It was an ordinary day. Reading in the latest REMIND magazine a story about a fellow named Ed Sullivan. Remember him? For many reading this story, I'm almost positive that many of you never heard of him or saw him on night-time TV. The story I recently read about him stated that he had a face for radio, yet CBS recruited him for their new televised variety show known as "Toast of the Town" that first appeared on TV in 1948. His face reminded you of a fire-and-brimstone preacher who rarely cracked a smile. But, he actually was a former star athlete, journalist and popular radio host who eventually spent 25 years as American television's most trusted family entertainer. He once said that when the cameras came barreling in on him, rigor mortis set in! Sullivan always looked like he went to bed by 8:00 PM. He was a middle-aged dad and grandpa who had a sixth sense and open mind about the most popular acts of the day for all generations, and a guest-censoring authoritarian who wasn't afraid to change his mind, inviting the Rolling Stones back just months after they upstaged him, and calling Elvis "a real decent fine boy." Mr. Sullivan actually had a face for radio, but CBS recruited him to host their new televised variety show Toast of the Town in 1948. Before long, Sullivan had made the show his own, and, befitting his power in Hollywood, Toast of the Town was officially renamed The Ed Sullivan Show in 1955. Several high-profile people said he couldn't tell a joke, couldn't dance, couldn't sing, but he does it better than anyone else! In 1955, Time Magazine wrote "He moves like a sleepwalker, his smile is that of a man sucking lemons, his speech is frequently lost in a thicket of syntax, his eyes pop from their sockets or sink so deep in their bags that they seem to be peering up at the camera from the bottom of twin wells. But, instead of frightening children...Ed Sullivan charms the whole family." One thing that Sullivan did do was see talent and he was well known for overlooking skin color when it came to booking gusto for his show. He literally and figuratively embraced Black talent such as Harry Belafonte, Sammy Davis Jr., The Jackson 5, Pearl Bailey, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Flip Wilson, Richard Pryor and Diana Ross. Ed was determined to book the best talent possible, thus he battled with the network bosses at times. Some of the talent that he was able to book for the network was Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Hank Williams, Bob Hope, The Beatles, the Singing Nun, Shari Lewis with puppets Lamb Chop and Topo Gigio, plus Broadway, opera and ballet talent. Another thing that Sullivan was able to do was laugh at himself and his many goof-ups. He encouraged comedians to mimic his speech pattern and stiff mannerisms. But, when "The Beatles" demanded their travel expenses be covered in addition to a $10,000 fee, Sullivan only agreed if they would commit to not just one but three performances. My wife and I watched the Ed Sullivan Show just about every chance we had. It was almost like watching a comedian when Ed Sullivan was on the screen. At first, we thought he was trying to be funny, but then we realized that he really couldn't sing, dance, or tell a "real" joke. Luckily, Sullivan had the ability to laugh at himself and his many goof-ups. And that's probably what made him so adorable to many viewers. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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