Oh that's right! Didn't he give Ed the middle finger or something like that ha ha. Good he probably deserved it, Sullivan was a real SOB, use to bust the chops of all the performers. I remember one story that he gave Buddy Holly a real hard time and Holly almost came to walking out. Yeah there's even a picture where Holly wouldn't even look at him he was so fed up.
Sullivan said it was an obscene gesture. Mason denied it, or at least claimed he didn't realize his hand signal was obscene. I'd have to look it up, but apparently, Sullivan made a gesture to Mason to cut his act short and Mason was blowing him off.
I always thought Sullivan was a miserable person. When he smiled, it looked like his face was going to crack. But I will say this: his show provided real entertainment and plenty of variety. You may not like every act, but you could find something entertaining. Not like what passes as entertainment these days.