Pioneers of Television
Variety
This episode begins with Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the Town" and Milton Berle's "Texaco Star Theater" and progresses through "The Carol Burnett Show," "Smothers Brothers" and "Laugh-in," among others. Tim Conway and Jonathan Winters tell hilarious stories about their variety show years. Conversely, Pat Boone offers chilling insight into early TV's unspoken racism, and Tommy Smothers details the compelling behind-the-scenes story of his landmark show. Tony Orlando wraps up the era with especially insightful comments about the genre. Additionally, the episode includes fresh bites from earlier interviews with Milton Berle, Red Skelton and Sid Caesar. There's no shortage of great clips for this episode. Standouts include Jerry Stiller's first appearance on Ed Sullivan – with reflections from a June 2007 interview with Stiller.
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