The Influence of Ed Sullivan on America and The Cultural Revolution of The 1960s. Based on the television show The Ed Sullivan Show

Transcription

1 The Influence of Ed Sullivan on America and The Cultural Revolution of The 1960s. Based on the television show The Ed Sullivan Show Cody Powell-McClintick CSU, Sacramento 1

2 Humans are interesting creatures. As humans, we embrace something called culture. Essentially, this is the collection of ideas, customs and traits that we, or smaller groups of people, choose to identify themselves with and live under. Culture has had, for most of human history, a slow and leisurely development as technology was primitive and indeed limited; then the 20 th century arrived. This new era gradually ushered in new ways of social connectivity, making the world ever smaller as the technology became more and more advanced. New media of communication such as the radio and the television brought the entertainment to the people, making our lives more convenient and in many ways, simpler. One of the largest cultural movements in the world took place in the 1960 s. This decade was a polar-shift from the decades that preceded it. One figure in particular was responsible for ushering in this Cultural Revolution onto the American people. Ed Sullivan and The Ed Sullivan show worked to create the American culture know as the sixties. A question of this movement will be analyzed in this essay. In what ways did Ed Sullivan use his charisma and television show to shape and mold American society in the 1960s? Simply put, Sullivan managed to do this by utilizing the television as a communication medium and allowing Americans to be content with experiencing the rapid changes in culture. To understand just how impactful the television was in shaping the cultural revolution of the 1960 s, it is crucial to understand the impact the television had and how it grew to become one of the most dominant forms of communication. Radio had taken off in providing Americans with entertainment in the 1920 s, and in doing so, brought entertainment to Americans. This meant that the individuals and families did not have to go out and seek the entertainment. It was instead brought to their homes via radio 2

3 transmissions. This created a sense of a smaller and more connected world, one in which information and entertainment being directly channeled to the masses. In the late 1940 s, with the invention of the mass-produced television, the kind of entertainment that was provided by the radio was brought to the airwaves via television signal. This created quite a spark in the excitement of Americans. The idea that visual messages could be played through a box-shaped device and be viewed in the living room was nothing short of revolutionary. So revolutionary, that Americans embraced this new technology immediately. (Bogart, 1972; SOFA Entertainment, 2010). In his book, The Age of Television, Leo Bogart discusses the impact of television upon Americans. According to Bogart, Television grew as fast as it came to new parts of the country In the dozen years since the end of World War II, 51,000,000 television sets were manufactured in the United States By 1956, the U.S public had invested $15.6 billions in its television sets -- $10.4 billions for the sets themselves (Bogart, P. 11). It is hard to dispute the fact that the television made a significantly large impact on American culture. Millions of sets were purchased with the hope of being a part of the new communication medium and experiencing something new. Furthermore, what this demonstrates is the confidence the general public had in this new medium. Regarded as a fad at the time, it was trendy and aspirational to own a television set. Having this in mind, television networks knew that there was much capital in the market for television in programming and advertising. They knew that as more and more people became glued to their television sets, and as excited and whimsical as they were, they would be more 3

4 susceptible in developing a trust in those who regularly presented. This is a big part of what made the Ed Sullivan Show such a success. The American public developed a strong feeling of trust in Sullivan, and thought quite highly of him and his television variety show. This is also a large part of how Ed Sullivan used his television show and charisma to inspire the viewers in the United States to embrace the cultural change of the 1960s. Clearly, the television was accepted without hesitation, and the public consumed it in droves; it was starting to look like television was not to leave any time soon (Bogart, 1972; SOFA Entertainment, 2010; Harris, 1968). With the immergence of the television, and with hopes of replacing radio shows, people of the entertainment industry were quick to make the transition into the visual world. While there have been many prominent figures in television, few others are as influential as Ed Sullivan. Born in 1902 in New York, New York, Edward Sullivan was a typical boy in a typical American family. Like every other family at the time, every family member had to pull their equal share of work to help each other out and better the family lifestyle. Ed Sullivan himself recalled the ethics and values that were instilled in him. According to Sullivan, Our parents taught all of us to respect the rights of all peoples. They taught us to respect the rights of the underdog; they taught us that all people come from God and are destined to go back to God, and they agreed that every race and creed has its shameful parts. Throughout the family, on both sides, there was a strong streak of pride and self-reliance, inspiring patriotism and great feeling for people and great understanding of their problems (Harris, p ). 4

5 Such great values instilled by the Sullivan family truly resonated with young Edward. Treating everyone with the equal amounts of respect and dignity goes a long way. While this is a very important quality to have in all aspects of life, this is an especially important quality to have in the broadcast television industry. Ed Sullivan treated everyone the same way, regardless of race, gender, or age. This philosophy transcended into his television career and set Ed Sullivan and his show apart from the others. On his show, he featured talents acts, comedians, musicians, and other performers of all kinds; acts such as Elvis Presley, The Doors, Sammie Davis Jr., The Supremes, and Nat King Cole. Ed Sullivan had all of them on the show and treated each of them as equals. Why this was important in the success of the show will be covered in the next few pages of the essay (Bowles, 1980; Spizer, 2006). In his childhood, Sullivan was a huge sports fanatic, and became immersed in them from an early age. He continued his activities in sports into high school, where he became a sports writer for his high school newspaper. He did this for two years, his junior and senior years, and after high school became absorbed in newspaper writing for many different newspapers all throughout the twenties. Sullivan was very content in doing this, until in the late 1920s and early 1930s when radio was becoming dominant in the world of entertainment. He was then asked by CBS to host a radio show that honed in on Broadway plays. Topics like reviews, interviews with the actors and discussions on upcoming plays were all too common on Sullivan s radio show. In fact, Sullivan is credited for launching the Broadway careers of Jack Benny and Irving Berlin. This continued for many years, all into the 1930s. In the 1940s, Sullivan went to work announcing newsreels during the war, as well as participating in wartime radio. He 5

6 continued with radio until the late forties. In 1948, his bosses at CBS asked him to do something very special. They asked him to host a new television show called a variety show in which talent acts would be featured. The idea was to bring the content and spirit of a party to the television. The show was called Toast of the Town, and this became the Launchpad for Sullivan to build his reputation as a television host. The show dove into the airwaves and hit the ground running. The premier night, for example on June 20, 1948, had a great show planned full of great stars: On the recommendation of his daughter Betty, Sullivan had lined up a young Italian-American crooner who had recently teamed with a second-rate Borscht belt comic. Together they were terrific. Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were their names; they walked away with $100 apiece and were delighted to get it (Bowles, p. 25). The variety show was riding a wave of success and was thriving. It would last until 1955, where it would take on a new form ready for the new decade approaching (Campbell, 2000; Harris, 1968; Museum of Broadcast Communications, 2014). Toast of the town would run until 1955, where the show continued under the name of The Ed Sullivan Show. This was huge for Sullivan because it meant that he had much more control over the program and who he would want to appear on his show, even though he still needed to answer to CBS. His show brought act upon act of entertainment to the homes of millions of Americans. He started the careers of several now infamous stars. In 1958, he had Elvis Presley on, and introduced the world to the king of rock and roll. On February 9, 1964, The British pop group The Beatles made their American debut on television, thus catapulting their success in the states, while 6

7 simultaneously launching the British invasion of rock groups that played an integral part in the Counter Culture of the 1960s. Other acts introduced on the show include Janice Joplin, The Doors, Diana Ross and the Supremes, and The Muppets. All throughout the 1960 s, The Ed Sullivan show introduced new musical and performing arts acts to Americans, until 1971, when The Ed Sullivan Show went off the air. Ed Sullivan died in 1974, having made a significant impact upon the communication world (Grant, 1990; Rayl & Gunther, 1989; Spizer, 2006). That was indeed the Ed Sullivan Show a variety television show that took the latest and greatest of talent and showcased them in the living room of millions of Americans. To say that The Ed Sullivan show left behind a legacy is more than an understatement. Once again, the research question that was proposed at the beginning of the essay: In what ways did Ed Sullivan use his charisma and television show to shape and mold American society in the 1960s? Let s begin with his charisma. As discussed in previous pages of the essay, Ed Sullivan learned some rather endearing qualities from his family. His sense of morality, integrity and equality allowed him to be an accepting and well-liked television host. However, what did these qualities do for the viewers at home? How have these values helped usher in the revolution of the 1960s? (Bowles, 1980; Spizer, 2006; Kish, 2000). As a transition from the 1950s, America was not sure what to expect from the decade that would follow. Therefore, many Americans expected similar behavior to carry into the next decade. As history of course will tell us, they were wrong. What followed the 1950s was a decade of great change, and the most radical departure of behavior in history. This was where Ed Sullivan used his charm to help Americans feel safe and 7

8 secure about the changes that were occurring. When viewing The Ed Sullivan Show, Mr. Sullivan always appeared to be calm, collected, full of life, and excited for what was to come. No matter what race or gender the acts were, Sullivan welcomed each and every one of them as if they were family. The audience watching at home would see Sullivan interacting so positively with the talent, and would take notice of his content with them and what they performed. Different races, new music and new ideas were all embraced on the Ed Sullivan show. Americans trusted Ed Sullivan, so they agreed with him when he believed in the new waves of music and performances. Americans who were generally unsure about the new culture that had arrived could rest assured because of the model of acceptance set by Ed Sullivan (Harris, 1968; Campbell, 2000). It is clear that Sullivan s attitude towards guests and his show had a huge impact upon audiences and the establishment of the 1960s Counter Culture. However, there is one other area he utilized to help spread the changes. It was through the television that he was able to capture audiences in and present them with the entertainment. Even though by the 1960s the television had been around for a few decades, Americans were still glued to their sets, often organizing family bonding time and parties around the mystical electronic box. Ed Sullivan knew that Americans were spending much of their leisure time watching the television. In addition, in the early days of television, there were only three or four channels offered at a time. Thus, content was down to only a hand full of shows to choose from. The Ed Sullivan Show capitalized on high viewer ratings throughout its entirety of running time. Things were looking good for the show. Furthermore, through the power of television, Ed Sullivan was able to bring the entertainment to the viewers rather than the viewers going out and seeking out the 8

9 entertainment. This meant that millions of people were watching the television, and millions tuned in every night to watch Sullivan s variety entertainment show. This allowed for millions of viewers to watch the 1960s unfold before their eyes. The Ed Sullivan show, by its own nature, roped viewers in to seeing the Counter Culture become dominant and take over the country (Spizer, 2006; Grant, 1990; Kish, 2000; Bowles, 1980). Ed Sullivan is truly one of the most remarkable men in communication history, let alone world history. He stood for honesty, integrity and equality in a time where many people did not share those values. He utilized the television, a form a visual communication, to spoon-feed America the newest forms of culture on a nightly basis, all from the comfort of the viewers living rooms. In many ways, he was the most important person to emerge and be associated with the 1960s. The times were changing; the sixties represented having fun, doing what felt right, and generally going wherever the wind takes you. Many Americans were uneasy about the changes that were coming with regards to behavior and even ethnic equality. Ed Sullivan was a true role model for a changing nation. He used his core values as his lens for which to look upon others, and for which to see them for who they really are human beings just like the rest of us. In conclusion, Ed Sullivan used his charisma and the technological aspects of the television to usher in the sixties culture by making viewers feel comfortable about the changes that were coming teaching us to go where the wind and tides take us. In a way, by following Ed Sullivan s lead, by venturing into uncharted waters, we were accepting the counter culture without even realizing it. 9

10 References Bogart, L. (1972). The age of the television; a study of viewing habits and the impact of television on American life. New York: Ungar Pub. Co. Bowles, J.G. (1980). A Thousand Sundays: The story of the Ed Sullivan show. New York: Putnam. Campbell, N. (2000). The radiant hour: Versions of youth in American Culture. Exeter: University of Exeter Press. Grant, R.G. (1990). The 1960s. New York: Mallard Press. Harris, M.D. (1968). Always on Sunday; Ed Sullivan: An inside view. New York: Meredith Press. Kish, J.M. (2000). America in Upheaval: the 1960 s. Rocky River Ohio: Center for Learning. Rayl, A.J., Gunther, C. (1989). Beatles 64, A hard day s night in America. New York: Double Day. Spizer, B. (2006). The story behind the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Retrieved on March 30, 2014 from Museum of Broadcast Communications. (2014). Talk Shows. Retrieved on April 6, 2014 from SOFA Entertainment. (2010) The Official Ed Sullivan Site. Retrieved March 28, 2013 from 10