Ed Sullivan Theater

The Ed Sullivan Theater, which is located at 1697-1699 Broadway between West 53rd and West 54th, in Manhattan, is a venerable radio and television studio in New York City. The 1200-seat theater — of which 400 seats are used for TV audiences — has been used as a venue for live and taped CBS broadcasts since 1936.

It is best known as the longtime home of The Ed Sullivan Show and the site of the first U.S. Beatles performance. Since 1993, it has been the home of the Late Show with David Letterman and is on the list of National Register of Historic Places. The interior has been designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

First 66 years

In the 1960s, Studio 50 was one of CBS' busiest stages not only for Sullivan's program but also for The Honeymooners and The Merv Griffin Show, as well as several game shows. In 1965, Studio 50 was converted to color, and the first color episode of The Ed Sullivan Show originated from the theater on October 31, 1965. (The program originated from CBS Television City in color for the previous six weeks while the color equipment was installed. One earlier color episode of the program originated from Studio 72 at Broadway and 81st on August 22, 1954.) What's My Line?, To Tell the Truth and Password also called the studio home after CBS began broadcasting regularly in color; previously, they had been taped around the corner at CBS-TV Studio 52, which later became the disco Studio 54. The first episode of regular color telecasts of What's My Line? was broadcast live on September 11, 1966. Line and Truth remained at Studio 50 even after they moved from CBS to first-run syndication in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The programs eventually moved to NBC's Radio City Studios at Rockefeller Center.

The Ed Sullivan Theater was also the first home for The $10,000 Pyramid, with its huge end-game board set at the rear of the stage, in 1973. Other short-lived game shows produced at the Ed included Musical Chairs with singer Adam Wade (1975), Shoot For The Stars with Geoff Edwards (1977) (which was an NBC show), and Pass the Buck with Bill Cullen (1978).

The CBS lease on the building expired in 1981 for the Most Ingenious Deal of the Year for 1993.

The Late Show

In 2005, it took nearly four months to retrofit the theater with the cabling and equipment necessary to broadcast high definition television.

Near the beginning of the first Letterman show in the fall of 1993, a quick reference was made to Sullivan's legacy, by splicing together several short clips of Sullivan introducing various acts, including, presumably, the singing group The Lettermen. This resulted in a fake clip of Sullivan saying, "And now, here on our stage... David... Letterman!" Letterman also joked that his crew opened an old closet in the theater which contained a 45-year old woman screaming, "Ringo!"

Other uses

References

External links

Category:Broadway theatres Category:Buildings and structures in Manhattan Category:CBS television studios Category:Landmarks in New York City Category:Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan