The archives of The Ed Sullivan Show have been opened again to share rare vintage performances by Louis Armstrong. Armstrong and Sullivan were both born in the same year (1901), and had a great mutual respect. Through SOFA Entertainment’s relationship with the Louis Armstrong House Museum (LAHM) and The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation (LAEF), these new clips have come to light.
These clips were never shown since the original broadcasts and shows the Jazz maestro and opera star Robert Merrill performing a Medley (“Vesti la giubba” and “Honeysuckle Rose”) on the episode that aired on April 17, 1955.
Another new clip that was originally broadcast on CBS Network on May 15, 1955, features Armstrong alongside Gary Crosby delivering a performance of “Struttin With Some Barbecue.” Originally composed as an instrumental piece in 1927 by Lil Hardin Armstrong, lyrics were added by Don Raye in 1941. The episode that featured the latter clip also featured Sammy Davis Jr. and Señor Wences and both clips see Armstrong performing on his trumpet.
About The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is the most popular primetime variety show in American history. For nearly a quarter century, Ed Sullivan hosted the greatest array of talent on television, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley and Motown artists such as The Supremes, The Temptations and The Jackson 5. Every Sunday night at 8pm on CBS from 1948-1971, The Ed Sullivan Show showcased a wide variety of pop culture from the worlds of music, comedy, novelty and much more. The library of 1,000 hours includes over 10,000 performances.
