changed his mind and sang "Diddley Daddy". A reporter, who was present at the time, described what happened: In his biography, ''Living Legend'', Diddley recalled, "Ed Sullivan says to me in plain words: 'You are the first black boy—quote—that ever double crossed me!' I was ready to ''fight'', because I was a little young dude off the streets of Chicago, an' him callin' me 'black' in them days was as bad as sayin' 'nigger'. My manager says to me 'That's Mr. Sullivan!' I said: 'I don't give a shit about Mr. Sullivan, [h]e don't talk to me like that!' An' so he told me, he says, 'I'll see that you never work no more in show business. You'll never get another TV show in your life!'" Diddley’s perennial revisions make it difficult to determine exactly what happened but the guitarist never did appear on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' again. As for Sullivan's racist comment, it is hard to know what he actually said. However, he always seemed supportive of blacks, not only as entertainers he produced a black vaudeville show early in his career, but also for their church-bred conservative beliefs that conformed to the values he wanted the show to reflect. In ''Living Legend,'' Diddley boasts of being the first black person to be on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', but Sullivan had in fact had black guests as early as 1948. Black celebrities who appeared prior to Diddley include Fletcher Henderson, Ethel Waters, Billy Eckstine, Pearl Bailey, the Ink Spots, Sarah Vaughan, Sammy Davis Jr., Jackie Robinson, Lena Horne, Joe Louis, Eartha Kitt, Sugar Ray Robinson, and the Harlem Globetrotters. Nat King Cole was a frequent guest who had appeared a few weeks prior to Diddley.

A Short Vision

On May 27, 1956, ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' presented an animated short film entitled ''A Short Vision''. The short subject showcased an unidentified object that is referred to as ''it'' by the narrator. The object flies over Earth. When it passes, the people are asleep except the leaders and the wise men who look up at the object. As the leaders and wise men look up and predators and prey hide in fear, it produces a mushroom cloud in the sky, killing everyone and everything, vaporizing the people, the animals and Earth. After this happens, there remains only a moth and a flame. The moth flies to the flame, gets vaporized and the flame dies. Thus, marking the end of humanity. The short film is narrated in the style of the Bible. The animation is derived from mostly still images that produce a terrifying and horrifying moving image of the end of humanity. Just before CBS showed the film, Sullivan assured children that what they would see was an animated fantasy. He told the audience that "It is grim, but I think we can all stand it to realize that in war there is no winner". The film gained notoriety from the show; but it also gained controversy because of it, due to the graphic way it depicted the horrors of a nuclear confrontation. Its graphic images also caused controversy. One of the visuals in the film depicted an animated character's eyes imploding and the remains running down its cheeks and then it gets destroyed by the object. According to some sources, including contemporary newspaper reports, Ed Sullivan's telecast of ''A Short Vision'' caused a reaction as significant as Orson Welles' ''The War of the Worlds (radio drama), The War of the Worlds'' radio broadcast 20 years prior. Because of the popularity of the short film, ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' broadcast it again on June 10 of the same year. Sullivan—who in an interview after the first showing erroneously claimed that he had warned children to not watch it—asked adults to remove children from the room before watching the second, heavily publicized showing.

Buddy Holly and the Crickets

On January 26, 1958, for their second appearance on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'', Buddy Holly and The Crickets were scheduled to perform two songs. Sullivan wanted the band to substitute a different song for their record hit "Oh, Boy! (The Crickets song), Oh, Boy!", which he felt was too raucous. Holly had already told his hometown friends in Texas that he would be singing "Oh, Boy!" for them, and told Sullivan as much. During the afternoon the Crickets were summoned to rehearsal at short notice, but only Holly was in their dressing room. When asked where the others were, Holly replied, "I don't know. No telling." Sullivan then turned to Holly and said "I guess The Crickets are not too excited to be on ''The Ed Sullivan Show''", to which Holly caustically replied, "I hope they're damn more excited than I am." Sullivan, already bothered by the choice of songs, was now even angrier. He cut the Crickets' act from two songs to one, and when introducing them mispronounced Holly's name, so it came out vaguely as "Hollered" or "Holland". In addition, Sullivan saw to it that the microphone for Holly's electric guitar was turned off. Holly tried to compensate by singing as loudly as he could, and repeatedly trying to turn up the volume on his guitar. For the instrumental break he cut loose with a dramatic solo, making clear to the audience that the technical fault was not his. The band was received so well that Sullivan was forced to invite them back for a third appearance. Holly's response was that Sullivan did not have enough money. Film of the performance survives; photographs taken that day show Sullivan looking angry and Holly smirking and perhaps ignoring Sullivan.

Jackie Mason

On October 18, 1964, Jackie Mason allegedly gave Sullivan the finger on air. A tape of the incident shows Mason doing his stand-up comedy act and then looking toward Sullivan, commenting that Sullivan was signaling him. Sullivan was reportedly letting Mason know (by pointing two fingers) that he had only two minutes left, as CBS was about to cut away to show a speech by President Lyndon Johnson. Mason began working his own fingers into his act and pointed toward Sullivan with his middle finger slightly separated. After Mason left the stage, the camera then cut to a visibly angry Sullivan. Sullivan argued with Mason backstage, then terminated his contract. Mason denied knowingly giving Sullivan the middle finger, and Mason later claimed that he had never even heard of the gesture at that time. In retaliation, to protect the perceived threat to his career, Mason filed a libel suit at the New York Supreme Court, which he won. Sullivan publicly apologized to Mason when he appeared on the show two years later, in 1966. At that time, Mason opened his monologue by saying, "It's a great thrill and a fantastic opportunity to see me in person again," and impersonated Sullivan during his act. Mason later appeared on the show five times: April 23, 1967; Feb. 25, 1968; Nov. 24, 1968; Jul. 22, 1969; and Aug. 31, 1969.

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan was slated to make his first nationwide television appearance on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' on May 12, 1963, and intended to perform "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues", a song he wrote lampooning the John Birch Society and the red-hunting paranoia associated with it. Although Sullivan reportedly liked the song, during the afternoon rehearsal that day CBS officials told Dylan they had deemed the song unacceptable for broadcast and wanted him to substitute another. "No; this is what I want to do," Dylan responded. "If I can't play my song, I'd rather not appear on the show." He then left the studio rather than altering the act, with Sullivan respecting his decision.

The Doors

were notorious for their appearance on the show. CBS network censors demanded that before the band performed the song on-camera on September 17, 1967 (Since the beginning of the fall 1966 television season, the show had been recorded on color videotape a few hours before its 8:00 pm Eastern Standard Time time slot. Performers and their managers were told that the show must proceed as if it were being done live, and videotape editing on short notice was impossible), lead singer Jim Morrison change the lyrics to their hit single "Light My Fire" by altering the line, "Girl, we couldn't get much higher", as they were uncomfortable with the possible reference to drugs. During the rehearsal, Morrison sang the alternate line (which was either "Girl, we couldn't get much better" or "Girl, there's nothing I require", depending on the source). However, he reverted to the original line during the show, and CBS executives were powerless to change it because the nature of videotape editing in 1967 required many hours of labor. The Doors were never invited back to the show. According to Ray Manzarek, the band was told, "Mr. Sullivan liked you boys. He wanted you on six more times. ... You'll never do the Sullivan show again." Morrison replied with glee, "Hey man, we just ''did'' the Sullivan show."—at the time, an appearance was a hallmark of success. Manzarek has given differing accounts of what happened. He has said that the band only pretended to agree to change the line but also that Morrison was nervous and simply forgot to change the line. The performance and incident were reenacted in Oliver Stone's 1991 biographical film, ''The Doors (film), The Doors'', albeit in a more dramatic fashion, with Morrison portrayed as emphasizing the word "higher". Sullivan apparently felt the damage had been done and relented on bands using the word "higher". Sly & the Family Stone later appeared on the show and performed their 1969 hit "I Want to Take You Higher."

The Rolling Stones

In contrast, the Rolling Stones were instructed to change the title of their "Let's Spend the Night Together" single for the band's January 15, 1967, appearance. The band complied, with Mick Jagger and Bill Wyman ostentatiously rolling their eyes heavenward whenever they reached the song's one-night-only, clean refrain, "Let's spend 'some time' together". Mick Jagger did not wear a jacket on their first appearance on the show (October 25, 1964) and this annoyed Sullivan. They were asked to appear again, but they were asked to wear jackets for their 1965 appearance. The Stones ultimately played on the ''Ed Sullivan Show'' six times.

Ratings history

* 1948–1949: N/A * 1949–1950: N/A * 1950–1951: #15, 3,723,000 viewers * 1951–1952: N/A * 1952–1953: N/A * 1953–1954: #17, 8,580,000 viewers * 1954–1955: #5, 12,157,200 viewers * 1955–1956: #3, 13,785,500 viewers * 1956–1957: #2, 14,937,600 viewers * 1957–1958: #27, 11,444,160 viewers * 1958–1959: N/A * 1959–1960: #12, 12,810,000 viewers * 1960–1961: #15, 11,800,000 viewers * 1961–1962: #19, 11,381,525 viewers * 1962–1963: #14, 12,725,900 viewers * 1963–1964: #8, 14,190,000 viewers * 1964–1965: #16, 13,280,400 viewers * 1965–1966: #18, 12,493,200 viewers * 1966–1967: #13, 12,569,640 viewers * 1967–1968: #13, 13,147,440 viewers * 1968–1969: #23, 12,349,000 viewers * 1969–1970: #27, 11,875,500 viewers * 1970–1971: N/A Highlights: 9/09/1956:

's first appearance yielding an 82.6 percentage share, the highest in television history for any program up to the present. Viewers: 60.710,000 Source: Broadcasting and Telecasting, October 1956 as per ARB the precursor of Nielsen. 2/09/1964:

's first appearance yielding a 45.3 rating. Viewers: 73.7 million Source: Nielsen. Other noteworthy ratings 02/16/1964: 43.8 rating

's second appearance. Source: Nielsen. 09/09/1956: 43.7 rating

's first appearance. Source: Trendex.

Primetime specials

Parodies

The show's immense popularity has been the target of numerous tributes and parodies. These include: * Will Jordan was best known for his uncanny impersonation of Sullivan as the show's host. * Numerous music videos, such as Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It" (featuring Will Jordan as Sullivan), Nirvana (band), Nirvana's "In Bloom", Grinspoon's "Hold On Me", Outkast's "Hey Ya!", the Red Hot Chili Peppers's "Dani California" and Bring Me the Horizon's "Drown" have all parodied the show's visual style. * Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles open their concerts with prerecorded footage of a man doing an intentionally poor Sullivan impression in black and white and then introducing the band, which plays the first part of the show with an exact recreation of the set the Beatles used. * ''All You Need Is Cash'' (1978), a mockumentary about a fictional group, The Rutles. The film contains original footage of Sullivan introducing

with some audio dubbing (filmmaking), redubbed for comedic effect. * The Fab Four (tribute), The Fab Four, a The Beatles, Beatles tribute act hosted by an Ed Sullivan impressionist. * One of the characters in ''Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp'', a children's live action TV series with a cast of Common chimpanzee, chimpanzees dubbing (filmmaking), dubbed by actors' speaking voices, is "Ed Simian", a parody of Sullivan. * Comedian George Carlin included a routine titled ''Ed Sullivan Self Taught'' on his 1972 album ''FM & AM.'' * John Byner, actor and impressionist, included a Sullivan imitation in his repertoire. * On an episode of ''The Colgate Comedy Hour'',

and

did a parody called ''The Toast of the Colgate Town'', with Lewis wearing fake teeth and slicked-back hair as "Ed Solomon". * In the episode "Harry Canary" in the animated series ''Dumb and Dumber (TV series), Dumb and Dumber'', it was named "The Earvin Mulligan Show" as Lloyd's family were performing in the late 60s as "The Happy Dunne Family". * The first episode of the ''Late Show with David Letterman'' on August 30, 1993, featured clips of Ed Sullivan spliced together to make it look as though he was introducing host David Letterman, while a segment later in the episode featured David channeling the "ghost" of Ed Sullivan, this time an archive clip of Sullivan introducing actor Paul Newman, who was live in the Letterman audience that night. Since moving to CBS from NBC, Letterman taped his show in the

, the studio where Sullivan also staged his program, until his 2015 retirement. * The Tom Hanks–directed film ''That Thing You Do!'' has the Beatles-esque band The Wonders performing in ''The Hollywood Television Showcase'', complete with a caption over the band's lead singer similar to Lennon's "Sorry Girls! He's Married!" The scene was shot at

in Los Angeles, which Sullivan used for his West Coast shows. * The 1954 film ''White Christmas (film)#Plot, White Christmas'' features a pivotal scene that occurs on "The Ed Harrison Show", which was intentionally similar to Sullivan's show. * The 1960s animated television series ''The Flintstones'' featured a parody of Sullivan as "Ed Sulleystone" on the episode "Itsy Fred". On the episode called "Lola Brickada", Sullivan was referred to as "Ed Stonevan". Sullivan is also seen introducing "Roc Roll" in another episode, but his name is not mentioned. And in the episode where Fred brings home a lion cub, Barney performs a trick with the now grown up lion and mentioned that he saw a similar stunt on the "Ed Shalevan" show. * On the animated sitcom ''The Jetsons'', "Fred Solarvan" introduces Gina Lollobrigida, Gina Lola Jupiter, causing George Jetson to order his son Elroy to leave the room and do his geometry homework tapes. After Elroy leaves, George sets his receiver to 3D television, 3-D viewing, causing Gina to seemingly to pop out of the TV set. * Gabe Kaplan did a comedy skit in the 1970s (also featured on his 1974 album ''Holes and Mellow Rolls'' as "Ed Sullivan, Ed Sullivan"), that had him impersonate a drunken Sullivan on his final show, being nasty in general to his audience and guest stars, and finally saying good night to the audience. * The 1994 film ''Pulp Fiction'' features a scene in a 50s–60s-themed restaurant where Jerome Patrick Hoban does an imitation of Ed Sullivan introducing acts. * The direct-to-video children's film ''The Wiggles: You Make Me Feel Like Dancing!'' includes a video for the song "Shimmy Shake" which depicts the group appearing on ''The Ed Sullivan Show''. Paul Paddick portrayed Sullivan for the video. * In the manga series ''One Piece'', an omake was drawn in which the Straw Hat Pirates, along with other prominent characters, are all tied into one large fiasco that ends with a party. It is called ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' only in name. * In Tom Dudzick's 2002 play, ''Over the Tavern'', set in 1959, 12 year-old Rudy Pansicki regularly rehearses his Ed Sullivan impression, with emphasis on Sullivan's supposed pronunciation of "show" as "shoe". * The Broadway musical ''Jersey Boys'' features a scene where The Four Seasons (band), Four Seasons band member Tommy DeVito (musician), Tommy DeVito imitates Sullivan introducing "Topo Gigio and the Vienna Boys Choir" before bringing Frankie Valli on stage for the first time. * The Ramones used a segment of Ed Sullivan shaking Buddy Holly's hand on ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' for their music video for "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" * On ''South Park'', in the episode "Terrance and Phillip: Behind the Blow", black and white footage is shown of Terrance and Philip appearing on the show as children. * On ''The Tonight Show'', Johnny Carson sometimes invoked a Sullivan impression, quoting Sullivan's oft-used introduction "Right here on our stage..." * In an episode of Modern Madcaps titled "Cool Cat Blues" (1961), The Cat must stop a rival network from kidnapping "Ed Solvent", who maintained his rigid, stoic on-air demeanor by freezing himself in a block of ice before each show. Will Jordan provided the voice of Solvent * A 1972 ABC summer series "The Kopykats" featured a sketch in which Will Jordan as Sullivan announces he's hired a stand-in for himself. The entire cast (which included Rich Little, Frank Gorshin, Edie Adams) portrayed a staff & crew who all sounded like Sullivan. When the "stand-in" is introduced, it's Sullivan himself... but his version of himself bombs

References

Bibliography

* Joe Garner (author), Garner, Joe (2002). ''Stay Tuned: Television's Unforgettable Moments''. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, . * * Gerald Nachman (journalist), Nachman, Gerald. ''Right Here on Our Stage Tonight!: Ed Sullivan's America''. Berkeley, California: University of California Press; 2009. p. 331. * Ilson, Bernie. ''Sundays with Sullivan: How the Ed Sullivan Show brought Elvis, the Beatles and Culture to America''. Lanham, Maryland: Taylor Trade Publishing, (2009). pp. 115–118 (entire chapter devoted to Marlo Lewis). * John Leonard; Claudia Falkenburg & Andrew Solt, eds.. ''A Really Big Show: A Visual History of the Ed Sullivan Show''. New York: Sarah Lazin/Viking Studio Books; 1992. . * James Maguire. ''Impresario: The Life and Times of Ed Sullivan''. New York: Billboard Books; 2006. .

External links

The Official ''Ed Sullivan Show'' Website
*
''The Ed Sullivan Show''
at the Museum of Broadcast Communications * *
Monica Lewis on the very first 1948 telecast

''The Ed Sullivan Show''
at TV Guide
SOFA Entertainment

Ed Sullivan: 40 Incredible Guests
—a slideshow by Life magazine, ''Life'' magazine {{DEFAULTSORT:Ed Sullivan Show, The 1948 American television series debuts 1971 American television series endings 1950s American music television series 1960s American music television series 1970s American music television series 1950s American variety television series 1960s American variety television series 1970s American variety television series Bill Haley Black-and-white American television shows CBS original programming English-language television shows Peabody Award-winning television programs Television programmes about the Beatles Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series winners American live television series Television shows filmed in New York City