SUNDAY BEST DOCUMENTARY ON ED SULLIVAN PREMIERES ON NETFLIX
By Harvey Kubernik © Copyright
2025
Sunday Best, a new documentary from director Sacha Jenkins, just
premiered exclusively on Netflix, July 21st.
Sunday Best uncovers the untold story of The Ed Sullivan Show’s legacy in
amplifying Black music and culture.
While many remember Ed for
introducing America to Elvis and The Beatles, his
commitment to showcasing Black talent was just as bold, and arguably more
impactful. During a time when segregation was still legal, and mainstream media
often excluded Black voices, Ed Sullivan consistently featured Black musicians,
comedians, sports figures, and change makers.
This documentary explores
Sullivan’s powerful mark on music, media, and The Civil Rights Movement. Sunday
Best, includes never before seen interviews from Harry Belafonte, Dionne Warwick,
Berry Gordy, Otis Williams, and many more.
Sunday Best does remind us that integration didn’t just happen in
courtrooms or lunch counters, but on living room TVs across the country.
I’ve been writing about the musical
and socio-political impact of Ed Sullivan for decades. My next book, Screen
Gems: Pop Music Documentaries & Rock and Roll TV Scenes, devotes an
entire chapter to his monumental cultural celluloid achievements.
Ed Sullivan was my Sunday School
teacher.
The
Ed Sullivan Show spotlighted history-making music performances by Elvis Presley, the
Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Animals, the Doors, Diana Ross & the
Supremes, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Marvin Gaye, the Turtles, Neil Diamond,
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, the Beach Boys, and the Jackson 5, for
example.
In a
time of racial segregation, Sullivan was an influential advocate of civil
rights. He invited African-American actors (Pearl Bailey, Dorothy Dandridge,
Diahann Carroll), athletes (Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson), comedians (Godfrey
Cambridge, Richard Pryor, Flip Wilson), and musicians (Harry Belafonte, James
Brown, and Motown artists such as the Four Tops, the Temptations, and the
Supremes), to name just a sampling.
Along
with millions of other teens, I felt the emotional and musical impact of the
Beatles’ Sullivan debut. Two other Sullivan guests that proved to be
transformative for me were Little Anthony & the Imperials on March 28,
1965, with Anthony’s mesmerizing lead vocal on “Hurt So Bad,” and soul
singer/dancer James Brown singing a medley of his hits on May 1, 1966.
Inexplicably, Ed Sullivan is not in the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame.
The Ed Sullivan Show (1948), broadcast live Sundays at 8 p.m. on the CBS television network
from 1948 to 1971, charmed
prime-time TV viewers for the last time when it wrapped its final episode on
June 6, 1971.
Host
Ed Sullivan, a celebrated 1940s New York sports and entertainment newspaper
reporter and columnist, became a pioneering TV broadcaster who presented a
stunning variety of entertainers and pop culture figures in the show’s
twenty-three-year run: singers, musical performers, comedians, film stars,
sports figures, jugglers, tumblers, plate spinners, and emerging talent of all
kinds.
Longtime
director John Moffitt helmed nearly 1,000 hour-long episodes. The Sullivan
library houses 1,000 hours and more than 10,000 performances in black and white
and color (the first show broadcast in color was on October 31, 1965, in the
eighteenth season.)
Broadcast
in front of a studio audience, mostly in CBS’s Studio 50 (renamed “the Ed
Sullivan Theater” in 1967) at 1697-1699 Broadway in Manhattan, between West 53rd
and West 54th Streets, and sometimes originating from CBS Television
City in Hollywood, The Ed Sullivan Show
was a weekly snapshot of what was happening at that moment. The shows and
guests were often topics of conversation on Monday mornings at work or school.
From
the outset, when television was in its infancy, Sullivan was personally
involved in his show’s bookings and known to have said he wanted to “entertain
all of the people some of the time” — from providing grandparents with glimpses
of vaudeville, to offering parents top-tier Hollywood personalities and
athletes, to bringing teenagers their next poster idols, and youngsters the
Italian mouse, Topo Gigio. Sullivan cast aside racial, political, and cultural
boundaries to ensure his audiences witnessed the best and the brightest talent.
For
them, and indeed, for artists of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, a
performance on The Ed Sullivan Show represented a pivotal
career milestone, bringing their talents to mainstream America and catapulting
them to the top of the charts with breakout success.
The
library remained in the Sullivan family’s possession for almost two decades
after The Ed Sullivan Show wrapped. In 1990, documentary
filmmaker-producer Andrew Solt formed SOFA Entertainment Inc. and acquired the
library from Sullivan’s daughter and son-in-law for an undisclosed sum. The Los
Angeles-based production company became the copyright holder of the original
programs and, eventually, more than 150 hours of newly created programming.
Solt
is one of those American kids who grew up watching Sullivan on Sunday nights.
Along with his aforementioned theatrical documentaries, his filmography
includes the longform TV special Heroes
of Rock ’n’ Roll (1979), an early collaboration with Malcolm Leo; and the
miniseries The History of Rock ’n’ Roll
(1995). SOFA Entertainment has produced approximately 400 programs for
television and home video, including Elvis:
The Ed Sullivan Shows (2006).
In
2023, UMe inked a deal with Solt and SOFA and secured the global digital rights
to The Ed Sullivan Show. The terms were not disclosed. That officially
brought complete shows and special guest segments to streaming platforms
worldwide for the first time via the
show’s official YouTube channel and website at edsullivan.com.
UMe
upgraded many of the individual performances to high-resolution clips as part
of the agreement. With five years of digital content experience at Google, Josh
Solt, SOFA Entertainment’s president, has been overseeing the production.
“Sullivan
knew how to give a show that was for every generation that might be watching,”
Andrew Solt explained during a September, 2011 interview.
“The
show was such a launching pad for such great, important, iconic moments,
whether it’s Elvis or Bo Diddley. When the Beatles stepped onto Ed Sullivan’s
New York stage on Sunday, February 9, 1964, to make their American TV debut, 86
percent of all TVs on at that hour — 73 million Americans — were tuned in. It was the most-watched program in history to
that point and remains one of the most-watched programs of all time. To some,
it will always be remembered by his introduction: ‘Here they are — the Beatles!’”
“The
relationship between Berry Gordy’s Motown label and The Ed Sullivan Show also made music and television history,” Solt
noted.
“Soon
after the Supremes’ debut on Sullivan (December, 1964), it was clear that
showcasing the latest Motown releases on CBS on Sunday nights (thirty-five
million viewers was average) until 1971 was a way to expose the record
company’s newest hits and boost the show’s ratings.”
Solt
and I discussed Sullivan’s influence on the world of African-American
entertainment.
“Ed
had a fascination with African-American culture. He loved talent. He stood up
for Harry Belafonte and Marian Anderson. Mahalia Jackson sang on the show, and
one of the very first shows W.C. Handy sang on was The Ed Sullivan Show.
He is considered the father of the blues.
“For
one, a Harlem DJ, Dr. Jive, introduced R&B artists to America in late 1955.
“Rock Around the Clock” was blasting out of every transistor radio and the main
titles of Blackboard Jungle. Ed loved
introducing African Americans on his stage and, most of all, he enjoyed giving
people big breaks and the most desired gift, national TV airtime. Ed liked his
role as showbiz kingpin, and he knew he was very fortunate to be such a
powerful arbiter of American taste. He took pleasure in influencing our culture
and [presenting] acts that would make us gasp and swoon.
“He
was an unlikely hero.”
“For
us, being on The Ed Sullivan Show was
so much more than record sales,” Mary Wilson of the Supremes emphasized when I
interviewed her in 2016.
“It
wasn’t about promoting us. It was about that we had grown up watching The Ed Sullivan Show. We had grown up
watching shows where you didn’t see a lot of Black people starring on those
shows. We were like every other family in America who spent hours watching Ed
Sullivan. So, for us, being on the show was such a great honor, because we were
there to see the world changing. To see America changing. We were excited!
We’re on The Ed Sullivan Show.
“We
came from a time when a whole family of all different colors didn’t sit around
watching Black people on television. The
Dick Clark Caravan of Stars tours were before us and there were segregated
hotels.
“For
us, that is what it was all about. We were part of that change. We were part of
helping America to see Black people, Black women, being proud, beautiful, and
successful. It wasn’t just us. Many people before us. But they didn’t have the
television to expose them to that wide range of people as we did. We were
lucky. We stood on a lot of shoulders. But we were there when the doors
opened.
“The
other thing was that we were seen in color after our initial appearances were
in black and white. Recently, my granddaughter was watching a DVD collection of
the Supremes. And she said to me, ‘Grandma! What happened to the color?’
Because she has never seen a black and white TV!”
The
Temptations were among the most popular and influential Motown vocal groups to
perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, five young Black men singing so fine,
dressed to the nines, making smooth moves in unison. David Ruffin, a former
member of the group, spoke with me for a story in the February 21, 1976, issue
of Melody Maker.
“The
Temptations were individuals who happened to sing together,” Ruffin emphasized.
“To this day, I always meet people and musicians who tell me how much the
Temptations influenced them. It makes me feel good that others learned from us
and a lot of the younger groups always acknowledge the Tempts in interviews.
“I
never regretted any of the songs we did, and even the choreography on stage has
been widely copied. I liked the dancin’ part of that group. Then you couldn’t
just stand there and sing. The audience was moving, and you just reflected what
was goin’ on. I’d like my association with the Temptations to be remembered as
that we gave something. We helped young artists get in a position.”
While
the Temptations were topping the pop charts with “My Girl” in 1964, they were
also subjected to racial discrimination and harassment during tours.
“Some
cats had to buy us food ’cause restaurants wouldn’t serve us, mostly in the
South,” Ruffin lamented. “Things are much better today, but I can think of the
times when I was driving independently of the group in my Cadillac, and the
police, who didn’t like Black people with money or any fame, made me get out of
town. They wouldn’t even let me stay overnight. I was visiting my mother,
parked the car outside, and the cop said, ‘You can’t park it here.’
“Yet
we always had respect from the musicians, and later, all kinds of kids went to
our shows. We would rap and sing on the bus ride between concerts, and it was a
lot of fun.”
In
November, 1974, for Melody Maker, I interviewed Bobby Rogers, a
member of the Miracles and a Motown fixture since their inception in 1958, when
Bobby joined up with his sister Claudette, Ronnie White, Warren “Pete” Moore,
and Smokey Robinson.
“We
used to tour with the Rolling Stones and people like Georgie Fame,” Bobby
recalled. “During the breaks from touring, a lot of the groups would ask
questions about certain songs on our albums. I remember when we filmed the T.A.M.I. Show in ’64. Mick
Jagger asked me about what I’d thought of the album James Brown Live at The Apollo, which was his favorite LP.
“Man,
those early tours were a trip. Endless hours of bus rides and all these skinny
English dudes asking us about the Tamla-Motown sound. I never realized how
important or influential we were on groups like the Beatles and Stones.”
The
Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show nine times (three live, six pre-taped or on
video), and the Rolling Stones on six occasions (the last pre-taped).
“Ed
Sullivan was a true American phenomenon,” observed Andrew Loog Oldham, the
Rolling Stones’ producer-manager from 1963-1967 in a 2004 interview we
conducted.
“Every
country has one: a seemingly untalented nebbish with strictly local/national
appeal. But say what you will, and we did, his musical booking decisions opened
the eyes and ears of America and created a legacy/library for all future
generations. And he’s the only dude I know who made the Rolling Stones change
their lyrics.
“When
the Beatles played The Ed Sullivan Show, [it was] that moment when American
youth [were] feeling the subtext, feeling the great unspoken hurt of a nation
still traumatized by the assassination of its president just a few months
before. It’s an incredible moment: Suddenly, American youth had its own music,
a reason to be alive.
“Barney
Ales — the jewel in the crown. His efforts on behalf of Mr. Gordy and the
artists were the primary reason the ‘Sound of Young America’ graduated all over
the world.”
Ales
was Berry Gordy’s right-hand man and Motown’s ultimate insider, whose job was
to get the records played and the company paid. He rose to become executive
vice president and general manager, but remained in Detroit in 1972 when Gordy
moved Motown to California. Ales became its president in Los Angeles during his
return to the firm from 1975 to 1978.
“It
was as really a battle in those days to get Black artists on network television
in prime time,” Ales emailed me in 2016.
“Sammy
Davis, Jr. and Nat Cole were about the only ones — anyone else, they just
weren’t accepted. But when the Supremes broke through, we knew we had an
opportunity. They looked so great, as well as sounding great. And Harvey Fuqua
and Maxine Powell did a wonderful job, grooming the girls, getting them ready for
prime time.
“The Ed Sullivan Show was the real
breakthrough: Sunday nights, millions of people watching. Once Sullivan took to
the Supremes, we knew we were on the right track. And album sales picked up
like crazy whenever they were on, so we always made sure to tell the distributors
they needed to check their inventory.
“After
the Supremes, we got everyone on Sullivan’s show: Stevie, Gladys, the
Temptations. We had a good relationship with the producer, Bob Precht. He liked
Motown, and Esther, Berry’s sister, used to take the dressing room keys
afterward as souvenirs. They’re probably somewhere in the Motown Museum to this
day.”
All photos shown courtesy of SOFA Entertainment
We have been
campaigning for Ed Sullivan’s induction into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for
nearly 25 years now. The fact that he
has never even so much as made the ballot must be the most obvious oversight in
the history of the organization.
For 23 years, Ed brought
EVERY kind of music right into our living rooms every Sunday Night … and he
ALWAYS championed the Black artists of Soul, Rhythm and Blues, Rock And Roll,
Jazz, Broadway, Sports … you name it and Ed was not afraid to put these acts on
the air. (His program generated some of
the highest ratings in television at the time … and you can bet that he took
ALL kinds of flack for spotlighting these performers of color.)
Watching this new
Netflix documentary only further solidifies his case … Ed didn’t back down no
matter who complained … and that included his sponsors! Viewing some of this vintage footage of what
America looked like back then is both humbling and embarrassing. This special also provides the opportunity
for footage not seen in decades to be shown again rather than the same
over-familiar clips we’ve all seen time and time again.
Hopefully this
broadcast will FINALLY open the eyes of The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
Nominating Committee so that justice can FINALLY be done. (kk)
MORE:
You'll find our Forgotten Hits Ed Sullivan profile here ...
https://fhedsullivan.blogspot.com/
When you get to the bottom of the page, be sure to click the link that says "Older Posts" to read our exclusive interview with Andrew Solt, who owns the rights to all of the original Ed Sullivan shows.
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