The Ed Sullivan Show: Season 15
Season 15 Lore Primer
Key plot threads, lore context, and character stakes you need to remember before diving into this season.
- Directly follows the overarching narrative developments of The Ed Sullivan Show Season 14.
- Faction dynamics and core character alliances shift under escalating external stakes.
- Crucial mysteries introduced previously reach key turning points and narrative reckonings.
- Sets up serialized story arcs that build directly toward the climactic season finale.
Episode Guide
Season 15 Progress Shield
First show of the 15th Season
Sep 17, 1961 · 60 min
Scheduled guests: --Gordon and Sheila MacRae (musical comedy performers) --Bert Lahr and Nancy Walker (comedians) - reprise their sketch about a married couple who are not spe
From Las Vegas: Danny Thomas; Della Reese; Crosby Brothers
Sep 24, 1961 · 60 min
Taped in Las Vegas (at the Desert Inn & at the Stardust) Guests: --Della Reese - ""In The Still Of The Night"" & ""Summertime"" --The Crosby Trio (Bing's sons Philip, Lindsa
Phil Silvers / Brigitte Bardot (filmed interview) / Peter Nero / McGuire Sisters
Oct 1, 1961 · 60 min
Scheduled guests: --Phil Silvers, Nancy Dussault and John Readon who appeared together in the Broadway musical ""Do Re Mi"" --Nancy Dussault and John Readon sing ""Make Someon
Taped in West Berlin: Louis Armstrong; Connie Francis; Van Cliburn
Oct 8, 1961 · 60 min
Taped at West Berlin's Sportspalast: --Louis Armstrong & his orchestra - ""Sleepy Time Down South,"" ""Royal Garden Blues,"" ""Hussar Gussar"" & ""When the Saints Go Marching In
2nd Berlin show: Louis Armstrong; Sid Caesar; Shari Lewis
Oct 15, 1961 · 60 min
Guests (second of two shows taped in West Berlin): --Louis Armstrong (jazz musician, performing at the McNair Barracks) --Sid Caesar (comedian, performing at the Berlin Comma
Chubby Checker / Phil Silvers / Nancy Walker
Oct 22, 1961 · 60 min
Guests: --Chubby Checker - ""The Twist"" (with the ""Do-Re-Mi"" dancers) and ""The Fly"" --Matt Monro - ""My Kind of Gal"" --Wayne and Shuster (comedy team, doing skit abou
scheduled: Everly Brothers; Robert Goulet; George Gobel
Oct 29, 1961 · 60 min
Scheduled guests: --The Everly Brothers - ""Don't Blame Me"" --The Ritz Brothers (comedians) --Robert Goulet (musical-comedy star) sings ""Maria"" and a medley of songs ma
scheduled: Jimmy Dean; Art Carney; Al Hirt; Julius LaRosa
Nov 5, 1961 · 60 min
Scheduled: --Jimmy Dean sings ""Big Bad John"" --Art Carney (comedian) --Al Hirt and his jazz quintet --Julius LaRosa --Sheila MacRae (musical-comedy star) --Blos
Pearl Bailey / Brenda Lee / Ames Brothers / Frank Gorshin / Myron Cohen
Nov 12, 1961 · 60 min
Guests: --Pearl Bailey (singer) - ""Ma, He's Making Eyes at Me"" & ""I'm Glad There Is You"" --Brenda Lee (singer) - ""Fool #1"" & ""Learning About Love"" --Ames Brothers (
Steve Lawrence / Jerry Lewis / Dorothy Louden / Martha Perez
Nov 19, 1961 · 60 min
Guests: --Jerry Lewis (comedian) - ""What Kind of Fool Am I?"" --Steve Lawrence (singer) - ""Begin the Beguine"" & ""If I Ever Would Leave You"" (or ""If Ever I Would Leave Y
scheduled: Richard Boone; Jackie Mason; Sophie Tucker
Nov 26, 1961 · 60 min
Scheduled guests: --Richard Boone (actor) --Jackie Mason (comedian) --Sophie Tucker (singer) --Gloria Lynn (singer) --Deedy and Bill (novelty singers)
scheduled: Sid Caesar; Connie Francis; Joan Sutherland
Dec 3, 1961 · 60 min
Scheduled guests: --Sid Caesar (comedian) --Connie Francis (singer) --Joan Sutherland (opera singer) sings a selection from ""Ilucia di Lammermoor"" --Mike Clifford (sing
scheduled: Sarah Vaughan; Al Hirt; Vic Damone; Gary Morton; Edgar Bergen
Dec 10, 1961 · 60 min
Scheduled guests: --Al Hirt (trumpet player) --Sarah Vaughan --Edgar Bergen (ventriloquist) --Vic Damone (singer) --Gary Morton (comedian) --Rip Taylor (comedian) -
Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington / Paul Anka
Dec 17, 1961 · 60 min
--Paul Anka - ""Jingle Bells"" (jazzy version) --Barbara Cook - ""Magic Moment"" (from the Broadway musical ""The Gay Life"") --Elizabeth Allen & Walter Chiari - ""Madga, The G
Linda Scott / Shari Lewis / The Baird Puppets
Dec 24, 1961 · 60 min
Guests (Christmas Show): --Linda Scott - ""How I Wish (You'd Be With Me On Christmas Day)"" --Shari Lewis (ventriloquist) with Lamb Chop (dressed as Santa), Charlie Horse sings
scheduled: Slappy White; Matt Monro; Smith & Dale
Dec 31, 1961 · 60 min
Scheduled guests: --Slappy White (comedian) --Matt Monro (singer) --Sandy Stewart (singer) --The Barry Sisters (singing group) --Smith and Dale (comedy team) --Sav
Jimmy Durante / Rosemary Clooney / Bob Newhart / Gary Morton
Jan 7, 1962 · 60 min
Broadcast live from the Moulin Rouge nightclub in Hollywood. Guests: --Rosemary Clooney - ""Everything's Coming Up Roses,"" ""Bye Bye Blackbird"" & ""Show Me"" --Bob Newha
Mickey Rooney / Timi Yuro / Rip Taylor / Ken Murray
Jan 14, 1962 · 60 min
Broadcast live from the Stardust night club in Las Vegas Guests: --Mickey Rooney and Joey Forman - do a Candid Camera sketch. --Timi Yuro (singer) - ""Let Me Call You Swee
Jackie Wilson / Robert Goulet / Kate Smith / Wayne & Shuster
Jan 21, 1962 · 60 min
--Opening titles --The Marquis Chimps - chimp smokes cigarette and tumbles --Lon Purdy (pantomime act) --Jackie Wilson - ""That's Why"" --Jackie Wilson - ""The Greatest Hu
Sid Caesar / Connie Francis / Frank Gorshin / Franco Corelli
Jan 28, 1962 · 60 min
Guests: --Sid Caesar (comedian) - does a silent movie sketch (Sid might have also been the guest host on this show.) --Connie Francis (singer) - ""Does Broadway Ever Sleep,"
scheduled: Brook Benton; Pearl Bailey; George Gobel; Bobby Rydell
Feb 4, 1962 · 60 min
Scheduled guests: --Brook Benton - ""Shadrack"" --Pearl Bailey --George Gobel --Bobby Rydell - ""Mammy"" and ""Somebody Loves Me"" --Ford and Reynolds (comedians)
scheduled: Carl Sandburg; Paul Anka; Shelley Berman; McGuire Sisters
Feb 11, 1962 · 60 min
--Shelley Berman (comedian) - ""Right Girls"" (a song from his Broadway musical ""A Family Affair."") Other guests (scheduled to appear): --Carl Sandburg (poet) --Paul Anka (s
The Everly Brothers / Timi Yuro / Al Hirt
Feb 18, 1962 · 60 min
First of two shows broadcast from Miami Beach. --The Everly Brothers - ""Crying in the Rain"" & ""Jezebel"" (The Everly Brothers are wearing U.S. Marine uniforms) --Al Hirt (t
scheduled: Lloyd Bridges; Damita Jo; The Crosby Brothers; Jan Murray
Feb 25, 1962 · 60 min
Second of two shows broadcast from Miami Beach Scheduled guests: --Lloyd Bridges (appears in a water sequence) --Damita Jo sings ""You're Nobody Until Somebody Loves You""
Art Carney / Fats Domino / Phyllis Diller / Connie Stevens / Tommy Sands
Mar 4, 1962 · 60 min
Guests: --Fats Domino - ""Jambalaya"" & ""Let The Four Winds Blow"" --Connie Stevens & Tommy Sands - ""Maggie Blue"" --Connie Stevens - ""Wild Is The Wind"" --Tommy Sands
Henry Fonda & Olivia de Havilland / Maureen O'Hara
Mar 11, 1962 · 60 min
Guests (St. Patrick's Day show): --Henry Fonda & Olivia de Havilland (actors) - scene from ""Gift of Time"" set on cruise ship. A doting wife tries to care for her fatally ill hus
Rowan & Martin / Robert Goulet / Dick Haymes & Fran Jefferies
Mar 18, 1962 · 60 min
Guests: --Rowan And Martin (comedy team) - doing a skit about people who live underground --Dick Haymes & Fran Jefferies - medley: ""Come On Get Happy,"" ""I'm Gonna Love You
Sid Caesar / Jackie Mason / Diahann Carroll / Richard Kiley
Mar 25, 1962 · 60 min
Guests: --Jackie Mason (stand-up comedian) - does imitations, appears with Ed. Later in show, tells jokes about income tax and JFK. --Carol Lawrence & Hugh Lambert - dance fr
Jackie Wilson / Patti Page / Wayne & Shuster / Ann-Margret (on film)
Apr 1, 1962 · 60 min
Guests include: --Jackie Wilson - ""Heart"" -- Patti Page - ""Most People Get Married"" & ""All The Way"" --Anna Motto - ""Aria"" from ""Romeo & Juliet"" --Wayne & Shuster
scheduled: Cyd Charisse; Lionel Hampton; Jack Carter
Apr 8, 1962 · 60 min
Scheduled guests: --Cyd Charisse (dancer) --Roland Petit (choreographer) --Lionel Hampton (bandleader) --Jack Carter (comedian) --Anita Bryant (singer) --Professo
Sophia Loren / Mahalia Jackson / Teresa Brewer / Maximillian Schell
Apr 15, 1962 · 60 min
Guests: --Maximilian Schell (actor) - Academy Award winning performance from ""Judgement at Nuremberg"" --George Chakiris & Rita Moreno - perform a short scene from ""West Si
Harry Belafonte / Miriam Makeba / Thelma Lee
Apr 22, 1962 · 60 min
Guests: --Harry Belafonte (singer, in a 15 minute segment) - ""Mule Skinner,"" ""Try to Remember"" ""Baby Boy"" and ""Michael, Row the Boat Ashore"" (and possibly ""Crawdad Song
Johnny Mathis / Jackie Mason / Rip Taylor / McGuire Sisters
Apr 29, 1962 · 60 min
Guests: --Johnny Mathis (singer) - ""Marianna,"" ""Love, Look Away"" & ""Love"" --The McGuire Sisters - ""You're Driving Me Crazy"" & ""That's a Plenty"" --Jackie Mason (com
scheduled: Bobby Darin; Diahann Carroll; Corbett Monica
May 6, 1962 · 60 min
Scheduled guests: --Bobby Darin (singer) --Diahann Carroll (star of the Broadway musical ""No Strings"") --The Amazing Mr. Ballantine (magician Carl Ballantine) --Corbet
scheduled: Joan Sutherland; Pegleg Bates; Joey Adams
May 13, 1962 · 60 min
Scheduled guests: --Joan Sutherland (opera star) --Joey Adams (comedian) --Pegleg Bates (dancer) --Alan Gale (comedian) --Al Kelly (double-talk expert)
Peggy Lee / Jackie Robinson / Slappy White / Brothers Four
May 20, 1962 · 60 min
Guests: --Peggy Lee - medley: ""The Sweetest Sounds,"" ""I'll Get By,"" ""I'll Believe In You"" and ""New York City Blues"" --Louis Prima appears on stage and plays trumpet
Jackie Wilson / Connie Francis / Red Buttons
May 27, 1962 · 60 min
Guests include: --Jackie Wilson - ""Lonely Teardrops"" & ""Forever and a Day"" --Connie Francis - ""Second Hand Love,"" ""Ring Dang Do,"" ""How Can I Go On?"" and a medley of
Rudy Vallee / Paul Anka / Chita Rivera / Peter Nero
Jun 3, 1962 · 60 min
Guests: --Rudy Vallee (singer-actor, from Broadway's ""How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying"") --Paul Anka (singer) - ""A Steel Guitar and A Glass of Wine"" --C
Larry Storch / Danny Lewis / Mickey Mantle & Roger Maris
Jun 10, 1962 · 60 min
Guests: --Jerry Van Dyke (comedian) --Jackie Mason (comedian) --The Lettermen (vocal trio) - ""How Is Julie"" --Danny Lewis (veteran song and dance man, father of Jerry
Dave Brubeck / Frank Gorshin / Gloria Lynne
Jun 17, 1962 · 60 min
Guests: --Dave Brubeck (with his jazz quartet) - ""Take Five"" (with Paul Desmond on sax). --Frank Gorshin (comedian) - does imitations of various celebrities --Nipsey Russ
14th Anniversary Show: Bing Crosby; Jerry Lewis; Theresa Brewer
Jun 24, 1962 · 60 min
14th Anniversary Show (Ed is in audience for most of show): --Lucille Ball (cameo, wishes Ed well from on top of elephant) --Bing Crosby sings "" I Can't Believe Your In Love W
Taped at the Moulin Rouge, Paris: Connie Francis; Johnny Halliday
Jul 1, 1962 · 60 min
Taped at the Moulin Rouge, Paris, France: --Connie Francis - ""La Paloma,"" ""Milord,"" ""S'wonderful"" & ""You Always Hurt The One You Love"" --Connie Francis, Gino (Johnny)
Patti Page / Rowan & Martin / Billy Eckstine
Jul 22, 1962 · 60 min
Guests (from the Stardust club in Las Vegas): --Patti Page - ""Doggie in the Window,"" ""Old Cape Cod,"" ""With My Eyes Wide Open,"" ""Allegheny Moon"" & ""Night and Day"" --
Burt Lancaster / Dion / Diahann Carroll / Abbe Lane
Aug 12, 1962 · 60 min
Guests: --Burt Lancaster (actor) - shows clips from his film ""Birdman of Alcatraz"" --Dion - ""It Ain't Necessarily So"" & ""Lover Come Back to Me"" --Diahann Carroll (sin
scheduled: talented newcomers making their TV debuts
Aug 19, 1962 · 60 min
Talented newcomers making their TV debuts --Joey Hollingsworth (tap dancer) Additional guests (scheduled to appear): --Tony Darryl (pop singer) - ""This Nearly Was Mine""