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About This Quiz
Many young and talented artists made their television debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Take this quiz to see how well you remember this show and its famous acts!
"The Ed Sullivan" Show premiered on June 20, _______.
1921
1948
Ed Sullivan was not only the host, but he was also the executive producer of the show. Other producers included Marlo Lewis, Bob Precht, Chester Feldman and Jack McGeehan.
2013
1979
Whose performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" yielded the highest rating in television history as of 2015?
The Beatles
Elvis Presley
Elvis' first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" yielded an 82.6 percentage share. There were more than 60 million viewers.
The Jackson Five
The Supremes
On which television network did "The Ed Sullivan Show" air?
ABC
CBS
Each episode of "The Ed Sullivan Show" had a running time between 50 - 53 minutes.
NBC
FOX
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On which day of the week did "The Ed Sullivan Show" air?
Monday
Sunday
The show ran every Sunday night from 8 p.m. - 9 p.m., except for its first season in which it ran from 9 p.m. - 10 p.m. Eastern Time.
Saturday
Friday
For how many seasons did "The Ed Sullivan Show" run?
Just 1
3
120
24
"The Ed Sullivan Show" ran for 24 seasons, a total of 1,068 episodes. It ended on June 6, 1971.
What was the name of Ed Sullivan's puppet sidekick?
Topo Gigio
Topo Gigio was the lead character of a children's puppet show on Italian, Spanish and Brazilian television in the early 1960s. It translated to Louie Mouse.
Little Italian Prince
Joanna Banana
Bugs Bunny
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In which U.S. city was "The Ed Sullivan Show" filmed?
Boston
New York City
The show was filmed in the Ed Sullivan Theater - also known as CBS Studio 50, located at 1697 Broadway.
Los Angeles
Chicago
What was the original title of "The Ed Sullivan Show"?
Sully's Show
The Sullivan Variety Hour
Tale of New York City
Toast of the Town
Despite being titled "Toast of the Town," it was widely referred to as "The Ed Sullivan Show." After seven years as "Toast of the Town," the name was officially changed to "The Ed Sullivan Show" on September 25, 1955.
Ed Sullivan wanted this band to change their famous song title to "Let's Spend Some Time Together"... and they complied.
The Doors
The Jackson Five
The Rolling Stones
Changing the title of the Rolling Stones' hit single, "Let's Spend the Night Together," was yet another example of Ed Sullivan's deep intention to keep his show 'clean' for family viewing.
The Supremes
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The show's debut episode on June 20, 1948 featured performances by Dean Martin and ______________.
Tom Jones
Stevie Wonder
Rodney Dangerfield
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis was born Joseph Levitch on March 16, 1926. He has seven children.
What was the theme song for "The Ed Sullivan Show"?
Holiday for Strings
Inquisitive Tango
Toast
"The Ed Sullivan Show" was TV's longest running variety show.
The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down
It is often speculated that performances by this famous musician were filmed only from the waist up to censor his gyrating moves!
Michael Jackson
Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley first appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" on September 9, 1956. Ed Sullivan never really wanted him on the show, but gave in to help boost ratings.
Frank Sinatra
James Dean
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Which act appeared the most number of times on "The Ed Sullivan Show"?
The Beatles
Wayne & Shuster
Canadian comedy duo Wayne & Shuster appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" a record 67 times.
Elvis
The Mamas & The Papas
Which song did The Beatles perform the most on "The Ed Sullivan Show"?
I Saw Her Standing There
I Want To Hold Your Hand
"I Want To Hold Your Hand" was performed three out of the four times The Beatles appeared on the show.
Penny Lane
All My Loving
American jazz singer and "First Lady of Song," _______, appeared frequently on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
Peggy Lee
Dinah Washington
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born on April 25, 1917. She passed away on June 15, 1996 from diabetes mellitus.
Sarah Vaughan
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______ Davis Jr. sang "S' Wonderful" duet with Ella Fitzgerald on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
Jackie
Sammy
Samuel George Davis, Jr. was born on December 8, 1925 in New York City. He died from throat cancer in 1990 at the age of 64.
Bobby
Philip
Israeli-American violinist Itzhak ______ got his first exposure on The "Ed Sullivan Show" in 1958 at the age of 13.
Lederman
Perlman
Itzhak Perlman gave a breakthrough performance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." His performance promoted classical music and he has remained one of the most famous violinists for decades.
Robinson
Josephson
Ed Sullivan did not understand how Elvis could simply move his ______ and the audience would scream with excitement.
Arms
Legs
Sullivan was quoted, "I can’t figure this darn thing out. You know. He just does this [Ed shakes his legs] and everybody yells!"
Hair
Lips
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After seeing fans react to this rock group at Heathrow Airport, Ed Sullivan knew he needed to get them on his show...
The Beach Boys
The Beatles
The Beatles consisted of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison. They were from Liverpool, England.
The Bangles
The Jackson Five
_________ was the first song performed by The Beatles on their first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
Penny Lane
I Want To Hold Your Hand
All My Loving
The Beatles' first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" was on February 9, 1964. They began with "All My Loving" and ended with "I Want To Hold your Hand."
Till There Was You
The Beatles' manager suggested they appear _____ consecutive weeks in a row instead of a single appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
Two
Three
The Beatles accepted less money for three shows as long as they received top billing and two spots on each show - during the opening and the closing.
Four
Six
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Bill Haley & His ______ were the first rock & roll performers on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
Devils
Stars
Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets consisted of Bill Haley, Joey D'Ambrosio, and Dick Richards.
Boys
What was the famous song and then-hit performed by Bill Haley & His Comets on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in August 1955?
Help!
I Feel Fine
I Just Called to Say I Love You
Rock Around the Clock
The performance of "Rock Around the Clock" was recognized as the first rock and roll performance shown on a national television program.
"Hymn for a Sunday Evening" was performed by Ed Sullivan himself in which famous musical film?
My Fair Lady
Oliver
Bye Bye Birdie
Ed Sullivan appeared as himself in this film. It was released on April 4, 1963.
West Side Story
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Which act was banned from "The Ed Sullivan Show"?
The Jackson Five
The Doors
The Doors appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1967. Before heading on stage, they were asked to change the lyrics of "Light My Fire"​ to a family-friendly version. They did not and Ed Sullivan banned them from ever returning to his show.
Richard Pryor
The Supremes
Who hosted the episode that featured Elvis Presley's first performance?
Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton guest-hosted while Sullivan was recovering from a near-fatal car accident.
Stevie Wonder
Bern Bennett
Ralph Paul
Who reportedly gave Ed Sullivan "the finger" during his performance on October 18, 1964?
Jim Morrison
Jackie Mason
Ed Sullivan was trying to signal Mason that he had two minutes left, but Mason supposedly didn't take too kindly to that information.
Michael Jackson
Mick Jagger
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What was the total number of appearances The Beatles made, specifically in 1964, on "The Ed Sullivan Show"?
Three
Four
After their contract for three consecutive weeks, The Beatles appeared again in May of 1964 to help promote their new movie.
Seven
Ten
What was the name of the movie The Beatles promoted on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in May 1964?
You Can't Do That
A Hard Day's Night
"A Hard Day's Night" was a British musical film which starred The Beatles and Wilfrid Brambell. It was released on July 6, 1964.
Help!
Yellow Submarine
Ed Sullivan wanted this band to substitute their hit "Oh, Boy!" for a more audience-appropriate song...
The Supremes
Buddy Holly and the Crickets
On January 26, 1956, Buddy Holly and the Crickets returned to "The Ed Sullivan Show" for their second appearance.
The Rolling Stones
The Doors
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Bo ________ appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1955, leaving Sullivan less than happy.
Jackson
Browne
Dudley
Diddley
Bo Diddley "crossed" Sullivan, according to Sullivan, by singing two songs - "Sixteen Tons," and his self-titled hit, "Bo Diddley." Sullivan had only wanted him to perform "Sixteen Tons."
This famous musician was slated to make his first national TV appearance but his song, "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues," was not approved by Sullivan, so he left.
Jim Morrison
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan was born on May 24, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016.
Richard Pryor
Bill Wyman
Of their three appearances, The Beatles once performed via live telecast from their hotel in this U.S. city.
Boston
Chicago
Miami
On February 16, 1964, the Beatles had a performance during the daytime at a Miami hotel. Later that night, they were live broadcast on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
San Francisco
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In total, how many appearances did The Beatles make on "The Ed Sullivan Show" during its 24 seasons?
5
6
9
The Beatles performed four times in 1964, once in 1965, 1966 and 1970, and twice in 1967.
15
You Got:
/35
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