“Sunday Best” on Netflix Tells the Fascinating Story of Ed Sullivan

 

Recently I watched one of the best documentaries I have seen in years. I knew very little about Ed Sullivan and his show, since he went off the air 2 years after I was born. When I think of his show, I think of the iconic appearances by The Beatles in the 1960s and Elvis in the 1950s. I have seen clips of The Doors and The Rolling Stones appearing on his show as well. Censorship played a role on this show. Elvis was to be shot only from the waist up, due to his gyrating hips. The Doors were instructed to change the lyric “Girl we couldn’t get much higher” to “Girl, we couldn’t get much better.” Jim Morrison originally said he would do this, but on the show he sang the original lyric, which was viewed as a drug reference. The Doors were banned from doing the show again. The Rolling Stones were told not to sing “Let’s spend the night together” and change it to “Let’s spend some time together.” Mich Jagger gave in, but he rolled his eyes as he sang the sanitized lyrics.  For 23 years, from 1948 to 1971, The Ed Sullivan Show yielded high ratings for CBS, every Sunday night.

Sullivan was born in Harlem New York in 1901. At that point, the neighborhood was largely Jewish and Irish, with Sullivan being the latter. These groups faced discrimination, and Sullivan was one who wanted to stick up for the underdog during his lifetime.

He worked as a newspaper columnist and a radio host before getting into television. His delivery on television was awkward, but he gained a following as someone who provided a forum for all people via his variety show. Many comedians did impressions of his unique posture and peculiar way of talking, including John Byner, Rich Little, Johnny Carson and Joan Rivers.

Even when it was controversial in the 1950s, especially in the Southern states, Sullivan welcomed many black performers to his stage. Over the years, his show featured Bo Diddley, Fats Domino, Nat King Cole, Harry Belafonte, Pearl Bailey and Motown artists such as Stevie Wonder, The Jackson Five and The Supremes. Sullivan said he despised intolerance since as an Irish Catholic he had faced that in his life. So, Sullivan was an important figure in the civil rights movement.

Sullivan’s show went off the air in 1971 and he died in 1974. His venue was named the Ed Sullivan Theater and was the home of David Letterman and Stephen Colbert’s late-night programs.

 

 

 

 

At the Copa...

When I recently read the book "Dean and Me: A Love Story" by Jerry Lewis, I noticed that spoke highly of their days performing at New York's Copacabana Club. Between 1946 and 1956, no one was bigger in show business than Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. Their final performance together was at the club in 1956.

In May of 1964, Sammy Davis Jr. broke all attendance records at the club.

The club opened in 1940 in Manhattan, at 10 East 60th Street. Although his name was not on the lease, a partner in the club was powerful mob boss Frank Costello. It remained at the 60th Street location for over 50 years. In 1992, it moved to 57th Street. In 2001, it moved to 34th Street. Since 2011, the Copa has been located in Times Square on 47th Street.

The 1978 song "Copacabana" by Barry Manilow reignited interest in the club. A 1947 film of the same name starred Groucho Marx and Carmen Miranda. It has been a setting for many well known more recent films, such as Good Fellas, Raging Bull, The Purple Rose of Cairo and Carlito's Way.

Many famous recordings were taped there such as "Sam Cooke at the Copa" and "The Supremes at the Copa".

*Some information from en.wikipedia.org.