Posted on 05/07/2012 8:48:37 AM PDT by US Navy Vet
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Johnny Carson taking over “The Tonight Show” stage from Jack Paar. It is also the 20th anniversary of Carson’s retirement. But how much do most people really know about the television legend away from the lights and cameras?
In a new documentary, “American Masters Johnny Carson: King of Late Night,” filmmakers Peter Jones and Susan Lacy peel back the many layers of the comedian’s life and career, offering an unprecedented glimpse into the man who won the collective heart of a nation.
“The gift Johnny had was that he just had a magical way of connecting with the audience in a way no one had done before, or has done since,” Jones told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column. “He was able to connect with everyone -- from young and old -- while maintaining his own sense of self. He was the most famous man in America, and yet we really didn’t know who he was.”
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
“Got a prison record...we don’t care....don’t have a job...we don’t care...you don’t intend to pay us....THAT’S when we care!”
I love that! I’m an admin myself and you really do get to see the other side of people.
I grew up watching Johnny Carson.He was like a member of my family.When I heard he passed away I knew there would never be another like him. Leno,letterman,etc are lame compared to Johnny.My favorite skit was with jack Webb(another classy guy),the copper clapper caper.
He was also a class act.
I remember one story in particular. He had returned home to Nebraska and went to visit his penmanship teacher-she was 100 years old and he wrote her a check for $10,000.
Haven’t listened to him since he and Imus were on the same station.
I once temped for Tom Brokaw during the Jane Pauley days at The Today Show. Not only was he really nice but so was the entire group - including the director and producer. I should never have given up that gig!
I liked Johnny Carson immensely, like extended family however he was not without his failings, as entertainer Wayne Newton will tell you.
Bad blood between those two, believe it.
And Wayne was walking with the angels in that dispute, IMHO.
Me too. None of the current crop of late night ‘comedians’ even comes close.
Johnny Carson learned his timing and brand of humor from Jack Benny. They were good friends over the years. You can google that. Here’s a classic piece from 1955 with the two of them, when Johnny had been in show business only two years. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUd1-_91YTk
“You drive to the Slauson Cutoff, get out of your car, cut off your Slauson.....”
Heh. Same here. Dad never watched anything except Carson -- till Benny Hill came along.
Question: "What do hunters look for when tracking a Yabba Dabba?"
"Emissaries, dignitaries, luminaries, janissaries, and dromedaries."
Ed (reading contents):
"Describe a Middle East peace conference."
(OK, it's one I wish they'd done.)
He never interrupted.
He never mocked or belittled ANYone.
He wasn't political.
He had a sexuality that made women swoon.
He had GREAT timing.
He loved discovering new comedians.
He was never threatened or jealous of up and coming talent.
He did a HUGE number of charity appearances.
In the 1960s I delivered the newspaper for 3 years. We were told to deliver the news until a customer called and officially canceled the paper. Jack Webb paid me once. It was only $1.65 a month.
On the other hand, a good friend of mine worked on Johnny Carson’s house in Malibu after he retired. Johnny would often come out and just chat with my friend. He let them take pictures with him and my friend’s wife that they proudly displayed.
Half the people that I know are in the entertainment industry and Johnny Carson was a class act.
While we are on this subject, may I ask for your prayers for Lyle Wagner. He has cancer and this is one of the greatest men I have ever known. Hope I don’t get in trouble for posting this, but Lyle meant a great deal to my family.
Johnny comes out, does his Monologue and announces a new Sponsor, “Curtis Mathis”. He completely flubs the name a few times, finally corrects himself and then they go to Commercial.
He stands there for a few seconds, looks over at Ed McMahon and says, “Oh shit, so much for that Sponsor”. The audience howled in laughter and Johnny just stood there shaking his head in embarrassment. He always came off as genuine, and for some reason that moment proved it to many people there.
I never went to bed without at least catching Johnny’s monologue.
In the late 70’s my friend’s sister and her husband lived out in Beverly Hills and their best friends were Johnny Carson, Gene Wilder and Gene Hackman. She spent time out there every year on vacation and she said Johnny Carson was very quiet and introverted and he just wanted to play tennis everyday. Her sister had a great court so he was over there almost every day in his tennis outfit.
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For the undiscovered, they were just supposed to do their act, and then exit stage left.
In was considered a major coup, if they could get Johnny to laugh. You could always hear the distinctive JC laugh in the background. Better yet, was to score such a success that Johnny would invite you over to the couch for a brief chat.
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