MovieChat Forums > Toast of the Town (1948) Discussion > Ed and Jackie Mason

Ed and Jackie Mason

posted 16 years ago by Belleluvsroses
3 replies | jump to latest

On Ed's October 18,1964 show, comic Jackie Mason appeared. At the end of his routine, which was running overtime, he did some finger gestures towards the audience. Ed got mad, quite furious in fact, as he thought that Jackie, for whatever reason, was giving them "the bird", or f you gesture. Which I don't think Mason was doing, I think he was just messing around a bit. However, the "messing around" caused him to be barred from the show for two years. Methinks Sullivan went a bit too far on that one. But then, maybe Ed feared what the sponsor would think of it, or some such thing.

[–] holbrookp 15 years ago

I distinctly remember watching this episode the first time it aired. I immediately caught the hand gestures Jackie was using and was shocked that he was giving Sullivan (not the audience) the finger. That's why I remember it. Sullivan was signaling him that he was running overtime in his routine but Mason kept going and started giving the gestures. I wasn't surprised the next day when I heard Sullivan was in an uproar. Surely there must be some place on the web where the video of this is posted.

Whether or not it was because of this incident in any way, Woody Allen once appeared on Sullivan and put a timer on a pedestal beside him as he began his monologue. When its alarm sounded, he stopped, thanked the audience, and walked off with the timer.

[–] GeoSlv 7 years ago

Ed was gesturing him from the side to quit. Jackie was mocking that in disregard.

[–] movieghoul 7 years ago

Don't look now, but IMDB is giving up all the finger.