Product Details

• Actors: Sammy Davis Jr., Julie Andrews, Judy Garland, Joan Rivers, Elvis Presley
• Directors: Andrew Solt
• Format: Black & White, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Sofa
• DVD Release Date: July 22, 2003
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00009XN5S
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,058 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show: Unforgettable Performances Volume 1" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Over 90 minutes of incredible talent - new footage and extended performances featuring: Louis Armstrong, Lucille Ball, The Beatles, James Brown, The Doors, Ella Fitzgerald, Jackson 5, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, The Supremes, Topo Gigio and many more!
In its 23-year run, The Ed Sullivan Show presented an incredible array of over 10,000 performers, including the most spectacular ensemble of stars in show business. From over 1,000 hours of classic television, THE VERY BEST OF THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW brings you some of the biggest names in comedy, Broadway, variety, rock and pop captured LIVE in the prime of their careers. This retrospective special originally aired on CBS to huge numbers (#2 highest rated special that year, second only to the Oscar® telecast).
Hosted by Carol Burnett.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Retrospective--Part One!, April 21, 2004

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show: Unforgettable Performances Volume 1 (DVD)

This DVD highlights just a comparative few of the very special moments of the classic Ed Sullivan Show on television. It is a real treat to own and watch; the viewer plays and can replay a classic comedy routine by Jackie Gleason as well as countless novelty acts. Ed Sullivan exercised enormous control over the show and the result is quality entertainment. A very young Julie Andrews sings "I Could Have Danced All Night" from My Fair Lady during a episode in 1956. Sammy Davis Jr. and Ella Fitzgerald sing together in another wonderful clip. The Beatles. The Rolling Stones. Some of the clips are in black and white but it doesn't diminish the viewer's enjoyment one bit. The quality of earlier color video clips is not as good as I had wished it be but color tv wasn't up to today's quality standards at that time. Although the DVD show is 98 minutes long it goes by as if it were just a few minutes. Included is a rare interview with Ed Sullivan and his wife from 1958. I would strongly recommend this DVD as a BUY! for those who want to reminisce or for anyone who wants a splendid introduction to the talents of that time.

77 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Made for the MTV crowd, February 12, 2007

By 

Douglas L. Jones (BLOOMINGTON, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show: Unforgettable Performances Volume 1 (DVD)

I suspect the five-star reviews of this DVD were written by spammers working for the company that sells it.

These compendium DVDs are routinely made by stupid jackasses who figure our attention span is only 10 seconds (the MTVers) so there's no point in showing an entire performance. What we get here is Carol Burnett talking about Ed Sullivan and occasionally throwing out little snippets of the acts. We get only a few seconds of the comedians and novelty acts, though they sometimes provide a whole song, other times a fraction of the song. This format is so annoying I didn't much like the DVD.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Truly Unforgettable Performances - But Most Are Edited..., January 24, 2006

By 

C. Clay "drakkar91" (St Paul Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show, Vol. 1: Unforgettable Performances (DVD)

I also own "Ed Sullivan - The Best of Broadway Musicals", which is a collection of about 11 full and complete performances. When I purchased this DVD collection, I had hope it too would include many full performances, but most appear to be edited.

Some highlights from this DVD: Jimmy Durante "Young at Heart" (50 Seconds); Louis Armstrong "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey" (1 Min 10 Sec); Ella Fitzgerald with Sammy Davis Jr " 'S Wonderful" (Over 2 Mins); The Beatles "Ticket to Ride" (1 Min 30 Sec); The Beach Boys "Good Vibrations" (Less then 1 Min); Julie Andrews "I Could Have Danced All Night" (1 Min 30 Sec); The Doors "Light My Fire" (About 2 Min); and an Excellent Collection of Clips (Each About 1 Min) featuring The Four Tops, Smokey Robinson, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder and The Jackson Five.

This is indeed a memorable collection and is nicely hosted by Carol Burnett. The DVD menu does not offer direct access to the individual performances.

This version, the "Collector's Edition" runs about 80 minutes. An almost exact version with the same title noted as "Volume 1" runs about 98 minutes. I own the VHS version of that, and it also includes a rare comedy sketch with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz - this edition does not. Obviously this DVD contains less footage then the original.

All in all, the performances get a 5; however Sofa & Ventura Entertainment each get a 1 for their poor packaging and description. I consider this a dupe of the original Volume 1 issue, with LESS programming. Exactly what is collectible about it? Nothing I am aware of.