This past Sunday was the 50th anniversary of the Beatles appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show The show was seen by 73 million viewers. Today, only the Super Bowl gets that number of people (and then some).
What is little known about that night was that at 10:30, What's My Line? aired live, originating from Studio 52, right near Studio 50 (now the Ed Sullivan Theater), where the Beatles had performed earlier that evening (and earlier in the day for the show that would air February 23). The WML? episode had Bobby Darin as the guest panelist.
The Beatles were mentioned on that night's show. One of the contestants' occupation was that he made Beatle wigs (for $2.98).
The mystery guest that night was Jane Fonda, long before she became Hanoi Jane, a workout book author, and the future Mrs. Ted Turner.
Within a decade, Darin, Dorothy Kilgallen and Bennett Cerf would all be dead.
Brian