As often happens, I came across this article totally by accident, while looking for something else. It's from Parade Magazine and traces the history of one of the most unlikely yet important stars in TV history. If you weren't around back then - and he only went off the air in 1971 - Sullivan was the one who first brought North American audiences both Elvis and the Beatles. 

He also welcomed dozens, if not hundreds, of rock stars to his Sunday show over the years.  Sadly, no mention is made of Wayne & Shuster, the Canadian comedy duo, who were his most frequent guests over the years, appearing no less than 67 times.

One thing I learned from the story is something that's mind boggling - many of the sketches involving the stiff Ed and the puppet Topo Gigio were written by Joan Rivers! Who knew?

'The Ed Sullivan Show' Turns 75! Looking Back on the Show's Legacy

Speaking of Ed, I found this obscure blurb in a 1955 TV Guide about Sullivan and Toronto. I wonder if this ever happened?


Back around 1981, CFTR's nationally syndicated weekend show "Sunday Sunday" did a feature on the Sullivan Show. I was there at the time and recall the producer telling me Sullivan's son-in-law, who controlled the rights to his late relative's valuable video collection, refused to allow them to use any clips from the show. 

So they did it anyway, using some clever tricks to cover for the lack of sound. (The Beatles intro was taken from a separate licenced recording.) Thankfully, this feature not only mentions Wayne & Shuster, but has an interview with them on the experience of being on the show.

It's narrated by former TR News Director Robert Holiday and can be found here.