November 3, 1957 CBS TV Studio 50, New York City, NY

The Ed Sullivan Show

Sunday, November 3, 1957

Larry Auerbach, an agent with The William Morris Agency (“WMA”), met with Sam and Bumps Blackwell in New York City in October 1957, while the two were out on the road promoting “You Send Me.” Based on Auerbach’s promise that he could book Sam onto the Sullivan show, Bumps signed a letter of intent with WMA. Auerbach delivered on his promise and Sam got the booking, but he was a new talent and unfamiliar to Sullivan, who scheduled his performance as last on the show. Typical of the Sullivan show, it was jam-packed with performers. According to TV Guide, the following were all scheduled to appear: The Dancers of Bali; Mario and the Tabanan Palace Gamelan Orchestra; Anna Maria Alberghetti and her sister, Carla; Jimmie Rodgers (“Honeycomb”); Paul Anka (“Diana”); The Sparkletones (“Black Slacks”); French singer Patachou; comedienne Sue Carson; ventriloquist Arthur Worsley; variety act Joy Kay and Company; acrobats The Latinos; and Sam. Nearing the end of the show, Sullivan called actor Rod Steiger out of the audience to plug his latest movie and invited him to listen to Sam, who was only able to finish the first line of the song when viewers’ television screens went black and the CBS eye logo popped up.