A perfect mirror of its time, "The Ed Sullivan Show" ran from 1948 to 1971, echoing this period's every chapter: the birth of television, the conformist 1950s, the dawn of rock--with Elvis and the Beatles--and finally, the tumultuous late 1960s. Each Sunday night, Sullivan presented his signature mix of highbrow and cornpone, Borscht Belt and Bible Belt. "Impresario," the first major biography of this iconic showman, tells his story, from his birth in a Jewish-Irish ghetto to his career as a Broadway gossip columnist, to his years on the vaudeville circuit, to his stint in Hollywood and his struggles in television. Impressively researched, "Impresario" tells the story of a pioneering showman who both shaped and reflected American pop culture.