Ed Sullivan

[John Adams]

Posted: 9/17/25 at 2:52pm

Just finished "Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan" on Netflix. A DuckDuckGo search on the title yields this in the AI Search Assist results:

"'Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan' is a documentary on Netflix that explores how Ed Sullivan's variety show showcased Black artists during a time of racial discrimination in America. It highlights his role in breaking barriers and promoting equality in entertainment from 1948 to 1971."

I think this would be a great subject for a musical. It offers opportunities for diversity in both casting and score, plus a sense of nostalgia for a time when, even though societal values and mores were complicated, they were at the same time, "simpler".

Even if you don't like the suggestion of a musical. the doc on Netflix is a really good watch.

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 9/17/25 at 3:01pm

That's basically Memphis, isn't it?

I'm sure the documentary is good, but in terms of stage musicals I'm not sure we need another show aggrandizing a white guy for giving a platform to Black performers.  Then again, if someone were to make a biographical show/movie/what have you about Ed Sullivan, that'd probably be the best avenue for it.

Anyway, I can't hear "Ed Sullivan" without thinking about this:

 

[John Adams]

Posted: 9/17/25 at 3:38pm

Have you watched the doc on Netflix? There are very strong parallels in sentiment to what's going on with immigration, strong-arm government control, and disagreement between the Left and Right in our country right now. I think if the book were written by someone like Aaron Sorkin, they could write beyond just "aggrandizing a white guy for giving a platform to Black performers."  

The doc is filled with statements by Sullivan that are not (in today's world) limited to just Black artists of that time. Like this one:

"Hello, this is Ed Sullivan. Today we've been called upon to search our hearts and souls and cleanse them of unnatural hate and fear of our neighbors. The fight for freedom today is a fight for the ideal of brotherhood."

Couldn't those words be applied to the reactions surrounding the Trans community and the Kirk assassination? Or last week's killing of Silvero Villegas-Gonzalez by ICE simply because of his ethnicity, and undocumented status?

Also, the Ed Sullivan theater may be open for Broadway shows in the near future. Maybe a musical about "his role in breaking barriers and promoting equality in entertainment" might be an appropriate 'following act' to Stephen Colbert.

Updated On: 9/17/25 at 03:38 PM

[John Adams]

Posted: 9/17/25 at 3:58pm

PS: "Hamilton" was not a page-to-stage adaptation of Chernow's book. I just believe that a musical based on this doc has possibilities.