No, the word show has not been misspelled in the title. It was the commonly accepted way that impresario Ed Sullivan seemed to pronounce the word “show” over the years on his American TV program!
I have often wondered what individuals outside of the United States think about the fascination Americans, who are first-generation Beatles fans, hold for that Sunday evening of February 9, 1964, when the Beatles made their US television performing debut on an American variety show called the Ed Sullivan show. Today’s TV viewers would probably not be able to adequately explain or define what a variety show even is. That is due to the fragmentation of audiences across the world who have more specialized interests than the audiences of yesterday.
The days of the huge mass audiences for programs have been significantly reduced due to the multiplicity of choices being offered to consumers in present day society. Smart TVs can offer the TV consumer literally hundreds of choices of TV content. It is ironic that the medium that helped bring the country together in a sense of community following the tragedy & assassination of its President (Kennedy), now is fragmented and more isolated. I can remember a time when you would know who most of your next-door neighbors were and people would also keep their doors unlocked and would feel safe. You may call those notions a false or simply an ideal sense of nostalgia but regardless of whether those feelings are based in fiction or reality, those days in a practical sense are GONE!
A Wikipedia definition of a variety show:
“A variety show is a type of entertainment that combines multiple forms of performance into a single program. It typically includes musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, ventriloquism, and sometimes animal or circus acts, all presented in separate segments or acts, often introduced by a host or compère. The goal is to provide a broad range of entertainment to appeal to diverse audience tastes.”
This specialization and fragmentation of musical tastes may help to explain why mass appeal musical acts seem to be on the decline and why we may never again see the mass appeal superstars like the Beatles, Michael Jackson or even dare I say it, Taylor Swift in the future. Even the distribution of music is eliminating the desire and need for physical media as everything is going in the streaming direction
Yes, Ed Sullivan was indeed a variety show. The United States has just lost its President in Texas, and the national mood was very low. I remember in my third-grade classroom prior to the show several of the girls discussing the Sunday in February event coming soon. “Don’t forget to watch the Ed Sullivan show on Sunday night” was echoed by several voices in the classroom and ultimately, I was very happy that I did. My world and my life would never be the same again as well as millions of others
Many other countries had variety shows, and the Beatles were big in the UK and Germany before they were big in the US but the unusual set of circumstances that heralded the US debut of the band were unprecedented in their timing and historical context which made them unique to the rest of the world!
Many claims have been made over the years as to the number of people that viewed the Beatles first performance on American TV. Some say it was in excess of 73 million people (though that figure is also in dispute). Supposedly the crime rate in New Yor City was drastically reduced that night. Whether that observation was fact or fiction can probably be disputed but. what cannot be disputed was that the appearance was indeed a momentous television event that is still discussed to this very day. What was not known on that day was the lasting power that band from Liverpool would have on not only the progression of popular music but on the culture of the world.
TV networks dispute the debut of the Beatles on US TV
Though they did not appear live many believe the first appearance was on the Jack Paar show a month before the Sullivan show but that was not a live performance and though it was before the Sullivan show it was not the first!
The Beatles On The Jack Paar Show (Bournemouth Footage) – 3 January 1964
When Jack Paar Introduced America to The Beatles (Before Ed Sullivan)
Johnny Carson mentions the Beatles in Jan. of 1964
The Beatles Are Coming to the United States For Ed Sullivan and Johnny Is Ready – 1964
Walter Cronkite can lay claim to the claim to the first appearance (not live) and look at the date and what was to happen the very next day in Dallas, Texas!
The Beatles on CBS News, 21 November 1963
And another network lays claim though the video of the program no longer survives but the audio does:
The Beatles’ first appearance on American TV — NBC News
Though the date of the first appearance may be disputed what cannot be disputed is the Sullivan show had the greatest impact!
A few years ago, I was able to acquire Ed Sullivan’s signature in an old book about his Sunday variety show:
Ed Sullivan’s signature:
In a 1965 issue of Esquire magazine, Ed Sullivan made the cover in a Beatles wig, no less!
Years later the Sullivan estate licensed a DVD set to be released highlighting the complete shows featuring the Beatles, a truly fascinating time capsule!
Amazon US:
Amazon UK:
The late Vince Calandra stood in for George during rehearsals for the Sullivan show as George Harrison was ill:
Neil Aspinall also stood in for rehearsals of the Sullivan show as George Harrison was sick
The Ed Sullivan show was also known for the famous Italian mouse, named Topo Gigio, who also served a comedy function for the show. Later there were some overlaps between interest in the Beatles and the comic relief of the mouse…
Topo Gigio on The Ed Sullivan Show
Topo Gigio Impersonate The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show (10/04/1964)
Topo Gigio – Yellow Submarine (The Beatles Cover)
El Topo Gigio tiemblan The Beatles yesterday
Years later near the Ed of the Sullivan variety show, Sullivan had a special Beatles tribute show put together to highlight their fabulous career. Safe to say, many Beatles fans were not too impressed with the results:
The Ed Sullivan Show’s “The Beatles Songbook” TV Special [02/22/1970]
On the US hit TV series, Petticoat Junction, a female musical group was designed to milk the popularity of the Beatles. They were called The Ladybugs! They made an appearance on the Sullivan show!
The Ladybugs on the Ed Sullivan Show:
The Ladybugs “When I Saw Him Standing There” on The Ed Sullivan Show
Petticoat Junction Season 1 Episode 27 – The Ladybugs
The description of the Ladybug band obtained in a Copilot search:
“The Ladybugs are a fictional band. They were created for Season 1, Episode 27, of the TV series Petticoat Junction. The episode is titled “The Ladybugs.” The episode originally aired on Tuesday, March 24, 1964, two days after this live performance.
Synopsis “Beatlemania comes to Hooterville.” The Ladybugs are:
Jeannine Riley (Billy Jo Bradley, bass guitar, but she is playing it like a rhythm)
Pat Woodell (Bobbie Jo Bradley, vocals)
Linda Kaye Henning (Betty Jo Bradley, Drums)
Sheila James Kuehl (Sally Ragsdale, Lead Guitar, Zelda on the Many Loves of Doby Gillis)“
A Fan’s Recollection of being in the audience for the first Ed Sullivan appearance:
Debbie Gendler produced an excellent book of her memories of attending the first Ed Sullivan performance and of her many additional Beatles memories:
I Saw Them Standing There: Adventures of an Original Fan during Beatlemania and Beyond
by Debbie Gendler (Author), Robb Weller (Foreword) Format: Paperback
AMAZON DESCRIPTION:
“After February 9, 1964, everyone wanted to be Debbie Gendler. On that date, she was just one of a relative handful of lucky fans who were in the live audience for The Beatles’ historic performance on The Ed Sullivan Show―an iconic television event viewed in the living rooms of 73 million Americans. Everyone has a story to share about where they were when they watched the appearance, but very few were there in person―and even fewer would actually go on not just to meet the Beatles, but end up building an entire career around the band. But Debbie did.
This is the story of a New Jersey teenager who managed to accomplish what millions only dreamed about. Prior to the Beatles arrival in America, Gendler met with the group’s manager Brian Epstein regarding the establishment of a U.S. Fan Club. At the start of the Beatles’ historic 1965 summer tour, she was the only teen to welcome them to America, and after their press conference at The Warwick Hotel she finally meets them in person.
Continuing her journey, Debbie recounts her unique and sometimes wacky experiences having witnessed first-hand some of the most historic events in pop culture. She shares concert antics from Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Shea Stadium and Suffolk Downs and describes the mayhem outside the Plaza Hotel and later that year at the Delmonico Hotel chanting for the Beatles. Organizing fans to sleep on Broadway to purchase tickets for A Hard Day’s Night, representing the Official Beatles Fan Club on television, and promoting the Ringo for President novelty record are just some of the requests she fulfilled as one of the band’s leading ambassadors in the US. This coming-of-age tale details the adolescent journey of a devoted Beatles fan in all her youthful innocence against the backdrop of the turbulent 1960s, and a shifting cultural landscape.”
Amazon US:
Amazon UK:
Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis produced this film about a group of fans trying to hoodwink their arrival to view live of the first Sullivan appearance of the Beatles:
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
Amazon US:
Amazon UK:
I Wanna Hold Your Hand [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]: Amazon.co.uk: DVD & Blu-ray
Several individuals reflect on that historic night:
Ed Sullivan Reveals What He Thought of The Beatles When He First Met Them
Mitzi Gaynor on appearing on Ed Sullivan’s show with The Beatles – TelevisionAcademy.com/Interviews
The Beatles Are Coming to the United States For Ed Sullivan and Johnny Is Ready – 1964
Beatles w/ Ed Sullivan Interview 1964
These Women Were At The Beatles’ First Performance In America And Their Stories Are Amazing
Mitzi McCall & Charlie Brill Recall FOLLOWING the Beatles on ED SULLIVAN
Vince Calandra on the Beatles’ first US TV appearance
Davy Jones of The Monkees tells about Watching The Beatles backstage at the Ed Sullivan Show
Wish I could adequately convey the MAGIC of that evening to the younger generations. To quote John Lennon in 1975 when he released his Rock ‘n’ Roll album of oldies, “You Should’a Been There.”
Be happy and be healthy!
Buzz
I clearly remember the night of February 9, 1964. Everyone watched Sullivan every Sunday evening in the US, but all the kids knew The Beatles were going to be on. I sat on the floor, as close to the TV as possible, and when I turned around to confirm how great they were with my parents, both my mom and my dad were looking at me in complete bafflement. We got it. Grown-ups didn’t (and it had nothing to do with the Kennedy situation, as some contend).
Though the Kennedy analysis can be debated based on the age of individual, one thing is certain, the youth was beginning to get a stronger voice in what they liked and what they thought was important! I remember the 50s mentality and one was never to question authority. That was to change!