Beatles - Ed Sullivan Presents the Beatles: 4 Complete Shows

Starring: The Beatles, Ed Sullivan, Frank Gorshin, Davy Jones, Cab Calloway, Soupy Sales

Directed by: Tim Kiley

RS: 3of 4 Stars

Any Beatlemaniac will have a quadruple orgasm as the moptops rock out on these four 1964-1965 full-length episodes of The Ed Sullivan Show. This is where most of America got its first taste of the Beatles, but you don't watch for the historic value -- you watch because you scream and shake when they hit those oooohs in "She Loves You." The lads do twenty songs in all, including three stabs at "I Want to Hold Your Hand." But the real history lesson here is how bad the rest of the show sucked. So this is the world-famous Ed Sullivan Show? Magic tricks from the great Fantasio? Animal stunts with Pinky and Perky? A Mitzi Gaynor show-tune medley? Acrobats, vaudeville comics, the cast of Oliver! and a clarinet solo from Acker Bilk titled "Acker's Lacquer"? Hosted by a guy who looks like a suburban funeral-home director with a mouth full of Vicodin? No wonder they needed the Beatles.

ROB SHEFFIELD
(October 22, 2003)