The
Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Johnny
Carson was born in Corning, Iowa in 1925.He
grew up in Norfolk, Nebraska where he began (at a very early age) to entertain
small audiences of friends and family with his original comedy and magic
routines.He named himself The Great
Carsoni and kicked off his entertainment career as a teenager.
Although
he served in the Navy during WWII, he still found time to perform little
sketches for fellow soldiers.Following
his service, Carson entertained college fraternity parties with his magic/comedy
act.In addition to these performances,
he worked as a radio disc jockey and announcer while studying radio talk
legends such as Jack Benny.
He
went on to accomplish a brilliant career in the entertainment industry
as the host of NBC’s most successful show ever, The Tonight Show!
The
origin of the Tonight Show began in 1950 when a Los Angeles radio disc
jockey named Steve Allen was invited to New York City to create The
Steve Allen Show (a musical/variety showcase).Allen
was previously known for hosting random, unscheduled celebrity radio interviews,
and the executives at NBC thought his television broadcast of similar occurrences
would gather audiences.The show
turned received poor ratings and ended in 1952.
Steve
Allen created another late-night talk show in 1953.This
particular show aired on NBC for fourteen months, and this is where the
Tonight Show was born.NBC wanted
to compete on Sunday evenings with CBS’s Ed Sullivan show, and they asked
Allen to host this show as well.He
agreed to host both programs, but soon discovered the workload was much
too demanding for his taste.He resigned
from the Tonight Show in 1957 and continued to permanently host the Sunday
evening program.
In
1957, NBC decided to model a new late-night program after their early morning
Today Show.The new show was called
America After Dark and it provided hard coverage of news events reported
by various correspondents across the nation.America
After Dark also included coverage of movie premieres, celebrity parties,
and other special events that took place across the U.S.The
show opened to poor reviews and flopped shortly after its debut.
NBC then made another effort in late-night television programming.They brought Jack Paar in to host the new Tonight Show.Paar was not a comedian, but an author and a conversationalist.He brought a unique style to late-night talk show format:He mixed controversy with conversation.Paar chatted with regulars such as Zsa Zsa Gabor, Peggy Cass, and Charley Weaver.He also interviewed politicians such as Richard Nixon and Jack and Bobby Kennedy.
Paar
grew irritable with the demanding taping schedule, and his attitude came
through the camera.Upon returning
from a visit to Germany, shortly after the construction of the Berlin Wall,
Jack announced his resignation and hosted his final broadcast in 1962.
For
nearly twenty-six weeks, the Tonight Show consisted of guest-hosts, who
appeared usually for a week.Some
of these hosts included Jerry Lewis, Groucho Marx, and Arelene Francis,
the first woman guest–host in history.
Johnny
originally turned down NBC’s offer to host the Tonight Show, but he reconsidered
and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson premiered on October 1, 1962.Johnny
brought along Ed McMahon as his announcer.Carson
and McMahon worked together for five years on the quiz show Who Do You
Trust?
Carson’s
first guests were Rudy Vallee, Joan Crawford, Mel Brooks, and Tony Bennett.Doc
Severinsen (a well-known trumpet player) became the show’s bandleader in
1967.Carson, McMahon, and Severinsen
were the famous late-night trio until the show’s final episode in 1992.
The
Tonight Show moved to Burbank, California in 1972, making it much easier
to book the hottest celebrities.Other
late-night talk shows couldn’t measure up to Carson’s keen ability to entertain
the masses.The show became a hot
spot for up and coming comedians to gain their first fifteen minutes of
fame.Roseanne, Jerry Seinfeld, and
Gary Shandling are some of the most famous names that began on the Tonight
Show!
In
1977, Carson negotiated with NBC to receive $2 million plus per year with
fifteen weeks vacation during that year.The
abundance of his vacation time left room for frequent guest-hosts to appear
on the show, including Joan Rivers, Jay Leno, Jerry Lewis, and Bob Newhart.
Rumors
of Carson’s retirement began to fly several years before he announced his
resignation on the David Letterman Show in May of 1991.His
last broadcast was scheduled for May 22, 1992, and Jay Leno signed on as
the new host upon Carson’s departure.Robin
Williams and Bette Midler were Carson’s final guests on his second to last
episode.The final show on May 22nd
reflected on the past thirty years with video clips and discussion between
Carson, McMahon, and Severinsen.The
final broadcast attracted and estimated fifty million viewers!