Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan

Many of us remember The Ed Sullivan Show growing up - the program that introduced us to the Beatles. Elvis, opera, Topo Gigio, and dozens upon dozens of black entertainers during profound civil unrest in our country.

Today the unrest is of a slightly different kind - but to hear someone in the '60s claim that blacks were taking our jobs had a very familiar ring to it.

Ed Sullivan, a columnist who became a television icon - pioneered featuring black artists on his show: Stevie Wonder, Pearl Bailey, Ike and Tina, Nina Simone, the Supremes, Diahann Carroll, the Jackson 5, Harry Belafonte, the Temptations- giving many artists their start.

Fortune favors the bold, and there was no one more fearless than Ed Sullivan, who didn't hesitate to bring black artists into Southern homes.

What impressed me was how he held the artists' hands, patted them on the back, hugged them, at a time when some people would find that shocking.

Born in Harlem, then heavily populated by the Irish, Sullivan had an open-minded dad who knew minorities coming into this country had always suffered.

I was left asking myself what happened to courageous people like Sullivan, like Carl Laemmle who founded Universal Studios and then saved 308 Jewish families from the Holocaust, like Rosa Parks, like Charles Shultz, who refused to remove a black child from a Peanuts cartoon, who fought for what they knew was right, who refused to be cowed or intimidated. Today I see a lot of fear.

I highly recommend this documentary for its wonderful memories and a reminder that once there were people who bucked the system.

I wasn't around for The Ed Sullivan Show, but I always heard his name being tied to the Beatles and Elvis. What surprised me was how much he did for Black artists at a time when they didn't have many chances to be seen. He made sure groups like The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and so many others got the spotlight they deserved. He had a particular eye for talent.

I also learned that he grew up in Harlem and faced discrimination as an Irish-American, which may have helped shape his perspective and his drive in the entertainment world. As someone who didn't know much about this part of music history, the film was really eye opening. Honestly, I wish we had something like his show today.

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!

How television's first presenter, Ed Sullivan, changed the very fabric of the USA by having Black musicians appear on his high rating show, opening doors nationwide for these artists during a time of segregation and injustice. There are great performances from James Brown, The Supremes, Jackie Wilson, plus a very young, Stevie Wonder, and even a much younger Michael Jackson with his older siblings. Every great music artist from the fifties and sixties made an impact on one of the greatest variety show. A well structured and uplifting documentary on an influential humanitarian who saw all humans as equal, and never took a step back...

I grew up watching Ed Sullivan and I knew I would see people who looked like me. I didn't think about it much, I just loved it. When I was older, I could appreciate his bravery in the face of blatant racism. After seeing this, I will always honor his memory. He was a great man who stood tall in his convictions. He deserves respect and glory.