Born in Corning, Iowa, on October 23, 1925, to Ruth and Homer R. Carson, a power company manager, Johnny Carson learned how to reel in audiences at a young age. Pretending to psychically concentrate, Carnac periodically asked for "complete silence" from the audience, and McMahon would retort that he often got it.[6]. [1] Ed McMahon served as Carson's sidekick and the show's announcer. It's time to get out while you're still working on top of your game, while you're still working well. BURBANK, Calif. (AP) _ Johnny Carson, who is retiring Friday after nearly three decades as host of NBC's Tonight Show, played a variety of comic characters over the years. -Art Fern, sleazy host of Tea Time Movie. Debuted in 1971. Carson's time as host of THE TONIGHT SHOW made him an important part of American pop culture, and would eventually . Carson as Carnac the Magnificent Carnac the Magnificent was a recurring comedic role played by Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Featuring interviews with the stars of the latest Hollywood movies or the hottest bands, Carson kept Americans up-to-date on popular culture, and reflected some of the most distinguished personalities of his era through impersonations, including his classic take on President .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Ronald Reagan. That was the last time anyone saw her alive. (This recording was played at the start of Carson's final broadcast on May 22, 1992. Following the cuts in the Tonight Show she was having severe financial problems, and reportedly had fallen into drug and alcohol abuse. New York meteorologist Dr. Frank Field, an occasional guest during the years he was weather forecaster for WNBC-TV, showed several clips of his appearances with Carson in a 2002 career retrospective on WWOR-TV; Field had maintained the clips in his own personal archives. Monday night shows and shows for most of the 15 weeks that Carson had off were hosted by guest hosts. [7] The show broadcast two openings, one starting at 11:15p.m. and including the monologue, the other that listed the guests and re-announced the host, starting at 11:30p.m. Carson received six Primetime Emmy Awards, the Television Academy 's 1980 Governor's Award, and a 1985 Peabody Award. After his daughters death, Art ended his career in television to campaign about the harmful effects of drugs. -Aunt Blabby, testy senior citizen. Authorities later discovered Durston had checked out of the resort the day the couple argued. In January 1985, Wayne and her companion Edward Durston were vacationing at the Las Hadas Resort in Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. Nor did she appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, a ban maintained by Leno out of respect for Carson. "Describe the sound made when a sheep explodes. Carnac the Magnificent was a recurring comedic role played by Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Johnny Carson began to push for a reduction in the shows run time from 90 minutes to 60, and while this was good news for the network, as it led to the creation of Late Night With David Letterman it led to her spot in the show being reduced drastically. One of television's best-known personalities, Johnny Carson hosted 'The Tonight Show' for 30 years. For the first time in 35 years, Carson lived life as an unmarried man from 1983 to 1987. Though the concept of using "permanent" guest hosts was fairly strictly adhered to, occasionally illness or some other situation necessitated a substitute guest host, as when David Brenner filled in for Joan Rivers on October 31 and November 1, 1985, when Rivers's husband was briefly hospitalized. Carson created several recurring comedic characters that popped up regularly on his show, including Carnac the Magnificent, an Eastern psychic who was said to know the answers to all kinds of baffling questions. Here are some of them: -Carnac the Magnificent, mystical answer-question man. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson had guest hosts for entire weeks during Carson's vacations and other nights he had off. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [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]. [54][55] More than fifty million people tuned in for this finale, which ended with Carson sitting on a stool alone at center stage, similar to Jack Paar's last show. He gave only two major interviews after his retirement: one to The Washington Post in 1993, and the other to Esquire magazine in 2002. [23] While the case was settled out of court,[24] the friction between Carson and the network remained and Carson was actively courted by rival network ABC, which was willing to double Carson's salary and offer him a lighter work schedule and ownership of the show. [39], The digital multicast network Antenna TV acquired rerun rights to whole episodes of the series in August 2015. [51][52]:8:10 According to Adam Higginbotham's Nov. 7, 2014 article in the New York Times: The result was a legendary immolation, in which Geller offered up flustered excuses to his host as his abilities failed him again and again. Here are some of them: -Carnac the Magnificent, mystical answer-question man. Rivers, on the other hand, disagreed. She landed roles in several films, including Gunn, The Party (both directed by Blake Edwards), Scavenger Hunt, Savannah Smiles and Surf II. 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 series' announcer and Carson's sidekick was Ed McMahon, who from the first show would introduce Carson with a drawn-out "Here's Johnny!" [7] Carson influenced the scheduling of reruns (which typically aired under the title The Best of Carson) in the mid-1970s and, in 1980, the length of each evening's broadcast, by threatening NBC with, in the first case, moving to another network, and in the latter, retiring altogether. [37], The non-tape archives pertaining to Carson's show are held by the Elkhorn Valley Museum in Carson's hometown of Norfolk, Nebraska. 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. The water she was found in was only 4 feet deep. I was about to pack up the next day and go back to Tel Aviv. The character would emerge from behind the show's curtain accompanied by Indian music, and make his way towards the desk, where he would invariably stumble on the step in front of the desk and lose his balance. 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. Apart from Carol Waynes death, Ed Durston apparently also had a link to another womans death, that of Diane Linkletter. To an enthusiastically trusting public, his failure only made his gifts seem more real: If he were performing magic tricks, they would surely work every time. Thus, it was "The Tonight Show" that remains his creative legacy. NBC claimed that it had signed three agreements since then and Carson was bound to the network until April 1981. [1] As Carnac, Carson wore a large feathered turban and a cape. It was the employees of the hotel that she and Ed stayed in that identified Carols body, as Ed had already left Mexico. Miami Vice. 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. A few weeks after the final show aired, it was announced that NBC and Carson had struck a deal to develop a new series. Wanna Buy a Dirty Picture? 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. in-character skits, and stand-up. Carson hinted in his 1993 interview that he did not think he could top what he had already accomplished. She gained her greatest fame for appearances (19671984) on The Tonight Show,[4] including 100-plus appearances (19711984) as the buxom Matine Lady on The Tonight Show in Johnny Carson's popular Art Fern's Tea Time Movie sketches, which were filled with sexual double entendres. These spoofs typically ran in the sitcom's usual spot on the broadcast schedule and featured one of the sitcom's main characters as the guest host. Carol followed Nina to Hollywood in the mid-1960s, and the sisters began appearing on television. 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. Today, he is regarded worldwide as a television legacy. According to Skepticism activist James Randi, Carson invited Uri Geller, who claimed paranormal powers, onto the Tonight Show specifically to disprove the Israeli performer's claims. When a joke bombed during his monologues, Carson would do a wounded double-take as the audience jeered, fully aware of the awfulness of the joke he had just unloaded. [46] Nevertheless, Rivers' new show was quickly canceled, and she never again appeared on The Tonight Show with Carson. ", "Sis boom bah." When Geller joined Carson on stage, he appeared surprised that he was not going to be interviewed, but instead was expected to display his abilities using the provided articles. [57] When the conversation turned to Johnny's favorite songs, "I'll Be Seeing You" and "Here's That Rainy Day," Midler mentioned that she knew a chorus of the latter. After Carnac said an answer, McMahon would frequently repeat it in a booming voice ostensibly as a help to the audience setting up a sneer, putdown, or some other comic reaction from Carson. Jokes would also be topical; for instance, "Over 105 in Los Angeles" (presumably referring to the temperature) instead led to "Under the Reagan plan, how old would you have to be to collect Social Security?" [25], Eventually, Carson reached an agreement that paid $25 million a year while reducing his workload from 90 to 60 minutes, with new shows airing only three nights a week 37 weeks a year (a guest host would appear Monday nights and for most of Carson's 15 weeks of vacation and "Best of Carson" reruns would air Tuesdays) and also give him ownership of the show, as well as its back catalog, and of the time slot following the Tonight Show which became Late Night with David Letterman produced by Carson Productions. "[9] Family therapist Carlfred Broderick appeared on the show ten times,[10] and psychologist Joyce Brothers was one of Carson's most frequent guests. Currently, sixty-minute episodes (from September 1980-May 1992) air Monday through Friday nights, and ninety-minute episodes (from 1972-September 12, 1980) Saturday and Sunday nights.[40]. Many guest hosts were already large names in their own right, among them Frank Sinatra, Burt Reynolds and Don Rickles. I'd have to bite my tongue not to say it out loud. Nelson appeared several times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and various other talk shows and appeared on tour with Gallagher during 2016-17. At age 14, Carson began appearing as the magician "The Great Carsoni" at local venues. [1] The sisters later became showgirls of the Folies Bergre at the Tropicana Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Watch this new video for more information, This advertiser wants to share their trending video, COPYRIGHT 2020 By TheLifeandTimesofHollywood.com, Stories From The Life and Times of Hollywood. Carson's contract, that took effect in 1981, reduced his work schedule to three nights a week, 37 weeks a year. 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]. More famously known as the "Matinee Lady," Carol Wayne was a model and an actress who worked with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. [when?] Following these bombs with a sly, self-deprecating remark engendered a sense of intimacy between Carson and his fans.A liberal in the increasingly liberal age of the 1960s and 1970s, so powerful were his opening monologues that by the early 1970s, he could actually affect society at large outside of the pop culture realm. For decades, Americans tuned in to "The Tonight Show" to watch Johnny Carson interview musicians and movie stars, perform in silly skits and simply make audiences laugh at the end of each day. Menu. McMahon's closing announcement "I hold in my hand the last envelope" was always met with a loud cheer, prompting one final "curse". [2] The show's house band, the NBC Orchestra, was led by Skitch Henderson, until 1966 when Milton Delugg took over, who was succeeded by Doc Severinsen less than a year later. ", and "9W" was the answer to "Mr. Wagner, do you spell your name with a V?" It is fascinating however. [7], His preference for access to Hollywood stars caused the show's move to the West Coast on May 1, 1972; The Tonight Show would not return to New York until 2014 when Jimmy Fallon took the hosting reins. [43] Harry Belafonte guest hosted for a week in February 1968, and among Belafonte's guests were Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., just months before both men were assassinated (King in April, Kennedy in June). Debuted in 1967. After Carnac entered and stumbled, Ed would continue as follows: "I hold in my hand the envelopes. He told his crew, "Everything comes to an end; nothing lasts forever. [54][57] Midler was more emotional. [1] The resulting jokes often involved puns or wordplay; for example, "The La Brea Tar Pits" was the answer to "What do you have left after eating the La Brea Tar Peaches? Mr. Ed McMahon, Mr. Doc Severinsen, and you people watching. Geller said "This scares me." Art Fern," the fast-talking host of a "Tea Time Movie" program, who advertised inane products, assisted by the attractive Matinee Lady, played by Paula Prentiss (late 1960s), Carol Wayne (the most familiar Matinee Lady, 1971-81, 1984), Danuta Wesley (1982), and Teresa Ganzel (1984-92). and The Fall Guy, and appeared in many sketches on The Red Skelton Show. Early life [ edit] "He is one of a kind, was one of a kind", De Cordova said in 1995. In the mid-1960s, Carson's agents wanted to trade on his vast popularity to position him in motion pictures as the "New Jack Lemmon", but Carson never made any forays outside of television. 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. He was the son of Ruth E. (Hook) and Homer Lloyd "Kit" Carson, a manager of the Iowa-Nebraska Light & Power Company. Free shipping for many products! The Tonight Shows airtime was shortened from 90 minutes to 60 to make way for David Lettermans new show,Late Night With David Letterman. Carson, in general, did not feature prop comedy acts (Carson was not averse to using prop comedy himself); such acts, with Gallagher being a prominent example, more commonly appeared when guest hosts helmed the program. One of television's best-known personalities, Johnny Carson hosted 'The Tonight Show' for 30 years. [7], Only 33 complete episodes of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show that had originally aired prior to May 1, 1972 are known to exist. Carson played the lecherous character "Art Fern" who would make references to Carol's ample bosom. I have not fact checked this info so readers beware. Carson's final television appearance was cameo on the May 13, 1994, Late Show with David Letterman where he handed over a copy of a Top 10 List and sat in Dave's chair for a minute. In May 1991, following positive viewer reception during tests in St. Louis (KSDK) and DallasFort Worth (KXAS), NBC reached an agreement with Carson Productions to delay the show's start time by five minutes beginning September 2, allowing its stations to include more commercials during their local newscasts. Countless talk shows hosted by the likes of Joey Bishop and Dick Cavett and other non-talk show programs were launched against him year after year only to fail, with the notable exception of ABC News Nightline (1980) halfway through his reign. 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. His farewell show in 1992 drew 50 million viewers. Paar had decided to quit the show and begin a once-a-week show for NBC in prime time on Friday nights. "[54], Carson hosted his penultimate show, featuring guests Robin Williams and Bette Midler, on May 21, 1992. In 1960, he shot a pilot for a prime-time TV series, "Johnny Come Lately", that was not picked up by a network. 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!" Host Johnny Carson performs comedy routines and chats with various celebrities. [1] Ed McMahon served as Carson's sidekick and the show's announcer . As more affiliates introduced thirty minutes of local news, Carson's monologue was being seen by fewer people. Wayne said she was "discovered" at a Hollywood party and auditioned for The Tonight Show after appearances as a Las Vegas chorus line dancer.[2][3].