Four impossibly clean-cut young men in suits took the stage of the Ed Sullivan Show February 9, 1964, and fully launched a mania across America and around the world. Oh, we’d all heard their music and seen their photos, but seeing them live in our living rooms (chaperoned by Mom and Dad, of course) was beyond fab. The Beatles were the headliners in a program featuring acts that ranged from the boring to the silly to the bizarre. Did anyone tune in that night to hear the vocal styling of Georgia Brown or Tessie O’Shea? Sure, Frank Gorshin was a great impersonator in his time…but the Beatles!
If the Beatles aren’t enough to get the viewer worked up, the ads for Pillsbury products will do the trick (you’ve got to see the lemon/pineapple four-layer cake—wow!). Yes, The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring the Beatles (February 9, 1964 – September 12, 1965) includes the original commercials—the first one for Anacin is guaranteed to give you a headache. The draw for this two-disk set may be the early Beatle appearances, but the ads are the slice of Americana that gives added value.
Watching these old clips, it’s hard to imagine parents making fun of the “wild” music and “long” hair the Beatles brought us. Thank heavens we’d left home by the time Ozzy Osbourne and Alice Cooper were doing their “things.”
All four programs are punctuated with singers, dancers, acrobats, comedians, magicians, jugglers, and novelty acts that make us experience mixed emotions—we’re sad that that there are no longer variety shows like The Ed Sullivan Show…and we thank heaven that there are no longer variety shows like The Ed Sullivan Show.
Technically, these are not the best Beatles performances ever recorded. On the first program the sound system is inadequate; at times, in their second set on the second program, they just sound bad. These things make absolutely no difference—it’s the Beatles!
The bonus material on the first disc includes three clips of Ed Sullivan talking about the Beatles; there are seven clips on the second disc, all featuring Ed Sullivan—donning a Beatle wig with Topo Gigio, and making announcements about the Beatles. Viewers have the choice of watching only the Beatle clips or the entire four shows. But if you don’t watch the full episodes you’ll miss lots of singers with Snooki Polizzi’s famous “pouf”/“bump.”
Looking for a great holiday gift for baby boomers? You can’t go wrong with The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring the Beatles, just don’t remind them these performances are over 45 years old.
Bottom Line: Would I buy The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring the Beatles? Of course I would—Soupy Sales (Hey, do “The Mouse,” yeah!) appears in the fourth program.
Excerpted from blogcritics.org: DVD Review - The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows Starring The Beatles
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