On July 21, Netflix debuted a new documentary,  Sunday Best:  The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan .  I still remember growing up of watching the Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday nights.  So, as last night was Sunday night, I watched this new production. This all began as a radio program, Summer Silver Theater, that first aired on CBS in 1932, then in 1941, hosted by Ed Sullivan. This was first 15-minute gossipy talk-and-interview shows of Jack Benny Irving Berlin, Florenz Ziegfeld, etc. When it returned in 1941, it was called the Ed Sullivan Variety on CBS. From 1943-1944 as Ed Sullivan Entertains, a variety show on CBS. Then in 1946 as Ed Sullivan's Pipelines, a 15-minute program on the Blue Network. Finally, television. Toast of the Town on 20June1948. This first program featured comedians Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, singer Monica Lewis and Broadway composers Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II previewing the score to their then-new show,  South Pacific . This Bro...

I've dabbled on Edward Vincent Sullivan in the past, so for nostalgic Tuesday will feature him.  To begin, did you know this stiff, dour and awkward host was kind of good looking when younger?  Said Alan King:  Ed Sullivan can't sing, can't dance and can't tell a joke, but he does it better than anyone else. Actually, he was quite an athlete in high school and went on to become a sportswriter in Philadelphia, then moved to New York to cover Broadway and entertainment, transitioning to radio.  His first TV show was Toast of the Town in  1948, where he introduced a concert pianist, boxing referee, singing fireman, Richard Rogers/Oscar Hammerstein II and Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis.   Later called the Ed Sullivan Show, it had a 23-year run when many families spent Sunday nights, including mine, watching his acts.  Became known to highlight black performers, but the primary attraction was a hodge-podge of Elvis, Señor Wences, Beatles ( appeared 4 separate...