"Toast of the Town"...
If you were lucky enough to be alive and have a television on this date 57 years ago, you would have witnessed the debut of a nervous, stoic, stone-faced newspaper reporter who would become a TV icon. Ed Sullivan opened his first "really big shew" with a potpourri of talent in the wings. His initial offering of guests on "Toast of the Town" numbered songwriters Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, the top comedy team in America, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, some plate twirlers, acrobats, unicyclists and of course, the June Taylor Dancers. The only change made on the show that dominated TV on Sunday nights for 23 years was its name which would change to "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1955.
Throughout the years we laughed with Ed and his marionette mouse, Topo Gigio, ventriloquist Senor Wences (who made 20 appearances) and stared in amazement at the host of jugglers, plate twirlers, knife throwers, acrobats and animal acts but oh what guests...Elvis Presley made 3 appearances as did The Beatles. It didn't matter if you were an opera singer or a baseball player, if you were famous, you were on. Ed Sullivan loved comedians and our research shows that Canadian comics Wayne & Shuster made 58 appearances followed by Jack Carter with 49, Myron Cohen (47) and Alan King (37). Diva Roberta Peters made 41 appearances and Pearl Bailey, 23.
Ed Sullivan exposed more talent than any other host in TV history. If you were alive from June 20, 1948 through June 6, 1971, you were watching Ed Sullivan every Sunday night at 8. Read my commentary for a personal view of Mr. Sullivan...
When Ed Sullivan debuted in 1948:
Cars cost $1,550...
Gas was 26 cents a gallon...
You could buy a house for $13,500...
Bread was 14 cents a loaf...
Milk was 86 cents a gallon...
Minimum wage was 40 cents an hour...
Average annual salary was $3,600...
Only one in ten Americans owned a television...
More June 20 Memories...
1948) "Toast of the Town" debuts...
1960) Floyd Patterson regains heavyweight crown by knocking out Ingemar Johansson...
1963) U.S. and Russia agree to set up a hot line...
1963) The Mets beat the Yankees in their first Mayor's Trophy game...
1964) The Dixie Cups are #1 with "Chapel of Love"...
1965) #1 song: "Mr. Tambourine Man" by the Byrds...
1977) Marvin Gaye tops the charts with "Got to Give It Up"...
1980) Roberto Duran wins welterweight title from Sugar Ray Leonard...
Happy Birthday...
1931) Olympia Dukakis...
1940) John ("Frazier") Mahoney...
1942) Brian Wilson...
1946) Anne Murray...
1946) Bob ("This Old House") Vila...
1949) Lionel Richie...
1952) John Goodman...
1953) Cyndi Lauper...
1967) Nicole Kidman...
Commentary...
I met Ed Sullivan when I came back to New York City in 1972 as Program Director of WOR-FM. Little did I know that Ed and his wife Sylvia had an apartment in the Delmonico Hotel, where I was staying before bringing my family to New York from Boston. To my shock I stood in awe as the elevator door opened in the lobby and there, dressed to the nines were Ed and Sylvia Sullivan. I blocked their exit, standing there mesmerized before muttering a feeble introduction. They were unimpressed but polite and went on their way. I would run into Ed Sullivan on two other occasions when he spoke at radio luncheons that I attended and found him to be an unassuming and humble person. In short, he was just a regular guy, this icon of television. When he spoke publically he was surprisingly a potty mouth with lots of funny jokes. Ed Sullivan rose from obscure newspaper columnist to the "Toast of The Town" and it all started on this date, June 20, 1948...
Beau Raines was a name I ommitted from the list of people who had some kind words about this blog, forgive me Beau and of course I remember you playing a hand in the early days of WRKO's history...
The original News Director of WRKO and best News Director I ever had the fortune of having as Program Director is doing a one-hour block on WNTK, Lebanon, NH, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6:05pm to 7pm. Check out Roger Allan on WNTK @ www.wntk.com
