It wasn't only the Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Topo Gigio who benefited from exposure on The Ed Sullivan Show. When the New York Journal-American gossip columnist made his first TV appearance hosting...
After Anyone Can Whistle, Sondheim worked with Richard Rodgers, former partner of Sondheim's mentor, Oscar Hammerstein II; it was to be the last time Sondheim teamed with another composer. Based on Arthur Laurents' Time Of The Cuckoo (also the source of the film Summertime, starring Katharine Hepburn) it dealt with the romantic awakening of an American spinster on a holiday trip to Italy. The show opened on March 18, 1965 to tepid reviews, and closed after playing 220 performances.
From Do I Hear A Waltz?; (R. Rodgers/S. Sondheim); Produced by Goddard Lieberson; orchestra conducted by Frederick Dvonch; Rec. March 21, 1965. Columbia KOS 2770; Originally Released 1965