Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan looks at what Ed Sullivan did with his weekly Ed Sullivan show on CBS as a cultural phenomenon. He showcased the talents of Black performers when no one else would put them on television.

Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan was a revelation to me. The Ed Sullivan Show aired from 1948 until 1971, and I probably watched it every week during all those years. It was an event on Sunday night. I didn’t realized what I was seeing was audacious and bold on Sullivan’s part when I was a kid. I just knew I loved his show. Even in the 1960s when I was technically an adult and the civil rights movement was in full swing it didn’t dawn on me that Ed Sullivan was part of the revolution.

The documentary, directed by Sacha Jenkins, show archival clips from the show featuring James Brown, Diahann Carroll, Nat “King” Cole, Sammy Davis Jr., Mahalia Jackson, Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, and others. Not only did Sullivan welcome such performers on his show, he shook their hands, kissed their cheeks, embraced them, and held their hands. The man was a total badass and I never knew it.

A few people appeared as themselves, talking about what it was like then. Some of them were Harry Belafonte, Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, and Dionne Warwick.

The larger culture was brought into the film with clips from events of that time, especially the battles for civil rights. There were photos and clips from Ed Sullivan’s life before he became a variety show host.

This documentary just appeared on Netflix without any hype or fanfare. It’s definitely worth watching.