Johnny Carson!

[goldenlight]

Carson was great, and deserves the accolades, but Steve Allen was funnier, and Letterman funnier still.

Letterman. Funny??!? When? His audience share numbers were NEVER as good as Leno's were.

Carson and Letterman had one thing in common: they were both world class @**holes. The difference was that Johnny could turn it off when he did the show. It was RARE to see him let a snarky comment slip out. He was very professional in that respect. He had CLASS. Letterman never did.

Letterman rarely tried to hide it. If he had a guest he didn't care for, it was OBVIOUS.

 

[Leonard]

Since his name was mentioned I could not stomach Letterman.

Johnny was great his wife of the last 20 some years of his life was my wife's 1st cousin.

 

[italiansport]

Since his name was mentioned I could not stomach Letterman.

Johnny was great his wife of the last 20 some years of his life was my wife's 1st cousin.

I went to college with Letterman and he was a worthless twit back then as well.
Jim

 

[Waveform]

When I was in upper elementary school my best friend down the street had parents who were night owls and they always had The Tonight Show on TV, which was way past my bedtime at 10:30PM. If I got to sleep over at my friend's house I got the chance to watch the show and felt very grown up about it. My parents were more the early to bed, early to rise types and Dad didn't care much for anything on what he called "the boob tube" so Johnny Carson did not play at our house.

When I was in sixth grade I got fired up to participate in some contest selling stuff door to door because the big prize for selling a ton of junk was a multi band radio that included broadcast TV audio. I won the radio and to my delight it came with a little earpiece for private listening. My bedtime was 10PM so I would lie awake listening to the local news until 10:30 when The Tonight Show came on. I went to sleep every night for several years listening to Johhny Carson's monologue, drifting off sometime during the first guest or so.

It sounds silly but I really got attached to that show. It was my security blanket that helped me go to sleep and a distraction from all the busy thoughts that would otherwise keep me awake. To this day I can vividly recall in my mind the Tonight Show theme song and I can hear Ed McMahon plainly launch into "It's The Tonight Show starring Johhny Carson...." My memories are auditory - perhaps like those of a generation earlier with old radio programs.

When I see a clip or hear the theme song it takes me back to my childhood, lying in bed, listening with my eyes closed. I can remember my bed, my room, my brother in the room next to mine and my parent's down the hall. Feeling safe, secure and happy.

Thanks Johnny.

 

[Targets Guy]

Tonight's show was the last 90 minute show they did. Robert Blake, Erma Bombeck and Jeff Greenspan were the guests. The Carter - Reagan campaign was all the buzz.

1980 was the year.

 

[e3mrk]

It's funny that Ed Mcmahon sat there next to Johnny for 30 years, and he never had a career, he was just a side kick

Ed was a Officer in the Marine Corp's,I think He was a Major in the Reserves.

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

I always wondered what ever happened to that hermetically sealed mayonnaise jar that sat on Funk & Wagnalls' front porch.

 

[revolver59]

Letterman. Funny??!? When? His audience share numbers were NEVER as good as Leno's were.

Carson and Letterman had one thing in common: they were both world class @**holes. The difference was that Johnny could turn it off when he did the show. It was RARE to see him let a snarky comment slip out. He was very professional in that respect. He had CLASS. Letterman never did.

Letterman rarely tried to hide it. If he had a guest he didn't care for, it was OBVIOUS.

When I lived in California, I had an auto body shop, collision, frame repair, and restoration shop. The restoration part was on very high end cars like Ferraris, Mercedes benz Gullwings, Alfa's, etc-etc... I had a lots of celebrities bring their cars in for different jobs. I will tell you what, if you thought it was only Johnny and Letterman that were world class @**holes, I can really tell you stories about some very famous actors, and actresses that will completely turn you off of the show business industry. In my opinion and experience, most of them are @**holes, low class, low life's with lots and lots of dough!! However there were a handful I met that were very descent, and I am very proud to say one of them was Patric Wayne, one of my all time favorite actors John Wayne"s son. I did work on some very interesting cars, one of which was owned by Clark Gable at one time, it was a 1950's Mercedes Benz S convertible, very unique future on the steering, instead of having the Mercedes emblem in the middle, it had his initials CG, which I thought was very cool! I am also very proud to say, I moved out of California 25 years ago, was the best move I ever made!!

 

[Targets Guy]

Ed was a Officer in the Marine Corp's,I think He was a Major in the Reserves.

Ed retired from the Marine reserves as a Colonel. He was a fighter pilot in WWII but saw no combat. Recalled for Korea he flew as an arty spotter and FAC. 85 combat missions. IIRC.

 

[the ringo kid]

Letterman. Funny??!? When? His audience share numbers were NEVER as good as Leno's were.

Carson and Letterman had one thing in common: they were both world class @**holes. The difference was that Johnny could turn it off when he did the show. It was RARE to see him let a snarky comment slip out. He was very professional in that respect. He had CLASS. Letterman never did.

Letterman rarely tried to hide it. If he had a guest he didn't care for, it was OBVIOUS.

I never could stand "fast dave" either. Fast dave is being his usual self still now-and I heard fast dave-may come out of returement and host a radio show-that ill never listen to. Fast dave is as bad as rosie o'donnell and those others on: the view.

 

[Old TexMex]

I admit I liked Letterman way back when he did a daytime show, though I only watched occasionally.