June 20, 1948 - May 30, 1971
ED SULLIVAN SHOW, THE, (TOAST OF THE TOWN)
Television's longest-running variety series. Originally, titled, TOAST OF THE TOWN, the name of the series changed on September 18, 1955, to THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW. Most remembered for introducing many stand-up comedians, and musical acts, including The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley, The Beatles.
Most of the 1,087 broadcasts, encompassing 10,000 performers, have been archived. The major exceptions are the first half-year of shows circa 1948 of which a few kinescope excerpts survive.
The ED SULLIVAN SHOW was a spectacular show-case that for twenty-three years entertained the American family. In its prime, more than thirty million viewers, young and old, tuned in at the same time to view popular culture.
Host Ed Sullivan celebrates 15 years on CBS with film clip segments of previous shows featuring guests Julie Andrews, Louis Armstrong, Jack Benny, Fred Astaire, Richard Burton, James Cagney, Art Carney, Maurice Chevalier, Gary Cooper, Bing Crosby, Walt Disney, Jimmy Durante, Henry Fonda, Clark Gable, Jackie Gleason, Robert Goulet, Topo Gigio, Oscar Hammerstein 11, Helen Hayes, Sonny King, Burt Lancaster, Shelley Winters, Johnny Wayne, Charles Laughton, Jack Lemmon, Gertrude Lawrence, Ethel Waters, Raoul Walsh, Sophie Tucker, Rod Steiger, Red Skelton, Phil Silvers, Richard Rodgers, Frank Shuster, Elvis Presley, Cole Porter, Gina Lollabridgida, Robert Mitchum, Maya Plisetskaya, Moiseyev Dancers.
