Impresario: The Life and Times of Ed Sullivan - James Maguire (2006)

Endnotes

Prologue

1 “Oh … you mean Ed Sullivan.”: Harris, Michael David. Always on Sunday, Ed Sullivan: An Inside View. New York: Signet Books, 1968, p. 74.

2 “Dear Miss Van Home …”: Harris, p. 108.

3 “about the longest shot ever to have paid off in show business.”: Time, October 17, 1955.

4 “Public opinion …”: The New York Times, April 30, 1967.

5 “If he put his arm around you …”: Joan Rivers, interview with author.

6 “one of the fathers of rock ’n’ roll.”: The New York Times, September 13, 1965.

7 “One of the small but vexing questions …”: The New York Herald-Tribune, December 31, 1948.

8 “is unquestionably one …”: The New York Times, September 13, 1965.

9 “Ed literally came close to slapping me …”: Vanity Fair, July, 1997.

10 “He was a whole different man offstage …”: Jack Carter, interview with author.

11 “like it was built-in,”: Bill Gallo, interview with author.

Chapter One

1 “My father was …”: Sullivan, Ed, editor. Christmas with Ed Sullivan. New York: McGraw-Hill Company, 1959, p. 10.

2 “if only Danny were here.”: Time, October 17, 1955.

3 “That’s where my brother Danny …”: Ed Sullivan, The Ed Sullivan Show, author interview with viewer.

4 “Oh children!”: Sullivan, p. 5.

5 “marveling at the people …”: The New York Journal-American, interview with Sullivan, March 19, 1957.

6 “He could be very kind …”: Bowles, Jerry. A Thousand Sundays: The Story of The Ed Sullivan Show. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1980, p. 81.

7 “As an athlete Ed …”: Harris, p. 50.

8 “real stinker.”: The New York Post, “The Ed Sullivan Story” by Ed Sullivan, March 19, 1956.

9 “You’ll find that all through your life,”: Ibid.

10 “When we went up into Connecticut …”: The New York Post, “The Ed Sullivan Story,” by Ed Sullivan, March 20, 1956.

11 “Luckily, he sat near Bill Cigliano …”; Colliers, September 14, 1956.

12 “the farther I got from home …”: Sullivan, p. 7.

13 “beat the hell out of me” and “It was the first time …”: Ladies Home Journal, by Ed Sullivan, June, 1967.

14 “He didn’t think of Port Chester fondly …”: Betty Sullivan Precht, interview with author.

15 “It is not yet decided …”: Port Chester Daily Item, 1919, exact date unknown.

16 “To maintain a position …”: Port Chester Daily Item, May 20, 1919.

17 “Port Chester High sure came back …”: Port Chester Daily Item, May 24, 1919.

18 “Port Chester displayed …”: Port Chester Daily Item, May 28, 1919.

19 “Sullivan drove in …”: Ibid.

20 “The slugging of Walker …”: Port Chester Daily Item, June 16, 1919.

Chapter Two

1 “He delivered his address …”: Port Chester Daily Item, June 26, 1919.

2 All headlines from Port Chester Daily Item, 1919.

3 “I never worked so hard …”: Harris, p. 53.

4 “ ‘Slim’ Kelly played a fine …”: Port Chester Daily Item, July 6, 1919.

5 “a laughingstock”: The New York Post, March 20, 1956.

6 “Oh, you Irish!”: Ibid.

7 “Good for him …”: Ibid.

8 “Even to a young Democrat …”: Ibid.

9 “built up its sports page …”: Port Chester Daily Item, October 2, 1920.

10 “I read about the Hartford …”: Sullivan, p. 10.

11 All headlines from The New York Evening Mail, January-February, 1921.

12 “The Columbia Spectator…”: The New York Evening Mail, January 13, 1921.

13 “How do they wash …”: Harris, 57.

14 “The truth of the matter …”: The New York Evening Mail, February 12, 1921.

15 “The former class …”: Ibid.

16 “I became more and more …”: Harris, p. 57.

17 “The challenge was met …”: The New York Evening Mail, May 14, 1921.

18 “Miss Wainwright ordered …”: The New York Evening Mail, 1922, exact date unknown.

19 “died a thousand deaths …”: The Daily News, September 10, 1937.

20 “hottest of the ‘hot’ spots …”: Ibid.

21 “soft shoe man, tough guy, gambler …”: Bakish, David. Jimmy Durante: His Show Business Career. London: McFarland & Company, 1994.

22 “Moore, who is reported to be a Klu [sic] Klux …”: The New York Evening Mail, March 7, 1923.

23 “Slipping the gentle razzberry …”: Ibid.

24 “Down and out a hundred Times,…”: The New York Evening Mail, July 25, 1923.

25 “At the club, we used to sit …”: The New York Post, March 28, 1956.

26 “Fay had just bought the Rendezvous …”: Ibid.

27 “brought some sunshine …”: Bakish, p. 27.

28 “There are winsome girlies …”: Ibid.

29 “When I knocked at Dempsey’s door …”: Harris, p. 58.

30 “more than a propaganda organ …”: The New York Leader, October 1, 1923.

31 “Printers Win …”: The New York Leader, October 5, 1923.

32 “Eugene V. Debs, former political prisoner …”: The New York Leader, October 1, 1923.

33 “Russian Workmen …”: The New York Leader, October 3, 1923.

34 “Instead of acknowledging …”: The New York Leader, October 1, 1923.

35 “Battling Siki, the Senegalese dark horse …”: The New York Leader, October 5, 1923.

36 “Army never got over …”: The New York Leader, October 26, 1923.

37 “It seemed in every way right …”: The New York Times, November 13, 1923.

38 “When you are broke …”: The New York Post, March 21, 1956.

39 “a very human note,”: Harris, p. 62.

40 “a barney refuge …”: McIntyre, O.O. The Big Town: New York Day by Day. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1935, p. 116.

41 “very stunning brunette youngster.”: Harris, p. 72.

42 “Of course I said I loved it …”: The New York Post, March 30, 1956.

43 “From what I understand …”: Betty Sullivan Precht, interview with author.

44 “her life had contradicted …”: International Swimming Hall of Fame, undated document.

45 “Sybil, a girl from Chicago …”: Bowles, p. 91.

46 “I can’t stand it …”: and “Afterward we would …”: The New York Post, March 30, 1956.

47 “I guess Ed was the first Christian boy …”: Sylvia Sullivan, Ladies Home Journal, June, 1967.

48 “Oh, you mean Ed …”: Harris, p. 74.

49 “regular Marjorie Morningstar,”: The New York Post, March 30, 1956.

50 “I can honestly say …”: Ibid.

51 “Her family was thrilled …”: Rob Precht, interview with author.

Chapter Three

1 All headlines, The New York Evening Graphic, 1928-1931.

2 “Does your boyfriend’s …”: The New York Evening Graphic, May 23, 1931.

3 “after peering …”: The New York Evening Graphic, February 24, 1928.

4 “Why does Tex shy …”: Ibid.

5 “For the next week …”: The New York Post, March 23, 1956.

6 “erased any immediate …”: The New York Evening Graphic, February 29, 1928.

7 “While his associates …”: Mallen, Frank. Sauce for the Gander. White Plains, NY: Baldwin Books, 1954, p. 159.

8 “Those who mistook his …”: Ibid.

9 “This is a family …”: Winchell, Walter. Winchell Exclusive: “Things That Happened to Me—And Me to Them” Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1975, p. 42.

10 “Walter, what can …”: The New York Post, March 12, 1952.

11 “Along Broadway they are selling extras …”: The New York Evening Graphic, June, 1929, exact day unknown.

12 “I really thought a lot of Camera …”: The New York Post, March 28, 1956.

13 “Speaking for the Duffy interests …”: The Daily Mirror, April 25, 1930.

14 “Eddie picked the argument …”: The Daily Mirror, October 15, 1930.

15 “facetious twitting …”: Supreme Court, State of New York, Docket 36151, quoted in The New York Post, March 28, 1956.

16 “I settled with the Hearst lawyers …”: The New York Post, March 28, 1956.

17 “I was will to call the whole thing off …”: Ibid.

18 “Ed had no intention of getting married …”: Harris, p. 73.

19 “At that point …”: The New York Post, March 30, 1956.

20 “all devout Catholics …”: Harris, p. 73.

21 “I didn’t want the job …”: Harris, p. 64.

22 “He takes my ringside …”: Winchell, p. 79.

23 “Ellmaker … called him to his office …”: Mallen, p. 163.

24 “on [the] condition …”: Ibid.

25 “not a newcomer …”: The New York Evening Graphic, May 29, 1931.

26 “He’s a curiosity …”: Ibid.

Chapter Four

1 “So many have asked …”: The New York Evening Graphic, July 1, 1931.

2 “The uppermost stratum …”: Ibid.

3 “Divorces will not be propagated …”: Ibid.

4 “Sullivan is well known …”: Variety, July 9, 1931.

5 “Did you mean … in the toilet bowl.”: The New York Post, March 12, 1952.

6 “Empty vessels …”: Gabler, Neal. Winchell: Gossip, Power, and the Culture of Celebrity. New York: Random House, 1994, p. 131.

7 “I’ll rip your …”: Bowles, p. 86.

8 “To my former …”: The New York Evening Graphic, June 8, 1931.

9 “velvet hammer…Variety box score.”: The New York Evening Graphic, June 3, 1931.

10 “desperate need for …”: Ibid.

11 “ALWAYS CONSIDERED YOU A FRIEND …”: The New York Evening Graphic, March 29, 1932.

12 “A First-night …”: The New York Evening Graphic, June 5, 1931.

13 “Grover Cleveland Alexander …”: The New York Evening Graphic, June 17, 1931.

14 “Everyone who played …”: The New York Evening Graphic, July 19, 1931.

15 “Jean Malin belted …”: The New York Evening Graphic, August 1, 1931.

16 “Eddie,”: I cooed …”: Winchell, p. 81.

17 “those cocktails at Alice Brady’s …”: The New York Evening Graphic, January, 1932

18 “6,000 Hunger Marchers …”: The New York Evening Graphic, January 5, 1932.

19 “Mid-West Farmer …”: The New York Evening Graphic, January 16, 1932.

20 “If you find …”: The New York Evening Graphic, September 1, 1931.

21 “Before Larry Hart …”: The New York Evening Graphic, November 28, 1931.

22 “In a speakeasy …”: Ibid.

23 “Jack Benny felt …”: The New York Evening Graphic, September 14, 1931.

24 “I said he would …”: The New York Evening Graphic, March 30, 1932.

25 “Every time one … Paramount Building clock.”: The New York Evening Graphic, September 2, 1931.

26 “So many have …”: The New York Evening Graphic, September 1, 1931.

27 “They say that Broadway …”: The New York Evening Graphic, January, 1932, exact date unknown.

28 “I remember my mother saying …”: Betty Sullivan Precht, interview with author.

29 “one of the unhappiest days …”: Sylvia Sullivan, The New York Post, March 30, 1956.

30 “He didn’t have national prominence …”: Ibid.

31 “I linked Thelma Todd …”: The New York Evening Graphic, September 2, 1931.

32 “Claire Windsor …”: The New York Evening Graphic, January, 1932, exact date unknown.

33 “The Ginger Rogers-Mervyn Le Roy …”: The New York Evening Graphic, September 28, 1931.

34 “conspicuous on the …”: The New York Evening Graphic, January 4, 1932.

35 “Mrs. Violet Swanstrom …”: The New York Evening Graphic, September 17, 1931.

36 “Al Jolson …”: The New York Evening Graphic, July 7, 1931.

37 “wound up by blowing …”: September 2, 1931.

38 “The idea is that we go along …”: Variety, January 16, 1932.

39 “It puts them in the same …”: The New York Evening Graphic, January 15, 1932.

40 “a he-man …”: The New York Evening Graphic, May 29, 1931.

41 “Bert Savoy …”: The New York Evening Graphic, July 1, 1931.

42 “the late spots …”: The New York Evening Graphic, January 4, 1932.

43 “Not long ago …”: The New York Evening Graphic, July 1, 1931.

44 “I watched Maurice Chevalier …”: Ibid.

45 “In case you don’t know …”: The New York Evening Graphic, March 26, 1932.

46 “I wouldn’t be …”: Winchell, p 80.

47 “The greatest thrill …”: The New York Evening Graphic, February 4, 1932.

48 “The mail from St. Louis …”: March 18, 1932.

49 “Good evening, folks …”: The New York Evening Graphic, April 16, 1932. Ed slightly misquoted Benny’s words; I’ve used the popularly accepted version of the quote. In his column, Ed quoted Benny as opening with “This is Jack Benny. There will be a second’s pause, just long enough for you who are listening to say ‘what of it’?”

50 “In announcing Sullivan doesn’t …”: Variety, February 2, 1932.

51 “My operatives …”: The New York Evening Graphic, January 19, 1932.

52 “At the premiere of Jewelry Robbery…”: The New York Evening Graphic, January 19, 1932.

53 “The rubbing out …”: The New York Evening Graphic, February 10, 1932.

54 “Like Broadway …”: The New York Evening Graphic, February 20, 1932.

55 “Success on Broadway …”: The New York Evening Graphic, June 16, 1932.

Chapter Five

1 “uncomplimentary ballyhoo.”: Variety, July 12, 1932.

2 “no private scandal …”: Stevens, John D. Sensationalism and the New York Press. New York: Columbia University Press, 1991, p. 127.

3 “ ‘You can’t do …’ ”: The Daily News, August 2, 1932.

4 “nationally-known comic …”: The Daily News, date unknown, 1932.

5 “his refusal …”: The Daily News, date unkown, 1932.

6 “Overhead the L trains rattled …”: The Daily News. December 1, 1934.

7 “He seldom …”: As quoted by Nick Tosches, Vanity Fair, July, 1997, p. 126.

8 “Take, for instance …”: The Daily News, March 10, 1933.

9 “Phil Baker …”: The Daily News, July 23, 1923.

10 “Maurice Chevalier …”: Ibid.

11 “Romances fizzle …”: Ibid.

12 “Funny, the reactions …”: Ibid.

13 “By far the smartest …”: The Daily News, January 26, 1933.

14 “Jack Benny …”: The Daily News, July 23, 1932.

15 “secretly registered”: The Daily News, July 28, 1932.

16 “On the way …”: Ibid.

17 “Months before Wild Bill …”: The Daily News, October 12, 1932.

18 Walker would be cleared: Ed wrote “After Walker is cleared …”: on July 12, 1932.

19 “The information I got …”: The Daily News, October 12, 1932.

20 “Hugest individual hit …”: The Daily News, April 17, 1933.

21 “I left them at 5 A.M…”: The Daily News, January 26, 1933.

22 “My parents never ate at home …”: Betty Sullivan Precht, interview with author.

23 “When I was about two years old …”: Ibid.

24 “wasn’t in his nature,”: Ibid

25 “didn’t like it all …”: Bowles, p. 94.

26 “There is nothing …”: The New York Times, September 14, 1933.

27 “As entertainment, it fails to measure up …”: Variety, September 26, 1933.

28 “I can’t give Cantor …”: The Daily News, January 24, 1933.

29 1:04 A.M.—“Hello …”: The Daily News, January 25, 1933.

30 “I suggest Cantor …”: Ibid.

31 “How about establishing …”: The Daily News, December 13, 1934.

32 “We think the time …”: The New Yorker, as quoted by Winchell, p. 102.

33 “We endorse …”: The New York Daily Mirror, December 18, 1934.

34 “There’s one letter …”: The Daily News, December 19, 1934.

35 “Your Monday column …”: Sullivan to Winchell, July 20, 1931, from Sullivan file, Walter Winchell personal papers, Gabler, p. 132.

36 “fit to be with decent people”: Grady, Billy. The Irish Peacock. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1972, Gabler, p. 142.

37 “If you let me know …”: Sullivan to Winchell, February 1, 1932. Ibid., Gabler, p. 143.

38 “you are the only …”: Sullivan to Winchell, December 16, 1932, Ibid., Gabler, p. 161.

39 “The other night …”: The Daily News, October 12, 1932.

40 “Picking the first …”: The Daily News, November 1, 1932.

41 “You must be crazy.”: Harris, p. 85.

42 “No longer does …”: The New York Evening Graphic, July 6, 1932.

43 “knows when to strike …”: The New York Times, November 27, 1933.

44 “Though at war …”: Time, October 17, 1955. The Time article does not verify the date of the show.

45 “During a single evening twenty …”: Radio Guide, May 12, 1934.

46 “has been renewed …”: Radio Guide, April 7, 1934.

47 “Ed Sullivan, who writes a mean column …”: Radio Guide, May 5, 1934.

48 “sat in complete silence …”: The Daily News, October 22, 1937.

49 “a variety of singers”: The New York Herald-Tribune, July 7, 1934.

50 “In customary fashion …”: The New York Journal-American, August 27, 1937.

51 “in the true Harlem manner”: The New York Journal-American, November 2, 1935.

52 “in the accepted …”: Bowles, p. 95.

80 “a one-legged Negro tap …”: Ibid.

54 “swift, funny …”: The New York Journal-American, October 31, 1936.

55 “Some weeks ago …”: The New York Evening Journal, 1936, exact date unknown.

56 “Ed Sullivan’s Dawn Patrol revue …”: The New York Journal-American, September 1, 1937.

57 “In his third appearance …”: Bowles, p. 95.

58 “Harry Rose with …”: Variety, exact date unknown.

59 “In Person—Ed Sullivan …”: Brooklyn Citizen, April 26, 1935, advertisement.

60 “Booking agents …”: The Daily News, Harvest Moon promotional article, July 16, 1937.

61 “Oh, just like …”: Harris, p. 87.

62 “Notice how …”: The Daily News, July 12, 1932.

63 “This is the new …”: The Daily News, June 11, 1936.

64 “When Gary Cooper …”: The Daily News, July 13, 1936.

65 “When I arrived …”: The Daily News, May 30, 1936.

66 “I pleaded with …”: Frank Hause personal letter to Walter Winchell, Rose Bigman collection of private papers, quoted by Gabler, p. 252.

67 “Broadway columns …”: Variety, September 15, 1937.

68 “the Cole Porters …”: The Daily News, July 16, 1937.

69 “Then a boy …”: Ibid.

70 “You get a funny …”: The Daily News, September 9, 1937.

71 “There is a letter …”: Ibid.

72 “Patronize the standard clubs …”: The Daily News, September 9, 1937.

Chapter Six

1 “As I devoured them …”: The Daily News, September 13, 1937.

2 “curly-haired youngster”: The Daily News, September 15, 1937.

3 “ ‘I am not envious …”: The Daily News, November 8, 1938.

4 “Fred Astaire and your correspondent …”: The Daily News, February 19, 1939.

5 “One wonders how Joan …”: Bowles, p. 93.

6 “cheap, tawdry …”: Ibid.

7 “ ‘The night we had …”: The Daily News, September 15, 1937.

8 “Are you sure she didn’t say columnist …”: Skolsky, Sidney. Don’t Get Me Wrong, I Love Hollywood. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1975, p. 43.

9 “Dr. Harry Martin …”: The Daily News, November 7, 1938.

10 “I know of no performer …”: The Daily News, October 25, 1937.

11 “There are certain things …”: The Daily News, November 5, 1938.

12 “Midnight—the guests have departed …”: The Daily News, November 7, 1938.

13 “I wish you could …”: The Daily News, November 6, 1938.

91 “Cornelius Vanderbilt, Jr.…”: The Daily News, August 15, 1938.

15 “Don’t be startled …”: The Daily News, February 19, 1939.

16 “Greta Garbo …”: The Daily News, October 24, 1937.

17 “Howard Hughes …”: The Daily News, November 7, 1938.

18 “Tyrone Power …”: The Daily News, October 24, 1937.

19 “The Ross girl …”: Ibid.

20 “A Filipino …”: The Daily News, October 9, 1937.

21 “Hollywood dance director …”: The Daily News, November 7, 1938.

22 “I asked Joan Crawford …”: The Daily News, August 14, 1938.

23 “Business perked up …”: The Daily News, August 15, 1938.

24 “[Jack] Haley …”: The Daily News, November 17, 1938.

25 “four midgets …”: The Daily News November 19, 1938.

26 “I spoke with blonde …”: The Daily News, September 15, 1937.

27 “Carole Lombard …”: The Daily News, December 12, 1938.

28 “1,000 to 1”: The Daily News, January 9, 1939.

29 “Dear Ed …”: The Daily News, January 10, 1939.

30 “Answer this question …”: The Daily News, September 13, 1938.

31 “hammy.”:: The Daily News, June 4, 1938.

32 “hardly qualified …”: The Daily News, January 11, 1939.

33 “Edward G. Robinson’s …”: Ibid.

34 “Reel for reel …”: The Daily News, June 5, 1938.

35 “When this reporter …”: The Daily News, August 15, 1938.

36 “Listen Ed …”: The Daily News, September 11, 1938.

37 “the house comes down”: The Daily News, September 15, 1938.

38 “Alice Faye …”: The Daily News, January 11, 1939.

39 “a hilarious and dexterous …”: The Daily News, October 14, 1938.

40 “virtually a play-by-play …”: The New York Times, October 16, 1938.

41 “Now watch all the film writers …”: The New York Journal-American, February 13, 1939.

42 “Story has many weak moments …”: Variety, April 26, 1939.

43 “A bustling little melodrama …”: The New York Times, May 4, 1939.

44 “We went down Wilshire …”: Betty Sullivan Precht, interview with author.

45 “spoiled brat,”: The Daily News, October 20, 1937.

46 “Let this be entered …”: Ibid.

47 “We ate out on the porch …”: The Daily News, October 18, 1938.

48 “Mr. Fields would prefer …”: Peter Prichard, interview with author.

49 “After the Louis Massacre …”: The Daily News, 1938, exact date unknown.

50 “An Indianapolis poison-penner …” and other critics’ comments: The Daily News, September 18, 1939.

51 “This is the season for fashion shows …”: The New York Times, April 26, 1940.

52 “picture that’s deficient …”: Variety, May 1, 1940.

53 “swims upstream”: The Daily News, November 17, 1938.

54 “Having come to Hollywood …”: The Daily News, February 28, 1940.

55 “I pointed out …”: Frank Hause letter to Walter Winchell, May 5, 1953, Gabler, p. 253.

56 “I acted hastilly [sic]…”: Frank Hause letter to Walter Winchell, May 5, 1953, Gabler, p. 253.

57 “I was heartbroken …”: Betty Sullivan Precht, interview with author.

Chapter Seven

1 “When I asked the boss …”: The Daily News, July 22, 1940.

2 “Instead of sitting …”: The Daily News, August 18, 1940.

3 “It was a terrible place …”: Betty Sullivan Precht, interview with author.

4 “If you can better yourself …”: Harris, p. 68.

5 “because of his high regard …”: Editor and Publisher, December, 1940.

6 “We are taking the constructive …”: The New York Times, January 19, 1941.

7 “By day a columnist surveys …”: The Daily News, March 9, 1941.

8 “At any continental dinner party …”: The Daily News, February 27, 1940.

9 “Chinese, Italians, Germans …”: The New York Times, June 21, 1941.

10 “Nightclubs did a terrific business …”: The Daily News, January 12, 1942.

11 “Harlem Cavalcade…”: The New York Times, May 2, 1942.

12 “Triumphantly at the end …”: The New York Times, July 29, 1942.

13 “Then I noticed the tears …”: Sullivan, p. 17.

14 “Editorialists throughout the land …”: The Daily News, September 14, 1942.

15 “Erasers on pencils …”: The Daily News, December 14, 1942.

16 “The wolves no longer …”: The Daily News, September 17, 1942.

17 “The Lieut. Douglas Fairbanks …”: The Daily News, September, 14, 1942.

18 “Dear Ed: From us fellows …”: The Daily News, September 12, 1943.

19 “Dear Ed: Over here in England …”: Ibid.

20 “ ‘Would you like to meet Jack Benny?…”: The Daily News, September 1, 1943.

21 “Your CBS radio program …”: The Daily News, September 11, 1943.

22 “Although Sullivan’s voice …”: Variety, exact date unknown.

23 “a bright quarter hour …”: Variety, quoted in Bowles, p. 107.

113 “Wheeler: Well, Frank, it seems to me …”: Radio script from Ed Sullivan Entertains, November 8, 1943.

25 “didn’t think it was appropriate …”: Betty Sullivan Precht, interview with author.

26 “I couldn’t believe …”: Ibid.

27 “overdoing it,”: Harris, p. 76.

28 “an intimate stranger.”: Rob Precht, interview with author.

29 “I go swimming with Harry …”: The New York Times, March 3, 1946.

30 “The town is chuckling at Winchell’s …”: The Daily News, September 17, 1942.

31 “Tip to Washington, D.C.…”: The Daily News, September 14, 1942.

32 “the most cynical grafting …”: The New York Times, June 4, 1946.

33 “When 666 came up on Friday …”: The Daily News, February 1, 1943.

34 “pleaded with the Mayor …”: The New York Times, June 4, 1946.

35 “I always respect …”: Ibid.

36 “Dogs have the capacity for grief …”: The Daily News, May 1946; quoted here from a reprint in Cosmopolitan, February, 1950.

37 “I couldn’t refrain from writing …”: J. Edgar Hoover letter to Sullivan, dated May 23, 1946, from Sullivan personal papers.

38 “It does warm one’s heart …”: J. Edgar Hoover letter to Sullivan, dated January 7, 1947, from Sullivan personal papers.

39 “New York—Vindication has finally come …”: From script for Ed Sullivan’s Pipeline, April, 16, 1946.

40 “He was very attractive to women …”: Jane Kean, interview with author.

41 “an acrobatic dancer with a great body …”: Jack Carter, interview with author.

42 “egocentric—very much so”: Mike Dann, a CBS programming executive. From interview with author.

Chapter Eight

1 “as far back on the shelf …”: The Saturday Evening Post, February 21, 1942.

2 “When somebody got a TV set …”: Paul Winchell, interview with author.

3 “If I had dreamed …”: Harris, p. 97.

4 “likeable and relaxed”: Ibid.

5 “Ed Sullivan was hired as a temporary master …”: Paley, William S. As It Happened: A Memoir by William S. Paley. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co., 1979, pp. 238-239.

6 “Screw ’em!…”: Lewis, Marlo, with Mina Bess Lewis. Prime Time. Los Angeles: J.P. Tarcher, 1979, p. 66.

7 “could come in …”: Lewis, p. 70.

8 “I’m sorry that I’ve been moody …”: Betty Sullivan Precht, interview with author.

9 “This is the most fascinating thing …”: The Daily News, June 17, 1948.

Chapter Nine

1 “Marlo, you’re going …”: Lewis, p. 79.

2 “a roof garden with the Manhattan skyline …”: Harris, p. 99.

3 “I’ve done plenty of benefits …”: Lewis, p. 82.

4 “blockbuster of a show.”: Lewis, p. 83.

5 “It’s nothing …”: Lewis, p. 84.

6 “Ladies and gentlemen, the Columbia Broadcast System…”: Lewis, p. 84.

7 “When somebody asked …”: Mike Dann, interview with author.

8 “brought to his emcee role …”: Variety, June 16, 1948.

9 “With a top talent array …”: Variety, June 23, 1948.

10 “I panicked …”: Paul Winchell, interview with author.

11 “Register Mr. B.…”: The New York Times, July 4, 1948.

12 “Your review of my …”: The New York Times, July 11, 1948.

13 “paid a flat fee to Mr. Sullivan …”: Ibid.

14 “Apparently we’re being made …”: The New York Times, July 23, 1948.

15 “no pressure, direct, indirect …”: Ibid.

16 “a later date”: The New York Times, July 28, 1948.

17 “Ventriloquist Paul Winchell …”: The Daily News, July 12, 1948.

18 “kept the event moving smoothly …”: Variety, July 1948.

19 “neo-modern jazz vocalistics,”: Ibid.

20 “One of the small but vexing questions …”: The New York Herald-Tribune, December 31, 1948.

21 “Public opinion, I’m certain …”: Harris, pp. 102-103.

22 “I’d like to meet this fella …”: From Sullivan personal papers.

23 “Come on, Solomon …”: Bowles, p. 71.

24 “He got where he is not by …”: New York World Telegram & Sun, exact date unknown.

25 “Dear Miss Home …”: Bowles, p. 104.

26 “Don’t get swellheaded …”: The Daily News, July 17, 1948.

27 “Frankly Marlo …”: Lewis, p. 7.

28 “You can’t imagine how sick …”: Harris, p. 105.

29 “We were out having dinner …”: Ibid.

30 “making him more of a fighter,”: Betty Sullivan Precht, interview with author.

31 “As a result of this session with the doctor …”: Sullivan letter to Lincoln Mercury executive, dated February 1, 1952, from Sullivan personal papers.

32 “My problem …”: Lewis, p. 93.

33 “Ed, you were in that little box there …”: Quote from Barbara Gallagher, a Sullivan show production assistant, interview with author. Sullivan told her this story late in his own life.

34 “one long blast …”: The Daily News, July 8, 1948.

35 “Tip to mobs …”: The Daily News, July 17, 1948.

36 “the Humphrey Bogart stork …”: The Daily News, July 5, 1948.

37 “Before she filed …”: The Daily News, June 30, 1948.

38 “ice cream and gambling.”: The New York Times, November 29, 1949.

39 “grayer and plumper,”: The Daily News, June 20, 1948.

40 “pretty grim over the coldblooded …”: The Daily News, July 5, 1948.

41 “Can you imagine the cleanup job …”: The Daily News, June 28, 1948.

42 “The Russian conflict …”: The Daily News, July 3, 1948.

43 “GOP leaders …”: The Daily News, July 19, 1948.

44 “Commies in this area bolder …”: The Daily News, July 15, 1948.

45 “Commies in this area have labored overtime …”: The Daily News, July 1, 1948.

46 “I am deeply distressed …”: Barnouw, Erik. Tube of Plenty: The Evolution of American Television. London: Oxford University Press, 1975, p. 121.

47 “Kirkpatrick has sat in my living room …”: The Daily News, June 21, 1950.

48 “If he put the word out on you …”: Mike Dann, interview with author.

49 “Long before Senator McCarthy …”: The New York Post, March 12, 1952.

50 “fearing McCarthy’s retaliation …”: Halberstam, David. The Fifties. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1993, p. 251.

Chapter Ten

1 “It was toward the end of the evening …”: The New York Times, August 21, 1949.

2 “I don’t want you to misunderstand …”: Lewis, p. 99.

3 “What Ed is getting at …”: Ibid.

4 “that won’t change …”: Ibid.

5 “I’ll see you Sunday …”: Ibid.

6 “Any successor to Mr. Lewis …”: Contract between CBS and Ed Sullivan, dated August 31, 1950, from Sullivan personal papers.

7 “They will work as a team …”: The New York Times, April 17, 1950.

8 “For the most part …”: Lewis, p. 105.

9 “I’ve never met you, but if I do …”: The New York Times, December 9, 1950.

10 “I’ll never forget when …”: Mike Dann, interview with author.

11 “What does Sullivan do …”: Harris, p. 112.

12 “Maybe Fred should rub …”: Ibid.

13 “looked right through me.”: Baker, Josephine and Jo Bouillon. Josephine. New York: Marlowe & Co., 1977, p. 179.

14 “a pathetic little steak …”: Ibid.

15 “I thought a shameful thing had been done …”: Gray, Barry. My Night People: 10,001 Nights in Broadcasting. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1975, pp. 170-188.

16 “I don’t think that Winchell …”: Ibid.

17 “I didn’t hear what Sullivan said …”: Time, January 7, 1952.

18 They rarely ever knock a guy …”: From a poem by Grantland Rice, used by Walter Winchell in his Daily Mirror column, December 26, 1951, quoted in Gabler, p. 422.

19 “so devastating that Winchell …”: Lewis, p. 23.

20 “I’ve got it—and Walter knows …”: Lewis, p. 24.

21 “the most miserable year …”: Bowles, p. 113.

22 “Excuse me,”: Ibid. Stork confrontation anecdote from Bowles.

23 “I am the best damned showman …”: The New York Times, March 23, 1952.

24 “Ed was terrified of CBS’s reaction …”: Logan, Josh. My Up and Down, In and Out Life. New York: Delacorte Press, 1976, p. 309.

25 “That was Julius’ swan song …”: Arthur Godfrey. Quoted in Singer, Arthur J. Arthur Godfrey: The Adventures of an American Broadcaster. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2000.

26 “He’ll be worth it …”: Lewis, p. 152.

27 “There’s nothing personal …”: Time, October 17, 1955.

28 “Why Sullivan can come in strange surroundings …”: Variety, May 27, 1953.

29 “People often ask me why I don’t smile more …”: Ed Sullivan, from the Foreward to Ritts, Paul. The TV Jeebies. Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Company, 1951.

30 “That fat-faced bum …”: Lewis, p. 121.

31 “It’s the old story …”: Lewis, p. 122.

32 “I did Sullivan as he really was …”: Will Jordan, interview with author.

Chapter Eleven

1 “The thing I remember most …”: George Carlin, interview with author.

2 “What did you think of the show …”: Vince Calandra, interview with author.

3 “He knew nothing about comedy,”: Phyllis Diller, interview with author.

4 “How am I going to explain …”: Harris, p. 137.

5 “If you can do it …”: Lewis, p. 126.

6 “He sure had his finger …”: Carol Burnett, interview with author.

7 “Again he leans into a gale …”: Time, October 17, 1955.

8 “built and maintained an outstanding reputation …”: Contract between CBS and Ed Sullivan, dated November 23, 1954, from Sullivan personal papers.

9 “I just want you to know how happy …”: Letter from Jack Van Volkenburg to Sullivan, dated November 23, 1954, from Sullivan personal papers.

10 “for the duration of your life.”: Contract between MCA and Ed Sullivan, dated March 19, 1955, from Sullivan personal papers.

11 “prayed that Sullivan dropped dead,”: Lewis, p. 125.

12 “Ed Sullivan is going to do…”: Dialogue from Toast of the Town, 1954.

13 “The most popular of all …”: Gabler, p. 468.

14 “tracked down and exposed,”: Quote from the column of Westbrook Pegler, New York Journal-American, 1953, as quoted in Kanfer, Stefan. Ball of Fire: The Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball. New York: Vintage Books, 2003, p. 172.

15 “It’s a singularly fortunate thing …”: The Daily News, 1953, exact date unknown.

16 “Wherever he goes …”: Lewis, p. 96.

17 “is about the longest shot …”: Time, October 17, 1955.

18 “Everything they’re promising …”: Ibid.

19 “Mr. Sullivan’s motion picture …”: Associated Press, date unknown, most likely from June 1955.

20 “Mrs. Sullivan called about 6:15 …”: Note to Arnold Grant, May 24, 1955, from Sullivan personal papers.

21 “I believe this will be a tremendous grosser …”: Sullivan letter to Jack Warner, dated July 15, 1955, from Sullivan personal papers.

22 “a large florid, booming man,”: From original script for The Ed Sullivan Story, 1955, Sullivan personal papers.

23 “As these acts go on …”: From revised script to The Ed Sullivan Story, 1955, from Sullivan personal papers.

24 “Naturally, this was done in great haste …”: Jack Warner letter to Ed Sullivan, dated November 1, 1955, from Sullivan personal papers.

25 “The greatest European pictures …”: Sullivan script revision of The Ed Sullivan Story, from Sullivan personal papers.

26 “The TV Sullivan is a strange contrast …”: Time, June 25, 1951.

27 “We were discussing your program …”: Fan letter, quoted in the New York Journal-American, June 19, 1963.

28 “We will have to be a magician …”: Jack Warner letter to Arnold Grant, dated November 25, 1955, from Sullivan personal papers.

29 “We will be most anxious …”: Warner Bros. executive letter to Sullivan, dated January 12, 1956, from Sullivan personal papers.

30 “I don’t think that Irving Wallace …”: Sullivan letter to Arnold Grant, dated January 16, 1956, from Sullivan personal papers.

31 “is not exactly a TV novelty.”: The New York Post, April 30, 1955.

32 “The number of things he does …”: Look, August 5, 1947.

33 “Basically, Sinatra is decent …”: The Daily News, 1947, quoted in Kelley, Kitty. His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra. New York: Bantam, 1987, p. 583.

34 “newspaper personalities…‘without paying for their services.’ ”: Ibid.

35 “Let us overlook …”: Variety, April 1955.

36 “Colgate, which was displeased …”: Time, June 2, 1959.

37 “there was never any question …”: The New York Times, August 5, 1956.

38 “The Ingrid Bergman-Rossellini baby …”: The Daily News, February 9, 1950.

39 “Why the hell did I say that?” Bowles, p. 125.

40 “tasteless and shocking.”: The New York Post, August 4, 1956.

41 “never seen anything like it,”: New York Journal-American, July 30, 1956.

42 “it would seem the producer’s approach …”: The New York Times, August 5, 1956.

43 “Incidentally, when is Ed Sullivan …”: Harris, p. 210.

44 “Ingrid never forgave me …”: Harris, p. 210.

Chapter Twelve

1 “I was a hot-headed college student,”: Bob Precht, interview with author.

2 “Well, if you’re that upset …”: Bowles, p. 61.

3 “He put me in place …”: Bob Precht, interview with author.

4 “Betty Dearest: This is the most wonderful …”: The New York Post, exact date unknown.

5 “It was very tempting,”: Bob Precht, interview with author.

6 “Hey, doc, come here quick …”: Bowles, p. 130.

7 “Tell them it’s nothing serious,”: Ibid.

8 “frail and concave …”: Lewis, p. 183.

9 “I love Ed …”: Kelley, p. 585.

10 “Today, living on his 200-acre farm in Southbury …”: Exposed, March, 1957.

11 “Dear Ed. Would you lend me …”: Quoted by Sullivan in Colliers, September 14, 1956.

12 “Bring Back the Grinds …”: Quoted in the New York Herald-Tribune, July 3, 1956.

13 “Steven Allen Presley …”: Bowles, p. 121.

14 “$5,000 for some youngster …”: Leonard, John. A Really Big Show: A Visual History of The Ed Sullivan Show. New York: Penguin Group, 1992, p. 181. This quote likely comes from The New York Post, spring, 1956.

15 “I hereby offer Ed Sullivan $60,000 …”: The New York Post, July 13, 1956.

16 “From his extensive repertoire …”: The New York Times, September 10, 1956.

17 “If the adverse public reaction …”: First three letters quoted from The New York Times, September 23, 1956.

18 “The few studios that welcome rock ’n’ roll …”: Letter printed in The New York Times, September 30, 1956.

Chapter Thirteen

1 “responsible for such tactics” and Sullivan’s response: The New York Post, October 3, 1956.

2 “crybaby,”: The New York Post, October 4, 1956.

3 “I have no comment to make …”: Variety, date unknown.

4 “Ed Sullivan is the only man …”: Harris, p. 109.

5 “a sense of showmanship …”: Cantor, Eddie. Take My Life. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1957, p. 246.

6 “You never knew what he was going to say …”: Connie Francis, interview with author.

7 “Wasn’t your father Allen Jones?”: Jack Jones anecdote, as told by Carol Burnett, interview with author.

8 “Sometimes you wondered,”: Ibid.

9 “You don’t screw …”: Lewis, p. 97.

10 “Dear Hub …”: Gabler, p. 487.

11 “He couldn’t integrate himself …”: Gabler, p. 497.

12 “He is ready to fight fire …”: Time, October 17, 1955.

13 “I never talk about …”: As quoted by Carol Burnett, from interview with author.

14 “During these ten years …”: The New York Times, June 22, 1958.

15 “I’m going to quit …”: New York Journal-American, June 21, 1958.

16 “I used to get letters …”: The New York Times, June 22, 1958.

17 “Ed, here’s something I know …”: Lewis, p. 166.

18 “All of us thank you …”: Ibid.

19 “What was all that about?”: Ibid.

20 “ungrateful, impolite people …”: Life, October 20, 1967.

21 “The noise was terrible …”: London Evening Standard, July 10, 1971.

22 “I don’t give a damn …”: Lewis, p. 168.

23 “People flocked to see it …”: Carol Burnett, interview with author.

24 “Ed Sullivan, of the News.”: Barbara Gallagher, interview with author.

25 “the Lowell Thomas …”: New York Journal-American, June 21, 1958.

26 “decadence, escapism, and insulation …”: Text of a speech given by Murrow on October, 15, 1958 in Chicago at the Radio and Television News Directors Association.

27 “Why the hell not …”: Lewis, p. 154.

28 “We believe Castro is not a …”: Halberstam, p. 721.

29 “Andy-roo, you and I are getting out of here …”: Andrew Laszlo, from interview with author.

30 “Andy-roo, I lied to you,”: Laszlo, interview with author. All Laszlo and Sullivan quotes from Castro story are from Laszlo interview with author. Information also comes from Laszlo, Andrew, ASC. It’s a Wrap. Hollywood: ASC Press, 2004.

31 “reacted violently …”: Laszlo, p. 22.

32 “[It will] be easy …”: Sullivan’s question and Castro’s answer from the broadcast interview, as seen on The Ed Sullivan Show.

33 “Castro gets booed by newsreel audiences …”: The Daily News, November 2, 1959.

Chapter Fourteen

1 “Our mission to Moscow …”: The Ed Sullivan Show, August, 1959.

2 “I expected a gloomy city …”: Ibid.

3 “Unless you intervene sir …”: Sullivan telegram to Nikita Khrushchev, dated September 5, 1959, from Sullivan personal papers.

4 “release the youngsters who participated …”: Sullivan telegram to Nikita Khrushchev, dated November 4, 1959, from Sullivan personal papers.

5 “Somewhere on this globe …”: The Ed Sullivan Show, 1959-60.

6 “The Colgate-Palmolive Company …”: The New York Times, June 2, 1959.

7 “Bob had a lot to learn …”: Sistie Moffit, interview with author.

8 “I was aggressive …”: Bob Precht, interview with author.

9 “Ed was the boss …”: Connie Francis, interview with author.

10 “Sophie had a fit …”: Ibid.

11 “I feel my integrity as an artist …” and Sullivan’s reply: The New York Times, January 28, 1961.

12 “I am looking forward eagerly …”: Sullivan letter to Bill Paley, dated March 22, 1960, from Sullivan personal papers.

13 “Paley loved Ed Sullivan …”: Mike Dann, interview with author.

14 “dictated by the people …”: The New York Times, June 24, 1961. All FCC quotes in this section are Ibid.

15 “Ed, I don’t have the money …”: Quotes for the account of Paar vs. Sullivan come from a variety of news and trade publications, including Variety, Life, the New York Post, and Newsweek.

16 “We looked at that wall …”: Connie Francis, interview with author.

17 “Ed was going around …”: John Moffit, interview with author.

18 “It was scary!”: Vince Calandra, interview with author.

19 “In the past year …”: The New York Times, June 17, 1962.

20 “Carmine was Ed’s Nubian slave,”: Sistie Moffit, interview with author.

21 “if we can continue that spirit …”: The New York Times, October 17, 1962.

22 “The actors will be free …”: The New York Times, September 3, 1963.

23 “Alabama has moved ahead of Mississippi …”: “What’s Going On Here”: quotes from The Ed Sullivan Show, 1963-64.

24 “All the Kennedys send you …”: Joseph Kennedy letter to Sullivan, dated April 28, 1960, from Sullivan personal papers.

25 “Dear Sylvia, I had read that piece …”: Letter from Joe Kennedy to Sylvia Sullivan, dated October 4, 1960, from Sullivan personal papers.

26 “I think that your brilliant young son …”: Sullivan letter to Joseph Kennedy, dated April 20, 1962, from Sullivan personal papers.

27 “The idea for your International Assembly …”: President John Kennedy letter to Sullivan, dated March 15, 1961, from Sullivan personal papers.

28 “P.S. Ted and I watch your wonderful show …”: Joan Kennedy letter to Sullivan, dated July 17, 1964, from Sullivan personal papers.

29 “unforgettable moments”: The Daily News, March 23, 1973.

30 “the party of hope …”: The New York Times, May 24, 1963.

31 “I used to be a member …”: The Daily News, May 24, 1963.

32 “the nightmare week …”: The Ed Sullivan Show, 1963.

Chapter Fifteen

1 “call in a barber.”: Bowles, p. 184.

2 “I gave him my honest opinion …”: Peter Prichard, interview with author.

3 “You have been misinformed …”: Sullivan letter to Leslie Grade, dated November 13, 1964, from Sullivan personal papers.

4 “ ‘Sylvia,’ he said (Mrs. Sullivan recalls it well)…”: Saturday Evening Post, April 20, 1968.

5 “We were in London last September …”: Press-Enterprise, Riverside, California, June 14, 1964.

6 “Well, as I always said …”: Peter Prichard, interview with author.

7 “Brian was a friend of mine …”: Peter Prichard, interview with author.

8 “Brian was a bright guy …”: Bob Precht, interview with author.

9 “He was excited about the story …”: Spizer, Bruce. The Beatles Are Coming! The Birth of Beatlemania in America. New Orleans, LA: 498 Productions, 2003.

10 “Ed, as always, had a quick reaction …”: Peter Prichard, interview with author.

11 “There were girls …”: The New York Times, February 8, 1964.

12 “Will you sing for us?…”: Ibid.

13 “Do you hope to get haircuts …”: Davies, Hunter. The Beatles: The Authorized Biography. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968, p. 195.

14 “Everybody already knows who the Beatles are …”: Ed Sullivan as quoted by Bill Bohnert, from interview with author.

15 “McCartney said that he and John …”: Beatles comments, as quoted by Vince Calandra, interview with author.

16 “I would like for you …”: Sullivan, quoted by Vince Calandra, interview with author.

17 “I don’t believe this …”: Bob Precht, quoted by Vince Calandra, interview with author.

18 “just as Ringo was sitting down …”: Bill Bohnert, interview with author.

19 “The oldsters outdid the kids …”: Goldsmith, Martin. The Beatles Come to America. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2004, p. 161.

20 “The door of the truck was open …”: Bill Bohnert, interview with author.

21 “This was the best it was ever going to be …”: Ringo Starr, as quoted by a Sullivan secretary, retold by Bill Bohnert, interview with author.

22 “In their sophisticated understanding …”: The New York Times, February 10, 1964.

23 “imported hillbillies who look like sheepdogs …”: Goldsmith, p. 147.

24 “I was offended by the long hair,”: Spizer, p. iv.

25 “the uncertainty of the times …”: Davies, p. 196.

26 “set up an hour-long din …”: The New York Times, November 4, 1964.

27 “That’s a possibility …”: Ibid.

Chapter Sixteen

1 “We got it into our heads …”: Booth, Stanley. The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones. Chicago: A Capella Books, 2000.

2 “I know that these men are controversial entertainers …”: Letter from Eric Easton to Sullivan, dated January 25, 1965, from Sullivan personal papers.

3 “We were deluged with mail …”: Letter from Sullivan to Rolling Stones manager, dated February 8, 1965, from Sullivan personal papers.

4 “We will be presenting Ed …”: New York Herald-Tribune, March 20, 1964.

5 “very, very generous.”: Ibid.

6 “He was totally in charge …”: Jackie Mason; all quotes from Mason anecdote, from interview with author unless otherwise noted.

7 “a variety of four-, ten-, and eleven-letter words …”: The New York Times, February 24, 1965.

8 “I’ll destroy you …”: Ibid.

9 “insubordination and gross deviation …”: The New York Times, October 20, 1964.

10 “although I don’t know why …”: The New York Times, January 29, 1966.

11 “He always had stage fright …”: John Moffit, interview with author.

12 “orgasmic insurance.”: Lax, Eric. Woody Allen: A Biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1991, p. 189.

13 “When the storm abated …”: Ibid.

14 “is unquestionably one of the …”: The New York Times, September 13, 1965.

15 “I did everything I could …”: Bob Precht, interview with author.

16 “Shut your mouth …”: Sullivan, quoted by Russ Petranto, production assistant, interview with author.

17 “I was booked for the next Sunday …”: Joan Rivers, interview with author.

18 “but the fans figured it out …”: Jim Russek, interview with author.

19 “Either the song goes, or you go.”: Sandford, Christopher. Mick Jagger: Rebel Knight. London: Omnibus Press, 2003, p. 104.

20 “Fuck off, mate”: Mick Jagger, quoted by Vince Calandra, interview with author.

21 “I remember once I came in …”: Joan Rivers, interview with author.

22 “He was always very nice to me …”: Barbara Gallagher, interview with author.

23 “A couple times he had me come over …”: Vinna Foote, interview with author.

24 “You know there was …”: Jim Russek, interview with author.

25 “invented the Broadway column …”: Ladies Home Journal, June, 1967.

26 “As we both grew older …”: Winchell, p. 320.

27 “Walter, don’t ever let …”: Ibid.

28 “You watched The Ed Sullivan Show…”: All quotes from Doors anecdote, Ray Manzarek, interview with author, unless otherwise noted.

29 “a smugness in their attitude …”: Jim Russek, interview with author.

30 “There was never a doubt …”: Bob Precht, interview with author.

Chapter Seventeen

1 “from Joplin, Missouri,”: Sullivan, quoted by Bill Bohnert, interview with author.

2 “it had more resonance …”: George Carlin, interview with author.

3 “Ed adored Richard,”: Russ Petranto, interview with author.

4 “Whatever happened to The Ed Sullivan Show?…”: Philadelphia Sunday Bulletin, January 25, 1970.

5 “The changeover in audience composition …”: Irwin Segelstein, interview with author.

6 “We made every effort …”: Bob Precht, interview with author.

7 “establishment shows.”: The Milwaukee Journal, January 13, 1969.

8 “We didn’t know what to do …”: Mike Dann, interview with author.

9 “Fuck ’em, we’ll do …”: Bowles, p. 196.

10 “Who’s on the show tonight?”: Mary Lynn Shapiro, interview with author.

11 “Well I’ll be a …”: Bowles, p. 203.

12 “grand tradition,”: Ibid.

13 “I was indeed sorry …”: J. Edgar Hoover letter to Sullivan, dated April 7, 1971, from Sullivan personal papers.

14 “You know, I could write a song …”: Susan Abramson, interview with author.

15 “I dragged him around …”: Sistie Moffit, interview with author.

16 “How about that?…”: Sullivan, quoted by Jerry Vale, interview with author.

17 “in a period of deep reminiscence …”: All quotes from Delmonico interview, Show magazine, summer, 1971.

18 “I got the feeling …”: Rob Precht, interview with author.

19 “For my own taste, Nixon …”: The New York Times, November 4, 1972.

20 “a classic of comedy …”: Los Angeles Times, September 20, 1971.

21 “a powerful stabilizing influence …”: United Press International, March 23, 1971.

22 “What goes next? The Bill of Rights?…”: The Cleveland Press, March 23, 1971.

23 “I spoke to the wax museum …”: The Daily News, January 15, 1972.

24 “He was truly a fourteen-carat …”: Gabler, p. xiv.

25 “We would have made it …”: The New York Times, April 9, 1972.

26 “She took care of him like a hawk …”: Joan Rivers, interview with author.

27 “was not feeling too well …”: Variety, March 28, 1973.

28 “just keeping himself very busy …”: Ibid.

29 “He went to Danny’s Hideaway …”: Jerry Vale, interview with author.

30 “When Sylvia died …”: Ibid.

31 “I saw him on Broadway, very forlorn …”: Bill Gallo, interview with author.

32 “You son of a bitch …”: all Shecky Greene quotes, interview with author.

33 “My grandfather very abruptly …”: Rob Precht, interview with author.

34 “We had consulted with his doctors …”: National Enquirer, November, 1974.

35 “faithfulness to the serious arts.”: Bowles, p. 212.

36 “an American landmark.”: The New York Times, October 17, 1974.

37 “Ed had a remarkable quality …”: Ibid.

38 “Bennett Cerf’s widow …”: The Daily News, October 14, 1974.

Epilogue

1 “I definitely think he had a sense …”: Rob Precht, interview with author.