The David Susskind Show

"Open End" redirects here. For the outdoor sculpture in Cincinnati, Ohio, see Open End (sculpture).
David Susskind Show
Also known as ''Open End (1958-1967)
Genre Talk show
Presented by David Susskind
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons 29
Production company(s) Pamandia
Distributor National Telefilm Associates (1961-1973)
Metromedia Producers Corporation (1973-1986)
Release
Original network WNTA (1958-1961)
Syndicated (1961-1986)
Original release 1958 – 1986

The David Susskind Show was an American television talk show hosted by David Susskind. The program began its existence in 1958 as Open End, and was broadcast by WNTA-TV (now WNET) in New York City. The title referred to the fact that the program continued until Susskind or his guests were too tired to continue late on a Sunday night.

Overview

Susskind's interview of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, which aired in October 1960, during the height of the Cold War, generated national attention. It is one of the very few talk show telecasts from that long ago that was preserved and can be viewed today.[1]

In 1961, Open End was limited to two hours and went into national syndication. Susskind did a two-hour interview including commercials with Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963, two months before the civil rights leader delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.[2] The New York Times reported what it considered the highlight of the interview on its front page: "The civil rights approach of the Kennedy Administration as compared with that of the Eisenhower Administration has merely substituted 'an inadequate approach for a miserable one,' the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. declared yesterday."[3] Few people have seen the video, which belongs to Historic Films Archive, since 1963.[4]

The title of Susskind's talk show was changed from Open End to The David Susskind Show for its telecast on Sunday night, October 2, 1966.[5]

In May 1973, to acknowledge Digestive Disease Week, the show invited three gastroenterologists to discuss therapies for peptic ulcer. Viewer William Dufty had bet that "These three distinguished specialists could go on for the entire ninety minutes without ever mentioning the word sugar." Afterward he noted, "In ninety minutes, they were unable to come up with a single constructive suggestion for the average person to manage their diet in a way that might prevent ulcers."[6]

The show continued until its New York outlet cancelled it in 1986, approximately six months before Susskind died.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Battaglio, Stephen. David Susskind: A Televised Life. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2010
  2. ↑ Shepard, Richard F. (June 8, 1963). "'Open End' Special Listed Tomorrow; Dr. King to Appear; 'Establishment' Telecast Station Breaks". New York Times. p. 51.
  3. ↑ no byline, no byline (June 10, 1963). "Dr. King Denounces President on Rights; DR. KING ATTACKS KENNEDY RECORD". New York Times. pp. front page.
  4. ↑ http://www.historicfilms.com/tapes/19960
  5. ↑ Gould, Jack (October 3, 1966). "TV: Return of Susskind; He Shows Up Again on Channel 5 With New Format, Kennedy and Seeger". New York Times. p. 80.
  6. ↑ William Dufty (1975) Sugar Blues, pp 184 to 7
  7. ↑ Battaglio, Stephen. David Susskind: A Televised Life. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2010
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