A recollection of old NBC radio broadcasts hosted by Ed Herlihy. 
Excerpts include a reading by Tallulah Bankhead who hosted NBC radio's weekly variety series, "The Big Show," George M. Cohan sings "Over There," from 1937, the bugler who sounded the ceasefire on November 11th, 1918, ending World War 1. Also featuring Milton Cross, Kate Smith, Madame Ernestine Schumann-Heink, and Frank Murray.                                   

           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. 

Ed Sullivan introduces Victor Moore, on the day before his 82nd birthday. Moore reprises his Broadway Play lead song, "45 Minutes From Broadway," written for him by George M. Cohan. The musical premiered on January 1, 1906 at the New Amsterdam Theater. 

Moore also sings a song "When a Fellow's on the Level with a Girl That's on the Square" from his next Cohan production, "The Talk of New York, " He chats with Sullivan and states to him that every show he appeared in he was surrounded by a bevy of beautiful American girls. Ed Sullivan complies with his wishes and Victor Moore sings a third song with a bevy of beautiful girls.
  
Ray Bloch and the orchestra plays "Happy Birthday" to Victor Moore as the audience joins in. Ed Sullivan mentions to his audience that Victor Moore has received every honor on the American stage. He states, "He is a great man and a great performer."

NOTE: This television appearance by Victor Moore was to be his last public appearance on TV or on the  stage of in films. He passed away at age 86 on July 23, 1962. 

 Most of the 1,087 broadcasts, encompassing 10,000 performers, have been archived.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.