March 28th in TV History: The Final Ed Sullivan Show Aired on CBS in 1971

[Brian Damage]

The last Ed Sullivan show telecast was on March 28, 1971 & subsequently canceled afterwards. Sullivan died only three years after the last Ed Sullivan Show was broadcast.


The Final Linup was:

Music:

--Melanie (folk singer) - "Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma," "Alexander Beetle" and "Ruby Tuesday."

--Tony Sandler & Ralph Young (singers) - medley of "Rain" songs.

--Danny Davis & the Nashville Brass perform "I Saw the Light," "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "Down Yonder."

--Joanna Simon (mezzo-soprano) - "My Heart at Thy Sweet Voice" (aria from "Samson & Delila").



Comedy:

--David Frye (impressionist) - does impressions of Richard Nixon and others.

--Joey Adams (comedian) - routine with Ed

--Norman Wisdom and Tony Fane (correct last name?) - comedians doing Wallpaper routine.

--Lennie Schultz (comedian) - 'The Chicken Heavyweight Championship" routine.

--Vic Perry (sleight-of-hand artist) - 'Pick Pocket' routine

[MickeyMac]

For over 20 years TV's on Sunday nights were tuned to Ed.


The Beatles first appearance on his show is still one of the best TV moments in history IMHO

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...it wasn't a "farewell" show; in fact, there wasn't even a hint to viewers that it was his last original show- one reason was because the network's cancellation notice hadn't been announced as yet. Another was because CBS continued to show repeats from earlier telecasts that season until the final telecast on June 6, 1971 [after that, the network scheduled "THE CBS SUNDAY NIGHT MOVIES" from 7:30-9:30pm(et), through the end of the 1971-'72 season].

Sullivan finally got the axe because he had committed the cardinal "sin" of appealing to an older audience. CBS, and their advertisers, wanted to attract a more youthful, urban clientele (like those watching "THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW" and "ALL IN THE FAMILY"), and it was determined that more "old fogies" were watching Ed on Sunday nights than teenagers and "young marrieds"- despite sharpening his focus on featuring more rock acts in later years.

If you ever saw a complete "ED SULLIVAN SHOW" from the '60s- with the original commercials and the exact order of his guest stars "on the bill", you'd probably say to yourself, "How could people watch this stuff??". Nostalgia has a way of playing tricks on people who remembered seeing the Sullivan show. For every appearance by The Beatles, The Supremes, The Rolling Stones, et. al., you'd have to sit through a number of stand-up comedians [Jerry Stiller & Anne Meara, "storyteller" Myron Cohen, Johnny Wayne & Frank Shuster, Joan Rivers, Henny Youngman, etc.]; "novelty acts" (plate-spinners, jugglers, acrobats, magicians, "mind-readers", animal performers, dance teams or troupes); "pop singers" (Lainie Kazan, Connie Francis, Robert Goulet, Ed Ames, Petula Clark, etc.); ventriloquists like Senor Wences, Ricky Layne and Jimmy Nelson; a Broadway "production number" performed by the original cast, an opera excerpt, or a "dramatic reading" by a celebrity like Charlton Heston or Orson Welles; "Topo Gigio"; Jim Henson's "Muppets"; perhaps a precision "drill team" or "marching band"; and Ed introducing various celebrities from the audience {"also in our audience tonight, just back from Europe, and about to appear in the eighth annual 'Shlemiel Festival of Shmoes' at Lincoln Center....Knobber Frebish- take a bow, Knobber!"}. Some people like the "kaleidescope" of seeing all that talent "mashed" into one hour, but there are some who'd go, "euugghhh..." Happily, I'm not one of them.

[howilu]

Even though Ed Sullivan had no stage prescence, he was an outstanding entertainment packager and brought us performers that appealed to every demographic. From Myron Cohen to the Mamas and the Papas as well as plate spinners, he gave us "a really big show." I