SULLIVAN YEARS, THE (TV)
Summary
This program is a special celebration of the television career of Ed Sullivan featuring clips from his variety shows "Toast of the Town" (1948 to 1955) and "The Ed Sullivan Show" (1955 to 1971). Opening with the song "Ed Sullivan" from "Bye, Bye, Birdie," the program continues with the opening chorus from his first variety show, "Toast of the Town." Highlights include appearances and performances by the following: a brief clip of Fred Astaire dancing; Julie Andrews sings "I Could Have Danced All Night" from "My Fair Lady"; from a tribute to Irving Berlin on his eightieth birthday, Bing Crosby sings "Alexander's Ragtime Band," Bob Hope cracks jokes, President Lyndon B. Johnson pays tribute to the composer, and Ethel Merman sings Berlin's "There's No Business Like Show Business"; Jackie Gleason as the "Poor Soul" and Art Carney perform a comedy routine about a bakery assembly line; Diana Ross and the Supremes sing "Come See About Me," "You Can't Hurry Love," "The Happening," "Love Child," and "People," among other songs; Diana Ross sings and taps to "I Get a Kick Out of You"; from a 1964 program the Beatles perform "All My Loving," "She Loves You," and "I Want to Hold Your Hand"; from a 1965 telecast Paul McCartney sings "Yesterday"; from their Shea Stadium concert the Beatles sing "Twist and Shout" and "Ticket to Ride"; Maurice Chevalier and Sophie Tucker sing "I Remember It Well" from "Gigi"; Ed Sullivan recalls the 1967 ceremony at which Mayor John V. Lindsay renamed CBS Studio 50 Theater, the Ed Sullivan Theater; Charles Laughton reads from the Bible; Sullivan challenges heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano; Rod Steiger and Gary Cooper enact a scene from "The Court Martial of Billy Mitchell"; Carl Sandburg recites his poetry; Barbra Streisand sings "When the Sun Comes Out"; Jerry Lewis attempts to teach Sullivan how to introduce an act; Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz become nervous at the prospect of Sullivan doing a whole show about them; Gary Cooper and Sullivan join in song; Soupy Sales does a skit with Sullivan in drag; Metropolitan Opera star Roberta Peters sings an aria; Australian soprano Joan Sutherland sings; a segment on stand-up comedians includes routines by Alan King, Henny Youngman, Myron Cohen, Sam Levenson, Rodney Dangerfield, and Woody Allen; Elvis Presley sings "Hound Dog"; Janis Joplin performs; in an interview, Fidel Castro assures Sullivan that Batista will be the last Cuban dictator; the Moiseyev Dancers perform; Nancy Walker and Bert Lahr enact a comedy scene; Smith and Dale perform one of their classic vaudeville routines; Victor Borge asks "What Is Love?"; Red Skelton cracks himself up as he plays a drunk in a comedy routine; Russian ballerina Maya Plisetskaya dances Fokine's "The Dying Swan"; a medley of top vocal stars includes performances by the Andrews Sisters, Teresa Brewer (singing "Music, Music, Music"), Frankie Laine ("Jezebel"), Nat King Cole ("Mona Lisa"), Johnnie Ray ("Cry"), the Everly Brothers ("Wake Up Little Susie'), Domenico Modugno ("Volare"), Bobby Darin ("Mack, the Knife"), Connie Francis ("Where the Boys Are"), Jimmy Dean ("Big Bad John"), the Four Seasons ("Big Girls Don't Cry"), Tony Bennett ("I Left My Heart in San Francisco"), The Singing Nun ("Dominique"), Petula Clark ("Downtown"), Herb Alpert ("Taste of Honey"), Tom Jones ("It's Not Unusual"), The Mamas and The Papas ("Monday, Monday"), Dionne Warwick ("I Say a Little Prayer for You"), Engelbert Humperdinck ("Les Bicyclettes de Belsize"), The 5th Dimension ("Up-Up and Away"), B.J. Thomas ("Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"), The Carpenters ("Close to You"), The Jackson Five ("I Want You Back"); impressionists Will Jordan, Rich Little, and John Byner do their impersonations of Ed Sullivan; Sullivan presents a compilation of circus acts; Van Cliburn performs Chopin's "Polonaise" in Berlin; at the London Palladium Judy Garland sings "Smile." Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: October 17, 1971 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:25:44
- COLOR/B&W: Color and B&W.
- CATALOG ID: T82:0137
- GENRE: Variety
- SUBJECT HEADING: Ballet; Comedy/Variety; Dance, folk; Music, popular (songs, etc.); Poetry; Politics; Rock music; African-American Collection - Music
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV, 1971
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Arm & Hammer Baking Soda
- TV - Commercials - Mrs. Paul's Bake and Serve Kitchen Casseroles
- TV - Commercials - Mrs. Paul's Fish Sticks
- TV - Commercials - Mrs. Paul's Fried Onion Rings
- TV - Commercials - Mrs. Paul's frozen foods
- TV - Commercials - Neo-Synephrine Decongestant nose drops and nasal strays
- TV - Commercials - Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail
- TV - Commercials - Quasar by Motorola color televisions
- TV - Commercials - Sealy Posturepedic mattresses
- TV - Commercials - Tab diet cola
- TV - Commercials - Taster's Choice Freeze-Dried Coffee
- TV - Commercials - Volkswagen automobiles
CREDITS
- Bob Precht … Executive Producer
- Robert Arthur … Producer
- John Moffitt … Producer, Director
- Jack Babb … Associate Producer
- Jack McGeehan … Associate Producer
- Tony Jordan … Associate Producer
- Tim Kiley … Director
- John Wray … Director
- Bob Schwartz … Director
- Ed Sullivan … Host
- Ray Bloch … Music by
- Andrews Sisters, The … Music, Group
- The Beatles … Music Group
- The Carpenters … Music Group
- Fifth Dimension, The … Music Group
- Four Seasons, The … Music Group
- Jackson Five, The … Music Group
- Mamas and The Papas, The … Music Group
- Diana Ross and the Supremes … Music Group
- Moiseyev Dancers … Dance Company
- Woody Allen
- Herb Alpert
- Julie Andrews
- Desi Arnaz
- Fred Astaire
- Lucille Ball
- Tony Bennett
- Victor Borge
- Teresa Brewer
- Art Carney
- Fidel Castro
- Maurice Chevalier
- Petula Clark
- Van Cliburn
- Myron Cohen
- Nat King Cole
- Gary Cooper
- Bing Crosby
- Rodney Dangerfield
- Bobby Darin
- Jimmy Dean
- Everly Brothers, The
- Russ Petranto
- Connie Francis
- Judy Garland
- Jackie Gleason
- Bob Hope
- Engelbert Humperdinck
- Tom Jones
- Lyndon B. Johnson
- Janis Joplin
- Will Jordan
- Alan King
- Burt Lahr
- Frankie Laine
- Charles Laughton
- Sam Levenson
- Jerry Lewis
- John V. Lindsay
- Rocky Marciano
- Paul McCartney
- Ethel Merman
- Domenico Modugno
- Roberta Peters
- Maya Plisetskaya
- Elvis Presley
- Johnnie Ray
- Diana Ross
- Sales, Soupy (Milton Hines)
- Carl Sandburg
- Singing Nun, The
- Red Skelton
- Joe Smith
- Charlie Dale
- Smith and Dale
- Rod Steiger
- Barbra Streisand
- Ed Sullivan
- Joan Sutherland
- B.J. Thomas
- Sophie Tucker
- Nancy Walker
- Dionne Warwick
- Henny Youngman