The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show began its run on the 20th of June 1948, as Toast of the Town. It aired every Sunday night from 8 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time for over two decades until the 28th of March 1971. The program started at CBS-TV Studio 51 before moving to a permanent home at CBS-TV Studio 50 in New York City. This studio was renamed the Ed Sullivan Theater during the show's twentieth anniversary in June 1968. Originally co-created by Marlo Lewis, the show featured a wide variety of acts including classical musicians, opera singers, comedians, and circus performers. During its first season, the broadcast time shifted from 9 to 10 p.m. ET. The format mirrored vaudeville traditions even though that genre had been declining for years. Many ex-vaudevillians appeared regularly on the weekly lineup. Lincoln-Mercury Division of Ford Motor Company served as the primary sponsor from 1948 through 1962. Sullivan read commercials for Mercury vehicles live on air throughout this period.
Ray Bloch conducted the musical ensemble known as the Ed Sullivan Show Orchestra. Members of the CBS orchestra were folded into this group when the program began. These musicians needed proficiency across all genres ranging from classical to jazz and rock and roll. They accompanied divas like Eileen Farrell, Maria Callas, or Joan Sutherland from the Metropolitan Opera. The same staff then switched gears to back Ella Fitzgerald, Diahann Carroll, or Sammy Davis Jr. Later they performed with groups such as The Jackson Five, Stevie Wonder, or Tom Jones. Chris Griffin served as lead trumpet player from the first show in 1948 until the final episode in 1971. He was formerly with Harry James, Ziggy Elman, and Benny Goodman bands before joining Bloch's team. Other notable musicians included Bernie Privin, Jimmy Nottingham, Thad Jones, Roland Dupont, Joe Bennet, Toots Mondello, Hank Jones, Specs Powell, and Milton Schlesinger. Unlike other shows that celebrated their house bands, CBS producers hid these famous musicians behind a curtain. Occasionally CBS would broadcast specials where the orchestra performed openly. When Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated, music was hastily composed for a tribute featuring jazz pianist Bill Evans.
Ed Sullivan had vowed never to allow Elvis Presley on his program despite intense Sunday-night ratings rivalry with Steve Allen. Sullivan signed Presley less than two weeks after Allen trounced him in the ratings. On the 9th of September 1956, Presley made his first appearance while filming Love Me Tender. Charles Laughton guest-hosted because Sullivan was recovering from a near fatal automobile accident. The show drew an estimated 60.71 million viewers representing an 82.6% share of the television audience. This remains the largest single audience in American television history. For his second set, Elvis sang Ready Teddy and a shortened version of Hound Dog. Popular mythology claims Sullivan censored Presley by shooting only from the waist up but his whole body appeared in the first two shows. A third appearance occurred on the 6th of January 1957, where the singer was shot from the waist down during performance. That episode attracted 54.6 million viewers. Years later Sullivan tried to book Presley again but declined after representatives presented a demanding rider. Elvis claimed backstage that Sullivan called him a sumbitch after the final show.
Sullivan witnessed how Beatles fans greeted the group upon their return from Stockholm at Heathrow Airport in late 1963. He initially offered manager Brian Epstein top dollar for a single show but Epstein wanted exposure for all three appearances instead. The band appeared on three consecutive Sundays in February 1964 with I Want to Hold Your Hand rising to number one in charts. Their first broadcast on February 9 drew an estimated 73 million viewers breaking records for U.S. television. The following week's show aired from Miami Beach where Cassius Clay trained for his title bout with Sonny Liston. A crush of people nearly prevented the band from reaching the stage requiring police intervention. They performed She Loves You and This Boy before closing with I Saw Her Standing There and I Want to Hold Your Hand. The group returned live for the final time on the 14th of August 1965, performing I Feel Fine and Ticket to Ride. They earned a 60 percent share of the nighttime audience during this appearance. Later they provided filmed promotional clips including Paperback Writer and Strawberry Fields Forever over several years. Their last appearance via prerecorded clips occurred on the 1st of March 1970.
The Doors scheduled a performance of Light My Fire in September 1967 after producers demanded censorship of the lyric girl we could not get much higher. Jim Morrison sang the original line without hesitation during the live broadcast. Ed Sullivan refused to shake the band's hands afterward and informed them they would never be invited back. Morrison reportedly replied Hey man we just did The Ed Sullivan Show making clear he did not care about the ban. On the 20th of November 1955, Bo Diddley appeared only to infuriate Sullivan by singing his eponymous single instead of Sixteen Tons. A reporter described what happened noting that Diddley had been asked to sing Ford's hit but changed his mind while on air. On the 18th of October 1964, Jackie Mason allegedly gave Sullivan the finger on air during a stand-up comedy act. A tape shows Mason looking toward Sullivan commenting that Sullivan was signaling him with two fingers indicating time remaining. Mason began working his own fingers into his act pointing toward Sullivan with his middle finger slightly separated. After leaving the stage the camera cut to visibly angry Sullivan who terminated his contract. Mason filed a libel suit at New York Supreme Court which he won before appearing again in 1966.
Sullivan launched careers for many black performers by presenting them to a nationwide television audience despite criticism. He featured entertainers such as Frankie Lymon, The Supremes, Marian Anderson, Louis Armstrong, and Pearl Bailey. The group featuring Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard appeared seven times from December 1964 through May 1970. They performed fifteen of their hit singles plus numerous Broadway showtunes and other non-Motown songs. Before his death in a plane crash in December 1967, soul singer Otis Redding had been booked to appear the following year. One telecast included African-American bass-baritone Andrew Frierson singing Ol Man River from Show Boat. That song was usually sung on television by white singers although written for a black character. On the 4th of March 1962, Sullivan presented Fats Domino and his band performing Jambalaya and You Win Again. All seven of Domino's band members were visible to millions of viewers. Sam Cooke performed a complete version of For Sentimental Reasons on the 1st of December 1957 after being cut off four weeks earlier during a live performance of You Send Me.
The final original Sullivan show numbered one thousand sixty-eight aired on the 28th of March 1971 with guests Melanie and Sandler and Young. It was one of many older shows purged from network lineups that summer as part of the Prime Time Access Rule taking effect that fall. Repeats continued through the 6th of June 1971 before CBS replaced it with the Sunday Night Movie in September 1971. In 1990, producer Andrew Solt formed SOFA Entertainment Inc. and purchased exclusive rights to the complete library from Ed Sullivan's daughter Elizabeth and her husband Bob Precht. The collection consists of 1,087 hours of kinescopes and videotapes broadcast from 1948 to 1971. Starting in 1991, SOFA Entertainment re-introduced the show by producing numerous network specials and syndicating half-hour series. Some compilations include The Four Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Beatles and Elvis: The Ed Sullivan Shows. Performances are available as video downloads and an app on iTunes. MeTV began airing half hour packages of performances from the show on Sunday nights in 2021.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When did The Ed Sullivan Show begin and end?
The Ed Sullivan Show began its run on the 20th of June 1948, as Toast of the Town. It aired every Sunday night from 8 to 9 p.m. Eastern Time for over two decades until the 28th of March 1971.
Who conducted the musical ensemble known as the Ed Sullivan Show Orchestra?
Ray Bloch conducted the musical ensemble known as the Ed Sullivan Show Orchestra. Members of the CBS orchestra were folded into this group when the program began.
How many viewers watched Elvis Presley first appear on The Ed Sullivan Show?
On the 9th of September 1956, Presley made his first appearance while filming Love Me Tender. The show drew an estimated 60.71 million viewers representing an 82.6% share of the television audience.
Why was The Doors banned from returning to The Ed Sullivan Show?
Jim Morrison sang the original line without hesitation during the live broadcast after producers demanded censorship of the lyric girl we could not get much higher. Ed Sullivan refused to shake the band's hands afterward and informed them they would never be invited back.
When did The Beatles make their final appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show?
The group returned live for the final time on the 14th of August 1965, performing I Feel Fine and Ticket to Ride. Their last appearance via prerecorded clips occurred on the 1st of March 1970.