Remember the Ed Sullivan show? Originally known as “Toast of the Town,” this famous variety show with its stiff, gravelly-voiced host ran from 1948 to 1971. Ed Sullivan started his career in print, working among other jobs as a columnist for the “New York Daily News,” where his column, “Little Old New York,” mostly focused on entertainment issues, mostly Broadway.
When he was selected by CBS in 1948 to host “Toast of the Town,” the choice was controversial. TV critic Harriet Van Horne wrote of Sullivan that he “…got where he is not by having a personality, but by having no personality.” Ed replied with a short note: "Dear Miss Van Horne: You b**ch. Sincerely, Ed Sullivan."
Regardless of that, Ed Sullivan quickly became a beloved American institution. The show quickly became known as “The Ed Sullivan Show,” leading the network to officially change the show’s name to just that in 1955. He inspired a raft of impersonators, many of whom he invited on the show to try out their talent. The show also featured a wide range of performances, some of them rather bizarre, prompting the famous comic George Carlin to observe that the key to a great Ed Sullivan impression wasn’t the posture, nor the voice, but the bizarreness of the acts introduced, such as “Aerial photographs of Kate Smith.”
He also gave time to a lot of great rock & roll acts. Here are six, selected more or less at random from the Ed Sullivan YouTube channel. No, no Beatles tunes from Ed Sullivan’s show – that’s material for a whole story in itself.
The Band – Up On Cripple Creek (1969): This great Canadian/American band was to go on to achieve great success, leading to their final concert being immortalized by Martin Scorsese in the film “The Last Waltz,” which is a must-see. “Up on Cripple Creek,” that slightly bawdy tune, was one of their best-known and most widely-played bits. It’s a great, fun song:
Up on Cripple Creek, she sends me,
If I spring a leak, she mends me,
I don’t have to speak, she defends me,
A drunkard’s dream, if I ever did see one.
Janis Joplin – Maybe (1969): While she’s better known for songs like “Me and Booby McGee,” I always felt like this song did a great job at showing off Janis’s distinctly deep, smokey voice. It’s a shame she was taken away so young – but it’s to Ed Sullivan’s credit that his show introduced her to a wider audience. We Boomers will always remember Janis, even if the younger generations don’t. But substance abuse seems to be an occupational hazard in the music gig, and that's what happened to Janis.
See Related: The Gen-X Files: 40 Songs Turning 40 in 2025
The Animals – House of the Rising Sun (1964): This eerie old tune has been covered by a lot of people, but I always remember The Animals' version of it best. And every time I hear anything by The Animals, it reminds me of my days in Uncle Sam’s service, due to my old Army nickname: “Animal.” This is an old, old folk song, first known from 1930s Appalachia, but this is the best-known version.
Neil Diamond – Sweet Caroline (1969): Yes, it’s impossible to hear this song without chiming in:
Sweet Caroline (Ba Ba Baa!)
Good times never seemed so good (So Good! So Good!)
Ed Sullivan’s choice here must have made living rooms nationwide rock along with Neil.
Tom Jones – It’s Not Unusual (1965): Ed introduced this immortal of sexy, dulcet tunes as “The Welshman, Tom Jones!” Well, Tom is Welsh, and he is great. I’m more a fan of “What’s New Pussycat,” but “It’s Not Unusual” is kind of his trademark, so here we are.The Association – Along Comes Mary (1968): I spent a summer once in a rather torrid association with a lady named Mary, and it was an experience indeed for an 18-year-old. She was quite a bit older than me – 36 – and the only real downside is that the group of miscreants I called my friends always started singing “Mrs. Robinson” when I showed up someplace. That has nothing to do with The Association’s tune here, but that’s the memory this song always brings to mind.
See Related: Start Your Weekend Right With Six Groovy Songs From 1968
All of us who remember Ed Sullivan are getting on in years now. He was the king of Sunday night television for many years and set the tone for what variety television would be for many decades. He still inspires impersonation today, and comics for another generation will likely be copying his stiff posture, his slight hunch, and his distinctive, gravelly voice. Ed Sullivan broke some great new ground in television, along with some of his colleagues, like my Dad's favorite Ernie Kovacs, Milton Berle, and many others.
Any great Ed Sullivan memories to share? As always, the comments are all yours!
