By Peter Kennedy
“Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to.” – 1 Timothy 5:13
Ed Sullivan was 18 years old when he began writing for The Hartford Post. The newspaper folded in his first week there, but he landed another job on The New York Evening Mail as a sports reporter. After The Evening Mail closed in 1923, he bounced through a series of news jobs with The Associated Press, The Philadelphia Bulletin, The Morning World, The Morning Telegraph, The New York Bulletin, and The Leader. Finally, in 1927, Sullivan joined The Evening Graphic, first as a sportswriter, and then as a sports editor. In 1929, when Walter Winchell moved to The Daily Mirror, Sullivan was made Broadway columnist. He left the Graphic for the city's largest tabloid, the New York Daily News. His column, "Little Old New York", concentrated on Broadway shows and gossip.
Between the years 1948 and 1971, nearly everyone who watched television saw The Ed Sullivan Show. Even non-regular viewers often tuned in to Sullivan occasionally to see their favorite singer, comedian, or celebrity.
Ed could make or break a career by what he wrote in his column.
He could be very quick to take offense if he felt that he had been crossed or betrayed and could hold a grudge for a long time. Comedian Jackie Mason and the rock group “The Doors” were two cases in point who got on Ed's bad side and never were to return to the show.
Gossip is a sin. Today in prayer, confess any sin of gossip in your life to the Lord and seek to refrain from listening and spreading gossip.
“Have you heard of the terrible family They,
And the dreadful venomous things They say'
Why, half the gossip under the sun,
If you trace it back, you will find begun
In that wretched House of They.” - Ellen Wilcox Wheeler
God’s Word: “A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.” – Proverbs 11:13
Overcast, 59°