The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Johnny Carson was a trailblazer on late night TV. There were other talk show hosts before and during his tenure. Carson, though, had true charisma, a dry sarcastic wit, and perfect timing. You would be cheered up just by him walking on stage. When a joke bombed, he could find a way to make it the funniest part of the monologue. There has never been a late night host since Johnny Carson who would ask a guest an open ended question, and then just sit back and let the celebrity be brilliant on their own. Every other late show host interrupts guests with their own "funny story" or "punchline" and it is unfortunate. Carson could always do a great set up and then just let the celebrity go with it. I think the recurring guest I enjoyed the most was Joan Embery from the San Diego zoo, bringing animals both creepy and cuddly to crawl all over Carson. Carson always rose to the occasion.

It's probably good Johnny retired when he did. He would have been uncomfortable among most of the talk show hosts who were on the air by the end of the 1990s. Everything became cruder, more political. more of a coliseum. There will never be another Carson.

As an interesting aside, Saturday Night Live came into existence because Carson wanted an extra night off. NBC was already running "The Best of Carson" one day a week, but doubted they could get away with doing that two nights a week. And Carson was going to get his way because he was NBC's only hit TV show in the mid 1970s. Thus Saturday Night Live was born.

Carson is still around on DVD, maybe on Netflix, most definitely on youtube. If you've never seen him at work I suggest you study him for awhile. When he was on we were truly living in a golden age of charm and wit and grace.

For this now geezer, I hardly missed a Carson show from opening in '62 to close in '92. It was always an amusing way to top off a sometimes somber day. Sure, not every episode was top-notch, but still I could count on a few laughs, whether from guests, The Mighty Carson Art Players, or, of course, from Carson himself in his many hosting roles. Then too, I shouldn't exclude the reliable Ed McMahon, flashy Doc Severinson, or dead-pan Tommy Newsome -- all of whom contributed to that 30-year late-night reign. Carson's special ability, I think, was in salvaging a laugh from even the worst material or even the dullest guest, a saving grace that takes real talent. Anyway, mucho thanks Johnny and friends for 30-years of that off-to-bed good feeling.

I over the years may have watched from time to time "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" on a rare occasion when I would set up perhaps from not having school or being on school break, yet mostly my mom made me go to bed. Still thru classic footage and clips and old rerun shows on digital TV I've saw some episodes of Johhny Carson. And his show was a delight a treat the man was very funny and wise as the skits on his show were thoughtful and well done and his sidekick Ed MacMahon was always a good buddy what more can you say Carson ruled the late night airwaves for right at thirty years. Johnny helped pave the way for Jay Leno and David Letterman as they made appearances on his show many times doing stand up and even guest hosting when Johnny was out or away. And the guests of Carson were always A list from Hollywood's best, and he had sports and political figures on and many of today's well known comedian's got their first light of the TV camera on his show. So anytime you see an episode your looking at TV history and pop culture entertainment at it's best.

This show is downright hilarious! Johnny Carson is the funniest comedian ever! Period. You have to love Johnny. The moments on his show can't be beat. Ed Ames' tomahawk toss, Don Rickles breaks Johnny's cigarette box, Bob Hope's stand-up act about Johnny, the spoofs of Mr. Rogers, Walter Cronkite, and Tarzan, and many, many more. However, I wasn't even a year old when Johnny retired, so I didn't get to see him on NBC. But I have DVDs featuring highlights of his show which are hilarious. They ought to show reruns on E or TV Land or somewhere. I mean this is the King of Late Night, the Silver Fox,America's King of Comedy for 30 years. As my title of this review says, "Funny+Awesome+Classic=Johnny Carson." No matter what anyone says no one will be better than Johnny. No one! Not at all!

Carson – the best at what he did. Enigmatic off camera, from what I understand, but absolutely brilliant on camera. His easy interview style and ability to let his guests be the focus stands in contrast to so many pretenders to his late night throne. His jokes and skits, even the ones that flopped, made you feel like you were "in" on the jokes. I don't remember all of his tenure, but I remember over half of it and can still quote from long ago evenings. Example – Doc Severinson wearing a loud jacket with flowers on it. Johnny: "That's some jacket Doc. Put some fertilizer on it and it might bloom". Doc: "We could dip it in your monologue". Johnny: "I'll suggest that to the new band leader". Spontaneous? Probably not. Hilarious? Absolutely! As fun and nostalgic as it is to see current superstars early in their careers as Johnny gave them their first big break, it is even more of a treat to see so many legendary stars, many still in their heyday. Bob Hope, Lucy, Dean Martin, etc. Like Johnny, they are gone now. And like Johnny, they don't make'm that way any more. Sad, but thank God for DVD and video.