13 years ago today Johnny Carson died

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by fr in sc, Jan 23, 2018.

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  1. fr in sc

    fr in sc Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hanahan, SC
    I remember when TV Guide proclaimed him "The Most Powerful Man in Hollywood;" I thought that was overblown until we all saw what happened to Joan Rivers! I never knew he was a liberal until after he died; I liked the fact that he kept his politics hidden and I could just enjoy his show for entertainment. I always regret that Neil Young quit the Springfield before they appeared on his show; what might have been :sigh:!!
     
  2. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    The PBS American Masters special narrated by Kevin Spacey is amazing and highly recommended.
     
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  3. Matt Richardson

    Matt Richardson Forum Resident

    Location:
    Suburban Chicago
    Bombastic Bushkin's book is a fun read also.
     
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  4. paulmock

    paulmock Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hollywood, CA
    He sold out for bucks and kicked JC under the bus BIG time. Ala' Kitty Kelley.
     
  5. paulmock

    paulmock Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hollywood, CA
    I have said again and again that the one thing I respected JC for the most was that when he said he was done, he walked away and stayed away. That is the most difficult thing to do.
     
  6. Higlander

    Higlander Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Florida, Central
    Many recent entertainers need to think about this....
     
  7. fr in sc

    fr in sc Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Hanahan, SC
    I had always thought he was conservative cuz he'd have people like John Wayne and Reagan on (when he was Calif. governor) and acted very respectful; it surprised me when I read Bushkin's book to find out he wasn't conservative at all. Dick Cavett, on the other hand, wore his politics on his sleeve and I always thought that contributed to his short shelf life.
     
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  8. paulmock

    paulmock Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hollywood, CA
    And when it came time for the nightly monologue NO ONE was sacred...Left or Right Wing. :wantsome::biglaugh:
     
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  9. Pete Sorbi

    Pete Sorbi Well-Known Member

    for some reason - I thought Johnny had been gone longer.....like the mid 90s or something....maybe that was just the last time I saw him (probably on Letterman...)
     
  10. FredV

    FredV Senior Member

    Loved Johnny Carson, he was a class act. He knew enough to keep a lot of his political opinions private and only commented on what was in the news with a comic twist, then moved on to another topic.

    He realized he was playing to an audience that were watching from their beds after a long, tiring working day who just wanted to relax and be entertained and Johnny delivered. Letterman adopted that policy till the end of his run, which was a shame.

    I don’t watch any of the current crop of talk show hosts because they are just too partisan, it’s like they’ve forgotten how to entertain.

    Thank goodness I can still watch the Carson reruns and relive the days when talk shows were interesting, informative and most of all, fun.
     
  11. FredV

    FredV Senior Member

    Johnny Carson’s last TV appearance.

     
  12. paulmock

    paulmock Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hollywood, CA


    After posting this I watched it. Haven't seen it in years and I am literally in tears from laughing! Dean's visits to The Tonight Show were legendary. Johnny just adapts to it all and lets Dean go. This we shall never see again on network TV, folks.
     
    Last edited: Jan 23, 2018
  13. maclen

    maclen Senior Member

    What I really regret about this is the reaction was so wild and genuine Johnny gave up on the joke and split. We'll never know what he wss going to say.
     
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  14. George C.

    George C. Forum Resident

    Location:
    Littleton, CO
    No one compares to Carson. The best of the late night hosts
     
  15. AKA

    AKA Senior Member

    The one narrated by Christopher Plummer will be even better.
     
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  16. beccabear67

    beccabear67 Musical omnivore.

    Location:
    Victoria, Canada
    "I did not know that."
     
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  17. Jrr

    Jrr Forum Resident

    I have the bluray and watch it once a year or so. It is extremely well done.
     
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  18. FredV

    FredV Senior Member

  19. FredV

    FredV Senior Member

    Another special thing about Johnny Carson is that he had so many classic routines on his show that they could be referenced without even watching a clip. Try that with any other talk show host, you’ll be hard put to think of one. The closest is Letterman with the Stupid Pets Tricks or the Top Ten Lists.

    Carson was one of a kind.
     
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  20. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    But the reality is that 90% of what was in the book was true. I don't have a problem with anybody doing a book on a dead celebrity as long as it's well-researched and tells the truth. I can draw my own conclusions about what kind of person they were. I thought Bushkin actually captured the many sides of Carson as a person, and how difficult it is to deal with a mercurial personality like this. I don't dispute it's tough for a fan to learn how much the real-life person differs from their on-screen persona.

    Knowing the truth about Carson's personal life doesn't diminish how great he was as a TV entertainer, interviewer, and stand-up comic. He was a very bright guy who was extremely talented. Anybody who caught his act in Vegas in the 1970s will tell you just how razor-sharp his talent was; the Tonight Show was only part of who he was.

    YA-ha. That was a ZING-er.
     
  21. townsend

    townsend Senior Member

    Location:
    Ridgway, CO
    He was immensely talented as a comedian. Most comedians are quite intelligent, but I think Carson was another step up in that department as well. He liked to have well educated guests on, e.g., Carl Sagan, Joan Embery (of the San Diego zoo). Johnny was fascinated by science Also, Johnny was truly beloved by many of his guests. He had friendships with many of his guests outside of the Tonight show, so the interviews on the Tonight show had more depth and were more interesting. There were certain guests who came on that you just looked forward to their interaction with Johnny: Don Rickles, Charles Grodin, Dyan Cannon, Rodney Dangerfield, etc.

    Most of the late night show hosts have a partial deck of cards. Some are great comedians but pathetic interviewers. Johnny had the full deck.
     
  22. The Panda

    The Panda Forum Mutant

    Location:
    Marple, PA, USA
    Johnny's timing was up there with the best. He obviously owed a huge debt to Benny, and sometimes I watch him and think he even took it one step better.
    I think you combine that timing with his high intellect and you have an entertainer that is very rare.
     
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  23. FredV

    FredV Senior Member

     
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  24. rjp

    rjp Senior Member

    Location:
    Ohio
    carson was the penultimate

    and david letterman wasn't far behind

    watching 5 minutes of johnny carson and then 5 minutes of letterman shows you just how really bad jimmy fallon is at this.

    NBC truly needs to move away from fallon, admit the experiment failed and try someone else.
     
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  25. bubba-ho-tep

    bubba-ho-tep Resident Ne'er-Do-Well

    Location:
    San Tan Valley, AZ
    Outstanding. It's also a sad reminder of how entertaining and (outwardly, at least) personable David Letterman was until his partisan bitterness started to get the better of him.
     
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