Johnny Carson

For 30 years, he ruled late night television, interviewing celebrities and making us laugh. And The Tonight Show has never been the same since he left. Compelling stories. Intriguing podcasts. This is the story. For three decades, Johnny Carson ruled late night TV as star of The Tonight Show. For a generation of viewers, watching Johnny Carson became a nightly ritual.

Just after the local 11 o'clock news ended, you stuck around for The Tonight Show, and the audience did stick around for an astonishing 30 years. It was the golden age of late night television, and Johnny Carson was king. Through the decades, The Tonight Show opened the same way, with that big band sound led by Doc Severnson, and announcer Ed McMahon listing off that night's celebrity guests, and then rolling off his infamous introduction, Here's Johnny.

And then, from behind the long, colorful curtains, Johnny Carson emerged, an astonishing 4, 531 times between 1962 and 1992. Always starting the show with a witty and humorous take on the day's news. He seemed to have the pulse of the nation, but his Midwestern style made him relatable to just about everyone.

The Tonight Show has been on the air since 1954. It's both the longest running talk show in the world and it's the longest running entertainment program in the United States. Nowadays, we have such a crowded television landscape that it's hard to imagine how anyone could be so dominant as Johnny Carson was from the early 60s through the early 90s.

Part of it was just timing. Johnny got his start in the early days of television. When he took over as host of Tonight Show in 1962, things were a lot simpler. There were just three television networks, and no cable TV. When it came to picking something to watch It was really just three choices, ABC, CBS, or NBC.

Today, of course, we have hundreds of channels to choose from, in addition to the streaming choices like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney So it's hard to imagine a talk show host ever again achieving what Johnny Carson did to not only Entertain us for three decades, but to capture our hearts. Johnny Carson wasn't just a funny guy He was relatable.

His Midwest, all shucks demeanor made him Relatable to people from all walks of life And he was a guy that loved to make people laugh and loved to entertain something he did from a very young age Johnny was only 12 years old when he first began entertaining. Sure, the audience was limited to just his family, but as soon as he saved up and bought a magic kit, he found great enjoyment out of entertaining his family and he loved the feeling of making people laugh and be happy.

As he got older, Johnny did all the things he was expected to do. At 18, he joined the Navy, and by 23, he was ready to get married. His bride was Jody Wolcott, and they were married in 1948. Two years later, Johnny began his career in broadcasting at WOW Radio in Omaha. The owners of the station had also just launched the very first television station in the state of Nebraska, which had signed on the air on August 29th, 1949.

Now these were the early days of television, and although WOWTV was an NBC affiliate, they would also carry some ABC programming because there wasn't enough local and national programming to fill the airwaves. They say timing is everything, and Johnny Carson couldn't have timed his start in broadcasting any better.

Before long, he became host of The Morning Show, which was called The Squirrel's Nest. And he became a local celebrity in the Omaha market. He had a quick wit and loved poking fun at politicians. While her husband may not have thought his jokes were funny, the wife of one of the politicians that Johnny loved to poke fun at found his comments amusing, and she thought he had real talent.

So she mentioned this to her brother, who just happened to be a television executive in Southern California. It wasn't long before Johnny would receive an offer to relocate to Los Angeles and work for KNXT. In much the same way as he had in Omaha, Johnny Carson began to get noticed. He came to the attention of comedian Red Skelton, a broadcasting legend by this point.

Skelton hired Johnny on to be a writer for his show. In 1954, he ended up doing more than writing, he actually had to step up and host the show, after Red Skelton knocked himself unconscious in a freak accident. Without much notice, Johnny was able to step up to the plate and fill in as host for the Red Skelton Show, and his appearance was a big success.

The following year, he got a big break when Jack Benny invited him to appear on his program. And after the appearance, predicted Johnny would be a very successful comedian. The 1950s were proving to be Johnny's coming of age years in the new medium of television. By the mid 50s, Carson was on his way to hosting several shows, including the game show, Earn Your Vacation in 1954, and a variety show on CBS called, The Johnny Carson Show.

Starting in 1957, Johnny moved to New York and began hosting Who Do You Trust on ABC. It was an afternoon variety show which would gain a large following of younger viewers who watched after school. It was an early sign that Johnny Carson could attract an audience in a variety of demographics. After a year of hosting Who Do You Trust, Bill Nimmo, the show's original announcer, left, and his replacement was someone very familiar to us today.

Johnny and Ed would work together for the next five years on Who Do You Trust? In 1960, in addition to continuing to host Who Do You Trust, Carson began appearing as a panelist on the show To Tell The Truth. His profile was rising. That same year, Johnny got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It's located at 1751 Vine Street.

It's interesting that Carson got his star before he ever hosted the Tonight Show. The origins of the Tonight Show began in the mid 1950s. Steve Allen had begun hosting a show called the Knickerbocker Beer Show in New York. Now, that's a bizarre name for a television show indeed, and the name comes from the actual sponsor of the show, but it didn't take long to be renamed into the Steve Allen Show.

The show went on the air in 1953 on what is now New York's legendary station, WNBC. The following year, it was rebranded The Tonight Show, when it began being carried throughout the U. S. on the NBC network. Now, despite its early success, Steve Allen would move on after just three years as the host. In the summer of 1957, Steve Allen departed the late night airwaves and Jack Parr took over.

Parr had appeared as a comic on The Ed Sullivan Show and been a popular game show host in the early 50s. He would come to find hosting a nightly television show to be very hard work, and the grind would get to Parr within just a few years. He became very temperamental, and in early 1962, after one of his jokes was censored, He walked off the set and didn't return to The Tonight Show for three weeks.

Realizing that he wasn't cut out for the pressure, but not wanting him to defect to another network, NBC offered him his own weekly primetime show, and Parr decided to take them up on the offer and leave The Tonight Show, a decision he would later refer to as the biggest mistake of his life. Johnny Carson would become the beneficiary of Parr's decision to leave The Tonight Show.

It was a decision that would change his life forever. There was one problem. He didn't want the job. In 1962, with Jack Parr on the way out as host of The Tonight Show, NBC approached Carson about taking over. He was a natural for the job. However, to their surprise, he declined the job. In those days, the Tonight Show was nearly twice as long as it is today, one hour and 45 minutes and Johnny felt it would be too difficult to do quality shows night after night after night. Surprised and disappointed by his decision, NBC moved on to Plan B. And then Plan C. And then Plan D. And then, believe it or not, Plan E. Because four other celebrities were offered the show and they all turned it down. Bob Newhart said no. Jackie Gleason, Groucho Marx, and Joey Bishop. They all said no thank you to NBC. Out of options, and with no obvious Plan F, The network returned to Carson and convinced him to take the job, even though he still had pretty strong doubts.

His first show aired on October 1st, 1962, and guests included Tony Bennett, who at that time was 37 years old and in the prime of his recording career. Comedian Mel Brooks, singer Rudy Valli, who was 61 at the time but had been one of the first modern music stars to be a teen idol, and actress Joan Crawford were all on that first show, as was one of Johnny's heroes, Groucho Marx. Eight million Americans tuned in to the broadcast from Studio 6B at Rockefeller Center to watch the late night changing of the guard.

The Tonight Show's reputation for being an oasis to escape the stresses of the day might have started during Johnny's first month on the air. Just two weeks after he started hosting The Tonight Show, The Cuban Missile Crisis broke out, and as Americans worried about war, they began to find a way to focus on feeling good every night, when Johnny Carson would make them laugh.

One of Johnny's earliest and best decisions that would ensure his longevity, was to not be political on The Tonight Show, something we wish more TV hosts today would emulate. It was a pivotal decision that would lead to his immense popularity in the coming decades. Everyone was comfortable letting Johnny Carson into their homes each night and he was paid handsomely to do it, making $100,000 for the first year as host. Now that's the equivalent of of more than $850,000 a year today. Not a bad salary for your first year on the job. Taking over as Tonight Show host in 1962 was a monumental change in Johnny's life.... but in the following year, more big changes.

His marriage to Jodi Wolcott was coming to an end in 1963, and he was quickly remarried to Joanne Copeland. For the first 10 years, Johnny's Tonight Show was broadcast from New York. Popular guests that seemed to keep ending up on Johnny's couch during the sixties included Betty Davis, Don Rickles, Buddy Hackett.

Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop, who turned down the opportunity to succeed Jack Parr. He would serve as Johnny's guest host frequently in these early years. Bob Hope was also a frequent guest. In fact, he would go on to appear 131 times over Johnny Carson's run as host of The Tonight Show. More than any other guest.

Interestingly, in a 2014 book called Hope, Entertainer of the Century, written by Richard Zoglin, the author wrote that over time, Bob Hope actually became Johnny's least favorite guest because of his very predictable routine and lack of spontaneity. In Johnny's eyes, there was never any real conversation, as everything Bob Hope would say was prepared in advance.

But Bob Hope was immensely popular, and his appearances in those early years were a big help to Johnny's career. In 1965, Joan Rivers would make her first appearance on The Tonight Show. She would be one of the many comedians over the coming decades that would find out that appearing on The Tonight Show was a great career boost.

As Johnny had the power to introduce comedians to America, and even though they had spent years performing to perfect their craft, To America, they seemingly became overnight stars. To comedians who wanted that big break, Johnny Carson was considered a patron saint. Although Johnny Carson became a big celebrity fairly soon after becoming host of Tonight, he was never quite comfortable in New York.

But he was comfortable around attractive women, and he loved to go drinking with the guys after taping the Tonight Show. Now, Johnny was very friendly with several Playboy models, who In 1970, he admitted that he got drunk every night and couldn't stop chasing other women. Johnny was becoming a very recognizable celebrity in the Big Apple, but he didn't care much for the spotlight.

He wasn't keen on attending parties and he was quite content to stay out of the limelight. He would later be described as the most private public person who ever lived. The Tonight Show Under Johnny Carson was broadcast from New York City for his first 10 years as host. But in May 1972, a decade after Carson took over, the Tonight Show made a bold move.

The production of the show was leaving New York for sunny Southern California. The dramatic news shocked many of the Tonight Show staff when they heard about it. But it was becoming harder to find enough celebrities night after night in New York, as most celebrities were now based in L. A. It was a move that had been championed by producer Freddy DeCordova for some time.

Freddy had become producer in 1970 and was putting his mark. The reason for the move to California was because access to celebrities was becoming easier near Hollywood, especially as it began to eclipse New York as the entertainment capital of the world. Just before relocating the show, Johnny had negotiated his newest contract with NBC.

One of the concessions he won from them allowed him to cut back to only four episodes per week once the show relocated to California. By this time, the show was down to 90 minutes. So Johnny would host four nights a week, and on the other night, either a guest host would fill in or a rerun would be shown.

Johnny's first show from the new Burbank Studios aired on May 1st, 1972. Guests included Bob Newhart, Don Rickles, Shelley Winters, and Nancy Reagan, who at that time was the First Lady of California. Two weeks later, Joan Rivers was invited to guest host. Pat Boone, Flip Wilson, and Don Rickles would also guest host that first year in California, but Joey Bishop was still the preferred fill in for Johnny Carson during this time, and he guest hosted 47 times in 1972.

Moving out west wasn't the only change in 1972 for Johnny Carson. His 10 year marriage to Joanne Copeland was coming to an end. But just like his last divorce, it didn't take long for Johnny to rebound and tie the knot again. After being introduced to Joanna Holland by his producer, he married her less than a year after his divorce, and she became wife number three.

While he struggled in his personal life with his commitments, he never wavered in the energy and effort he gave to making The Tonight Show great. He gave his best, and America loved him for it. His easygoing TV persona and quick wit made him a beloved personality. During his career, Carson would go on to win six Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and in 1987, he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.

He became such a symbol of American culture that President George H. W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992. Over the years, Johnny revealed the men who had influenced his career the most. People like Bob Hope, Groucho Marx, Fred Allen, Red Skelton. Now when Jack Benny died in 1974, it had a tremendous impact on Carson.

Now remember, way back in the 1950s, Jack Benny had given the invitation for Johnny Carson to be on his show and predicted he'd be a television superstar. Coming full circle in the summer of 1973, one of Jack Benny's final TV appearances was on The Tonight Show. He died the following year. In an interview several years later, Johnny's wife Joanna revealed that Johnny cried for hours after attending Jack Benny's funeral.

Over the decades, Johnny Carson gave us many memorable moments. Even nearly 30 years after he left the airwaves, there are still those episodes we'll never forget. In 1966, Johnny played Twister with the beautiful actress Eva Gabor. In 1969, the marriage of Tiny Tim on the show attracted a viewing audience of, get this, 40 million people.

Don Rickles appeared on The Tonight Show more than 100 times, and he probably was part of more of the infamous episodes than anyone else. During the late 60s, in an episode where Johnny is receiving a massage from a beautiful woman, Don appears out of nowhere and takes over giving Johnny a massage. The audience went wild.

In 1976, during an appearance by the legendary Frank Sinatra, Don Rickles made a surprise appearance and kissed Sinatra on the lips. Now, Rickles was also asked to guest host from time to time, and one night after he did, Johnny Carson was back behind the desk and discovers that Don had broken his cigarette box and insists on going into a nearby studio and interrupting the filming of Don's TV show.

It's probably one of the most iconic moments in Tonight Show history. In 1977, a comedian made an appearance that would change the future of late night television, although it wasn't apparent at the moment. On March 2nd, 1977, Jay Leno would make his first stand up appearance. Little could anyone have predicted then, that this is the man NBC would anoint as Johnny's successor 15 years in the future.

Johnny also gave America introductions to many other future comedic superstars who got their big break on The Tonight Show. David Letterman, Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, Tim Allen, Drew Carey, and Roseanne Barr. In 1979, the most private public person who ever lived gave a rare interview to Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes.

During the interview, Johnny admitted he didn't handle alcohol well. By 1980, Carson was tiring of the grind and was able to negotiate what can only be described as a sweetheart deal. He convinced the network to cut the show back to 60 minutes, and to reduce his schedule to hosting only three nights a week, with guest hosts or reruns being used on the other two nights.

By 1980, he was also reportedly making 25 million a year. Now, his decision to cut back to three nights a week more than a decade before retiring leaves us with an odd statistic. His successor, Jay Leno, ended up hosting more television episodes of The Tonight Show even though his run as host was ten years shorter than Carson.

Now, that's mainly because Jay Leno hosted all five nights a week for the duration of his run While Carson was down to just three nights a week during his last decade. Despite both men hosting more than 4, 000 episodes, Jay Leno hosted 75 more episodes of The Tonight Show than Johnny Carson, who would never have hosted any episodes without Jack Parr's decision to retire back in 1962.

In 1986, one of the most memorable episodes was the return of Jack Parr to The Tonight Show, 23 years after giving up the hosting chair. He returned as a guest to chat with Johnny about an upcoming TV special he was hosting. For the first time in history, viewers of The Tonight Show got to see Johnny and his predecessor, on the same screen.

While Johnny was considered the king of late night, a new member of television's royal family was ascending in the mid eighties, Oprah Winfrey. She made her first appearance on The Tonight Show in 1985 when she was promoting the movie The Color Purple. After his death in 2005, Oprah recalled how special it was to be invited onto The Tonight Show, describing it as An out of body experience.

If you watch old episodes of Tonight on YouTube, you'll see Joan Rivers was a frequent guest over the years. Now, Johnny and Joan clearly had great television chemistry, and she could make him burst into laughter with ease. She credited him with her first big break, one that led her to being a household name.

But her relationship with NBC wasn't as good. She began to notice little things like not being invited to network parties for The Tonight Show. And her contract as guest host was usually always timed to coincide with Johnny's. But after he renegotiated a two year extension on his, she was concerned when the network only extended her guest host contract for one year.

As 1987 was approaching, there was one thing on everyone's mind. It was the 25th anniversary of Johnny Carson taking over as host. And it seemed as if he might pick this time to retire. When a list of possible successors leaked to the media, Joan Rivers was shocked her name wasn't even on the list. Now about the same time, something very rare in television was occurring.

A new television network was launching, Fox. They approached Joan Rivers about becoming host of their late night show. One that would air at 11 30 p. m. Johnny's time slot they made an incredible offer one that Joan felt She couldn't turn down and it would make history as she would become the first female late night TV host It was a move that would cause a permanent falling out with Johnny Carson Both had different accounts as to what happened as people who have disagreements often do Rivers said that out of respect, Carson was the first person she called, but that he was so angry, he hung up on her.

The two never spoke again. From Johnny's point of view, it was the supreme act of betrayal. Unfortunately, they never resolved. And in a terrible twist of fate for Joan Rivers, she failed. She was fired as host within a year, and her husband, who had been serving as the show's producer, committed suicide soon after.

Johnny Carson never forgave Joan Rivers, and went to his grave with the matter unresolved.

Many predicted Johnny Carson would end his run as host of The Tonight Show when he reached his 25th anniversary, but the milestone came and went. But as the next big milestone loomed, it became pretty clear Johnny was going to call it quits at 30 years. As he approached his final episode, he said everything comes to an end.

Nothing lasts forever, 30 years is enough. His last show would be on May 22nd, 1992, but his final guest would appear the night before. But who would Johnny pick to be the last people to sit next to him on television? Singer Bette Midler had first appeared on Tonight back when the show was still originating from New York.

During his last year there in New York, Bette Midler appeared as a musical guest. And famously, decades later, she was chosen by Johnny to be one of his two final guests. Johnny also wanted actor Robin Williams. Williams had first appeared on The Tonight Show in 1981, and appeared a total of nine times over the years.

His 1991 appearance with Jonathan Winters is considered by many the peak of hilarity. It's interesting, out of all the guests who graced Johnny's set over 30 years, when it came down to picking the last two guests he would ever have, He chose Robin Williams and Bette Midler. In that penultimate episode, Midler sang, One more for my baby, to Johnny from center stage.

And in a rare show of emotion, Johnny can be seen crying, as the power of the moment overcame him. After he embraced Bette Midler, who came over to say goodbye, he called it a special night. He shook Robin Williams hand and thanked him, and for the last time said, See you tomorrow night. For his final show, there were no guests.

Johnny simply sat on a stool, center stage, and reminisced about his incredible run and showed footage of his favorite moments over the years. It was an invitation only audience of family, friends, and crew. His final show was a class act. Here's what he said in the final moments of that last show. "And so, it has come to this. I am one of the lucky people in the world. I found something I always wanted to do. And I've enjoyed every single minute of it. I want to thank the gentlemen who shared this stage with me for 30 years, Ed McMahon, Doc Severinsen, and you people watching. I can only tell you that it has been an honor and a privilege to come into your homes all these years and entertain you. I bid you a very. Heartfelt goodnight."

With that, Johnny Carson signed off. And despite the expectation he would host occasional specials for NBC, he never did. His one and only appearance on NBC after he signed off was a walk on appearance on David Letterman on May 13, 1994 in which Letterman announced Larry Bud Melman would walk out to deliver the top ten list.

Instead, Johnny Carson walked out to thunderous applause, and he took his seat behind Letterman's desk. But despite the tease, he never read the top ten list. Instead, he stood up and walked off the set and was never seen on network TV again. The applause for Carson on that night was a non stop, roaring, standing ovation that never let up, as the audience knew they were witnessing television history.

Johnny Carson was on network television One more time. What no one could know that night was that this was the last television appearance of Johnny Carson. Although he lived more than a decade after his cameo on Letterman, Johnny Carson was more than satisfied to let his long and successful run as host of The Tonight Show speak for itself.

Today, he's a TV legend and although he died in 2005, 13 years after leaving the spotlight, America will always remember the king of late night television.