25 Years Since Johnny Carson's Last Show

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by JozefK, May 22, 2017.

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  1. JozefK

    JozefK Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Dixie
    He treated political humor gingerly, making The Tonight Show something all of America could enjoy together.

    It was exactly 25 years ago tonight that Johnny Carson signed off for the last time as the host of The Tonight Show, ending a 30-year run on NBC.​

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    So what does Sotzing think of today’s late-night talk-show hosts? Rather than single out any one, Sotzing spoke about how late-night TV has changed. “There’s so much pressure to get huge ratings every second of the hour. It’s difficult to be natural,” said Sotzing. “On The Tonight Show, the atmosphere was casual and free-flowing. Johnny and Ed [McMahon] could spend eight minutes talking about how sharks and certain species of birds must remain in perpetual motion. That wouldn’t be possible today.”​

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    People watched Carson to see his monologues bomb while wondering how he’d find a way out of the hole he dug for himself. People watched him for his banter with Ed McMahon about the latter’s drinking — and with Fred de Cordova about his age, with Tommy Newsom about his dearth of charisma, and, of course, with Doc Severinsen about the orchestra leader’s outfits. Happily, Doc is still performing music as he approaches his 90th birthday this July.

    People watched Carson for the conversations. He could talk to anyone between four and 104. Carson invited Americans to sit on his couch whether they were famous or not. There was the Button Man, the Potato-Chip Lady, and the town of Essex, Calif., which didn’t have a TV signal. Carson invited the entire town to be in his audience one evening in March 1977, and he interviewed several of its residents. They were treated to the sight of Carson talking about the cosmos with Carl Sagan and Orson Bean. It was truly out of this world.

    Today, these people would probably be regarded as coming from “flyover country.” But to Carson, people were people. He treated each of his guests with good humor and without a hint of condescension. America lost that after May 22, 1992. Can we ever find it again? More Americans should tune into Johnny Carson on Antenna TV at 10 p.m. every night. We cannot live in the past, but we can learn from it. And have a good laugh along the way.​

    Read more at: Johnny Carson — the King of Late Night, and of Good Manners
     
  2. O Don Piano

    O Don Piano Senior Member

    I agree with the assessment of Carson, but it's a different world now. The cat's out of the bag, so to speak. The days of stately conversation on popular late night TV are over, unfortunately.

    I also prefer Carson's method of conversation and presentation; of keeping the focus upon the guest instead of himself. He inserted himself in his monologues and comedy blackouts. The rest was about the guests.
     
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  3. Steve...O

    Steve...O Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I remember this like it was yesterday; it really is scary how fast time flies.

    O Don Piano hit the nail on the head; Carson's genius was letting the show be a real conversation and not trying to be the constant center of attention. His humor could be biting, but it generally wasn't mean spirited and he poked fun at all sides of the political spectrum.

    Tom Snyder was a good interviewer as was Steve Allen and others of that generation. They all usually had good and engaging guests and it wasn't always a requirement that they had a project to plug. They also didn't play to the lowest common denominator.
     
  4. AKA

    AKA Senior Member

    I doubt he'd be treating this administration with the same kidgloves with which he treated Kennedy through H.W. Bush. Sorry.
     
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  5. GuildX700

    GuildX700 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    While I found some of his shows entertaining, for the most part it was a bore. A snooze fest.
    But so was a lot of TV back then....and now for that matter.

    The fact my parents watched it certainly didn't give it much credibility either for me anyhow.

    I'd watch the monologue with them and leave after that and go listen to records in my teen man cave. If something silly like having him in a large banana split on stage was going on I'd come back up and watch the silliness for a few minutes. But it all got old real fast. I think nostalgia has blown that show up into something better than what it actually was.

    Yeah, a lot of folks watched it, but remember there was not much else to watch at that time of night.
     
  6. FLEMKE

    FLEMKE Senior Member

    Location:
    CROOK COUNTY IL
    The show was like live history. I enjoyed much of it.

    Tim
     
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  7. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I will still watch a Carson re-run over a modern late night talk show any night of the week.
     
  8. rburly

    rburly Sitting comfortably with Item 9

    Location:
    Orlando
    I'll never forget Bette Midler singing "Me and My Baby" to him. I have to admit that I was tearful as she sang that. The end of a wonderful era.
     
  9. shokhead

    shokhead Head shok and you still don't what it is. HA!

    Location:
    SoCal, Long Beach
    I was also tearful but only because JC was leaving.
     
  10. guy incognito

    guy incognito Senior Member

    Location:
    Mee-chigan
    "One for My Baby", the old Arlen-Mercer standard.

     
  11. QuestionMark?

    QuestionMark? 4TH N' GOAL

    Location:
    The End Zone
    Who knows? Maybe he'd use the same kid gloves on the current administration that all the goofy hosts used on the last administration. Pure unadulterated adulation very much like a teenage girl on Justin Bieber!
     
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  12. guy incognito

    guy incognito Senior Member

    Location:
    Mee-chigan
    Trying (and failing) to imagine Johnny playfully tousling The Donald's hair.
     
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  13. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    Yes, it was a very very different approach--particularly when they were on for an hour and a half. Guests had time to breath and tell actual stories. Sometimes they'd get 7 or more minutes to just talk--not promoting something, no cut to a film clip.

    I don't believe that we couldn't go back to something like that. I actually believe that if a network were willing to set up a format like that to compete with all the current crop of sound-bite Youtube-aimed competitors, with a smart and likeable host and with compelling guests, that it would do well. But it costs a lot to launch a show and no one at the network channels is willing to take the chance. Plus it would skew older, and that puts the fear of god in everyone. They booted Jay Leno not because he wasn't a good ratings draw, but because he screwed older.
     
  14. Chazro

    Chazro Forum Resident

    Location:
    West Palm Bch, Fl.
    It occurs to me that a primary reason there will never be another Carson is that he was so much more than simply a late night show host. He was a peer, a giant amongst giants. Regardless whether his guest was a President, or Carl Sagan, or Muhammed Ali, or Sinatra, or Wayne. I never got the feeling that he was intimidated or star struck. If anything, the opposite was true, his guests were in awe of him, especially other comedians. Maybe, in some far away distant future, a phenomena like Carson will happen again....y'know what, check that. There will NEVER be another Carson!
     
  15. shokhead

    shokhead Head shok and you still don't what it is. HA!

    Location:
    SoCal, Long Beach
    The main reason in PC culture.
     
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  16. guppy270

    guppy270 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Levittown, NY
    I like pre-Beatles pop, but I can see why the Beatles needed to happen. I love prog rock, but I can see why punk needed to happen. And I love and respected the Carson Tonight Show, but I could see back then why David Letterman needed to happen.
     
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  17. JoeD

    JoeD Forum Resident

    For me, the above two items were what made him great. He could talk to anyone and he kept the focus on the guest.
     
  18. cathandler

    cathandler Senior Member

    Location:
    maine
    Lest we forget, a fair amount of that 'free-flowing' was lost when the Tonight Show went from 90 to 60 minutes. There simply wasn't time for Orson Bean, Carl Sagan or the citizens of Essex, CA. Leno also attempted to appeal to 'flyover country' in his own way and was castigated for (allegedly) pandering.
     
  19. O Don Piano

    O Don Piano Senior Member

    Wrong, sorry.
     
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  20. RogerB

    RogerB Forum Resident

    Location:
    Alabama
    Johnny was a part of my life from the early 70's until 25 years ago. There will never be another Johnny or another show like it.

    At the end of a hard day watching Johnny was like seeing an old friend. I miss him.
     
  21. shokhead

    shokhead Head shok and you still don't what it is. HA!

    Location:
    SoCal, Long Beach
    Anybody know what year was the most he was paid?
     
  22. DaleClark

    DaleClark Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    When school was out, I watched Carson every night. I remember when the show was cut to 60 minutes. Lots of guest didn't get to come out due to time at first.
     
  23. Steve...O

    Steve...O Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    The irony is that older generally has more disposable income and can buy more higher priced items. I've been saying this since I was in my 20s. Quality programming is quality programming regardless of the age of its audience. It's also ironic that 25 years later Johnny is still popular while Arsenio Hall, who was supposedly more hip and seen as a threat to his reign, is not as widely remembered and his shows certainly aren't on home video or on reruns. Nothing's no against Hall, who is a talented guy, just a observation.
     
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  24. GuildX700

    GuildX700 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Opinion.
     
  25. Holy Diver

    Holy Diver Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I watched the last show. I can't believe it's been that long.
     
    pool_of_tears likes this.
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