The Ed Sullivan Show (1962—1969)
Dates Streisand Appeared:
December 16, 1962
March 24, 1963
June 9, 1963
March 29, 1964
September 28, 1969
Barbra Streisand appeared as a guest on The Ed Sullivan Show five times in the 1960s.
For those too young to have experienced Ed Sullivan, his one hour-long show aired live from the Empire Theater in New York every Sunday evening until 1971. As the host, Sullivan presented an entertaining array of performers each week: rock stars like The Beatles or The Rolling Stones; excerpts from Broadway's greatest shows like Camelot or Oliver; variety acts that spun bottles or balanced rings; and cultural artists like the Bolshoi Ballet or Joan Sutherland.
Each of Streisand's appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show are chronicled below.
December 16, 1962 Show
Streisand sang “My Coloring Book” and “Lover Come Back to Me.”
Liberace was a guest on this same show and it's said he asked Streisand to appear with him at The Riviera Hotel after seeing her on Sullivan.
Also of note ... The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, an Irish folk-singing group, also appeared on this episode, which must have made Marty Erlichman proud: he was managing both Streisand and the Clancy Brothers at the time.
March 24, 1963 Show
Barbra Streisand was in Miami Beach, Florida, performing at Cafe Pompeii at the Eden Roc Hotel when she was booked for a second time on The Ed Sullivan Show. The Miami Herald explained: “Miss Streisand, incidentally, will appear on Sullivan's show Sunday. The Cafe Pompeii will be closed that night while she wings to New York and back. The show will resume on Monday.”
Streisand sang “Cry Me A River” on this show, looking out of a window.
Other guests that night were Chubby Checker, Woody Herman, Totie Fields, Dave Madden, Morecambe and Wise, and Tommy Cooper.
It's interesting to note these Sullivan show rehearsal photos (above): it looks like Barbra rehearsed another number for this episode (wearing a cream-colored dress with an ostrich-feathered bottom) in front of the curtain. However, in the episode that aired, Streisand only sang the one song.
June 9, 1963 Show
Barbra Streisand sang “When the Sun Comes Out” on this episode. Also on that evening were the McGuire Sisters and Sue Carson.
The comedy team Stiller & Meara also appeared on the June 9th episode. Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara often performed in some of the same, small New York clubs that Streisand got her start in. Also, they are the parents of Ben Stiller, whom Barbra starred with in the films Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers.
You can purchase the DVD, The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show: Unforgettable Performances Volume 1, which features Streisand singing “When the Sun Comes Out” at Amazon.com.
Hosted by Carol Burnett, the DVD features over 90 minutes of incredible talent, featuring: Louis Armstrong, Lucille Ball, The Beatles, James Brown, The Doors, Ella Fitzgerald, Jackson 5, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, The Supremes, Topo Gigio and many more!
Here is the link to Amazon.com >>
Visit the Official Ed Sullivan website's Streisand page >>
March 29, 1964
Streisand did not perform on this episode. However, most weeks Sullivan would introduce a celebrity who was sitting in the audience and have them take a bow. This week, Sullivan introduced Streisand, who was sitting next to her husband, Elliott Gould. Streisand took her bow right after the animal act, the Bauman Tigers, performed.
Performing this week were The Kessler Twins, comedian Jack Carter, and Harry Belafonte.
[Barbra Archives is looking for a clip or a capture from this episode! Please email me if you can help! matt [at] barbra-archives [dot] com. Thank you.]
September 28, 1969
This episode was the season premiere of Ed Sullivan's twenty-second season! Streisand appeared—on tape from the International Hotel, where Sullivan had sent a crew to videotape her Las Vegas concert. Streisand sang a medley from her forthcoming 20th Centurty Fox film, Hello, Dolly! including “So Long Dearie” and “Before the Parade Passes By.”
End.
