On an episode of ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ in 1962, Paul Anka dazzled the crowd with his classic crooning and incredible charisma. Singing and dancing in front of a colossal backdrop featuring a bowl of cherries, Paul delivers the tune ‘Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries.’
The black and white footage starts with the camera focusing on the bowl of cherries as Paul emerges from the wings of the stage singing verse 1. A great big band opens the number with horn hits and strong drums.
Paul takes the stage in a suit and tie with perfectly styled hair. He immediately begins smiling at the audience and making great facial expressions to convey the whimsey of the tune.
Paul sings in a style that makes you feel like he’s talking to the audience in a conversation. His demeanor is smooth and full of stage presence. He is joined by 4 women dressed in plaid dresses holding bouquets of cherries in a basket.
They link arms and stroll upstage as Paul continues the verse, ‘ Keep repeating it’s the berries.’ The girls provide the backing vocals and some additional choreography as they dance behind and around Paul.
Paul calls out, ‘Look out Fred Astaire’ after completing a couple of dance steps across the floor in the second verse. He takes his time with the lyrics, stretching the rhythm when necessary to add dramatic delivery to each line. The big band builds as the song draws to a close, and the girls link arms with Paul to create a kickline. The audience responds with thunderous applause!
Ed Sullivan can be heard off-camera yelling, ‘One more time! One more time, Paul!’ The audience loves it, and Paul comes back for an encore of the last chorus. Ed shouts again, ‘Paul! Come here!’ as Paul exits the stage. Ed corrals him and puts his arm around him to tell him how much he enjoyed the performance. This clip features a great singer and a classic moment on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show!’
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