Legendary Ed Sullivan was a very popular newspaper columnist in New York in the 1930s and due to his cavorting with Broadway and Vaudeville stars, made this short for Universal Pictures. "Ed Sullivan's Headliners" (of 1934)is a great 20 minute short! Hosted by a young Ed Sullivan, we hear popular vocalist Sid Gary (Garry) see husband/wife comedy team Jesse Block and Eve Sully (by a fluke they missed out on an audition that Burns & Allen later got and the rest was history) Dialogue comedian George Givot is the owner of a Greek Restaurant who mangles the English language. Also on hand are some strange Vaudeville Acts: a diva vocalizing and a young female contortionist. This film was reissued by Realart/Universal back in the late 40s/early 50s and is believed to still be extant.
2 Reviews
Ed Sullivan gets the finger long before Jackie Mason...
Lilcount16 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This bizarre short was one of five screened at MOMA on May 15. 2017.
Husband-and-wife comedy team Block and Sully ( a minor league Burns and Allen) are ordering lunch in a restaurant when they run into renowned (even then) columnist Ed Sullivan, who proceeds to tell them what he promises is the strangest experience he's ever had as the emcee of a vaudeville program.
The acts appear in a flashback and with the exception of baritone Sid Gary are mediocre. Cut to the present. Gary is their waiter in the restaurant and the owner, Greek dialect comedian George Givot, ticks off the specials one by one on his fingers, and manages to leave his middle finger straightened, giving his customers and the audience the proverbial finger.
Sullivan is about as comfortable on screen as he was on his TV show, and there is some odd business about people hallucinating a Two of Spades and getting carted off to the loony bin.
Maybe Ed had a flashback to this picture when he booted Jackie Mason off his show in the 1960's.
Only for Sullivan fans.
Husband-and-wife comedy team Block and Sully ( a minor league Burns and Allen) are ordering lunch in a restaurant when they run into renowned (even then) columnist Ed Sullivan, who proceeds to tell them what he promises is the strangest experience he's ever had as the emcee of a vaudeville program.
The acts appear in a flashback and with the exception of baritone Sid Gary are mediocre. Cut to the present. Gary is their waiter in the restaurant and the owner, Greek dialect comedian George Givot, ticks off the specials one by one on his fingers, and manages to leave his middle finger straightened, giving his customers and the audience the proverbial finger.
Sullivan is about as comfortable on screen as he was on his TV show, and there is some odd business about people hallucinating a Two of Spades and getting carted off to the loony bin.
Maybe Ed had a flashback to this picture when he booted Jackie Mason off his show in the 1960's.
Only for Sullivan fans.
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