Video: 'The Ed Sullivan Show - Vol. 2 (Hosted by Burt Reynolds)' (August 6, 1956, at 57:31)

(Monday, August 6, 1956, at about 2:00 a.m. EDT) — Television host Ed Sullivan, 54, narrowly escaped with his life early today when the car he was driving crashed head-on into another automobile on a narrow, winding country road in Seymour, Connecticut.

Sullivan, who was driving to his country home in Southbury, Connecticut, after completing his Sunday night television program, suffered a broken rib, minor chest injuries and a slight facial abrasion.

He would not return to host The Ed Sullivan Show until Sept. 16, 1956 (rotating substitute hosts filled in during this time), thereby missing Elvis Presley’s first appearance on the program on Sept. 9.