Celebrating the 75th anniversary of Ed Sullivan’s “really big show”

When he first appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in 1956, Elvis Presley had yet to earn the nickname the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” But Ed Sullivan was very much a kingmaker.

Producer-director Andrew Solt, who owns the Ed Sullivan archives, says Sullivan – who could make or break a career – had been reluctant to put Elvis on, at first. Sullivan ended up booking Presley for three shows, giving him a record-breaking $50,000 – and what may have been even more valuable: his blessing. When Presley made his third appearance, on January 6, 1957, Sullivan told his audience, “This is a real decent, fine boy. We wanna say that we’ve never had a pleasanter experience on our show with a big name than we’ve had with you.”

Truth is, if you made it on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” there’s a good chance you could make it big anywhere. The show premiered 75 years ago, on June 20, 1948, and for more than two decades it was appointment TV.

Otis Williams said, “Oh yes, yes. Every Sunday at eight o’clock, my house would be quiet. I mean, watching Ed Sullivan. That was a glorious event.”

Williams and his group, The Temptations, were on the show six times.

Watching himself, Williams said, “We look good! Scared, but … yeah, we were scared! Ah, such wonderful, golden memories to see this.”

Smith asked, “Could you see the impact in record sales, and in tour bookings?”

“Yeah, the record would shoot up the charts real quick,” he replied.

And it wasn’t just great music.

“The Ed Sullivan Show” had a little something for everyone. A variety show that featured comedians, ballet dancers, scenes from Broadway shows, plate spinners, athletes, Muppets, and an affectionate puppet from Italy. “Topo Gigio was on over 50 times,” said Solt. “America fell in love with that sweet little mouse.”

Ed Sullivan himself was an unlikely TV star. He started as a newspaper columnist who spent his nights in theaters and clubs.

“He had an ability to not only find the talent, but the public trusted his taste,” said Solt. “And he became so powerful.”

And because it was a live show, anything could go wrong, and often it did, like his intro to actor Dolores Grey: “Well, in our audience tonight, one of the fine singing stars of Broadway, now starving, now starving. … You’re not, actually!”

Sullivan didn’t sing or tell jokes. In fact, he rarely smiled, something CBS News pioneer Edward R. Murrow once asked him about: “Ed, where did you get this reputation as a stone-face, anyway?”

“I don’t think as a youngster I had it,” Sullivan replied. “The first time I went into television, the minute the cameras came barreling in on me, rigor mortis set in.”

Sullivan even presented comedians who did impressions of … Ed Sullivan, like Will Jordan and Rich Little. “Which reflected who he was,” Solt said. “He had a sense of humor about himself, and it endeared him to the public.”

But with enormous success came unwanted attention. Sponsors, especially in the South, contacted CBS. “He was told that he had too many Black acts on,” Solt said. “They literally said that. And he said, ‘Well, I’m booking the show. I’m not answerable to you.'”

As co-founder of The Temptations, Otis Williams was accustomed to racism. “We were touring the South, and we literally got shot at,” he said.

“So, for Ed Sullivan to say, I’m gonna put on who I wanna put on…?” asked Smith.

“That’s what he did. Not only the Temps – Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder. He crossed the color barrier. He just didn’t have it relegated to white folks only.”

Sullivan’s goal was simple: present the best talent the world had to offer. So, it’s not surprising “The Ed Sullivan Show” was where a certain group from Liverpool made their first live U.S. TV appearance.

As the ’60s came to an end, TV viewing habits started to change, and in 1971, “The Ed Sullivan Show” was canceled. Solt said, “The truth was, the show was still very strong in the talent, but Ed was getting a little, I think, tired.”

Smith asked, “How did he take it?”

“It broke his heart. He didn’t like the way it came down. He lived for Sunday at eight.”

Ed Sullivan died three years later, in 1974. He left behind more than a thousand hours of shows, on film and videotape. In 1990, Andrew Solt bought the archive, for a sum he’ll only hint at today: “Many millions. And we borrowed it all, and we spent all our life savings trying to get it. I was scared, but it worked out great.”

Andrew’s son, Josh Solt, joined his father’s business a few years ago, and is now CEO of SOFA Entertainment in Los Angeles. They’ve re-imagined “The Ed Sullivan Show” for DVDs, social media, and streaming, vastly improving the video and sound.

“We want future generations to watch it,” said Josh. “There are 69 Billboard #1 hits performed on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show.’ They’re 73 artists who appeared on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ who are now in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. So, it’s just an unbelievable amount of talent.”

Younger generations may know Ed Sullivan as simply the name on a theater in New York City, former home of David Letterman’s show and now Stephen Colbert’s. But the Solts see “The Ed Sullivan Show” as a treasure chest, with more gems yet to be revealed.

“It’s brought such joy to us,” said Andrew Solt. “And now honestly, we’re trying to share that joy because it’s going to live long after us. What’s amazing to me is we’re still finding stuff!”

Smith asked, “How long do you think that’s gonna go on?”

“I think until I drop!”

“We’re gonna be on ‘Ed Sullivan’!”- The cast of “Bye Bye Birdie” sings about their favorite host:

Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of the story which ran on Sunday, June 18, 2023. It has been edited to remove a portion in which one of the interview subjects now believes they may have misidentified themselves in archival footage from 1964. 

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Story produced by Jay Kernis. Editor: Steven Tyler.