IMDb RATING
7.8/10
1.1K
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Ed Sullivan broke barriers by booking Black artists on his Sunday night variety show. This documentary spotlights the TV pioneer's legacy of equality.Ed Sullivan broke barriers by booking Black artists on his Sunday night variety show. This documentary spotlights the TV pioneer's legacy of equality.Ed Sullivan broke barriers by booking Black artists on his Sunday night variety show. This documentary spotlights the TV pioneer's legacy of equality.
Ed Sullivan
- Self
- (archive footage)
Louis Armstrong
- Self
- (archive footage)
Peg Leg Bates
- Self
- (archive footage)
The Beatles
- Themselves
- (archive footage)
James Brown
- Self
- (archive footage)
Cab Calloway
- Self
- (archive footage)
Diahann Carroll
- Self
- (archive footage)
Johnny Carson
- Self
- (archive footage)
Ray Charles
- Self
- (archive footage)
Chubby Checker
- Self
- (archive footage)
Nat 'King' Cole
- Self
- (archive footage)
Walter Cronkite
- Self
- (archive footage)
Sammy Davis Jr.
- Self
- (archive footage)
Bo Diddley
- Self
- (archive footage)
Ella Fitzgerald
- Self
- (archive footage)
David Frost
- Self
- (archive footage)
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Featured reviews
You go Ed
What a great tribute to Ed Sullivan as well as all of the Black artists. I remember watching Ed his last few years and he had a lot of guests that were singers as well as dancers, acrobats, comedians and everything else you can image. I had no idea he was such a champion for the colored artists and that he hand picked every act! It's safe to say that many of the colored artists in the 60's owe Ed their careers.
Barry Gordy Jr and Motown was especially appreciative.
I knew a little about his back ground, getting started as a sports writer and columnist and then moving up the ladder and finally getting chosen by CBS to be the host of his own show and changing the way we spent Sunday nights..
Barry Gordy Jr and Motown was especially appreciative.
I knew a little about his back ground, getting started as a sports writer and columnist and then moving up the ladder and finally getting chosen by CBS to be the host of his own show and changing the way we spent Sunday nights..
The Very Best!
As a child, I was raised on the Ed Sullivan Show and it was because of his many Black guests and artists that I realized that I was Black. With only the "Amos and Andy" representation on national television, which I could not relate to and my being light-skin, I thought I was white even though my family represented many cultures and races. Programmed to believe that Black folks did not have nor deserve a presence in this country, Ed Sullivan did something about it. "Leave It To Beaver" was not my brother. "Donna Reed Show" was not my mother. To be brave enough in spite of the naysayers, he accomplished what many were afraid to. Music heals and music, much like a buffet, offered us a variety of complex emotions to just plain feel good vibes. It's all documented in this documentary. I only wish Ed was alive to see this. Thumbs up to this production and its crew.
Absolutely amazing!
This documentary should definitely be a 10/10! It never ceases to amaze me to see how the power of GOOD music can bring people together...a nation together! Thanks to Mr. Sullivan, the nation experienced the power of music of various genres by Black Americans, loved by people of all races and backgrounds. Beautiful!
Fabulous for everyone in the family !
Loved this!!! Beautiful , entertaining, interesting and rich with history and talent ! A must see especially for younger folks who might not know who Ed Sullivan was. Thank you to Netflix for offering a masterpiece that we can watch with our children. Kudos to the producer Margo Speciale for sharing this story with the world!
AH THE GOOD OL' DAYS...!
A 2023 Netflix documentary about the great host & entertainer, Ed Sullivan. Tracing his roots from being a sports journalist to eventually hosting his own program which went off the air in 1973, the doc argues the case, w/talking head support from the likes of Harry Belafonte, some of the Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson & Motown head Berry Gordy, that Sullivan was quite instrumental in getting talent of color on the air when other outlets wouldn't do so. Showcasing early footage from our beloved Balck performers in their heyday, we get a sense of the pressure Sullivan was under (one car manufacturer threatened to pull their support from his show if he didn't change course) but possibly knowing he was doing God's work, he pushed ahead & we're the richer for it. If the performance samplings doesn't put a spring in your step, you may have to get your pulse checked.
Did you know
- TriviaSunday Best producer Margo Precht Speciale is also the granddaughter of legendary TV host Ed Sullivan.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Sunday Best
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 1h 30m(90 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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