DT Gem: Mask and Wig on “The Ed Sullivan Show” (1958) (VIDEO)

Being the proud Mask and Wig alum that I am, it is no secret that I love promoting anything having to do with this group which is so rich with history (dating back to 1889!).

On that note, last summer I showed you a great clip of the Mask and Wig Club being referenced in a 1937 Warner Brothers film.  And now, as part of my “Blast from the Past” series, I have another classic Mask and Wig clip!

The club has been doing their signature “kickline” forever and for years, even when I was in college, I had heard they were once on “The Ed Sullivan Show“.

Well now I have video proof!

A special thanks for this video to Bruce Robbins Besser (C’58), Neil Radisch (C’86), and Dave Gibboni (C’82). The young ‘lady’ who loses the wig in the clip (minute 1:45) above is Bruce himself!

Now take a look at the kickline below from when the Mask and Wig guys came to Los Angeles back in 2007! As you’ll see from both videos, there are similarities, and a bunch of differences. To name a few, the big differences are:

• the kickline has been all ‘girls’  (maybe they added the guys for TV purposes?)
• the guys no longer do the “pinwheel” you’ll see in the video above (where they’re on the floor).

It’s great to see that more than 50 years later, the guys are still kicking it!

More on Mask and Wig’s rich history and upcoming Spring Show HERE

• Bruce Robbins Besser
• Dave Gibboni
• Ed Sullivan