Mitzi McCall (1930–2024), comedian and Seinfeld actress

Mitzi McCall was an actress and comedian known for roles on such TV shows as “Seinfeld,” “Life Goes On,” and “Alright Already,” and for her appearance on an iconic episode of “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

Rip Taylor (1935–2019), zany comedian

Rip Taylor was a popular comic known for his outrageous personality. He was called the “king of confetti” for punctuating the end of his jokes by throwing a bucket of paper confetti into the audience. He was a popular game show panelist, appearing often during the heyday of the genre on “The Hollywood Squares” and “Match Game” and hosted the “$1.98 Beauty Show.” Taylor was a regular guest on talk shows and appeared on many TV series and had a funny role in “Wayne’s World II.” His signature bit before paper confetti was to pretend cry after reading a joke which led him to appear on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” where Sullivan forgot his name and introduced him as “The Crying Comedian.” His publicist Harlan Boll, who announced Taylor's death to the Hollywood Reporter, said Taylor was survived by his longtime partner Robert Fortney.

Unforgettable Irish Americans (video)

A video tribute to some famous Irish Americans.

Al Caiola (1920–2016), guitarist on Mrs. Robinson, Stand by Me

Versatile session guitarist who played the “Bonanza” theme.

Ed Sullivan: Civil Rights Trailblazer

For more than 20 years, most Americans knew what they were doing on Sunday nights: watching "The Ed Sullivan Show" on CBS, eager to see which new talent or old favorite it's host would bring to the stage that week. Ed Sullivan, who died Oct. 13, 1974, 40 years ago, introduced more than 10,000 acts between 1948 and 1971.

S'awright, Senor Wences

My dad grew up in the Ed Sullivan era, and like many children of the '50s, he absolutely loved Senor Wences and his marvelous ventriloquism...