"Toast of the Town" (1948) TV series 1948-1971

Director:

Kenneth Whelan

Writers:

Jerry Bresler (writer)
Lyn Duddy (writer)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25

Release Date:

20 June 1948 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Music

Plot:

The classic prime time variety show most famous for its vaudeville acts and its rock music performances.

Plot Keywords:

Variety | Audience Participation | Non Fiction

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Ed Sullivan

...

Himself - Host / ... (1,054 episodes, 1948-1971)

Also Known As:

The Ed Sullivan Show (USA) (new title)
You're the Top (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (1965-1971) | Black and White (1948-1965)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-G

Filming Locations:

CBS Television City - 7800 Beverly Blvd., Fairfax, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Trivia:

Comedian Jackie Mason was banned from the show by Ed Sullivan for what was mistaken as an obscene middle finger gesture directed at him by Mason during his performance. There had been an interruption to the live show for a speech by President Lyndon Johnson during Mason's performance, and Sullivan was off stage holding up two fingers signaling Mason to finish in two minutes. Mason thumbed his nose at Sullivan, but Sullivan mistook the hand gesture and was visibly upset. A feud erupted between the two, and Mason sued Sullivan for libel for reporting it in his newspaper column. Years later, Sullivan forgave Mason, invited him to appear on the show again, and apologized to him on the air. Mason dropped the libel suit and appeared a few more times. But according to Mason the incident did much damage to his career which did not recover until the 1980s.

Quotes:

[Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby are singing "Road to Morocco", when Frank spots Bob Hope walking down the stairs at the back of the stage]
Frank: Run for the hills.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Santa Clause (1994)

Soundtrack:

Mahna Mahna

Ed Really Had A Really Big Show... ***1/2

Toast of the Town was another Sunday night specialty of CBS. What a great show that was with Daily News syndicated columnist, Ed Sullivan, headlining a memorable show. The show was produced by his son-in-law Bob Precht.

Ed always gave an opportunity for has beens to be on. Who can forget Senor Wenses, the mime? He had the last laugh by dying over the age of 100 several years ago.

Remember the various imitations of Sullivan? The imitators would clasp their hands or stretch them. They'd always say that we have a really big "shoe" here.

Ed would never forget those stars of yesteryear from his audience. A brief segment would be devoted to having a star of the past stand up in the audience when their name was called. I remember Lillian Roth's name being called out and she stood up. This was either around the time that her biography "I'll Cry Tomorrow" came out or when the great film starring Susan Hayward came out.

What made "The Toast of the Town" so good was the variety of acts that came out. Obviously, Sullivan spared no expense in hiring show people.

The show began with a rousing dance routine with a great theme played. "The Toast of the Town" was a great part of the New York scene of the late 1950s and 1960s.