Talk About Variety! Amazing Facts About The Ed Sullivan Show

Throughout the mid 20th century, The Ed Sullivan Show was one of the most popular programs on TV. It was loved by fans and its consistently high ratings and success allowed it to appear every Sunday night in a primetime spot. The show has been off the air for decades, so let's take a trip down memory lane and look at some memorable moments and behind-the-scenes info, some of which you may not have known.

The Show Was Originally Titled Toast of the Town

GettyImages-81159766
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The show debuted on June 20, 1948, on CBS. Its official title for the first few years on the air was Toast of the Town, hosted by Ed Sullivan, known as a New York entertainment columnist at the time.

However, soon people had realized Ed Sullivan was the star here and began calling it The Ed Sullivan Show. The network and producers recognized this and so, that became the official title of the show in 1955.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ed Sullivan Was As Awkward As They Come

ADVERTISEMENT
ed-sullivan-show2-65330.png
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

While most television hosts exude a sense of confidence and are charming in nature, Ed Sullivan was the complete opposite. He was awkward, kind of shifty, and was famous for messing up his lines throughout the program on some occasions. Initially, the show was given poor ratings by television critics.

ADVERTISEMENT

But as it turned out, it was this type of fun and free style that made watching Ed Sullivan so entertaining to viewers.

ADVERTISEMENT

The List Of Bands He Aired Breakout Performances For Is Staggering

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
the-ed-sullivan-show_iRvT0k
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

Sullivan became famous in North America for his ability to seemingly predict which new talent would end up becoming big stars. Many now-famous acts first got their big break on his show.

ADVERTISEMENT

Throughout the '50s and '60s, the show aired breakout performances for a number of legendary acts like Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, the Doors, and more. Keep reading for more about these artists' memorable performances later.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Show Aired Across Four Different Decades

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
GettyImages-3296794
Alan Band/Keystone/Getty Images
Alan Band/Keystone/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

While most TV shows are lucky to get a few seasons of airtime, The Ed Sullivan Show experienced a 22-year run, but actually appeared in four different decades. The show aired in the '40s, '50s, '60s, and '70s.

ADVERTISEMENT

It was one of the longest-running shows ever, setting the record for the longest-running variety show in US broadcast history. When it was finally canceled, television critic David Hinckley said, "It was, by almost any measure, the last great TV show."

ADVERTISEMENT

74 Million People Watched the Beatles Debut

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
GettyImages-515097396
Bettmann/Getty Images
Bettmann/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

In their debut performance on the show, the Beatles played their rock and roll music to a massive audience of nearly 74 million people who watched the program. Now, this performance took place in 1964, when the population of the U.S. was only 191 million people.

ADVERTISEMENT

This shows just how big the show was at this point. "It's one of our fondest, dearest pop culture memories," said television critic David Hinkley.

ADVERTISEMENT

It Aired More Than 1,000 Episodes

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
GettyImages-80901437
Steve Oroz/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Steve Oroz/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Now that you know the show aired for over 20 years, this is probably no surprise, but the fact that a single show was able to hit 1,000 episodes is crazy. When most people think of show longevity, they go to shows like The Simpsons.

ADVERTISEMENT

But in fact, The Simpsons has only aired around 640 episodes, falling far behind The Ed Sullivan Show’s 1,068 episodes, to put it into perspective.

ADVERTISEMENT

An Aggressive Form Of Cancer Took His Life Quickly

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
the-ed-sullivan-show_p7wdCz
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

Sadly, Ed Sullivan passed away due to cancer. But it wasn’t a long battle, as his family only found out about his esophageal cancer in early September 1974. By the time the x-ray revealed the cancer, it was in an advanced stage.

ADVERTISEMENT

In an effort to protect his mental health, his doctors and family never told Sullivan he was only expected to live for a few more months. By mid-October of the same year, Sullivan had already passed away. He was 73 years old.

ADVERTISEMENT

He Had A Few Recurring Acts

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

While Ed often booked completely new, world-famous acts in entertainment, there were a few acts and individuals that appeared on a recurring basis. Two of the most famous examples of this were his puppet sidekick Topo Gigio, a children's puppet character on an Italian TV show, and a ventriloquist named Señor Wences.

ADVERTISEMENT

Both appeared frequently on the show. Ed asked the Italian puppeteers of Topo Gigio to step out and take a bow, which they did, revealing their all-black wardrobe. The puppet even appeared on the final show, in 1971.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ed Sullivan Helped To Raise Public Awareness About Mental Illness

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

On one of his shows in 1953, Ed and his guest spoke about the guest’s time in a mental institution. This episode and conversation were believed to be a big help in the fight for America to become more aware of mental illness.

ADVERTISEMENT

Out of all he has accomplished, Sullivan was extremely proud of this fact, deeming it the most important episode in the entire first decade of the show's airing.

ADVERTISEMENT

Elvis’s Debut On The Show Still Holds TV Records

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
the-ed-sullivan-show_cLhn1n
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

The night that rock and roll took over the American culture took place on September 9, 1956. This was the first time that superstar Elvis Presley appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, and the ratings that he received have never been matched.

ADVERTISEMENT

60 million people watched it and it received an 86.2 percentage share, which means that 86.2% of people who watched TV in the U.S. that night were watching the show.

ADVERTISEMENT

Every Type Of Entertainment Appeared On His Show

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

It wasn’t just musical acts that appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show -- far from it. In fact, Ed basically played host to almost every type of entertainer you could ever think of.

ADVERTISEMENT

Writers, comedians, dancers, circus acts, actors, and more were frequently featured on his show. Guests included The Supremes, Broadway actors, Bob Dylan, The Doors, and more. Jim Henson even made a total of 25 appearances with The Muppets.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ed Sullivan Could Read An Audience Unlike Anyone

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
CBS News
CBS News
ADVERTISEMENT

In any kind of media (TV, radio, or anything else) the biggest key is delivering to your audience. And there was no one who knew what would and wouldn’t work for an audience quite like Sullivan did.

ADVERTISEMENT

He seemingly knew what acts would take off and which ones the American audience would adore. You can't put a price on intuition like that, which proved to be true in his 50 years of working in entertainment.

ADVERTISEMENT

A Spot On His Show Was Nearly A Guarantee Of Superstardom

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
the-ed-sullivan-show_9eUVJN
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

With the massive audience that his show generated every time it was aired (along with Sullivan's aforementioned ability to find talent), anyone who appeared on the show dramatically increased their visibility. In 1954-55 the show had 12,157,200 viewers. In 1963-64 it garnered 14,190,000.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Ed Sullivan Show was the biggest ticket in town and gave every guest who appeared a chance to go from a nobody to a star in just one night.

ADVERTISEMENT

Wayne And Shuster Appeared On The Show The Most

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

With the show having well over 1,000 episodes, it was bound to have a few repeat guests. Numerous big acts had multiple appearances, but no one appeared more than the Canadian comedy duo Wayne and Shuster.

ADVERTISEMENT

They appeared on the show as a live act an amazing 67 times (58, according to Frank Shuster), signing a one-year contract for $7,500 a show. Ed rarely made edits to their act, as they had agreed on.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ed Sullivan Could Hold A Grudge Like No Other

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
the-ed-sullivan-show_2OB2gz
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

While Sullivan's show was the biggest ticket in town, certain people either never got an invite or didn’t get invited back after appearing. Sullivan had some big controversies with various artists and even years after the disagreements took place, he still wouldn’t allow them back or forget about the grudge.

ADVERTISEMENT

Artists that Ed butted heads with include the Rolling Stones, The Doors, Jackie Mason, Bob Dylan, and Bo Diddley. Both artists and their managers must have been disappointed with never being invited back on the hit show.

ADVERTISEMENT

Jerry Stiller And Anne Meara Found Fame On The Show

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, as the husband-and-wife comedy team "Stiller & Meara," made their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on April 7th, 1963, and were such a hit that they made a total of 36 appearances on the program throughout the '60s and '70s

ADVERTISEMENT

Years later, Stiller discovered a resurgence in his fame playing the cranky Frank Costanza on Seinfeld, a role that earned him an Emmy nomination. Anne Meara passed away on May 23, 2015. She was 85. Nearly five years later, Stiller died at the age of 93.

ADVERTISEMENT

Beef With Buddy Holly

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
sul1-52092 (1)
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

One of the most infamous of these grudges was against Buddy Holly and his band, The Crickets. Sullivan thought the lyrics to their song "Oh Boy" were too suggestive for his audience and asked (or demanded) that they perform a different song.

ADVERTISEMENT

Holly refused though and, as retribution, Sullivan mispronounced Holly's name when introducing the band and made sure that his guitar amplifier was turned off. Now that's what we call petty!

ADVERTISEMENT

He Provided Huge Opportunities For African American Entertainers

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

In a time when African American entertainers had little or no outlet to show their skills to the world, Ed Sullivan and his show helped tremendously. He helped launch dozens of careers such as The Supremes, James Brown, and Louis Armstrong.

ADVERTISEMENT

Sullivan got criticism from some, but just ignored it and continued to support everyone equally. He also made sure that nothing made it onto the show that would offend any of his audience members, even if it was culturally-acceptable at the time.

ADVERTISEMENT

CBS Butted Heads With A Few World-Famous Acts

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Morrison, Jim - Musiker, USA/ Auftritt, undatiert
ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images
ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

In addition to Ed himself having some issues with guests, the network also had problems with some of the guests who appeared. There were numerous times where certain acts were censored and asked to change their songs or acts in some way. Some of the acts obeyed, while others disregarded the rules.

ADVERTISEMENT

Jim Morrison, the frontman of The Doors, was basically banned from the show after his first appearance. We'll find out more about this later.

ADVERTISEMENT

They Brought In Shows To Replace It, But They Didn’t Work

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

After decades of success, the show eventually started to fall in the ratings. In 1964, 14,190,000 viewers were tuning in. But by 1970, that number was down to 11,875,500, although more households owned televisions. Soon, it was canceled.

ADVERTISEMENT

Show producers tried numerous times with a bunch of different programs to catch the magic again, but the magic and success of The Ed Sullivan Show in its prime could not be matched, no matter what they tried.

ADVERTISEMENT

Yet Another Feud

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
YouTube
YouTube
ADVERTISEMENT

The now-legendary guitarist Bo Diddley was another major musical guest on Ed Sullivan's show. When Ed asked him to perform his song "Sixteen Tons," Diddley accepted. But when he was backstage waiting to go on, he saw “Bo Diddley. Sixteen Tons” on the setlist.

ADVERTISEMENT

Diddley mistakenly thought that was a request to play both songs (as "Bo Diddley" was also a song title) and Sullivan was furious about it. He reportedly said that Diddley wouldn't make it six months in the business.

ADVERTISEMENT

George Carlin's First Appearance

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
(Source: WLRN)
(Source: WLRN)
ADVERTISEMENT

Comedian George Carlin was an 11-time guest. He first appeared when he was just a fresh-faced 30-year-old, well before his comedy took a more political turn. Carlin later wrote of the experience in his autobiography Last Words: A Memoir. “The Ed Sullivan Show’s worst weapon of torture was that it was airing live. There were no second takes on Sullivan.

ADVERTISEMENT

During their set, Ed would stand onstage over to stage right. Out of camera range but onstage. So the entire audience never watched the comic. They were watching Sullivan to see if he would laugh. And he never did. Playing comedy to the Sullivan audience was agony. You’d get more laughs in a mausoleum.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Tragic Romance

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
GettyImages-515420688
Bettmann/Getty Images
Bettmann/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

In his younger years, Ed Sullivan was engaged to an Olympic swimmer named Sybil Bauer. She won the gold medal in the 100-meter backstroke in the 1924 Summer Olympics.

ADVERTISEMENT

However, the marriage never happened. Tragically, Bauer died of cancer when she was just 23-years-old. She was still a senior in college at the time. In 1976, she was posthumously inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer".

ADVERTISEMENT

A Long-Lasting Marriage

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
GettyImages-138706496
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

In 1926, Sullivan met Sylvia Weinstein. The couple dated on and off for three years before their 1930 City Hall wedding. Weinstein's family was Jewish and opposed to her marrying a Catholic, so she initially told them that her fiance's name was Ed Solomon.

ADVERTISEMENT

Her brother didn't buy the ruse and figured out who she was really engaged to. The Sullivans were married for 42 years, and welcomed a daughter named Elizabeth "Betty" Sullivan.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Ritz Brothers

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

Moe Howard of "The Three Stooges" once said that Sullivan had a problem with his memory at times. As an example, Howard cited a time that the Stooges made a reoccurring appearance on the show and Sullivan had seemingly forgotten their name.

ADVERTISEMENT

Instead, the iconic host accidentally introduced them as "The Ritz Brothers." He corrected himself by adding the improvised line, "who look more like the Three Stooges to me."

ADVERTISEMENT

A Real Variety Show

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

Viewers were never certain what they'd see when they tuned in to watch The Ed Sullivan Show. One favorite guest was the flamboyantly flashy pianist Liberace.

ADVERTISEMENT

During his appearances on the show (there were six performance total), Liberace performed a few songs, did some comedy bits, and even taught Sullivan to play the piano. The show even had a highly-specialized symphony orchestra. The gig was extremely demanding, as they had to adjust to the wide variety of guest artists on the show.

ADVERTISEMENT

Lions And Tigers And Bears, Oh My!

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
GettyImages-558651185
Keystone-FranceGamma-Rapho via Getty Images
Keystone-FranceGamma-Rapho via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

One example of just how much variety there was on the show was when animal tamer Clyde Beatty appeared. Beatty discovered during rehearsal that the stage was much too small for his tigers to perform safely. Sullivan convinced him to go ahead with the act, however.

ADVERTISEMENT

During Beatty's performance, he lost control of the tigers. Luckily, he was able to subdue them. Sullivan later said that this appearance was "the roughest act, I've ever featured." No doubt that Beatty felt the same way, but a clip of this performance was included in a "best of" DVD compilation of "The Ed Sullivan Show."

ADVERTISEMENT

Ed and Sylvia's Daughter Betty

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Bettmann /Getty Images
Bettmann /Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Ed and Sylvia Sullivan had one child, a daughter named Elizabeth ("Betty") after Sullivan's mother, who died the same year that his daughter was born, in 1930.

ADVERTISEMENT

While her father continued having success in the spotlight, Betty lived a more reserved, normal life, choosing not to fall into the glamourous life of the entertainment industry. She later became a Navy wife and full-time mother. She passed away in 2014 at the age of 83.

ADVERTISEMENT

Out On The Town

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

The Sullivan family was frequently spotted out on the town and reportedly ate out five nights a week. Among their favorite dining spots were Jimmy Kelly’s, Danny's Hideaway, and the legendary Stork Club. They only visited the hottest spots, of course.

ADVERTISEMENT

As the talented host of the top show on television, Sullivan was a powerful figure in the entertainment industry and beyond. He was associated with celebrities, presidents, and Popes-- his reach seemingly limitless.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Ed Sullivan Theater

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
GettyImages-72228250
Tim Boxer/Getty Images
Tim Boxer/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

The theater where The Ed Sullivan Show was filmed, located in Studio 50, at 1697 Broadway in New York City, is now named after the television hosting legend. From 1993 to 2015, the studio was also the home of The Late Show when David Letterman was the host.

ADVERTISEMENT

Today, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is filmed there today. It was originally named Hammerstein's Theatre when it opened in 1927.

ADVERTISEMENT

Restroom Rage?

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

Years before he became a family man, Sullivan reportedly took his rivalry with another columnist (Walter Winchell) a bit too far at the Stork Club.

ADVERTISEMENT

In a biography of the television star, biographer Jerry Bowles wrote that Sullivan once "grabbed Winchell, held his head firmly in the bottom of a urinal and 'gleefully pumped the flush lever' while his victim uttered 'sobbing noises.'" That's quite a visual of one of the most respected television hosts in the business!

ADVERTISEMENT

He Was Truly A Star

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
GettyImages-473406882
AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Ed Sullivan received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on February 8, 1960. His honorary star is located at 6101 Hollywood Boulevard. This is just one of the many awards that Sullivan received over the years -- others include a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award.

ADVERTISEMENT

Sullivan was truly a pioneer in his field, especially in the show's beginnings. He captivated viewers like no one before him, or after him.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Show's Impact On Civil Rights

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
carroll-sullivan-42841-74194.jpg
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

As mentioned previously, Ed Sullivan featured many African American artists on his show despite protests from advertisers and the general public. There were very few public figures that fought to breakdown racial barriers in mainstream television as Sullivan did.

ADVERTISEMENT

The groundbreaking African American actress Diahann Carroll told her daughter Suzanne Kay that her appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show helped her career tremendously. Carrol told Essence, "Ed was one of those [special] human beings. It was a glorious time."

ADVERTISEMENT

Sullivison, The Documentary

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
GettyImages-74258223
Steve Oroz/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Steve Oroz/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Later, Suzanne Kay and Sullivan's granddaughter Margo Precht Speciale created a documentary called Sullivision. The documentary explores the impact that the show had on Black culture and the Civil Rights movement.

ADVERTISEMENT

Carroll told her daughter that "you could build a whole career around the exposure you got on Sullivan.” Other black artists who appeared on the show include The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Lena Horne, Smokey Robinson, Nat King Cole, and Ray Charles.

ADVERTISEMENT

Jackie Mason's Contract

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Bettmann / Getty Images
Bettmann / Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

We weren't exaggerating when we said that Ed Sullivan held grudges, although this one might be justified. Comedian Jackie Mason had a contract worth $45,000 to make six appearances on the show. A notorious event led to the contract being tossed out in 1964.

ADVERTISEMENT

Mason allegedly flipped Sullivan the bird, an act that's been dubbed "the finger incident." During the obscene motion, he said he'd been "getting lots of fingers tonight." Then he began pointing, adding: “Here's a finger for you and a finger for you and a finger for you." Mason's contract was canceled although he claimed that he had only been making a joke about fingers and hadn't directed a rude gesture toward Sullivan. The two later made up.

ADVERTISEMENT

Jim Morrison And The Doors

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
GettyImages-76056600
Estate of Edmund Teske/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Estate of Edmund Teske/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

During The Doors' 1967 performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," singer Jim Morrison was asked specifically not to sing one line from their hit song "Light My Fire." He was supposed to replace the line "Girl we couldn’t get much higher" with the tamer version "Girl we couldn’t get much better."

ADVERTISEMENT

When the time came to sing the questionable lyric, Jim Morrison acted in his typical rebellious format. Not only did he sing the original words, which referenced illegal drugs, but he did so loudly and in an exaggerated way. Sullivan was livid and the band was never allowed back on the show.

ADVERTISEMENT

A Piece Of Sullivan History For Sale

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
the-ed-sullivan-show_kmmVhU
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

The backdrop that hung on the stage behind The Beatles during their debut 1964 performance was signed by all four members of the band and eventually made its way to Rockaway Records in Los Angeles.

ADVERTISEMENT

The shop is known for its rare and valuable Beatles collector items. Store owner Wayne Johnson presented the piece at a Beatles auction in 2014, with a starting price tag of $550,000. So how much did the backdrop sell for?

ADVERTISEMENT

Surprising Sullivan No-Sale

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
the-ed-sullivan-show_QkgQIO
CBS
CBS
ADVERTISEMENT

The Beatles-signed piece of the backdrop was expected to fetch anywhere from $800,000 to $1 million. The band had even drawn caricatures of themselves on it. The owner said he chose to auction it because he didn't expect to be alive for the 75th anniversary of the Beatles’ U.S. invasion.

ADVERTISEMENT

Unfortunately, no one purchased the historic backdrop at the auction instead later, the piece was put up for sale privately.

ADVERTISEMENT

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
GettyImages-569336643
Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images
Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Bill Robinson was the highest-paid Black performer in the first half of the 1900s. Even so, he was penniless when he died, and Sullivan stepped up to pay for the artist's funeral.

ADVERTISEMENT

He had been a longtime fan and friend, and when talking about Black performers was quoted as saying: "some of the greatest hits I've had on Toast of the Town have been the venerable W.C. Handy, Bill Graves,...Bill Robinson of course, tap dancing marvel Bunny Briggs, and one of the greatest comedy geniuses of modern show business, Judge Pigmeat."

ADVERTISEMENT

Sullivan Named His Beloved Dog After Robinson

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
GettyImages-1164547
Getty Images
Getty Images
ADVERTISEMENT

Sullivan even named his family's beloved dog "Bojangles" after his dear friend Bill Robinson. Here's one family shot from 1955 that shows Sullivan with wife Sylvia, daughter Betty, and the prized pooch poodle, all relaxing at home together.

ADVERTISEMENT

The family lived in hotel suites at the Hotel Delmonico and the Hotel Astor, in Times Square. Sullivan also rented a quite next door to the one his family would stay in, to be used as his office.