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

These are things I've been noticing as I've watched the shows: The 1991 shows, he talked quickly for the most part. I figure he knew he was out the next year. Plus he was working 4 nights per week for a long time.

In the early 70s, just after he moved to LA, he was doing 90 minute shows. Sometimes his jokes fell on the floor. Being a true entertainer, he did whatever it took to eventually get a laugh.

I've watched the Jack Benny show recently, and I saw that Fred de Cordova was the director. I immediately thought of Johnny, who idolized Jack Benny. The relationship between Johnny and Fred over all those years makes complete sense.

Paul Reiser is going to play Fred in a movie or tv show soon? Really? I don't know who I'd pick to play Fred, but Paul Reiser?

 

I suspect the main reason for the change is that the shows weren't drawing the ratings they were hoping for. Moving them to 11:30 makes sense though, because nostalgia is a big factor in the viewership of that channel, and putting him in his old time slot will exploit that.

In his final four years he was actually only working three nights a week. Leno was on Monday, a rerun on Tuesday, then original Carson shows Wednesday-Friday.

 

He made a joke last night after he criticized someone for not being around.

 

Have they played many "new" episodes that they have not aired before recently? Or are they just cycling through the same year or so worth of episodes that they have already aired in the last couple of years?

 

They've probably been on before. But the date is always near the same month and day despite the year.

 

Seems to me that it hadn't been at 10:00 all that long. When I started watching it on Antenna I'm pretty sure it was at 11:00 or 11:30.

 

In 2016, they aired one hour episodes at 11pm, Monday-Friday, and 90 minute episodes at 10pm Saturday & Sunday. In 2017, all shows began at 10, with the 90 minute episodes on Friday & Saturday. Now all shows begin at 11:30, with the 90 minute ones back to Saturday & Sunday.

 

I think it's almost all repeats by this point, with the better episodes getting more frequently repeated.

 

Yes, 1977 was one of my most favorite years!

 

My impression is that 90-minute episodes and the 60-minute eps have distinctly different tones. The longer shows are heavier on Cavett-style conversation; a by-product of the extra breathing room, I guess. The 60-minute episodes seem to be weighted toward comedy.

 

In the early 70s shows, he was truly interested guests, and went deeper with his interviews. He did that from the time he started. The later years were just a matter of how much time he had.

 

I find it hard to believe that out of the 8 or so years worth of 90 minute shows that still exist from 1972-80, not counting when there were guest hosts, so maybe 1500 shows, give or take, they could only find fewer than a hundred worth re-airing? They are cutting the music performances out most of the time, so it can't be that. What is it? Certainly doesn't have to do with "star" quality of the guests, as they have run shows with maybe one great guest and some without any.

 

Not all show are owned by the same place.

 

They seem to mostly not air episodes with a musical guest at all, whether 60 or 90 minute ones. That removes a lot of shows from circulation on Antenna TV. I was shocked when they aired the 1976 episode with Frank Sinatra and Olivia Newton-John on two separate dates - even then, her second song (a great performance of "Sam") was cut out. Thankfully both of Frank's performances were left in, but it was still ridiculous and disrespectful to her.

 

Still, he did have thousands of shows without musical guests.

 

This was on a month or two ago!

 

I have no idea what you mean. Carson's estate owns all of his shows.

 

My impression is whomever is running Carson's estate has been fairly guarded releasing lots and lots of Tonight Show episodes out in the wild. I suspect they aren't getting huge money from Antenna TV for these episodes and they are running them for exposure, as an entire generation now has grown up without really knowing who Carson was in his prime.

These airings have created some mild buzz for Carson's episodes but I imagine they want to monetize the archives somehow in a better way.

 

Yeah, I think they're using the Antenna TV airings as a way to market the DVD sets which is where the money is.

 

You must know what I meant as you answered the question. I thought the estate only owned from 80 on.

 

As far as I know the estate owns everything.

 

It's my understanding that in 1980 or 1981 as part of his contract renegotiation Johnny got the rights to everything that still survived in perpetuity. It also covered housing the collection so that nothing else would ever be lost or destroyed purposely or accidentally. It's my impression that Johnny was mightily amazed, offended, and hurt that so many of his early shows had been lost, destroyed, recorded over, so he decided to make a huge statement by the stipulations in his new contract around the 1980 timeframe.

 

Deleting the second ONJ song was probably done for either licensing or - perhaps more likely - time reasons. The program hole is smaller than it was 40 years ago.

 

Now that the shows are in their third rerun cycle, it shouldn't be surprising that it isn't drawing the audience it did initially.