‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ was wildly successful and spawned many other variety shows during its era. Sullivan wanted to try something new, so he introduced his ‘See America with Ed Sullivan’ series.
The first episode aired on October 16, 1960, and featured San Francisco. It featured the fabulous vocals of Peggy Lee, and she sang ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ in front of the San Francisco Bay.
It begins with waves crashing along the shoreline. Peggy Lee appears with her gown blowing in the wind. She starts in a slow, recitative style for the intro. The song itself is the slower version of the song, unlike Frank Sinatra’s more popular uptempo rendition.
Peggy Lee’s evening gown has huge flowing sleeves blown back and forth by the wind on the bay. She stands in front of large rocks singing with sincerity and emotion.
Her blonde hair still stands out in the black-and-white footage. As the song concludes, Peggy wanders off into the shoreline, singing the final line, as her dress flows in the strong wind.
The ‘See America’ series was halted after the following episode. Sullivan decided that he couldn’t showcase each location’s greatness within one episode. Just two episodes remain of the series featuring San Francisco and Chicago.
This timeless footage endures as Peggy Lee lends her smooth voice to the beauty of the San Francisco Bay in a special episode of ‘Ed Sullivan.’ It also serves as an interesting bit of trivia for the true Sullivan fan.
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