Marlo Lewis
Encyclopedia
Marlo Lewis was an American executive producer
for variety and comedy shows for CBS
and is well known for co-producing the famous Ed Sullivan Show
.
Lewis was the son of a concert pianist and an opera singer. In the mid-1940s he became an executive of the Blaine Thompson Advertising agency, where he created and produced, together with his wife, Mina Bess, the daily radio talk show Luncheon at Sardi's.
In 1948 Lewis co-created the "Toast of the Town" program with Ed Sullivan
. In 1955, the TV classic was renamed The Ed Sullivan Show. Together with Sullivan, Lewis personally set the appearance time of each act for the show. In 1956, Elvis Presley
appeared on the show, but he was censored because the rumor had it that the rock'n'roll singer had been "hanging a small soft-drink bottle from his groin underneath his pants, and when he wiggles his leg it looks as though his pecker reaches down to his knee!" Therefore, Lewis and Sullivan decided to shoot the singer only from the waist up during his TV performance.
Apart from this show, Lewis also helped to launch The Jackie Gleason Show
, The Dinah Shore Show
and The Phil Silvers Show
.
After 12 years, he left the Sullivan Show in order to set up an independent production company. One of his first projects was the ballet The Nutcracker
for an ABC
Christmas special in 1961. In the mid-1960s, he produced several musical specials for Perry Como
.
In 1967, Lewis joined the Norman, Craig & Kummel agency and was elected vice chairman a year later.
In 1979, he published, together with his wife, a book entitled Prime Time which includes many backstage stories from the author's times as a producer.
Lewis was also a founder of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
. Both Lewis and Sullivan shared the George Foster Peabody Award for humanitarian activities. In 1992, Lewis was elected to the Television Producers Hall of Fame.
In 1993, he died of heart failure at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He is survived by his wife and two children.
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
for variety and comedy shows for CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and is well known for co-producing the famous Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
.
Lewis was the son of a concert pianist and an opera singer. In the mid-1940s he became an executive of the Blaine Thompson Advertising agency, where he created and produced, together with his wife, Mina Bess, the daily radio talk show Luncheon at Sardi's.
In 1948 Lewis co-created the "Toast of the Town" program with Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
. In 1955, the TV classic was renamed The Ed Sullivan Show. Together with Sullivan, Lewis personally set the appearance time of each act for the show. In 1956, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
appeared on the show, but he was censored because the rumor had it that the rock'n'roll singer had been "hanging a small soft-drink bottle from his groin underneath his pants, and when he wiggles his leg it looks as though his pecker reaches down to his knee!" Therefore, Lewis and Sullivan decided to shoot the singer only from the waist up during his TV performance.
Apart from this show, Lewis also helped to launch The Jackie Gleason Show
The Jackie Gleason Show
The Jackie Gleason Show is the name of a series of popular American network television shows that starred Jackie Gleason, which ran from 1952 to 1970.-Cavalcade of Stars:...
, The Dinah Shore Show
The Dinah Shore Show
The Dinah Shore Show is an American variety show which was broadcast by NBC from November 1951 to January 1956, sponsored by General Motors' Chevrolet division...
and The Phil Silvers Show
The Phil Silvers Show
The Phil Silvers Show is a comedy television series which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959 for 142 episodes, plus a 1959 special. The series starred Phil Silvers as Master Sergeant Ernest G...
.
After 12 years, he left the Sullivan Show in order to set up an independent production company. One of his first projects was the ballet The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
for an ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
Christmas special in 1961. In the mid-1960s, he produced several musical specials for Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
.
In 1967, Lewis joined the Norman, Craig & Kummel agency and was elected vice chairman a year later.
In 1979, he published, together with his wife, a book entitled Prime Time which includes many backstage stories from the author's times as a producer.
Lewis was also a founder of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was founded in 1946, just one month after network television was born. It is a nonprofit organization devoted to the advancement of telecommunications arts and sciences and to fostering creative leadership in the telecommunications industry...
. Both Lewis and Sullivan shared the George Foster Peabody Award for humanitarian activities. In 1992, Lewis was elected to the Television Producers Hall of Fame.
In 1993, he died of heart failure at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He is survived by his wife and two children.
Further reading
- Marlo Lewis and Mina Bess Lewis, Prime Time (1979).
- "Marlo Lewis Is Dead: TV Producer Was 77", New York Times, June 10, 1993.