"The Ed Sullivan Show" Celebrates Its 60th Anniversary-- Stiller & Meara Interview Now Online

The Ed Sullivan Show was a Sunday night fixture from the moment most Americans bought their first television sets through 1971, when, after 1,087 shows over 23 years, it went off the air on May 30th.

Ed Sullivan was a columnist for the New York Daily News, and despite what many considered an awkward stage presence, he became a television star, memorable for the immortal line, "we've got a really big shew." Sullivan was voted one of the 50 Greatest TV Stars of All-Time by TV Guide in 1996. They described him thusly: "Sullivan's puckered syntax was an impressionist's delight, and his body language was so tense and herky-jerky he made Richard Nixon seem like Nureyev.... [but he] was, for all intents and purposes, nothing less than America's minister of culture."

The Ed Sullivan Show indeed saw a myriad of the top talent of the day appear on its stage. For every novelty act there was the greatest classical, comedy, stage, or musical performer. Possibly the most famous appearance in the show's history occurred on February 9, 1964— when the Beatles made their American television debut.

The Ed Sullivan Show was initially called The Toast of the Town (its name through 1955) when it debuted on June 20, 1948. Among the guests were Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, and Variety noted "CBS was guilty again, however, of permitting them to give out with some blue material, okay for their nitery work but certainly not for the tele."

A fixture of the show in its earliest broadcasts were the June Taylor Dancers. So famed did the June Taylor Dancers become, that when the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences first bestowed an Emmy Award for Best Choreography, in 1953, it was June Taylor who won (for The Jackie Gleason Show).

The Archive of American Television has interviewed many individuals who worked in front of and behind-the-scenes on The Ed Sullivan Show. Among those interviewees are: choreographer June Taylor, talent booker Vince Calandra, and director John Moffitt; among the performers: Marge Champion, Mike Douglas, Jerry Stiller & Anne Meara, and Andy Williams.

Jerry Stiller & Anne Meara were interviewed separately about their extensive television careers and together to discuss their collaborative work— notably as guests 36 times on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Interview Description for Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara:

Stiller and Meara described how they met as working actors in New York City. They talked about getting together as an act and their many appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. They described their comedy routines and the interaction they had with Ed Sullivan himself. Stiller talked about his notable work in such long form productions as Seize the Day. He then spoke in detail about the role for which he is most associated, “Frank Costanza” on Seinfeld, as well as his regular appearance as “Arthur Spooner” on The King of Queens. For these series he gave his impressions of working with the regular cast members and for Seinfeld he talked about such notable epsiodes as “The Doorman,” “The Fusilli Jerry,” and “The Strike.” Meara talked about her later work that included the regular role of “Veronica Rooney” on Archie Bunker’s Place and a recurring role on HBO’s Sex and the City.

Comedian George Carlin Has Died -- Archive Interview Excerpt Online

George Carlin, whose career as a stand-up comedian is legendary, but who also appeared on his own sitcom and was the very first host of Saturday Night Live, has died at the age of 71. He is a five-time Emmy nominee for his specials and received Daytime Emmy nominations for the children's show Shining Time Station.

The Archive interviewed Carlin just last December; his interview can be viewed at Academy headquarters and an excerpt is viewable online here.



Full interview description:

Comedian George Carlin described his early comedic talents and how, as a teenager, he would record bits on a tape recorder and play them back for friends. He talked about his influences from the movies (particularly Danny Kaye’s films) and early television (such as the variety series Broadway Open House) on his comic sensibilities. He then chronicled his early life through the Air Force, as a disk jockey, and as half of a comedy team with Jack Burns, that led to his first professional appearance on television on Jack Paar’s Tonight Show. He noted the various “breaks” along the way that got him seen and furthered his career. He talked about going solo and working as a stand-up comedian for several years before he got back into making television appearances on such programs as The Ed Sullivan Show. He spoke in detail about his infamous “Seven Dirty Words” monologue and the FCC case that resulted from it (filed against WBAI radio, for obscenity). He recalled his appearance as the very first host of Saturday Night Live. He talked about his HBO specials and how they resurrected his career. He touched on his later work as an actor in Kevin Smith’s movies and on such shows as the PBS series Shining Time Station, which earned him two Daytime Emmy nominations as Outstanding Performer in a Children’s Series.

Get Smart on the Big Screen

Steve Carell has filled the shoe phone of Maxwell Smart, Agent 86, made famous by Don Adams in the 1965-70 series, for the new Get Smart movie. Although, sadly, we missed interviewing Don Adams by that much, would you believe we have interviews with executive producer Leonard Stern, producer Jay Sandrich, and Agent 99 herself Barbara Feldon? Would you believe the best boy and the script girl? What about a stand-in and an extra from the third episode?

Watch these videos of Archive interviewees talking about the original series, by clicking on the links below.

First, Tom Poston remembers how the script for Get Smart, was originally written for him. Leonard Stern adds that the network turned it down, but after they revised the script for Don Adams it was later picked up.

Then, Barbara Feldon (Agent 99) talks about being cast in the role after producers spotted her in a commercial for Chemstrand carpets, and then later, Executive Producer Leonard Stern realized there might be a problem since she was so much taller than her co-star, Don Adams.

Few know that Don Adams' character, including many of the catch-phrases from the show, such as "would you believe?", came from the pen of writer-comedian and Archive interviewee Bill Dana. After writing for Adams' standup routines in the 1950s, Dana enhanced the character's stringent delivery, based on William Powell in "The Thin Man", for a character Adams' played on The Bill Dana Show--Hotel inspector Byron Glick.

Would you believe Bill Dana's brother, Irving Szathmary, wrote the theme music for Get Smart? True!

Legendary Dancer Cyd Charisse Has Died

Archive interviewee Cyd Charisse, who appeared in such classic MGM musicals as Singin' in the Rain and The Band Wagon, and hosted her own NBC variety series Meet Cyd Charisse, has died at age 87.

Charisse and husband Tony Martin also appeared on many variety series on television including The Hollywood Palace.

Link to Cyd Charisse's Reuters obituary.

Link to official Cyd Charisse site with biographical information and lots of photos from her life and career.

Cyd Charisse's full Archive interview can be viewed at Archive headquarters and will be online soon. Click here to see Part 2 of the four-part interview:

Interview Description:
Charisse talked about her start as a dancer for the Ballet Russe. She described in detail her 14 year tenure under contract at MGM studios, appearing as a dancer in such film classics as Ziegfeld Follies, Singin' in the Rain, The Band Wagon, and Silk Stockings. Charisse described the fertile training ground MGM offered for nurturing the talents they had under contract. She talked about her many television appearances including the specials Meet Cyd Charisse, Perry Como’s Kraft Music Hall, and the Bob Hope Specials, as well as her multiple appearances with her husband Tony Martin on the variety series The Hollywood Palace.

The TVLand Awards: A Sneak Preview!

Sunday marked the 6th Annual TV Land Awards, and the Archive was represented in full effect!

Archive staff attended the gala event, held in Santa Monica, which airs this Sunday June 15 on TvLand, one of our sponsor partners.

Many of our Archive Interviewees were honored, including a special tribute to producer Garry Marshall, and the Golden Girls' Bea Arthur, Betty White, and Rue McClanahan!

Jonathan Winters (pictured here with Archive Digital Projects Manager Jenni Matz) was given the "Pioneer Award" by Robin Williams, and Mike Meyers was on-hand to receive a "Legacy of Laughter" award from Justin Timberlake.

The day began with a red carpet gala with special guests from Barry Williams to Cindy Williams. We spotted Get Smart's original 'Agent 99', Barbara Feldon, Star Trek's William Shatner, and 'The Fonz'-- Henry Winkler!

En route from the parking lot I bumped into Dick Van Dyke, who was gracious enough to thank ME for remembering HIM from his interview.

We can't spill the beans on ALL the surprises the night brought, but be sure to tune in to see it all.

Tim Russert Dies At Age 58-- Archive Interview Online

The Archive is saddened by the sudden death of newsman Tim Russert. Russert was interviewed on the set of Meet the Press by the Archive in 2003.

Click here to access his Archive interview.

Interview description:
Russert spoke about his early years growing up in Buffalo, NY and his decision to go to law school. He then spoke about his transition to television news, joining NBC News in 1984 as vice president -- working very closely with his mentor, NBC president Lawrence Grossman. In 1988, he became the Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief of NBC News and in 1991 he joined Meet the Press as its moderator. He spoke about his meeting with Meet the Press co-creator Lawrence Spivak and outlined his philosophy for moderating a news interview show. He also spoke about what he considered the biggest news story of his career to-date, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on America. The interview was conducted by Karen Herman on October 12, 2003.

Emmy magazine features interviewee Paris Barclay

Pick up the latest copy of emmy to read an excerpt from our interview with television director Paris Barclay, where he discusses his early experiences in theater and music videos, through his acclaimed work over the last two decades in television drama. He comments on his work as a guest director on a number of drama series in the mid-90s, notably ER and speaks in great detail about his extensive work as a director of the police drama NYPD Blue and the political drama The West Wing. Johnson was interviewed for the Archive last year by Karen Herman. For more information about our interviews and to view many online, click here!



Additionally, Archive interview Vince Calandra was featured in emmy's article about the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, "You Say You Want a Revolution." Calandra was a talent coordinator for the show when the Beatles made their historic appearance.

Sportscaster Jim McKay has Died - Archive Interview Online

American sports journalist and broadcaster Jim McKay (1921-2008) has died at age 86.

McKay was well-known for hosting ABC's Wide World of Sports with the introductory line "...the thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat" , but perhaps was best-known for his historic and humanistic coverage of the Munich Massacre at the 1972 Olympic Games, when 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and then killed.

McKay discusses his career, and these landmark events in his 6-part Archive interview:

Click here to view Part 1
Click here to view Part 2
Click here to view Part 3
Click here to view Part 4
Click here to view Part 5
Click here to view Part 6

Detailed Interview Description:
Jim McKay was interviewed for nearly three hours in Monkton, MD. McKay talked about starting his career in 1947 at WMAR-TV in Baltimore. He went on to work with producer Roone Arledge at the beginning of ABC's Wide World of Sports, staying nearly four decades with the job as the show's host and commentator. McKay hosted the network's coverage of the Olympic Games for over 30 years, including his critical coverage of the terrorist hostages and killings that interrupted the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. The interview was conducted by Gerry Sandusky on October 28, 1998.

New "Password" on CBS-- Watch Original Show Creator Bob Stewart's Archive Interview Online

CBS has launched a new nighttime version of the classic game show Password, with Regis Philbin. The Mark Goodson-Bill Todman production started in CBS daytime on October 2, 1961, created by game show guru Bob Stewart, who the Archive interviewed in 1998. Allen Ludden was the show's host and it was on this show that he met his future wife, actress Betty White, who was a frequent guest.











Bob Stewart talks about the creation of Password at 9 minutes into Part 4 of his Archive interview.











Ira Skutch, a longtime associate of Goodson-Todman talks about Bob Stewart at 16 minutes into Part 5 of his Archive interview.








Betty White talks about meeting Allen Ludden through Password at 20 minutes into Part 2 of her Archive interview.









And remember when Felix Unger and Oscar Madison made an ill-fated appearance on Password? Click here for the origin of that famous Odd Couple episode.

Producer Robert Justman Has Died -- Archive Interview Online

Robert Justman, who was an associate producer of the original Star Trek series and co-authored a definitive volume on the series (Inside Star Trek: The Real Story) has died at the age of 81.

Robert Justman's four hour interview is available online. Click here to access.

Interview description:
Justman talked about breaking into the entertainment industry as a production assistant in low budget feature films. Justman discussed his entrance into television as a second assistant director starting with the series The Adventures of Superman. Justman described his continued work in television where he moved up to first assistant director and unit production manager on such series as The Outer Limits. He discussed in great detail his work as an associate producer on the classic science fiction series Star Trek and its later incarnation Star Trek: The Next Generation (for which he served as the supervising producer in its first season). For Star Trek he discussed working with creator Gene Roddenberry, talked about the cast members, and described memorable episodes.