• Stumble Upon
  • Reddit
  • Digg
 

How Ed Sullivan Brought Culture To America

text sizeAAA
May 10, 2009

If you were on The Ed Sullivan Show, you had arrived. The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Van Cliburn, Lucille Ball, Bing Crosby — a legendary list of luminaries spanned an incredible range of pop culture, from puppets, dancing bears and spinning plates to Broadway, opera, classical music and ballet. Even newsmakers like Cuba's Fidel Castro showed up as guests on the show, which ran from 1948 to 1971.

Bernie Ilson was Ed Sullivan's press representative in the 1960s, and host Liane Hansen speaks with him about his new book, Sundays with Sullivan: How the Ed Sullivan Show Brought Elvis, the Beatles, and Culture to America.

 
  • Stumble Upon
  • Reddit
  • Digg
 

Podcast and RSS Feeds

PodcastRSS

  • Books
     
  • Weekend Edition Sunday
     
 
 

Comments

Discussions for this story are now closed. Please see the Community FAQ for more information.

 

What We're Reading: Nov. 24 - 30, 2009

Michael Crichton's pirates; stories by Alice Munro and Ha Jin; and a history of space exploration.

view series

Purchase Featured Books

Sundays with Sullivan: How the Ed Sullivan Show Brought Elvis, the Beatles, and Culture to America

NPR Bestseller Lists: A Survey Of Independent Bookstores Nationwide

get the lists

Books

If you've always believed you can learn anything from a book, this year's cookbooks prove you right.

The 11 Best Cookbooks Of 2009

If you've always believed you can learn anything from a book, this year's cookbooks prove you right.

These volumes will be gracing coffee tables long after the lights and wrapping paper are gone.

Big And Beautiful: Best Gift Books of 2009

These volumes will be gracing coffee tables long after the lights and wrapping paper are gone.

Our reviewer picks books the highlights of the year: everything from sci-fi to Norman Rockwell.

Alan Cheuse's Book Picks To Warm A Winter's Night

Our reviewer picks books the highlights of the year: everything from sci-fi to Norman Rockwell.

Michael Crichton's pirates; stories by Alice Munro and Ha Jin; and a history of space exploration.

What We're Reading: Nov. 24 - 30, 2009

Michael Crichton's pirates; stories by Alice Munro and Ha Jin; and a history of space exploration.

James Ellroy recommends <em>From Here to Eternity</em>'s damned landscape: Hawaii before Pearl Harbor.

Damned 'From Here To Eternity'

James Ellroy recommends From Here to Eternity's damned landscape: Hawaii before Pearl Harbor.

America's Finest News Source has released a book celebrating its 21 years of satire (with a wink).

'The Onion': Mocking All Who Deserve It Since 1988

America's Finest News Source has released a book celebrating its 21 years of satire (with a wink).

Sen. John Ensign, Rep. Bart Stupak and Rep. Joe Pitts: All three policymakers are in the fellowship.

The Secret Political Reach Of 'The Family'

Sen. John Ensign, Rep. Bart Stupak and Rep. Joe Pitts: All three policymakers are in the fellowship.

more