The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson- An Appreciation Thread

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by DLant, Nov 3, 2013.

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  1. DLant

    DLant The Upstate Gort Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    Albany, NY
    I just finished watching the 2012 PBS American Masters program entitled Johnny Carson: King of Late Night, and it was incredible to see the man in his element. Now, I was born far too late in the 80's to have been able to watch the Tonight Show, but have been consuming clips and such from YouTube with such a fervor. The documentary covered what celebrities and comedians think and feel about the man and his show, now...

    I want to know what Johnny Carson has meant to you.

    Your favorite moments, your favorite guests, skits and jokes.

    Nothing is too small to post about.
    Post videos, photos, stories!


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  2. bartels76

    bartels76 Forum Hall Of Fame

    Location:
    CT
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  3. Monosterio

    Monosterio Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Florida
    My favorite Carson show has to be the mid-'80s appearance by Chuck Berry. Berry was so hot that night -- and the audience was so charged up -- that Carson, always the astute host, rescheduled the other guests and let Chuck rock on for the entire show. I'll never forget it.

    Btw, the American Masters episode on Carson is excellent. What a complex, fascinating individual he was.
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2013
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  4. mattdm11

    mattdm11 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cleveland, OH
    I was also too young to really appreciate the show, but I get sucked in watching old clips whenever they are on TV. I am not a retro guy - I like modern music, movies, etc. - but he really was the best. I enjoy Conan to an extent, used to like Leno a little.....but I am glued to the TV whenever I see an old Tonight Show clip.
     
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  5. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

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  6. BuddhaBob

    BuddhaBob Forum Resident

    Location:
    Erie, PA, USA
    One of my favorites...

     
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  7. Loved Johnny's punchline to Ed Ames at the end of the clip..."I didn't know you were JEWISH!!!":biglaugh:
     
  8. jojopuppyfish

    jojopuppyfish Senior Member

    Location:
    Maryland
    Almost finished the new book out on Johnny Carson. Really a great read. Carson sure was a complex guy. I bet a lot of celebs are a pain to deal with behind the scenes
    I grew up with Carson in the 80s til the end of his run.
    I loved the show and vigorously defended him when friends started to watch Arsenio.
    The monologue was always the best part.
    The interviews with celebs were mostly dull.
    My favorite moment was when Robin williams was on with Bob hope and upstaged him. Hope was obviously angry about it.
    And in all honestly, the 2nd to last show with Robin Williams and Bette Midler really was an awesome ending. That whole last week was classic.
     
    Last edited: Nov 4, 2013
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  9. chacha

    chacha Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    mill valley CA USA
    I took Carson for granted as a kid and seeing his shows now always reconfirms for me what a towering giant he was. He was always so present- just brilliant
     
  10. stereoguy

    stereoguy Its Gotta Be True Stereo!

    Location:
    NYC
    Theres no doubt that Carson was brilliant in his job...that cannot be argued. But what tarnished that for me is what has come out since his passing, that he was a very mean spirited person. His constant ridicule of Wayne Newton is a good example....Newton had to actually barge into his office and have it out with him over it.
     
  11. Monosterio

    Monosterio Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Florida
    This reminded me of seeing Dana Carvey many years ago, talking about how much Carson enjoyed seeing Carvey play him on SNL -- that is, until the skit in which Carvey appeared as Carsenio, with Johnny's white hair styled in an Arsenio flat top, sporting a long prosthetic index finger and pumping his fist to get the audience worked up. Carvey said Carson never spoke to him again after that. Apparently the Arsenio thing was a major sore spot for Johnny.
     
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2013
  12. goldenoldie

    goldenoldie Forum Resident

    Location:
    SoCal USA
  13. tommy-thewho

    tommy-thewho Senior Member

    Location:
    detroit, mi
    My mother religously watched him for years....

    He meant a lot to many viewers.....
     
  14. Clark V Kauffman

    Clark V Kauffman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Des Moines, Iowa
    And Ed actually was Jewish!
     
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  15. shokhead

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

    Location:
    SoCal, Long Beach
    I need many more examples before calling someone a very mean spirited person.
     
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  16. jupiter8

    jupiter8 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NJ, USA
    The new book by his lawyer Henry Bushkin is a fast, easy read that is definitely worth checking out. It's certainly a bit self-serving (Bushkin never seems to have made any mistakes or done anything wrong) but it paints a pretty vivid picture of what Carson was like at the height of his powers-the good, bad and ugly. He was a one-of-a-kind talent, but also someone who could really hold a grudge.

    I went to a "Tonight Show" taping in the mid-80s--unfortunately, Joan Rivers was guest-hosting that night :(
     
  17. tonyc

    tonyc Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    I laughed my ass off when I saw that sketch the first night it aired. With that being said, I can understand why Carson would not be happy about it.

    In defense of Arsenio, he talks in "American Masters" about how cool Johnny was seen by people in the black community with his own clothing line. The comments in the various threads about him being totally out of touch with a younger audience at the end may be exaggerated.
     
  18. The Panda

    The Panda Forum Mutant

    Location:
    Marple, PA, USA
    I remember watching the night Sinatra was on. Johnny was nervous, he couldn't keep his hands off stuff on his desk, especially the cig lighter. When they did a commercial, someone had given him the word and he kept his hands quiet.
     
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  19. Spaghettiows

    Spaghettiows Forum Resident

    Location:
    Silver Creek, NY
    It seemed like that was a time when certain celebrities seemed like giants, of which Carson was one of the biggest of them. Entertainment was more monolithic back then, and the kind of prestige bestowed upon a figure like Carson seems unfathomable today. He was truly larger than life, and if you weren't there you probably won't understand it.

    I wish some cable channel or Netflix would run those old shows.
     
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  20. PaulKTF

    PaulKTF Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I'd rather watch a 35 year old re-run of Carson than a modern late night talk show.
     
  21. Was lucky enough to see a live taping of "The Tonight Show" in 1987 with Johnny hosting...Doc Severinsen and Ed McMahon were also there and the guests that night were Patrick Duffy & the Smothers Brothers...hearing that band live and Johnny at the peak of his comedic powers in the flesh was an experience I'll take happily to my grave...
     
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  22. spanky1

    spanky1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    East Tennessee
    A coworker got tickets this week to a taping of the LATE SHOW w/David Letterman. Hoping to catch a glimpse of them, I watched a bit of the monologue. After about 5 or 6 minutes, I hadn't laughed. (Not sure if his writers are that weak, or if it's just him.) It was then that I remembered why I quit watching Letterman quite a while back.

    It's a shame too, because I remember enjoying the NBC Letterman. He has seemingly turned into a bitter, unhappy person. If he were an actor, he could easily portray the grumpy, old neighbor.....and not have to work at it.
     
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  23. DLant

    DLant The Upstate Gort Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    Albany, NY
    I feel the same way about Conan... :hide: He's just not the same.
     
  24. tonyc

    tonyc Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    Your coworker is lucky. I have been to a Letterman taping twice and enjoyed it both times. Eugene Levy first and Will Smith second. The staff preps the audience before the taping and orders us to laugh at everything but I still enjoyed the experience and would happily go again.
     
  25. Spaghettiows

    Spaghettiows Forum Resident

    Location:
    Silver Creek, NY
    The NBC Letterman was far, far more entertaining than the guy we have now. The old Letterman would have been a worthy successor to Carson but the CBS Letterman makes me miss Carson even more.
     
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