Executive Producer Andrew Solt, whose company SOFA Entertainment acquired The Ed Sullivan Show library over 20 years ago, announced today that ED SULLIVAN'S COMEDY LEGENDS will premiere on PBS stations August 6th. This star-studded special brings back the show's greatest moments that defined the history of comedy, including the timeless routines of George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Rodney Dangerfield, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Red Skelton, Flip Wilson and many more.
Hosted by Mary Tyler Moore, this captivating retrospective features poignant new remembrances from some of the brightest stars in comedy, including Ed Sullivan veterans Joan Rivers, Carol Burnett, Jackie Mason, Rich Little, Carl Reiner, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara - as well as fresh testimonials from the next generation of great comedians, many of whom saw standup comedy for the first time on Ed's show. Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, George Lopez, Arsenio Hall, Kathy Griffin, Joy Behar, Richard Lewis, Lisa Lampanelli and more come together to celebrate the show that brought the best in comedy into millions of American homes every Sunday night.
Jerry Seinfeld remembers: "These are the people that I watched when I was a kid...that made me want to become a comedian. I would sit there in front of the TV and I was fascinated by what they were doing and all I wanted in life, and still want, is to be one of them - which I am now."
"I have such a soft spot in my heart for Ed's show," says Joan Rivers. "It's the only original part of me I have left unfortunately."
"[The Ed Sullivan Show] was my introduction to standup comedy," reflects Ray Romano. "Where else would I have seen it?"
"This is the kind of program that you're happy to share with your children and your grandchildren," says Carol Burnett. "This might even be the first time they've been exposed to these comedy legends... PBS is preserving an important part of our American heritage - comedy that the entire family can laugh at together."
ED SULLIVAN'S COMEDY LEGENDS premieres August 6, 2011 on PBS and airs throughout the August pledge period; check local listings for stations and times.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos
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