Watch the best color performances from The Ed Sullivan Show – here!
Color television is so commonplace today that it’s easy to forget there was a time when black and white was the only option. But the shift to color didn’t happen overnight, it was the product of years of technological breakthroughs, regulatory hurdles, and competition between networks. As we mark 60 years since The Ed Sullivan Show first aired in color, it’s worth reflecting on the visual impact this milestone had on American culture. Suddenly, audiences could experience their favorite stars, performers, and costumes in vibrant color, bringing a new level of excitement, glamour, and realism to their living rooms.
The roots of color television actually stretch back to experimental broadcasts in the 1920s and 1930s. But color broadcasting as we know it didn’t take shape until the 1950s. Interestingly, CBS, the network that The Ed Sullivan Show called home for its 23 year run, was the first to test color broadcasting. On June 27, 1951, CBS aired the first color television broadcast in U.S. history; a one hour special titled Premiere. However, this early system was incompatible with existing black and white TVs, meaning it couldn’t reach a mass audience, so it was ultimately short-lived and commercially impractical.
The race to bring color television to the public in a sustainable way was ultimately won by NBC, a division of RCA. RCA developed the NTSC (National Television System Committee) color standard, which proved to be a game changer. Unlike CBS’s earlier systems, NTSC was “backward compatible,” which meant color broadcasts could still be viewed on black and white sets, which made it more appealing to both consumers and broadcasters. As a major manufacturer of TVs, and owner of a broadcasting network, RCA had the resources to push this standard forward. They lobbied hard, built the infrastructure, and began mass-producing color compatible TVs. With NTSC in place, networks could finally transition to color without rendering millions of black and white televisions obsolete.
The turning point came on January 1, 1954, when NBC aired the first coast-to-coast live color broadcast, The Tournament of Roses Parade. It was a bold statement of what was possible, a sign that color TV had arrived.
Slowly, but surely, the other networks followed. CBS was next, but still slower to adapt, in part because of its prior investments in black and white technology. But growing audience demand and industry pressure eventually forced their hand. By 1965, CBS had begun to drastically increase its color programming and by the 1966-67 television season, nearly all of its prime-time shows were airing in color.
The Ed Sullivan Show officially made the leap to color on September 19th 1965, ushering in a new era of television for millions of viewers. From that day forward, Ed’s audiences saw their favorite musicians, comedians, and culture icons perform in full, living color.