''The Ed Sullivan Show '' is an American old-time radio program. More precisely, it is a name that can be applied to any of four programs that were broadcast in 1932, 1941, 1943–1944, and 1946. The first three were on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

, and the last was on the Blue Network. As the title implies, the host of the program was

Ed Sullivan Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television personality, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New Yor ...

, who was then known for his work as a columnist for the '' New York Daily News''.

1932

Sullivan's first program, described as "a series of gossipy talk-and-interview shows", was known for introducing people to the radio audience. Among those making their radio debuts on this 15-minute program were

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success playing violin on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century wit ...

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russ ...

George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

Jack Pearl Jack Pearl (born Jack Perlman; October 29, 1894 – December 25, 1982) was a vaudeville performer and a star of early radio. He was best known for his character Baron Munchausen. Vaudeville and early films Born in New York, Pearl debuted as a ...

, and Florenz Ziegfeld. The show was first broadcast on CBS on January 12, 1932, and it ended on August 18, 1932.

1941 (''Ed Sullivan Variety'')

''Ed Sullivan Variety'' began on CBS on April 27, 1941, and ended on September 28, 1941. The program was sponsored by International Silver.

1943-1944 (''Ed Sullivan Entertains'')

''Ed Sullivan Entertains'' was the basis for Sullivan's later

television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

. The show began on CBS on September 13, 1943, and ended on June 5, 1944. It was sponsored by

Mennen Mennen is a brand owned in most parts of the world by the Colgate-Palmolive Company. Its most notable product, Mennen Speed Stick, with its fougère perfume and green wide stick, was the US market leader among deodorants and antiperspirants for ...

. In addition to Sullivan, the

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a comp ...

featured Terry Allen, Lynne Gardner, and Adele Gerard.

Will Bradley Wilbur Schwichtenberg (July 12, 1912 – July 15, 1989), known professionally as Will Bradley, was an American trombonist and bandleader during the 1930s and 1940s. He performed swing, dance music, and boogie-woogie songs, many of them written b ...

led the orchestra, and David Ross and

Harry von Zell Harry Rudolph von Zell (July 11, 1906 – November 21, 1981) was an American announcer of radio programs, and an actor in films and television shows. He is best remembered for his work on ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show''. Life and ...

were announcers.

1946 (''Ed Sullivan's Pipelines'')

''Ed Sullivan's Pipelines'' was a quarter-hour program that ran on the Blue Network from April 2, 1946, to September 30, 1946.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ed Sullivan Show 1932 radio programme debuts 1932 radio programme endings 1941 radio programme debuts 1941 radio programme endings 1943 radio programme debuts 1944 radio programme endings 1946 radio programme debuts 1946 radio programme endings CBS Radio programs 1930s American radio programs 1940s American radio programs