October 31, 1965…’The Ed Sullivan Show’ Goes Color

October 31, 1965…’The Ed Sullivan Show’ Goes Color


Although I can’t locate a clip of the debut color show from CBS Studio 50, I have the next best thing…a clip from a week later on November 7, 1965.

Starting in the late 50’s, Sullivan had done color shows from time to time, but they were all done from CBS Television City in Hollywood. As a matter of fact, Season 18 started in color from Television City on September 12, 1965 and the show stayed there till the seventh episode was broadcast October 24th with Richard Pryor, Marvin Gaye, Herman’s Hermits, Duke Ellington and Helen Hayes.

The move back home was Episode 8, and starred Liza Minnelli, Alan Sherman, Barry McGuire, The Grass Roots and London Lee, live from the Ed Sullivan Theater which was now equipped with six Norelco color cameras. In the photo below is Sullivan with his long time “personal cameraman” George Moses on Camera 1. Enjoy and share! -Bobby Ellerbee

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7 Comments

  1. Steve Hoffman November 2, 2014

    Beautiful color from those cameras. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq7ujMCZn38

  2. Steve Phillips November 2, 2014

    That’s when it became “a reely, reely big shew!”

  3. John Leone November 1, 2014

    The wonderful Norelco/phillips color camera. This camera the pc60 and the pc70 was a work horse for television. And it was half the size of the RCA tk-41 that NBC seemed to love.

  4. Edward J Push October 31, 2014

    I met George with my late father, Edward. I was in the control room behind the camera crane, when Petula Clark was in rehearsal on a Saturday afternoon. Also was there when the limo driver for Dave Clark Five mistakenly got dropped at the main entrance, instead of the stage door. The flautist got pushed into the plate glass door, it shattered. He performed on the show with his arm wrapped in bandages!

  5. Mike Hemeon October 31, 2014

    Wearing a suit to run camera and a mic.

  6. Albert J. McGilvray October 31, 2014

    Is that boom mike where Paul’s band is now?

  7. Callie Mosley October 31, 2014

    Enjoyed both clips . 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂