The Ed Sullivan Show

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The Ed Sullivan Show ranks 3,901 out of the 18,229 shows on TV.com.

The 60 users who count themselves as The Ed Sullivan Show fans have written a total of 7 reviews.

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Ended

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Theme

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This long-running variety series premiered on June 20, 1948 with the title Toast of the Town. (The Toast of the Town link covers the first 8 seasons of Ed Sullivan.)

The series was re-titled The Ed Sullivan Show on September 25, 1955 (the beginning of the 9th season). Although the... more »

This long-running variety series premiered on June 20, 1948 with the title Toast of the Town. (The Toast of the Town link covers the first 8 seasons of Ed Sullivan.)

The series was re-titled The Ed Sullivan Show on September 25, 1955 (the beginning of the 9th season). Although the name had changed, it remained the same variety show with "something for everyone." There continued to be a diverse guest line-up which included singers, musicians, actors, dancers, comedians, circus acts, plate spinners and acrobats.

But now there was now a new type of guest: the rock 'n' roll performer. While Ed booked a few rock 'n' roll acts on "Toast of the Town," these performers became even more prominent on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

One of the most famous rock 'n' roll acts was, of course, Elvis Presley. Ed had at first scoffed at the idea of booking Elvis, who had already appeared on "Stage Show," "The Milton Berle Show" and "The Steve Allen Show" amid much controversy. But as Elvis' popularity grew, Ed relented and booked him for three appearances.

Then there were the famous Beatles appearances. Legend has it that Ed booked the Beatles without hearing even a note of their music. While visiting England, Sullivan happened to be at Heathrow Airport on October 31, 1963 when the Beatles' plane arrived. The British press and hundreds of fans were there to greet them. Upon seeing all the frenzy, Ed signed the band to appear on his show.
Beatlemania was already in full swing when the Beatles arrived at New York's JFK airport on February 7, 1964. On February 9, the Beatles made their "Ed Sullivan" debut. The Beatles' three 1964 Sullivan appearances were among the highest rated TV programs of the 1960's.

In 1967, Ed's NYC studio, Studio 50, was officially re-titled "The Ed Sullivan Theater."
The ratings of The Ed Sullivan Show began to drop in 1968. CBS cancelled the series in 1971. The final new show aired on March 28, 1971 which was followed by several weeks of reruns. The series' network run ended on June 6, 1971 (which was a repeat of the February 7, 1971 show).
At the time of the cancellation, CBS did not give The Ed Sullivan Show the sendoff that it deserved. Instead of ending with a tribute show focusing on all the great moments of the past 23 years, the show quietly went off the air. But in the 33 years since the series was cancelled, CBS has aired numerous tribute shows giving the series the recognition it deserves.

Syndicated, cable TV and PBS repeats:

In 1980, a "Best of Sullivan" series hosted by John Byner appeared in syndication. Each episode was an edited 30-minute version of the original 1-hour shows. This version has not been broadcast since the 1980's.

Around 1992, a new 30-minute "Ed Sullivan" series was syndicated. These were edited versions of the original shows (but often clips from other episodes were added). This version later appeared on the TV Land cable network (1996-1998).

From 2001 through 2004, PBS stations across the U.S. aired edited versions of The Ed Sullivan Show (usually airing two 30-minute programs back-to-back). These were produced by WQED Multimedia in Pittsburgh.
--The first PBS season (2001-02) consisted of the 1990s shows that were edited for commercial TV. To fill in the commercial breaks, WQED added new intros by Shirley Jones.
--For the 2002-03 PBS season, WQED publicized a new package of 76 Sullivan shows. (These do not have Shirley Jones.) Ten of these shows have not been seen since their original broadcasts. The other 66 were previously shown in the 1990s but were slightly re-edited with a few "missing" performances restored. This group of Sullivan shows continued into the 2003-04 season.

A different series, titled "Ed Sullivan's Rock 'N' Roll Classics," first appeared in the 1990's on VH1 (in the US). This version features rock and pop music clips taken from various Ed Sullivan episodes. This series is currently available on VHS and DVD.

For information about The Ed Sullivan Show and Toast of the Town, contact:
SOFA Entertainment
9121 W. Sunset Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Fax: 310-276-0242
greg.vines@sofaent.com
www.sofaentertainment.com
Sofa Home Entertainment
SOFA Entertainment owns the right to every Ed Sullivan Show and Toast of the Town.

And thanks to Historic Films for their on-line database. Their website has been very helpful in verifing guest lists and other information.less «

• Would a Variety Show Be Popular Today?

  I'm so happy to see The Ed Sullivan Show on TV.com! Loved watching The Doors and Rodney Dangerfield. Do you think a new variety show would be popular in 2009?

  I'm so happy to see The Ed Sullivan Show on TV.com! Loved watching The Doors and Rodney Dangerfield. Do you think a new variety show would be popular in 2009?less «

  josh4prez Last online 11 days ago
  2 comments, last one Jun 12, 2009 + Add Comment

• Ed Sullivan Show December 25, 1966 Circus Stars of Europe Circus Krone Arena, M.

  Hi to everybody, I need your help!!! I want to see, to download or buy this show, because in this show my father was ac...more »

  Hi to everybody, I need your help!!! I want to see, to download or buy this show, because in this show my father was acting, he is one of the Trio Rivels (musical clown act). .................Can somebody help me to find this schow. They were working two times with in the Ed Sullivan Show 1966 , but I don´t kwow when they worked the second time. Ed Sullivan Show December 25, 1966 on CBS Circus Stars of Europe (Krone Circus Arena, Munich) The real name of this trio is not Rivers, they were called the Trio Rivels. If you want you can check my homepage www.andreu-rivel.com there you can find infos or you can send me infos. my e-mail is jasrivel@aol.com Thank´s very much Salut Johnny Rivel less «

  Johhny_Rivel Last online Apr 5, 2009
  2 comments, last one Sep 15, 2008 + Add Comment

• WANTED ON VIDEO - Ed Sullivan Episode Number: 452 Season Num: 10, 2/17/1957

  If anyone out there has a video copy of this particular Ed Sullivan show with guest stars; Hugh O'Brian, Robert Wagner and Jeannie Carson and Cecil B. DeMille among others. I will gladly pay you for a copy. My name is Steven and you can directly email me at tencomm56@yahoo.com Thankyou!

  If anyone out there has a video copy of this particular Ed Sullivan show with guest stars; Hugh O'Brian, Robert Wagner and Jeannie Carson and Cecil B. DeMille among others. I will gladly pay you for a copy. My name is Steven and you can directly email me at tencomm56@yahoo.com Thankyou!less «

  tencomm56 Last online Apr 17, 2008
  1 comments, last one Apr 17, 2008 + Add Comment

•  

  10 Perfect

  One of the Best Shows Ever! hide « show »

  The Ed Sullivan Show undoubtedly ranks as one of the best shows ever. No one had a better eye for talent than Ed. I am so happy to see that some of the classic videos have been added to TV.com.
  
  I am always astounded by the broad range of incredible talent Ed brought to his Broadway stage between 1948 and 1971. Over 10,000 performers and celebrities appeared on his stage including the most spectacular ensemble of stars from the worlds of entertainment, sports, and politics. My favorite performers were:
  
  - James Brown
  - The Beatles
  - The Doors
  - Elvis
  - The Young Rascals
  - Rodney Dangerfield
  - George Carlin
  
  It is certainly the greatest variety show in the history of television. I just hope TV.com adds more videos from this show!

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  josh4prez Added Jun 11, 2009 All my reviews
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  9.9 Superb

  Almost everybody who was somebody, made it on The Ed Sullivan Show. hide « show »

  Mainly from the 1950s, 1960s, and early 70s. If you were somebody chances were you'd be on Ed Sullivan, and if you weren't "Somebody" world known, you sure were after Ed Sullivan Show. Whether a comedian, a singer, a band, plate spinner, animal trainer, or whomever, word spread about it the next day. In the mid 1950s to the late 1960s, he had almost every popular rock band, R&B band or pop singer, there was.
  Of course Elvis, Buddy Holley, The Beatles,
  the Rolling Stones, the Temptations, the Supremes
  and many others benefitted from that.
  
  The countless comedians, comedy teams and much more.
  
  There was no other variety show like The Ed Sullivan Show.

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  mapledrum99 Added May 22, 2008 All my reviews
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  10 Perfect

  A great variety show with somehing for everyone. Fantastic! hide « show »

  The Ed Sullivan Show is one of the best shows of all time. Even though it was way before my time I still love it. Not only is it the best variety show of all time hands down it is just great. It had something for everyone. Ed had some of the gratest talent of all time on his show, The Beatles, The Stones, The Mamas and The Papas, Elvis, Alan and Rossi, Soupy Sales, amazing acrobats everything. THe show is one of my favourite and when they were running reruns I watched it everyday ad so did lots of my freinds. One word can describe this show Perfect. So as Ed would say it's "A really great show for you tonight." What better thing to do on a Sunday afternoon.

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  john_lennon66 Added Nov 24, 2006 All my reviews
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  10 Perfect

  If you made it in Sullivan, you hit it big! hide « show »

  If you hit it in Ed Sullivan, then you made it big and that acts like the Beatles and Elvis made their tv debuts and became the most popular singer and group respectedly of all time. Despite having no sense of humor nor being comfortable on tv, that didn't matter for Sullivan.
  Those acts would become some of the biggest stars of all time!

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  JPPT1974 Added Aug 15, 2006 All my reviews
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  9.2 Superb

  Variety show hosted by Ed Sullivan. This show was prominent in launching several music and acting careers. hide « show »

  Ed Sullivan was a great talent scout for television beginning in the late 40's. He truly had a variety show with acts ranging from singers to acrobats, from comedians to actors and from circus acts to dancers.
  
  The show was groundbreaking in the discovery and showcasing of rock 'n' roll acts. It was among the first to show such acts as Elvis Presley, The Beatle and The Rolling Stones. Several of the acts had to change their lyrics of performance styles to be allowed to perform. Mick Jager could be seen rolling his eyes as he sang "let's spend some time together" rather than "lets spend the night together."

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  vicmackey31 Added Apr 11, 2006 All my reviews