A thousand Sundays: The story of the Ed Sullivan show

by Jerry G. Bowles

1980, Putnam's, NY. Hardcover volume, 229 pages, b&w photo gallery. For 23 years, from June 1948 to June 1971, on CBS, Ed Sullivan hosted a most successful variety program. Sullivan himself was a writer, a columnist who was not comfortable in front of the camera. His voice was high pitched, and he looked very uneasy, but he put on the best names in show business week after week and here is his story, a long list of the famous and not so famous who graced the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theatre. This book is fascinating because it shows the highlights of appearances by the Beatles, Elvis, comics who mocked the man, jugglers, whistlers, and a whole procession of some very odd acts.

229 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Subtitled The Story of the Ed Sullivan Show, Jerry Bowles’s slim A Thousand Sundays is less a story than it is a series of Sullivan Show anecdotes. This is fine, as some of the anecdotes are good ones, if in a creaky, showbiz sort of way (Sullivan’s variety show aired from 1948 to 1971). The classic moments are here: Elvis, the Beatles, and tiffs with Steve Allen, Jack Parr, and Jackie Mason, but I probably got a bigger kick out of learning about, and then looking for old footage of, more forgotten acts like Arnold Dover, Leon Bibb, and the Moiseyev Dance Troupe.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting stories here, and insight into how TV got made. The Jack Paar feud is the real centerpiece, but this is mostly a collection of anecdotes that might have been more engaging on audio. A good book for the guest room, the beach cabin, or your night stand when you can't fall asleep.

[Victoria & David Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1971, in what became known as 'the rural purge', CBS dropped such perennials as Lassie, Green Acres, Mayberry R.F.D., Petticoat Junction, Hee Haw, and The Beverly Hillbillies. They also dropped Hogan's Heroes and Ed Sullivan. It was a really big deal. The Sullivan show and the 70 year old Ed were both past their prime but in their 23 year run they had been a Sunday evening force to be reckoned with. Just ask Elvis Presley. Or the Beatles. Or Topo Gigio. This book is a pleasant read about how it all came about.

[MagicDave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a couple of other books about the Ed Sullivan show. They mostly covered the show and its performers. This book, however, captured the feel of what it was like to be backstage and behind the scenes of what was, arguably, the greatest variety show in television history.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up watching The Ed Sullivan show, I found this story very intriguing.