The documentary “Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan” on Netflix examines the pivotal role “The Ed Sullivan Show” played in spotlighting Black music and culture to TV audiences at a time when segregation was still the norm.

In a clip discussing his Sunday night variety show, which ran on CBS from 1948 to 1971, Sullivan keeps his intentions clear and to the point: “It seemed to me, if you’re using public air(waves), the least you can do — or TV can do — in return for this high privilege was to try to do something to bring people a little closer together.”

Sullivan died in 1974 and sometimes in the film his voice is drawn from television interviews he gave over the years. But sometimes it’s courtesy of artificial intelligence — a synthetic recreation — that gives literal voice to

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