Today In History

In 1948, Ed Sullivan was hired by the CBS television network to host ‘Toast of the Town’. The show was eventually renamed ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ and still holds the record for the longest running variety show ever aired. The show was broadcast from CBS Studio 50 in New York, which was renamed the ‘Ed Sullivan Theater’ in 1967. The studio has stayed true to its purpose and today is the home of the ‘Late Show with David Letterman’. Born in Harlem and raised in New York, Sullivan worked as a sports writer and theater columnist for the New York Evening Graphic before he broke into show business. The theater column was also carried by the New York Daily News. Hosting many celebrities over the years, the show aired many a memorable moment. One such moment occurred when Jim Morrison of The Doors, rebuked Sullivan by singing the controversial lyric ‘Girl we couldn’t get much higher’ from their hit song ‘Light My Fire’. Sullivan had asked Morrison to replace the word ‘higher’ with ‘better’. After the performance, Sullivan banned The Doors from ever appearing on the show again.