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The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Format	Talk show Variety show
Created by	Sylvester L. Weaver Jr.
Starring	Johnny Carson ANNOUNCER: Ed McMahon BANDLEADER: Doc Severinsen (1967-1992) Tommy Newsom (Substitute) (1968-1992) Milton DeLugg (1966-1967) Skitch Henderson (1962-1966)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	4531
Production
Running time	105 minutes (1962-1966) 90 minutes (1967-1980) 60 minutes (1980-1992)
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Original run	October 1, 1962 – May 22, 1992
Chronology
Preceded by	Tonight Starring Jack Paar (1957–1962)
Followed by	The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992–present; scheduled to end 2009)
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was a late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Tonighttitle. ... A talk show (U.S.) or chat show (Brit. ... A variety show is a show with a variety of acts, often including music and comedy skits, especially on television. ... Sylvester Pat Weaver (December 21, 1908 - March 17, 2002) was the father of actress Sigourney Weaver. ... For other persons named John Carson, see John Carson (disambiguation). ... Edward Ed Peter Leo McMahon, Jr. ... Doc Severinsen during The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carsons 18th Anniversary Special in 1980 Carl Hilding Doc Severinsen (born July 7, 1927 in Arlington, Oregon) is an American pop and jazz trumpeter, best known for leading the NBC Orchestra in the Johnny Carson era. ... Thomas Penn Tommy Newsom (February 25, 1929 – April 28, 2007) was a saxophone player in the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, an orchestra he later became assistant director of. ... Milton DeLugg (born in 1918) is an American composer and arranger. ... Skitch Henderson (born Lyle Russell Cedric Henderson, January 27, 1918; died November 1, 2005, New Milford, Connecticut) was a British-born American pianist, conductor, and composer. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article is about the television network. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... May 26, 2006 opening monologue of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an Emmy Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by comedian Jay Leno on NBC. It premiered on May 25, 1992, succeeding The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. ... For other persons named John Carson, see John Carson (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

For all but a few months of its first ten years of existence, Carson's Tonight Show was based in New York City. In May 1972, the show moved to Los Angeles, where it remained for the rest of its run. The Tonight Show has continued to this day under a largely identical structure with Jay Leno as host. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... James Douglas Muir Jay Leno (April 28, 1950) is an Emmy Award-winning American stand-up comedian and television host, who succeeded Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show in 1992. ...

Show regulars

Ed McMahon

Main article: Ed McMahon

The show's announcer and Carson's sidekick was Ed McMahon, who from the very first show would introduce Carson with a drawn-out "Heeeeeeeeere's Johnny!" (something McMahon was inspired to do by the over-emphasized way he had introduced reporter Robert Pierrepoint on the NBC Radio show Monitor). McMahon, who had served the same purpose for Carson's ABC game show Who Do You Trust? for five years previously, would remain standing to the side as Carson did his monologue, laughing (sometimes obsequiously) at his jokes, then join him at the guest chair when Carson moved to his desk. The two would usually interact in a comic spot for a short while before the first guest was introduced, sometimes just ribbing each other about Carson's alleged excessive vanity, or McMahon's alleged excessive drinking. Edward Ed Peter Leo McMahon, Jr. ... Edward Ed Peter Leo McMahon, Jr. ... Monitor host Dave Garroway NBC Monitor was a weekend radio program broadcast from June 12, 1955 to January 26, 1975. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American television network. ... Who Do You Trust? was a fairly popular game show during the 1950s and 1960s emceed by Johnny Carson. ... A monologue, pronounced monolog, is a speech made by one person speaking his or her thoughts aloud or directly addressing a reader, audience, or character. ...

Bandleaders and others

Doc Severinsen

The Tonight Show had a live band for nearly all of its existence. The NBC Orchestra during Carson's reign was led by Skitch Henderson, followed briefly by Milton DeLugg. Starting in 1967 and continuing until Jay Leno took over, the band was led by Doc Severinsen, with Tommy Newsom filling in for him when he was absent or filling in for McMahon as the announcer (which usually happened when a guest host substituted for Carson, which usually gave McMahon the night off as well). Image File history File linksMetadata Doc_Severinsen. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Doc_Severinsen. ... The Tonight Show Band is the band which plays on the American television variety show, the Tonight Show. ... Skitch Henderson (born Lyle Russell Cedric Henderson, January 27, 1918; died November 1, 2005, New Milford, Connecticut) was a British-born American pianist, conductor, and composer. ... Milton DeLugg (born in 1918) is an American composer and arranger. ... James Douglas Muir Jay Leno (April 28, 1950) is an Emmy Award-winning American stand-up comedian and television host, who succeeded Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show in 1992. ... Doc Severinsen during The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carsons 18th Anniversary Special in 1980 Carl Hilding Doc Severinsen (born July 7, 1927 in Arlington, Oregon) is an American pop and jazz trumpeter, best known for leading the NBC Orchestra in the Johnny Carson era. ... Thomas Penn Tommy Newsom (February 25, 1929 – April 28, 2007) was a saxophone player in the NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, an orchestra he later became assistant director of. ...

Behind the scenes, Fred de Cordova joined The Tonight Show in 1970 as producer, graduating to executive producer in 1984. Frederick Fred Timmins de Cordova (October 27, 1910 - September 15, 2001) was a motion picture and television director and producer. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Recurring segments and skits

Carson as Carnac the Magnificent.

ImageMetadata File history File links Carnac. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Carnac. ...

Characters

• Carnac the Magnificent, in which Carson played a psychic who clairvoyantly divined the answer to a question contained in a sealed envelope. This was to some degree a variation on Steve Allen's recurring "The Question Man" sketch. The answer was always an outrageous pun. "Carnac" examples:
  • "Billy Graham, Virginia Graham and Lester Maddox" ... "Name two Grahams and a Cracker!"
  • "Over 105 in Los Angeles" ... "Under the Reagan plan, how old do you have to be to collect Social Security?"
  • "Debate" ... "What do you use to catch de fish?"
  • "Frathouse" ... "What do you call a Japanese home struck by a meteor?"
  • "Ghotbzadeh" ... "What do Iranian men do when their wives refuse them by night?"

The one that garnered the biggest laugh, and Ed McMahon's personal favorite, as he discussed on several talk shows: Carson as Carnac the Magnificent Carnac the Magnificent was a role played by Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and later continued on Late Show with David Letterman, occasionally by Paul Shaffer. ... “Steve Allen” redirects here. ... For other persons named Billy Graham, see Billy Graham (disambiguation). ... Virginia Graham was a daytime TV talk show host in the late 1960s and early 1970s. ... Lester Garfield Maddox Lester Garfield Maddox (September 30, 1915 – June 25, 2003) was an American Democratic Party politician who was governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1967 to 1971. ... Social security primarily refers to social welfare service concerned with social protection, or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. ... Sadegh Ghotbzadeh (صادق قطب‌زاده;‎ 1936–September 15, 1982) was Iranian Foreign Minister (November 30, 1979–August, 1980) during Iran hostage crisis. ...

• • "Sis boom bah" ... "Describe the sound made when a sheep explodes."
    

If the laughter fell short for a too-lame pun (as it often did), "Carnac" would face the audience with mock seriousness and say something along the lines of, "May a diseased yak befriend your sister!" or "May a rabid holyman bless your nether regions with a powertool!"

• "Floyd R. Turbo", a dimwitted yokel responding to a TV station editorial.
• "Art Fern", the fast-talking host of a "Tea Time Movie" program, who advertised inane products, assisted by the attractive Matinee Lady, played by Paula Prentiss (late 1960s), Carol Wayne (1971-82), Danuta Wesley (1984), and Teresa Ganzel (1985-92), when the camera was off. The fake movies he would introduce usually had colorful casts and dubious titles ("Benson Fong, Peter Chong, Madame LaFong, and Dan Blocker in "Hoss Cartwright Dances with a Sheep"), followed by a four-second stock film clip before coming back for another commercial.

On giving directions to a fake store he was touting, he would show a spaghetti-like road map, sometimes with a literal "fork in the road", other times making the joke, "Go to the Slauson Cutoff...", and the audience would recite with him, "...cut off your Slauson!" The character was previously named "Honest Bernie Schlock" and then "Ralph Willie" when the Tea Time sketches first aired in the mid to late 1960s. At least one surviving pre-1972 Art Fern sketch that originated from New York had its movie show title as "The Big Flick", an amalgam of two movie show titles in use at the time by New York station WOR-TV, The Big Preview and The Flick. On that sketch Lee Meredith was the Matinee Lady.

• "Aunt Blabby", an old woman whose appearance and speech pattern bore more than a passing resemblance to comedian Jonathan Winters' character "Maude Frickert". A frequent theme would be McMahon happening to mention a word or phrase that could suggest death, and Aunt Blabby would respond, "Never say [whatever expression] to an old person!"

Paula Prentiss (born Paula Ragusa March 4, 1939 in San Antonio, Texas, USA) is an actress probably best known for her starring role in The Stepford Wives. ... Signed publicity photo of Carol Wayne Carol Wayne (September 6, 1942 - January 13, 1985) was an American actress best known for her comedic portrayals of dim-witted, buxom sexpots. ... Teresa Ganzel (also Terese Ganzel, Terry Ganzel) is an actress, comedienne, and cartoon voice-over actress. ... A fork in the road is a place where one road divides into two, without either of them clearly being a turn off the main route. ... WWOR-TV, channel 9, is a MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey, and serving the New York City metropolitan area. ... Lee Meredith (born October 22, 1947) is an American actress. ... Jonathan Harshman Winters III (born November 11, 1925 in Bellbrook, Ohio) is an American film and television actor. ...

Bits

• "Stump the Band", where studio audience members ask the band to try to play obscure songs given only the title. Unlike when this routine was done during the Jack Paar years with the Jose Melis band, Doc's band almost never knew the song, but that did not stop them from inventing one on the spot. Example:

Guest's request: My Dead Dog Rover

Doc Severinsen, singing: "My dead dog Rover / lay under the sun / and stayed there all summer / until he was done!"

• "The Mighty Carson Art Players" (depending on one's point of view, the name was an obvious tribute to or ripoff of radio legend Fred Allen's Mighty Allen Art Players), which spoofed news, movies, television shows, and commercials.

Example: Johnny, dressed as a doctor, starting to talk about some intimate topic (just as in the real ad) and then being hit by cream pies from several directions at once.

• "The Edge of Wetness", in which Johnny would read humorous plot summaries of a fictional soap opera (such as The Edge of Night) while the camera panned the audience, stopping on an unsuspecting audience member who Carson claimed was, for example, the butler from the soap.

Jack Parr redirects here. ... Jose Melis (1920?-2005) served as the musical director of The Tonight Show during Jack Paars tenure as host. ... He has eyes like Venetian blinds and a tongue like an adder — radio/television critic John Crosby about humourist Fred Allen, portrayed here by caricaturist Al Hirschfeld. ... The first TIME cover devoted to soap operas: Dated January 12, 1976, Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes of Days of our Lives are featured with the headline Soap Operas: Sex and suffering in the afternoon. A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast on television... The Edge of Night was a long-running American television soap opera. ... Panning, a horizontal motion in an image display or capture. ...

Programming history

• October 1962–December 1966: Monday–Friday 11:15 p.m.–1:00 a.m.

When Carson took over from Jack Paar, he inherited a show that was 105 minutes long. The show was structured to have what appeared to be two openings, with one starting at 11:15 p.m. and including the monologue, and another which listed the guests and announced the host again, starting at 11:30. The two openings gave affiliates the option of having either a fifteen-minute or thirty-minute local news show preceding Carson. Since 1959, the show had been videotaped earlier the same broadcast day. Jack Parr redirects here. ...

As more affiliates introduced thirty minutes of local news, Carson's monologue was being seen by fewer people. To rectify this situation, from February 1965 to December 1966, Ed McMahon and Skitch Henderson began to co-host the first fifteen minutes of the show without Carson, who would then take over at 11:30. Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Edward Ed Peter Leo McMahon, Jr. ... Skitch Henderson (born Lyle Russell Cedric Henderson, January 27, 1918; died November 1, 2005, New Milford, Connecticut) was a British-born American pianist, conductor, and composer. ...

• January 1965–September 1966: Saturday or Sunday 11:15–1:00 a.m. (reruns)

• September 1966–September 1975: Saturday or Sunday 11:30–1:00 a.m. (reruns)

• January 1967–September 1980: Monday–Friday 11:30 p.m.–1:00 a.m.

• September 1980–May 1991: Monday–Friday 11:30 p.m.–12:30 a.m.

Carson would influence the scheduling of reruns in the mid-1970s and, later in 1980, the length of each evening's broadcast by threatening NBC with, in the first case, moving to another network, and in the latter, retiring altogether. In order to enable a shorter work week for himself, Carson began to petition network executives in 1974 that reruns on the weekends be discontinued, in favor of showing them on one or more nights during the week. In response to his demands, NBC began planning a new comedy/variety series to feed to affiliates on Saturday nights that debuted in October 1975 and is still airing as of 2008: Saturday Night Live. Five years later, Carson renewed his contract with a stipulation that the show lose its last half hour; Tom Snyder's Tomorrow expanded to 90 minutes in order to fill the resulting schedule gap. Despite the fact that, a year and a half later, Tomorrow gave way to the hour-long Late Night with David Letterman (1982-1993; replaced by Late Night with Conan O'Brien, also an hour in length), an hour remains the length of Tonight to this day. Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... SNL redirects here. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Tomorrow (also known as The Tomorrow Show and, after 1980, Tomorrow Coast to Coast) was an American late-night television talk show hosted by Tom Snyder. ... Late Night with David Letterman was a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC hosted by David Letterman. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Late Night with Conan OBrien is an Emmy Award-winning American late night talk show that is syndicated worldwide. ...

• May 1991–May 1992: Monday–Friday 11:35 p.m.–12:35 a.m.

The show's start time was delayed by five minutes to allow NBC affiliates to include more commercials during their local newscasts. Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ...

1979-1980 contract battle

In 1979, when Fred Silverman was the head of NBC, Carson took the network to court claiming that he had been a free-agent since April of that year. His most recent contract had been signed in 1972, and Carson cited a California law barring certain contracts from lasting more than seven years. NBC claimed that they had signed three agreements since then, and Carson was therefore bound to the network until April 1981. ^[1] While the case was settled out of court,^[2] the friction between Carson and the network remained. Eventually, Carson reached an agreement to appear four nights a week but cut the show from 90 to 60 minutes.^[3] In September 1980, Carson's eponymous production company gained ownership of the show. ^{[4] [5]} Silverman, Time, 1977 Fred Silverman (born September 13, 1937 in New York City) is an American television executive and producer. ... Carson Productions is a television production company established by Johnny Carson in the early 1980s to primarily produce The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson from 1980 to 1992 and Late Night with David Letterman from 1982 to 1993. ...

Tape archives

Virtually all of the pre-1970 shows, including Carson's debut as host, were lost to history when, following standard procedure at the time, the extremely expensive videotapes were reused. It was rumored that many other episodes were lost in a fire, but NBC has denied this. Other surviving material from the era has been found on kinescopes held in the archives of the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, or in the personal collections of guests of the program, while a few moments such as Tiny Tim's wedding, were preserved. Longtime New York meteorologist Dr. Frank Field, an occasional guest during the years he was weather forecaster for WNBC, showed several clips of his appearances with Carson in a 2002 career retrospective on WWOR-TV; Field had maintained the clips in his own personal archives. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Kinescope (IPA: ) originally referred to the cathode ray tube used in television monitors. ... American Forces Network, or AFN - the acronym that its most commonly known as, is the brand name used by the United States Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) for its networks worldwide. ... Herbert Buckingham Khaury (April 12, 1932 – 30 November 1996), better known by the stage name Tiny Tim, was an American singer, ukulele player, and musical archivist. ... For the English politician see: Frank Field (UK politician) Dr. Frank Field (born 1923) is a well known televison personality and meteorologist who has been on TV for decades. ... WNBC-TV, NBC4 is the flagship TV station of the NBC television network, with studios located in Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. ... WWOR-TV, channel 9, is a MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey, and serving the New York City metropolitan area. ...

The program archive is virtually complete from 1973 to 1992.^[6]

A large amount of material from Carson's first two decades of the Tonight Show (1962–1982), (many of it not seen since its original airings) appeared in a half hour "clip/compilation" syndicated program known as Carson's Comedy Classics which aired in 1983. Carsons Comedy Classics was a stripped 1/2 hour syndicated television show that was first released to U.S. television stations in 1983. ...

Although no footage is known to remain of Carson's first broadcast as host of The Tonight Show on 1 October 1962, photographs taken that night do survive, as does an audio recording of Carson's first monologue. One of his first jokes upon starting the show was to pretend to panic and say, "I want my Na-Na!" (This recording was played at the start of Carson's final broadcast.) is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Thirty-minute audio recordings of many of these "missing" episodes are contained in the Library of Congress in the Armed Forces Radio collection. Many 1970s-era episodes have been licensed to distributors of the sort that advertise mail order offers on late-night TV. The later shows are stored in an underground film archive in Kansas. Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ...

Guest hosts

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson had guest hosts each Monday for most of the show's run and sometimes for entire weeks during Johnny's frequent vacations. Various people served as guest host, some over fifty times. This list is the most frequent guest hosts of the first 21 years of the show's run; however, a complete list would have Joan Rivers, Garry Shandling and Jay Leno well at the front, as they were the permanent guest hosts from 1983–1986, 1986–1987 and 1987–1992, respectively: Joan Rivers (born June 8, 1933) is an American comedian, actress, talk show host, businesswoman, and celebrity. ... Garry Shandling (born November 29, 1949) is an American comedian. ... James Douglas Muir Jay Leno (April 28, 1950) is an Emmy Award-winning American stand-up comedian and television host, who succeeded Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show in 1992. ...

• Joey Bishop (177 times, mostly in the 1960s)
• Joan Rivers (93)
• John Davidson (87)
• Bob Newhart (87)
• David Brenner (70)
• McLean Stevenson (58)
• Jerry Lewis (52, mostly in the 1960s)
• David Letterman (51)
• David Steinberg (youngest person to host the show; appeared on show 130 times, second only to Bob Hope)

Carson himself had been an occasional guest host during the years when Jack Paar was the regular host, and Paar repeatedly claimed he had been the one to suggest to NBC that Carson replace him when he left the show in 1962. Joey Bishop (February 3, 1918 â€“ October 17, 2007) was perhaps best remembered as being a member of the Rat Pack with Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. ... Joan Rivers (born June 8, 1933) is an American comedian, actress, talk show host, businesswoman, and celebrity. ... John Davidson (born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on December 13, 1941) is an American actor, best known for hosting Thats Incredible!, Time Machine, and Hollywood Squares in the 1980s, and a revival of The $100,000 Pyramid in 1991 and 1992. ... George Robert Bob Newhart (born September 5, 1929 in Oak Park, Illinois) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. ... David Brenner (born February 4, 1936) is an American standup comedian, actor, author, and filmmaker. ... McLean Stevenson (November 14, 1927 – February 15, 1996) (full name Edgar McLean Stevenson, Jr. ... For other persons named Jerry Lewis, see Jerry Lewis (disambiguation). ... David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947, in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.) is an Emmy Award-winning American television host and comedian. ... David Steinberg, born into a Jewish family August 9, 1940, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is a Canadian comedian, actor, director, writer and author. ... Jack Parr redirects here. ...

Starting in September 1983, Joan Rivers was designated Carson's permanent guest host, a role she had been essentially filling for more than a year before then. In 1986, she abruptly left for her own show on the then new Fox Network. This move — and her failure to inform him personally — infuriated Carson so much that he banned Rivers from his show, canceling even the three weeks of guest hosting she was scheduled to do in the remainder of the 1985-86 television season. Unfortunately for Rivers, her new show flopped and was quickly canceled, and she never appeared on the show with Carson again. In a CNN interview after Carson's death, Rivers revealed that Carson never spoke to her again, even on the occasion when Rivers confronted him in a Los Angeles restaurant. The Late Show was an American late night talk show and the first series broadcast on the then-fledgling Fox Network. ... FOX redirects here. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ...

The program of July 26, 1984, with guest host Joan Rivers, was the first MTS stereo broadcast in U.S. television history;^[7] however, only the New York City affiliate of NBC had stereo broadcast capability at that time.^[8] NBC transmitted The Tonight Show in stereo sporadically through 1984, and on a regular basis beginning in 1985. is the 207th day of the year (208th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... MTS may stand for: Machine and Tractor Station, in the Soviet Union Manitoba Telecom Services Manual Tone Shift Mercato dei Titoli di Stato, colloquially known as the Telematico, the main Eurozone government bond electronic trading system Metre-tonne-second system of units, more commonly written mts Michigan Terminal System, a... Label for 2. ...

Carson’s last shows

As his impending retirement approached, Carson tried to avoid too much sentimentality, but would periodically show clips of some of his favorite moments and revisit with some of his favorite guests.

But no one was quite prepared for Carson's next-to-last night, where he hosted his final guests, Robin Williams and Bette Midler. Williams was in top form with his manic energy and stream-of-consciousness lunacy. Midler, in contrast, found the emotional vein of the farewell. After the topic of their conversation turned to Johnny's favorite songs ("I'll Be Seeing You" and "Here's That Rainy Day"), Midler mentioned she knew a chorus of the latter. She began singing the song, and after the first line, Carson joined in and turned it into a touching impromptu duet. Midler finished her appearance when, from center stage, she slowly sang the pop standard "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)." Carson became unexpectedly tearful, and a shot of the two of them was captured by a camera angle from across the set which had never been used before. This penultimate show was immediately recognized as a television classic, and Midler would win an Emmy Award for her role in it. This article is about the American actor and comedian; for other people named Robin Williams, see Robin Williams (disambiguation). ... Bette Midler (born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress and comedienne, also known to her fans as The Divine Miss M. She is named after the actress Bette Davis although Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables, and Midler uses one. ... Ill Be Seeing You is a popular song. ... Heres That Rainy Day is a popular song with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke, published in 1953. ... // Countless renditions of One For My Baby. ...

Carson did not have guests on his final episode of The Tonight Show. An estimated 50 million people watched this retrospective show, which ended with him sitting on a stool alone on the stage, curiously similar to Jack Paar's last show. He gave these final words of goodbye: Jack Parr redirects here. ...

During his final speech, Carson told the audience that he hoped to return to television with another project and that hopefully "will meet with your approval", and a few weeks after the final show aired. It was announced that NBC and Carson had stuck a deal to develop a new series, but ultimately he chose never to return to television with another show of his own. He only gave two major interviews after retiring. One was in 1993, another in 2002. Carson hinted in the December 1993 interview which was with Tom Shales of the Washington Post that he didn't think he could top what he had already accomplished. Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Tom Shales (born November 3, 1944) is an American critic of television programming and operations. ... ...

Carson appeared briefly on Bob Hope's 90th birthday special on NBC and did a voiceover as himself on The Simpsons on FOX, both in May 1993. He spoke to David Letterman via telephone on Letterman's Late Show on CBS in November 1993. Carson followed that with an appearance on the Kennedy Center Honors on CBS in December 29, 1993 to receive a lifetime achievement award; He was the first person to receive the honor for working in the field of television. He never spoke and only sat in the balcony with President and Mrs. Clinton and the other honorees. During Letterman's week of shows in Los Angeles on CBS in May 1994, Carson passed by in a car during a skit early in the week and then walked onto the set on a later show to hand Dave the Top Ten list. He never spoke, citing laryngitis afterward, but received a long standing ovation from the live audience. It was Carson's last television appearance ever. A few months before Carson's death, Letterman announced that Carson had been sending jokes to the show in the last several years. Bob Hope, KBE (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003), born Leslie Townes Hope, was an English-Born American entertainer who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, on radio and television, in movies, and in performing tours for U.S. Military personnel, well known for his good natured humor and career longevity. ... Krusty Gets Kancelled is the final episode of The Simpsons fourth season. ... Simpsons redirects here. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947, in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.) is an Emmy Award-winning American television host and comedian. ... Late Show with David Letterman is an hour-long weeknight comedy and talk show broadcast by CBS from the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway in New York City. ... This article is about the broadcast network. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947) is the junior United States Senator from New York, and is a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 presidential election. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Laryngitis is an inflammation of the larynx. ...

Johnny Carson died of complications from emphysema on January 23, 2005 at age 79. is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Anecdotes and trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• Carson's announcer and first guest on his first Tonight Show as regular host on October 1, 1962, was Groucho Marx, who had been one of many substitute hosts in the nine months following the departure of Jack Paar.
• No video of Carson's first appearance on The Tonight Show is known to exist. However, an audio recording of the broadcast has been played on television. Carson began his first monologue reacting to the applause by saying "Boy, you'd think it was Vice President Nixon", and later crying "I want my na-na!"
• Perhaps the most celebrated example of Johnny being quick-on-his feet was the "Ed Ames tomahawk" incident on April 29, 1965. This was a black-and-white kinescope film clip thankfully saved from the New York years, and typically played every year on the anniversary show. Ames was then playing an American Indian on the Daniel Boone TV series, starring Fess Parker. Ames was attempting to demonstrate how to throw a hatchet in the air to hit a target, the outline of a cowboy on a piece of plywood. The throw hit the figure in the crotch, and the audience burst into laughter and applause. Ames instinctively started to go retrieve the hatchet, but Carson smoothly held him back. When the laughter had almost died down, Carson remarked, "I didn't even know you were Jewish!" and the audience burst into applause again.
• One memorable Tonight Show episode featured Charles Nelson Reilly performing Hamlet, as featured in the 2006 motion picture, The Life of Reilly,^[9] a film of the life story of Mr. Reilly. Reilly was a frequent guest of Johnny's, appearing in over 100 episodes.
• George Carlin was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show, so when the debut of Saturday Night Live was in preparation there was supposedly an agreement that SNL's producers would not have Carlin on their show. As it happened, Carlin appeared on the very first airing of SNL. Johnny Carson was incensed over this, and when he asked why Carlin had been hired, he was told "because he is punctual and fills out forms well."
• Zoologists such as Joan Embery of the San Diego Zoo and Jim Fowler of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom were recurring guests who would bring with them often exotic animals that he could interact with to comedic effect. In one frequently-shown clip, he leaned over a little too closely to the cage of a panther, which swiped its claws at him. Carson ran across the stage and jumped into Ed McMahon's arms.
• Carson and Paul Anka are both credited with co-writing "Johnny's Theme", the well-known title music for his show. Anka later revealed that although he wrote the theme alone, Carson and his management asked for a 50% cut of the song's publishing in exchange for choosing it as the theme song. Both men collected millions of dollars on the arrangement.
• The Tonight Show received an enormous audience on December 17, 1969, when Tiny Tim married Miss Vicki during the show. It's the 2nd-highest rated episode of The Tonight Show, behind only Carson's final episode.
• On September 21, 1982, comedian Charlie Callas was having difficulty generating laughs, so in desperation he leaned over and shoved Carson while mimicking a bee-like buzzing sound. Carson was so annoyed by this that he banned Callas from his show on the spot. Callas had been a The Tonight Show favorite for over a decade, often appearing four and five times a year. Callas spent the last few moments of the show pleading with Carson to be invited back. Callas was never seen on The Tonight Show again.
• In 1973, Carson had a legendary run-in with popular psychic Uri Geller when he invited Geller to appear on his show. Carson, an experienced stage magician, wanted a neutral demonstration of Geller's alleged abilities, so, at the advice of his friend and fellow magician James Randi, he prepared a table of props, including spoons, film canisters (one of which was filled with water) and other objects, without allowing Geller or his manager access to them beforehand. He asked Geller to perform with them, i.e. bending the spoons or determining which canister was filled with water. Geller proved unable to do so, and that appearance has since been regarded as the beginning of Geller's fall from glory.
• In 1987, Carson and Randi joined forces again to expose faith healing televangelist Peter Popoff by playing a video of Popoff receiving information from his wife through radio transmission to his "hearing aid" about "healed" followers at meetings, then crediting them as a Godly vision. Funds to Popoff's television ministry dropped soon after.
• A monologue tradition evolved over the years in which Carson would say a phrase in his monologue such as "It was so (hot/cold/dark/etc.)...". and someone in the audience would invariably call out, "How ---- was it?" which would set up Carson's rejoinder "It was so ----, that ...." and complete the joke. On one occasion Johnny said "It was so hot today." To which the audience predictably shouted out "How hot was it?" And Johnny just smiled and said; "It was just worth the trip in wasn't it?". Referring to the fact that it was worth it just to hear the audience go for the set-up and yet Johnny didn't deliver the punchline. The "How ---- was it?" routine would later be used in tribute by later late night hosts and, most notably, by Gene Rayburn (himself a former Tonight Show announcer and guest host) in the Match Game series.
• Occasionally, off-color language would sneak into jokes and discussion. Rather than simply bleep the offending words, the tape would instead be garbled, making it sound as if Johnny (or whomever) momentarily spoke gibberish. One notable example of this occurred when a Carnac skit flopped one night. After yet another joke failed, Carson uttered "holy shit" and played up the moment by trying to carry his desk offstage. Television viewers, however, instead heard the words "holy palooga." One rare exception to this self-censorship occurred during a stunt Carson participated in that involved him being suspended high above the stage. At one point, however, Carson was unexpectedly dropped several feet (part of the stunt) and Carson, caught off guard, shouted "Shit!" This was not censored and later in the broadcast, Carson apologized for his language. Skeptic and friend James Randi, in an interview with Penn and Teller for the 1st Season DVD of Bullshit!, told of a time when Carson had the reverend Peter Popoff on his show. When a clip played of how Popoff pulled off his psychic tricks, Randi claims Carson said a "very harsh word, even worse than the title of your show "[Bullshit!]"." And on the penultimate show in 1992, Robin Williams spoke of his then infant son, saying rather quietly that the boy had "incredibly huge cojones"; he then emphasized the point by shouting "As we say, big balls!" In post production, editors covered the outburst "balls" with the mildly-spoken "cojones", leaving a remarkably obvious edit.
• One of the more memorable moments during Carson's stint as Tonight Show host came in 1987, when elderly Myrtle Young ("the potato chip lady") was invited to show off her collection of chips that resembled animals and famous people. While Young was distracted by McMahon, Carson crunched on a chip — not from her collection, but from a bowl beside his desk. Young turned back towards Carson with a horrified expression, but saw nothing missing; she sighed with apparent relief when Carson showed her the bowl. He then apologized for the joke.
• One running gag was with a guest known as Stan Kann, a person who collected unusual antique machines and gadgets, which he would demonstrate on the show. Stan Kann would appear so nervous and flustered that he could never get the gadgets to work, and after the first appearance or two there was more humor in Stan Kann getting nervous than in his machines.
• On one episode with Lola Falana as guest, Falana suddenly said "Johnny, I've always wanted to do this." She then got up and walked to the opposite side of the desk from where the guests usually were and sat on Johnny's desk. The camera angle suddenly went to a camera at far stage left behind Falana, an angle almost never used. Falana was shown from the back, but you could see Johnny's face. Falana did something in front of Johnny, and he got rather bug-eyed and flushed. The TV audience was left to wonder what happened, but some speculated that Falana bared her breasts in Johnny's face.
• For a number of years, Carson would do live lead-ins to many of the commercials. Often they would consist of the product's slogan. The slogan for Smucker's jams was, "With a name like Smucker's it has to be good." One night, Carson made a change to the slogan: "With a name like Smucker's it better be good!"
• The way Johnny Carson was announced ("Heeeer'es Johnny!) was later referenced in The Shining.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Groucho redirects here. ... Jack Parr redirects here. ... The Vice President of the United States[1] (sometimes referred to as VPOTUS[2] or Veep) is the first in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death, resignation, or removal of the president. ... Nixon redirects here. ... Ed Ames (born Edmund Dantes Urick on July 9, 1927) is an American popular singer and actor. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Kinescope (IPA: ) originally referred to the cathode ray tube used in television monitors. ... Daniel Boone was a TV show that aired from September 24, 1964 to September 10, 1970 on NBC for 165 episodes, and was made by 20th Century Fox Television. ... Fess Parker (born August 16, 1924) is an American film and television actor. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... Charles Nelson Reilly (January 13, 1931–May 25, 2007) was an American actor, director and drama teacher known for his comedic roles in movies, childrens television, animated cartoons, and as a panelist on the game show Match Game. ... For other uses, see Hamlet (disambiguation). ... George Denis Patrick Carlin[15] (born May 12, 1937) is a Grammy-winning American stand-up comedian, actor, and author. ... SNL redirects here. ... Joan Embery (born c. ... The world-famous San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California is one of the largest, most progressive zoos in the world with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species. ... Jim Fowler (born April 9, 1932 in Albany, Georgia) is a professional zoologist and was host of the Emmy Award-winning television show Mutual of Omahas Wild Kingdom. ... Mutual of Omahas Wild Kingdom, or simply Wild Kingdom, is an American television show that features wildlife and nature. ... Paul Albert Anka, OC (born July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Ontario) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and actor. ... In mathematics, a percentage is a way of expressing a number as a fraction of 100 (per cent meaning per hundred). It is often denoted using the percent sign, %. For example, 45% (read as forty-five percent) is equal to 45 / 100, or 0. ... The theme music of a radio or television program is a melody closely associated with the show, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits. ... December 17 is the 351st day of the year (352nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Herbert Buckingham Khaury (April 12, 1932 – 30 November 1996), better known by the stage name Tiny Tim, was an American singer, ukulele player, and musical archivist. ... Victoria May Miss Vicki Budinger (b. ... When TV viewers or entertainment professionals in the United States mention ratings they are often referring to Nielsen Ratings, a system developed by Nielsen Media Research to determine the audience size and composition of television programming. ... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Charlie Callas (born December 20, 1924) is a comedian and actor most commonly known for his work with Mel Brooks, Jerry Lewis, and Dean Martin. ... Edgar Cayce (1877 – 1945) was one of the best-known American psychics of the 20th century and made many highly publicized predictions. ... Uri Geller (‎, born Gellér György[1] December 20, 1946 in Tel Aviv, Israel) is an Israeli-British performer and celebrity famous for claiming to have psychic powers. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... James Randi (born August 7, 1928), stage name The Amazing Randi, is a stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. ... Faith healing is the use of supernatural or spiritual intervention to cure disease. ... In the USA, a televangelist (television evangelist) is a religious minister (often a Christian priest or minister) who devotes a large portion of his (or her) ministry to TV broadcasts to a regular viewing and listening audience. ... Peter Popoff (born 1946) is a German-born U.S. televangelist known as a faith healer. ... Gene Rayburn (December 22, 1917 – November 29, 1999) was an Emmy-nominated American radio and television personality. ... The Match Game was an American television game show, most often hosted by Gene Rayburn. ... For the language game, see Gibberish (language game). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... James Randi (born August 7, 1928), stage name The Amazing Randi, is a stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. ... Penn (left) & Teller Penn and Teller are a two-man magic and comedy team, comprised of Penn Jillette and Teller. ... Bullshit! (also known as Penn & Teller: Bullshit!) is an American, Emmy-nominated documentary television series, running since 2003 on the premium cable channel Showtime. ... Peter Popoff (born 1946) is a German-born U.S. televangelist known as a faith healer. ... Cojones IPA: is a vulgar Spanish word for testicles, corresponding to balls or bollocks. // The word has entered popular use in the United States as a slang term meaning to have a brave attitude. ... Human male anatomy The testicles, known medically as testes (singular testis), are the male generative glands in animals. ... For the other potato product referred to as chips see French fried potatoes. ... Lola Falana (born Loletha Elaine Falana on September 11, 1942 in Camden, New Jersey) is an American dancer and actress of Cuban and African American descent. ... Smuckers is a popular brand in the United States, and to a lesser extent in Canada. ...

References

Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... AUGUST 25 1981 US Marine Sean Vance is Born on the 25th of August {ear nav|1981}} Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 110th day of the year (111th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 139th day of the year (140th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 219th day of the year (220th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 159th day of the year (160th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar). ... Label for 2. ... is the 209th day of the year (210th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

External links

• The Tonight Show from the Museum of Broadcast Communications website
• Carson's official Tonight Show website
• Register of His Papers in the Library of Congress
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson at the Internet Movie Database
• The Man Who Retired a June 2002 Esquire article also available here
• Johnny Carson, late-night TV legend, dies at 79, a January 2005 CNN article
• A profile of Carson in The New Yorker from 1978