The late impresario Ed Sullivan comes back to life tonight in two shows, one at 9 on UPN, the other at 10 on CBS. The first uses computer technology, the second archival footage.
UPN’s The Virtual Ed Sullivan Show, a series pilot, is a computerized version of the variety series featuring the voice and body movements of impressionist John Byner, who appeared on Sullivan’s show 17 times. Byner will be fitted with a motion-capture sensor suit and ensconced backstage while the character of Virtual Ed comes onstage to interact with the performers.
Also appearing is Max Rodente, a computer-generated rat that yearns for a performance spot on the show.
The show’s roster includes 17-year-old violinist Sarah Chang, the Australian dance group Tap Dogs, the Flying Karamazov Brothers, the cast of Bring in Da’ Noise, Bring in Da’ Funk and more.
At 10, the Smothers Brothers host CBS’ A Really Big Show: Ed Sullivan’s 50th, which offers footage that hasn’t been seen since it aired on Ed Sullivan’s Toast of the Town. The show premiered on June 20, 1948, with a $500 budget.
Among the acts: Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Jackson 5, Sonny and Cher, James Brown, the Supremes, the Byrds, Ella Fitzgerald, the Rascals, Bill Haley and the Comets, Fats Domino and Buddy Holly, plus interviews with Marlon Brando, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, George Carlin, Rodney Dangerfield, Flip Wilson and Richard Pryor, among others.
Andrew Solt, who owns the Ed Sullivan Library, produces both shows.
