Ed Sullivan
Sunday night emcee
Ed Sullivan was an American television host who presided over a landmark variety show from 1948 to 1971.
The program, eventually called *The Ed Sullivan Show*, introduced American audiences to Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and countless other performers.
Sullivan's stiff demeanor and awkward introductions became iconic: a really big show.
His name evokes midcentury broadcast entertainment and the power of television to shape popular culture.
One receiving guests
- emceeCeremony host
- master of ceremoniesEvent's lead announcer
- presenterOne who delivers content
- introducerOne who presents another
showman · promoter · tastemaker · gatekeeper · booker · curator · discoverer · star-maker
Major television and radio network
- SundayFirst or seventh day
- primetimeTelevision's highest-viewership period
- broadcastTransmitted media signal
- ratingsEvaluative scores assigned
viewership · Nielsen · black-and-white · 1960s · network · airtime · telecast · live
Iconic sixties rock quartet
- ElvisRock and roll monarch
- British InvasionSixties UK music takeover
- rock and rollRhythm-heavy fifties pop
- debutFirst public appearance
breakthrough · mainstream · exposure · controversy · censorship · integration · Motown · television history
Theatrical variety entertainment
- cabaretLive entertainment venue
- revueMusical variety entertainment
- actsDeeds or play sections
- jugglersMulti-object tossing artists
acrobats · magicians · comedians · singers · dancers · ventriloquists · puppeteers · animal acts
Early explorer or settler
- trailblazerFirst to forge ahead
- iconPictorial screen symbol
- institutionEstablished organization or custom
- golden agePeriod of peak prosperity
nostalgia · influential · groundbreaking · historic · hall of fame · commemorated · tribute · syndication
host
One receiving guests
- emceeCeremony host
- master of ceremoniesEvent's lead announcer
- presenterOne who delivers content
introducer · showman · promoter · tastemaker · gatekeeper · booker · curator · discoverer · star-maker · talent scout
CBS
Major television and radio network
- SundayFirst or seventh day
- primetimeTelevision's highest-viewership period
- broadcastTransmitted media signal
ratings · viewership · Nielsen · black-and-white · 1960s · network · airtime · telecast · live · schedule
Beatles
Iconic sixties rock quartet
- ElvisRock and roll monarch
- British InvasionSixties UK music takeover
- rock and rollRhythm-heavy fifties pop
debut · breakthrough · mainstream · exposure · controversy · censorship · integration · Motown · television history · watershed
vaudeville
Theatrical variety entertainment
jugglers · acrobats · magicians · comedians · singers · dancers · ventriloquists · puppeteers · animal acts · medley
pioneer
Early explorer or settler
- trailblazerFirst to forge ahead
- iconPictorial screen symbol
- institutionEstablished organization or custom
golden age · nostalgia · influential · groundbreaking · historic · hall of fame · commemorated · tribute · syndication · clips
- 1950s IconsElvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Lucille Ball, Audrey Hepburn
- ElvisGraceland, jumpsuit, Hound Dog, the King, Heartbreak Hotel
- TV PioneersLucille Ball, Johnny Carson, Walter Cronkite, Fred Rogers, Rod Serling
- Irish AmericansJoe Biden, John F. Kennedy, Kennedy family, Eugene O'Neill, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Ed SullivanElvis Presley
The Beatles · plate spinner · stand-up comedian · circus act · variety act
Ed SullivanJohnny Carson
Ed SullivanLenny Bruce
Andy Kaufman · George Carlin · Smothers Brothers · counterculture icon · Timothy Leary