Sullivan…Most Frequent Guests List
Sullivan…Most Frequent Guests List
Below is ventriloquist Rickie Layne and his friend Velvel in one of his 39 appearances on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’. In the background is “Ed’s cameraman”, George Moses with a TK11.
For twenty three years The Ed Sullivan Show featured over 10,000 performers from music, comedy, sports, novelty, film and many other genres. Who appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show the most number of times? Here is a short list of some of the most frequent guests on The Ed Sullivan Show.
-The Canadian slapstick comedy team Wayne & Shuster were on The Ed Sullivan Show the most times with 58 performances.
-The little puppet mouse Topo Gigio appeared 50 times.
-The multi-talented Jack Carter made 49 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.
-American coloratura soprano Roberta Peters was on the show 41 times.
-Comedian Myron Cohen made 43 appearances.
-Ventriloquist Rickie Layne and his dummy Velvel, made 39 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show.
-Actor and comedian Alan King appeared 37 times.
-Husband and wife comedy team Stiller and Meara were on Sullivan 36 times.
-Pop singer Connie Francis appeared 26 times.
-Jim Henson’s Muppets and The Kim Sisters were on the show 25 times.
-The Italian romantic tenor Sergio Franchi and comedian Vistor Borge each appeared 24 times
-The beautiful Jane Morgan – 24 Ed Sullivan Show appearances
-Pearl Bailey, Senor Wences and Richard Hearne – 23 Ed Sullivan Show appearances
-The McGuire Sisters – 22 Ed Sullivan Show appearances
-Shelley Berman, Dewey “Pigmeat” Markham, Smith and Dale, and The Harvest Moon Dancers- 21 Ed Sullivan Show appearances
-The Ames Brothers, Totie Fields, George Kirby, Jackie Mason, Joan Rivers and Kate Smith – 20 Ed Sullivan Show appearances
-Marian Marlowe & Nancy Walker – 19 Ed Sullivan Show appearances
-Singer Patti Page and the unforgettable Louis Armstrong graced The Ed Sullivan Show audiences on 18 occasions.
Who knows how much further Jackie Mason would be up the list if it weren’t for “the incident”?
was fortunate to spend some time with Rickie in the late 90’s. The amazing thing is that he was still brilliantly funny…especially when ad libbing with Velvel which was most of the time. Rickie was not one of those bitter showbiz types…he always had a smile and a joke.