Take our quiz to see how much you remember about the guests, characters, moments and skits that helped transform Johnny Carson into a late-night legend. He dubbed it the "Carnac Saver" and said in a 2009 interview, "I'll go to my grave having to apologize for having invented the Carnac Saver. If the laughter fell short when a line bombed (as it often did), "Carnac" would face the audience with mock seriousness and bestow a comic curse: "May a diseased yak befriend your sister!" Carson would never be controversial like Paar, preferring to good-naturedly skewer politicians and celebrities in his opening monologue and staging stunts such as the on-stage marriage of retro-singer Tiny Tim to his "Miss Vicky" in 1969. It was in Norfolk, where he lived until he was inducted into the U.S. Navy in 1943, that he started his show business career. One of his first jokes upon starting the show (after receiving a few words of encouragement from Marx, one of which was, "Don't go to Hollywood!") Midler finished her appearance from center stage, where she slowly sang the pop standard "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)." Richard Dawson guest hosted 14 times during 1979 and 1980, and was being considered as a full-time replacement should Carson have retired during his 1980 contract dispute with NBC.[25]. The Tonight Show had a live big band for nearly all of its existence. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. The act involved a variation of the magician's billet reading trick: divining the answer to a question written on a card sealed inside one of the envelopes, announcing it to the audience, then tearing open the envelope to reveal the question. To this day, the cause of her death is still a mystery. Carson was The Tonight Show's host for three decades. And I hope when I find something that I want to do and I think you would like and come back, that you'll be as gracious in inviting me into your home as you have been. NO ONE [at this shout, Carnac always acts startled] knows the contents of these envelopes but you, in your mystical and borderline divine way, will ascertain the answers having never before heard the questions. He was prepared to say a few words, but the crowd's cheering was so loud and so sustained, that he humorously decided to leave without saying anything -- although as he exited, he could be heard saying "Thank you, good night! [2] As Allen acknowledged in his book The Question Man, this bit had been created in Kansas City in 1951 by Bob Arbogast and used on The Tom Poston Show in New York where it eventually ended up on The Steve Allen Show, much to the surprise of both Arbogast and Allen. After Carson's reign, it became increasingly de rigueur for politicians to appear on late-night TV talk shows and bear a host's jibes in order to stump for votes.Carson's connection with the American culture was so absolute, it contributed to one of his few failures, the rejection of "The Tonight Show" in the early 1980s by British audiences who could not understand the topical references of his monologues. On April 2, 1979, Kermit the Frog was guest host. He died in 2005. [55] The last of Carson's monologues was delivered on this episode and was written by Jim Mulholland, Steven Kunes and Rift Fournier. Watch Carson episodes every night on Antenna TV at 10:00PM ET / 7:00PM PT and 4:00PM ET / 1:00AM PT!Carnac the Magnificent with Predictions about Snoopy and Taxi Driver on \"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson\" in 1976. That same year, Carson married third wife Joanna Hollandfrom whom he filed for divorce in 1983. She has had several stereotype (ditzy, buxom, blonde bimbo) roles in films such as The Toy (1982) with Jackie Gleason and Richard Pryor, Movie Madness (1982). "I sat there for 22 minutes, humiliated," Geller told me, when I spoke to him in September. A year after her successful appearances onThe Tonight Show, Carol mysteriously passed away in 1985 at a resort in Mexico. "[54], Carson hosted his penultimate show, featuring guests Robin Williams and Bette Midler, on May 21, 1992. Even though Ed was never taken to court for these so-called accidents, one cannot think but to question his innocence in these mysterious deaths. Best Known For: One of television's best-known personalities, Johnny Carson hosted 'The Tonight Show' for 30 years. in-character skits, and stand-up. That relationship ended in 1972, following a grueling legal battle that ended with Copeland receiving a settlement of nearly $500,000 and annual alimony from Carson. "[15] During shows when Newsom filled in for Severinsen, the band played a slightly truncated version of the theme that transitioned from the bridge to the closing phrase without reprising the first few notes of the main melody. The character was introduced in 1964. He said these final words in conclusion: And so it has come to this: I, uh am one of the lucky people in the world; I found something I always wanted to do and I have enjoyed every single minute of it. One of Carson's most well-known characters, Carnac was a "mystic from the East" who could psychically "divine" unknown answers to unseen questions. "Joan Rivers on Johnny Carson's reaction to the start of her late show on Fox", "Two more football seasons for 'Friday Night Lights,' and other news from the TV Critics Press Tour", "Unforgettable Uri Geller Appearance on Carson Tonight Show - 08/01/1973", "James Randi - Secrets of the Psychics Documentary (Full)", "The Unbelievable Skepticism of the Amazing Randi", "Fade Out for Johnny Carson, His Dignity and Privacy Intact", "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Season 30 Episode Guide", "Someone in a Tree: My view of Johnny Carson's last night", "Carson: He left 'Tonight Show' with popularity still running high", "Letterman Pays Special Tribute to Carson Redorbit", The Interviews: An Oral History of Television, Here's Johnny: Magic Moments from the Tonight Show, Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Johnny_Carson&oldid=1141572695, 1960s American late-night television series, 1970s American late-night television series, 1980s American late-night television series, 1990s American late-night television series, American television shows featuring puppetry, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series winners, Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2009, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2012, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2014, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, January 1965 September 1966: Saturday or Sunday 11:15p.m.1:00a.m. (reruns, initially billed as, September 1966 September 1975: Saturday or Sunday 11:30p.m.1:00a.m. (reruns, now identified as. As I watch the great episodes of the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, I especially enjoy where Carson plays his character of Art Fern and the Tea Time Movie. Carson's contract, that took effect in 1981, reduced his work schedule to three nights a week, 37 weeks a year. Today, The Tonight Show remains one hour in length and is still followed by Late Night, currently under the title Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014). [10] They divorced in 1980. The water was very shallow only four feet deep so it was very unlikely thatCarol had drowned. His tempestuous love-life, which included two high-profile divorces, became the fodder of such celebrity staples as "The National Enquirer" and later "People Magazine", and he was even the subject of a roman a clef pulp novel in the early 1970s. However, this appearance on The Tonight Show, which Carson and Randi had orchestrated to debunk Geller's claimed abilities, backfired. Steve Allen also utilized guest hosts, including Carson and Ernie Kovacs, particularly after he began hosting The Steve Allen Show in prime time in 1956 and needed to reduce his workload on Tonight. In 2013, Nelson and family returned . Carol followed Nina to Hollywood in the mid-1960s, and the sisters began appearing on television. The January 31, 2005, episode of the Late Show with David Letterman, which featured a tribute to Carson, began with a monologue by Letterman composed entirely of jokes written by Carson himself after his retirement. Thus, it was "The Tonight Show" that remains his creative legacy. Astrological Sign: Scorpio, Death Year: 2005, Death date: January 23, 2005, Death State: California, Death City: Los Angeles, Death Country: United States, Article Title: Johnny Carson Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/johnny-carson, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: April 14, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson had guest hosts for entire weeks during Carson's vacations and other nights he had off. Carnac the Magnificent was a recurring comedic role played by Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. I did the audience warm-up, I did commercials, for a brief period I co-hosted the first fifteen minutes of the show, and I performed in many sketches. Positive reaction would prompt disbelief from Carnac, stating the ease at which he could make people laugh, such as "This audience would laugh at Dinah Shore backing into a meat thermometer." James Cameron Keeps Smashing His Own Records, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Carson, Birth Year: 1925, Birth date: October 23, 1925, Birth State: Iowa, Birth City: Corning, Birth Country: United States. Jack Paar's last appearance was on March 29, 1962, and due to Carson's commitment to the ABC game show Who Do You Trust?, he could not take over until October 1 (the day his ABC contract expired). She jumped (or fell) from a sixth floor apartment building in 1969. I have not fact checked this info so readers beware. Carol also had guest appearances on The Red Skelton Show, portraying a similar role. "[5], In February 1984, Wayne appeared nude in a pictorial for Playboy magazine. Frederick De Cordova, the producer of "The Tonight Show" throughout Carson's 30-year run, believed that Carson never pressured himself to launch a follow-up as he already had achieved unprecedented success on TV. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The following is a list of those who guest-hosted at least fifty times during the first 21 years of the show's run: Sammy Davis Jr. guest hosted in April 1965, becoming the first African-American to host a talk show. One of television's best-known personalities, Johnny Carson hosted 'The Tonight Show' for 30 years. [citation needed] The later shows that exist in full were stored by Carson in a bomb-proof underground salt mine outside Hutchinson, Kansas. An autopsy performed in Mexico revealed no signs of alcohol or other drugs in her body. Art Linkletter basically ended his successful television career when he started crusading against drugs with a fervor that made it hard for middle America to find the afternoon talk show host funny anymore. There have been at least seven published biographies of Carson.After brief stints on radio stations in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, his career was exclusively in television, starting with work at Nebraska TV stations in the late 1940s which preceded his 1951-53 skit program Carson's Cellar (1953) on Los Angeles station KNXT-TV. [54][57] Midler was more emotional. One of the most memorable audience insults came after the Philadelphia 76ers swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals to win the 1983 NBA Championship, when Carnac retorted, "May Dr. J slam dunk your cat." [30] All other shows during this period, including Carson's debut as host, are now considered lost. for five years previously, would remain standing to the side as Carson did his monologue, laughing (sometimes obsequiously) at his jokes, then join him at the guest chair when Carson moved to his desk. [46] Nevertheless, Rivers' new show was quickly canceled, and she never again appeared on The Tonight Show with Carson. I'd have to bite my tongue not to say it out loud. Following high school, in 1943, an 18-year-old Carson joined the U.S. Navy as an ensign and then decoded encrypted messages as a communications officer. A joke about a shortage of industrial grade toilet paper caused a national panic and a run on all grades of t.p., with a resulting shortage of the product about which he had kidded. [citation needed]. In 2014, Turner Classic Movies would begin rerunning select interviews from the program for a new series called "Carson on TCM" presented by Conan O'Brien, who himself hosted The Tonight Show briefly. She was a regular panelist on Celebrity Sweepstakes. [26][27] In September 1980, Carson's eponymous production company gained ownership of the show[28][29] after owning it from 1969 to the early 1970s. I want to thank the gentlemen who've shared this stage with me for thirty years. I had to support him, I had to help him get to the punch line, but while doing it I had to make it look as if I wasn't doing anything at all. She also played on one of the most popular episodes of I Spy (1965) opposite Robert Culp. "[7] He wrote in his 1998 autobiography: My role on the show never was strictly defined. On our thirteenth-anniversary show Johnny and I were talking at his desk and he said, "Thirteen years is a long time." The curse concept was created by "Tonight Show" head writer and Woody Allen collaborator Marshall Brickman. Carson had sat in for "Tonight Show" host Jack Paar in 1958 and, when Paar left the show four years later, NBC chose Carson as his replacement, taking over the catbird seat on October 2, 1962. Debuted in 1964. Her final onscreen appearance came in the 1984 drama Heartbreakers, for which she received the best reviews of her career. Johnny Carson hosted "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" for 30 years making him the King of Late Night television. If I got too many laughs, I wasn't doing my job; my job was to be part of a team that generated the laughs.[13]. The character was taken from Steve Allen's essentially identical "Answer Man" segment, which Allen performed during his tenure as host of The Tonight Show in the 1950s. Carol also had guest appearances onThe Red Skelton Show, portraying a similar role. [8] When asked about intellectual conversation on The Tonight Show, Carson and his staff invariably cited "Carl Sagan, Paul Ehrlich, Margaret Mead, Gore Vidal, Shana Alexander, Madalyn Murray O'Hair" as guests;[7] one television critic stated, however, "he always presented them as if they were spinach for your diet when he did [feature such names]. They reportedly had a fight which left Carol devastated. "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" Paul Lynde/McLean Stevenson/Bob Uecker/Carol Wayne (TV Episode 1976) Johnny Carson as Self - Host, Art Fern. The NBC Orchestra during Carson's reign was originally led by Skitch Henderson (who had previously led the band during Tonight Starring Steve Allen), followed briefly by Milton DeLugg. Paar had decided to quit the show and begin a once-a-week show for NBC in prime time on Friday nights. Watch Carson episodes every night on Antenna TV at 10:00PM ET / 7:00PM PT and 4:00PM ET / 1:00AM PT!Jon Lovitz Appears as Tommy Flanagan the Pathological Liar on \"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson\" in 1985.MORE JOHNNY CARSONYOUTUBE: \"Subscribe\" http://bit.ly/johnnysubYOUTUBE MAIN MENU: http://bit.ly/johnny_menuYOUTUBE PREMIUM: http://youtube.com/johnnycarsontvFACEBOOK: \"Like\" http://facebook.com/johnnycarson ITUNES http://bit.ly/johnnyitunesDVD: http://bit.ly/carsondvdsTWITTER: http://twitter.com/#!/JohnnycarsonGOOGLE PLAY: http://bit.ly/carson_gplayGOOGLE+: http://bit.ly/johnnygplus\"jon lovitz\" \"tommy flanagan\" \"pathological liar\" \"sketch\" comedy \"johnny carson\" \"johnny carson youtube\" \"tonight show\" \"johnny carson show\" comedy \"best of johnny carson\" \"funniest moments johnny carson\" youtube laugh \"stand up\" funniest \"funny videos\" comedian Carson \"johnny carson best moments\" \"the best of johnny carson\" \"best johnny carson moments\" \"johnny carson theme song\" \"best of carson\" \"the tonight show with johnny carson\" \"tonight show johnny carson\" \"tonight show band\" \"jonny carson\" \"humor\" \"hilarious\" \"stand up comedy\" \"video clip\" \"live tv\" He was the son of Ruth E. (Hook) and Homer Lloyd "Kit" Carson, a manager of the Iowa-Nebraska Light & Power Company. (The timeshift would also affect Late Night, Later with Bob Costas, and station-programmed overnight syndicated shows.) After a 1965 incident in which he ruined Carson's joke on the air McMahon was careful to, as he said, "never to go where [Carson]'s going. [citation needed]. Miami Vice. or "May a rabid holy man bless your nether regions with a power tool! [56] This show was immediately recognized as a television classic that Midler considered one of the most emotional moments of her life and eventually won an Emmy for her role in it.[57][58][59]. Her lack of a job made it difficult for Carol to cope financially and she reportedly became dependent on drugs and alcohol to manage her problems. Unlike every other TV star, he remained on top until the very end, the show winning its ratings period every year for 30 years. At age 14, Carson began appearing as the magician "The Great Carsoni" at local venues. [1] Ed McMahon served as Carson's sidekick and the show's announcer. Johnny Carson, the legendary "King of Late Night TV" who dominated the medium's nether hours for three decades, was born in Corning, Iowa, but moved with his family to nearby Norfolk, Nebraska when he was eight years old. He was the son of Ruth E. (Hook) and Homer Lloyd "Kit" Carson, a manager of the Iowa-Nebraska Light & Power Company. In order to work fewer days each week, Carson began to petition network executives in 1974 that reruns on the weekends be discontinued, in favor of showing them on one or more nights during the week. Sidekick McMahon's "Heeeeere's Johnny!!!" -Art Fern, sleazy host of Tea Time Movie. Debuted in 1971. MORE JOHNNY CARSONYOUTUBE: \"Subscribe\" http://bit.ly/johnnysubYOUTUBE MAIN MENU: http://bit.ly/johnny_menuYOUTUBE PREMIUM: http://youtube.com/johnnycarsontvFACEBOOK: \"Like\" http://facebook.com/johnnycarson ITUNES http://bit.ly/johnnyitunesDVD: http://bit.ly/carsondvdsTWITTER: http://twitter.com/#!/JohnnycarsonGOOGLE PLAY: http://bit.ly/carson_gplayGOOGLE+: http://bit.ly/johnnygplus \"carnac the magnificent\" \"snoopy\" \"taxi driver\" \"johnny carson\" \"johnny carson youtube\" \"tonight show\" \"johnny carson show\" comedy \"best of johnny carson\" Carson \"johnny carson best moments\" \"the best of johnny carson\" \"johnny carson theme song\" \"best of carson\" \"the tonight show with johnny carson\" \"tonight show johnny carson\" \"tonight show band\" \"jonny carson\" \"carnac the magnificent\" \"carnac\" \"johnny carson carnac\" \"humor\" \"hilarious\" \"funniest moments\" \"video clip\" \"live tv\" [32][33] Similarly, the Supremes' May 22, 1967 appearance survives on poor-quality kinescope and an audio recording of their April 5, 1968 appearance honoring the recently slain Martin Luther King Jr. was preserved.