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Ed Sullivan: Difference between revisions
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Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974), better known to the world simply as [[Ed Sullivan]], was an American television personality, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the ''Chicago Tribune'' New York News Syndicate. He is principally remembered as the creator and host of the television [[Variety Show|variety program]] ''The Toast of the Town'', later popularly—and, eventually, officially—renamed ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]''. Sullivan was a broadcasting pioneer at many levels during television's infancy, and in 1996, was ranked number 50 on ''[[TV Guide]]''{{'}}s "50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time".
Although he started his career in his teens as a newspaper reporter and columnist, he had dabbled in entertainment -- producing [[Vaudeville]] shows with which he appeared as master of ceremonies in the 1920s and 1930s, directing a radio program over the original WABC (now WCBS), and organizing benefit reviews for various causes. In 1941, he was the host of ''Summer Silver Theater'', a radio [[Variety Show]] on [[CBS (company)|CBS]]. This led indirectly to his position as host of ''Toast of the Town'' in 1948.
Despite initial reviews for the program which verged on personal attacks, ''Toast of the Town'' -- soon to be renamed ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' -- became ''the'' television venue on which to appear. He had a newspaperman's instinct for what the public wanted, and programmed his variety hours with remarkable balance. There was something for everyone. A typical show would feature a vaudeville act (acrobats, jugglers, magicians, etc.), one or two popular comedians, a singing star, a hot jukebox favorite, a figure from the legitimate theater, and for the kids, a visit with puppet "[[Topo Gigio]], the little Italian mouse", or a popular athlete. The bill was often international in scope, with many European performers augmenting the American artists.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Sullivan was a respected starmaker because of the number of performers who became household names after appearing on the show. He was the third to book [[Elvis Presley]] on national television -- and regretting letting other shows scoop him on Presley, became the first American show to book [[The Beatles (band)|The Beatles]], resulting in what became the single most-watched program in TV history up to that point (and which still remains one of the most-watched programs of all time).
Although angered when CBS finally canceled ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' in 1971 in response to plummeting ratings, he remained affiliated with the network and did work for them in various other capacities, including as host of the network's 25th anniversary special in June 1973. Toward the end of his life he demonstrated symptoms of what would today be called dementia, and when he was diagnosed with advanced esophageal cancer in 1974, his family chose not to tell him. He died five weeks later.
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