Ed Sullivan Theater (originally Hammerstein’s Theater)
after opening as Hammerstein’s Theater in 1927, this site was renamed the Manhattan Theater in 1931, Billy Rose’s Music Hall in 1933, and the Ed Sullivan Theater in 1967
overview
Opened as Hammerstein’s Theater in 1927, this venue’s first production, Golden Dawn (1927-28), featured a young Archie Leach, who would later change his name to Cary Grant.
As a television studio, it famously aired The Ed Sullivan Show, which, despite Sullivan’s purported homophobia, showcased many LGBT performers, including Charles Laughton, Liberace, Rudolf Nureyev, Moms Mabley, Paul Lynde, Johnny Mathis, and Ethel Waters. It was renamed the Ed Sullivan Theater in 1967.
Archie Leach (later known as Cary Grant), c. 1927. Photographer and source unknown.
Golden Dawn program, 1927. Courtesy of the Billy Rose Theater Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
Ed Sullivan with Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev, 1965. Photographer and source unknown.
Johnny Mathis on the Ed Sullivan Show, 1967. Photographer and source unknown.
Liberace with Ed Sullivan, n.d. Photographer unknown. Source: www.edsullivan.com.
Hammerstein Theater, c. 1927. Source: Bill Morrison Collection, Shubert Archive.
History
The unusual neo-Gothic style Hammerstein’s Theater interior only served as a legitimate theater for about a decade. Its first production was Golden Dawn (1927-28), with Archie Leach (who later changed his name to Cary Grant), in his second American performance in a small role. In 1933, it became Billy Rose’s Music Hall, then in 1936 was converted to the CBS Radio Playhouse.
After 1950, it was known as CBS-TV Studio 50. Among the TV shows broadcast here were the Jackie Gleason Show, What’s My Line?, and To Tell the Truth. This was famously the location from 1953 to 1971 for The Toast of the Town, renamed The Ed Sullivan Show in 1955. One of the most popular television shows of its era, it managed to showcase many LGBT performers despite Sullivan’s purported homophobia. These included Charles Laughton, Liberace, Rudolf Nureyev, Jackie “Moms” Mabley, Paul Lynde, Johnny Mathis, and Ethel Waters, to name just a few. The venue was named the Ed Sullivan Theater in 1967. The Merv Griffin Show, starring Merv Griffin, was broadcast here in 1969-70. It was later the site for Late Night with David Letterman, and currently for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Entry by Jay Shockley, project director (June 2019).
NOTE: Names above in bold indicate LGBT people.
Building Information
- Architect or Builder: Herbert J. Krapp
- Year Built: 1927
Sources
Ed Sullivan Theater Interior Designation Report (New York: Landmarks Preservation Commission, 1988).
Internet Broadway Database.
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