Johnny Carson Returns: Antenna TV to Air Full ‘Tonight Show’ Episodes

Johnny to Drew Carey after his first appearance: "I think you are going to have one helluva career".

Yes.

 

I would love to see the percentage of unknown comics Johnny had on who went on to successful careers. I best it was pretty good.

 

It looks like they are maybe doing a new episode every 2 weeks now? Burt Reynolds, Jay Leno, and Diana Ross will be on tomorrow. Diana Ross has not shown up up yet on Carson. Looking at the rest of the 2 week schedule I don't see anything new.

 

Original versions of the Tonight show theme. Apparently there is a missing verse of lyrics regarding Ed MacMahon's socks extending over his calves



Annette Funicello - Toot Sweet

 

And they moved it an hour earlier where I am. Instead of 10PM CST, now on at 9PM.

 

I forgot to tape the darn Diana Ross episode. Did she sing or was it just an interview?

 

I watched Bob Uecker on Carson last night, and today I watched him on Mr. Belvedere. Killer!

 

Antenna TV has shown two Tonight Show episodes in a row with McLean Stevenson. I had no idea how great a guest he was; that dude was funny.

 

And the absolutely perfect Henry Blake. Sure wish there were a couple of more seasons of him in that role.

 

he was so classic on MASH

 

It's not for nothing that he was on the shortlist of potential Carson replacements throughout the mid-70s when Carson periodically flirted with leaving the show. According to Mark Evanier, Stevenson's departure from M*A*S*H was in part influenced by the potential of stepping into the Tonight Show.

 

I'm watching the September 1974 90 minute show and David Brenner was a "fine young comic" and he did a full 10 minute set. I can't help but wonder if Freddie de Cordova was thinking about the future at that point. He's now the guest and telling stories.

 

I'm actually looking forward to There's Johnny. It takes place in 1972, and Tony Danza plays de Cordova.

 

You can always count on David Brenner for a laugh free set.

 

Always nice to see Dr. Carl Sagan on the show to tell us from back then, what is happening now!

 

Always thaught he was hilarious when I was a kid.

 

Far funnier is Gilbert Gottfried's Brenner impression.

 

I saw Brenner live in Vegas in the mid 2000s and thought he was hilarious. Sorry to see him pass several years later and remember being surprised at his age; he always seemed a bit younger. He may have also been taking some years off his real age during his peak career.

 

Good episode last night with Dick Cavett and John Byner. Byner was promoting "Bizarre" on Showtime. I remember liking that show growing up.

Interesting trivia question if Johnny was correct: "Bizarre" was the first show ever specifically made for cable.

 

One of my favorites. I used to audiotape some of Carson's shows so I could listen to them several times over (to the point of involuntarily memorizing the routines). I'd always tape Stevenson's segments. I loved, and still remember almost verbatim, his bit about Wayne Newton's disproportionately small head.

And of course Art Fern and Carson's other characters. "And now back to our movie . . . Karen Black, Justice Black, Black Bart, Barton McLain, Shirley Maclaine, Ann Shirley, Shirley Temple and Desi the Spanish Fly in 'Fess Parker Eats His Hat.'" The sheer absurdity of it. You had no time to dwell on any meaning. You just laughed and moved on to the next line (possibly relating to "a spoon in the road").

 

And then Carol came out and you realized you'd stopped breathing.

 

I did not have cable then, but they syndicated Bizarre. our local channel in San Francisco, TV20 KTZO (became KOFY) used to show them uncut 11pm. Boobs and all!!

 

Super Dave!!!

 

They showed the 12th Anniversary Special last night because Rickles was on it. But, since I already had it prerecorded for 60 minutes, it cut off before he was on.

 

All the Rickles shows have already been on Antenna TV before. I watched again, of course. Rickles was great as usual, but Carol Wayne killed; she had Rickles in stitches.