Hollywood's Bygone Era - What Else We Lost When We Lost Johnny Carson

GOPUSA.COM ^ | 02-02-05 | Lisa Sarrach

[lisaann8]

Johnny Carson has been gone for over a week now and both of his successors Jay Leno and David Letterman have paid proper tribute. A memorial was conducted in Carson's hometown in Nebraska this week. His death was as quiet as his retirement; he left the scene at the top of his game, never becoming a has-been as so many stars do when the spotlight has faded. His one private joke on all of us was recently revealed when it was reported that he was sending jokes to his favorite successor, David Letterman.

However, Johnny Carson's passing has even a greater significance to the country at large than has been reported. With his passing, we have also lost the last remaining Hollywood arbiter of our innocence, class and dignity. The now old-fashioned term, good, clean fun is a thing of the past.

[ProudVet77]

People can argue who is funnier, Letterman or Leno, but Letterman still hasn't married the mother of his child, and on New Years Eve, I saw Leno run up into the audience and give his wife a big kiss and kept hugging her at midnight.

[Loyal Buckeye]

The golen age of Hollywood passed long ago.

[Bossy Gillis]

The Golden Age was gone even when Carson was on tv. Enough of this guy already, it's been way overdone.

[Jagman]

Johnny Carson always struck me as a "stuck in the 70s" kind of guy. Kind of like a funnier version of Bill Murray's airport lounge singer. Certainly not Hollywood's last great issue.

[jocon307]

I tried to watch Letterman the other night, when he was doing his tribute to Carson. I still couldn't watch him. He is just a mean, sarcastic man. Maybe Johnny liked him better because they were both midwesterners?

One thing too about Mrs. Leno, she was trying hard to raise awareness of what the Taliban were doing to the women of Afghanistan while the rest of the (liberal) world was happy to ignore it all. So I have always admired her for that.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

If I remember correctly, years ago during the Vietnam War George Gessel was on Carson's show.
He quipped some very pro-american "jokes" refering to several US newspapers as "PRAVDA". Carson immediatly stopped the interview, welcomed the next guest on and never spoke to George Gessel again.
I never watched Carson after that.

Anyone remember it?

[ProudVet77]

What I found interesting about Mrs Leno, was that she is not some leggy model type. She reminds me of any one of a number of attractive ethnic Italian women I've dated from north of Boston. They all have been very big hearted women who have their priorities in life sorted out.

[dwilli]

You and I don't know whether he has or not. Did you know
she was pregnant before the birth?

[ProudVet77]

Did you know she was pregnant before the birth?

I hope so!
Last I heard, a few weeks ago, one of his guests asked him when he was going to get married, and he said negotiations were in progress. I suspect, in this age of celebrity, when he does get married it will be big news.