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Topic: Johnny Carson is dead (Read 345 times)

lakelady
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Johnny Carson is dead
« on: Jan 23^rd, 2005, 1:35pm »

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Johnny Carson, late-night TV legend, dead at 79
Sunday, January 23, 2005 Posted: 2:25 PM EST (1925 GMT)

Johnny Carson, the "Tonight Show" TV host who served America a smooth nightcap of celebrity banter, droll comedy and heartland charm for 30 years, has died. He was 79.

"Mr. Carson passed away peacefully early Sunday morning," his nephew, Jeff Sotzing, told The Associated Press. "He was surrounded by his family, whose loss will be immeasurable. There will be no memorial service."

Sotzing would not give further details, including the time of death or the location.

The boyish-looking Nebraska native with the disarming grin, who survived every attempt to topple him from his late-night talk show throne, was a star who managed never to distance himself from his audience.

His wealth, the adoration of his guests -- particularly the many young comics whose careers he launched -- the wry tales of multiple divorces: Carson's air of modesty made it all serve to enhance his bedtime intimacy with viewers.

"Heeeeere's Johnny!" was the booming announcement from sidekick Ed McMahon that ushered Carson out to the stage. Then the formula: the topical monologue, the guests, the broadly played skits such as "Carnac the Magnificent."

But America never tired of him; Carson went out on top when he retired in May 1992. In his final show, he told his audience: "And so it has come to this. I am one of the lucky people in the world. I found something that I always wanted to do and I have enjoyed every single minute of it."

His personal life could not match the perfection of his career. Carson was married four times, divorced three. In 1991, one of his three sons, 39-year-old Ricky, was killed in a car accident.

Nearly all of Carson's professional life was spent in television, from his postwar start at Nebraska stations in the late 1940s to his three decades with NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."

Carson choose to let "Tonight" stand as his career zenith and his finale, withdrawing into a quiet retirement that suited his private nature and refusing involvement in other show business projects.

In 1993, he explained his absence from the limelight.

"I have an ego like anybody else," Carson told The Washington Post, "but I don't need to be stoked by going before the public all the time."

He was open to finding the right follow-up to "Tonight," he told friends. But his longtime producer, Fred de Cordova, said Carson didn't feel pressured -- he could look back on his TV success and say "I did it."

"And that makes sense. He is one of a kind, was one of a kind," de Cordova said in 1995. "I don't think there's any reason for him to try something different."

Carson spent his retirement years sailing, traveling and socializing with a few close friends including media mogul Barry Diller and NBC executive Bob Wright. He simply refused to be wooed back on stage.

"The reason I really don't go back or do interviews is because I just let the work speak for itself," he told Esquire magazine in 2002 in a rare interview.

The former talk show host did find an outlet for his creativity: He wrote short humor pieces for The New Yorker magazine, including "Recently Discovered Childhood Letters to Santa," which purported to give the youthful wish lists of William Buckley, Don Rickles and others.

Carson made his debut as "Tonight" host in October 1962. Audiences quickly grew fond of his boyish grin and easy wit. He even made headlines with such clever ploys as the 1969 on-show marriage of eccentric singer Tiny Tim to Miss Vicki, which won the show its biggest-ever ratings.

The wedding and other noteworthy moments from the show were collected into a yearly "Tonight" anniversary special.

In 1972, "Tonight" moved from New York to Burbank. Growing respect for Carson's consistency and staying power, along with four consecutive Emmy Awards, came his way in the late 1970s.

His quickness and his ability to handle an audience were impressive. When his jokes missed their target, the smooth Carson won over a groaning studio audience with a clever look or sly, self-deprecating remark.

Politics provided monologue fodder for him as he skewered lawmakers of every stripe, mirroring the mood of voters. His Watergate jabs at President Nixon were seen as cementing Nixon's fall from office in 1974.

He made presidential history again in July 1988 when he had then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton on his show a few days after Clinton came under widespread ridicule for a boring speech at the Democratic National Convention. Clinton traded quips with Carson and played "Summertime" on the saxophone. Four years later, Clinton won the presidency.

Carson dispatched would-be late-night competitors with aplomb. Competing networks tried a variety of formats and hosts but never managed to best "Tonight" and Carson.

There was the occasional battle with NBC: In 1967, for instance, Carson walked out for several weeks until the network managed to lure him back with a contract that reportedly gave him $1 million-plus yearly.

In 1980, after more walkout threats, the show was scaled back from 90 minutes to an hour. Carson also eased his schedule by cutting back on his work days; a number of substitute hosts filled in, including Joan Rivers, David Brenner, Jerry Lewis and Jay Leno, Carson's eventual successor.

Rivers was one of the countless comedians whose careers took off after they were on Carson's show. After she rocked the audience with her jokes in that 1965 appearance, he remarked, "God, you're funny. You're going to be a star."

"If Johnny hadn't made the choice to put me on his show, I might still be in Greenwich Village as the oldest living undiscovered female comic," she recalled in an Associated Press interview 20 years later. She tried her own talk show in 1986, quickly becoming one of the many challengers who could not budge Carson.

In the '80s, Carson was reportedly the highest-paid performer in television history with a $5 million "Tonight" show salary alone.

His Carson Productions created and sold pilots to NBC, including "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes." Carson himself made occasional cameo appearances on other TV series.

He also performed in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, New Jersey, and was host of the Academy Awards five times in the '70s and '80s.

Carson's graceful exit from "Tonight" did not avoid a messy, bitter tug-of-war between Leno and fellow comedian David Letterman. Leno took over as "Tonight" host on May 25, 1992, becoming the fourth man to hold the job after founding host Steve Allen, Paar and Carson.

Carson was born in Corning, Iowa, and raised in nearby Norfolk, Neb. He started his show business career at age 14 as the magician "The Great Carsoni."

After World War II service in the Navy, he took a series of jobs in local radio and TV in Nebraska before starting at KNXT-TV in Los Angeles in 1950.

There he started a sketch comedy show, "Carson's Cellar," which ran from 1951-53 and attracted attention from Hollywood. A staff writing job for "The Red Skelton Show" followed.

The program provided Carson with a lucky break: When Skelton was injured backstage, Carson took the comedian's place in front of the cameras.

Producers tried to find the right program for the up-and-coming comic, trying him out as host of the quiz show "Earn Your Vacation" (1954) and in the variety show "The Johnny Carson Show" (1955-56).

From 1957-62 he was host of the daytime game show "Who Do You Trust?" and, in 1958, was joined for the first time by McMahon, his durable "Tonight" buddy.

A few acting roles came Carson's way, including one on "Playhouse 90" in 1957, and he did a pilot in 1960 for a prime-time series, "Johnny Come Lately," that never made it onto a network schedule.

In 1958, Carson sat in for "Tonight Show" host Jack Paar. When Paar left the show four years later, Carson was NBC's choice as his replacement.

After his retirement, Carson took on the role of Malibu-based retiree with apparent ease. An avid tennis fan, he was still playing a vigorous game in his 70s.

He and his wife, Alexis, traveled frequently. The pair met on the Malibu beach in the early 1980s; he was 61 when they married in June 1987, she was in her 30s.

Carson's first wife was his childhood sweetheart, Jody, the mother of his three sons. They married in 1949 and split in 1963.

He married Joanne Copeland Carson in 1963; divorce came in 1972. His third marriage, to Joanna Holland Carson, took place in 1972. They separated in 1982 and reached a divorce settlement in 1985.

On the occasion of Carson's 70th birthday in 1995, former "Tonight" bandleader Doc Severinsen, who toured with musicians from the show, said he was constantly reminded of Carson's enduring popularity.

"Every place we go people ask `How is he? Where is he? What is he doing? Tell him how much we miss him.' It doesn't surprise me," Severinsen said.

The brisk sale of the video collection "Johnny Carson: His Favorite Moments From The Tonight Show," released in 1994, offered further proof of his appeal.

He won a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1992, with the first President Bush saying, "With decency and style he's made America laugh and think." In 1993, he was celebrated by the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors for career achievement.

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rcs_mum
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Re: Johnny Carson is dead
« Reply #1 on: Jan 23^rd, 2005, 2:59pm »

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A real loss to the entertainment industry.

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lakelady
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Re: Johnny Carson is dead
« Reply #2 on: Jan 23^rd, 2005, 3:09pm »

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I don't know why this has hit me so badly except that I did stand in line and got to sit in the audience and saw his show. I'm just at a loss and this hits too close too home. Cry

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Pocket
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Re: Johnny Carson is dead
« Reply #3 on: Jan 23^rd, 2005, 6:56pm »

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He was truly one of a kind.....

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Rhune
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Re: Johnny Carson is dead
« Reply #4 on: Jan 23^rd, 2005, 8:30pm »

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My sympathies to his family and loved ones. I honestly never watched his show much, but I appreciate the contributions he made to the entertainment industry.

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Rupey
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Re: Johnny Carson is dead
« Reply #5 on: Jan 24^th, 2005, 11:36am »

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I grew up with him. I knew it was time to be in bed (as a teenager) when I heard "The Tonight Show" theme and "Heeeeeere's JOHNNY!" I'd be in bed and hear my dad chuckling at Carson's monologue. Invariably, the next day my dad would be telling my mother some of Carson's jokes.

Johnny Carson was a very important part of American pop culture during my lifetime. He was one of a kind.

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luci
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Re: Johnny Carson is dead
« Reply #6 on: Jan 24^th, 2005, 12:19pm »

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Yes, we've missed Johnny since his retirement from "The Tonight Show" Cool

None of the other showson TV now make the impact he did!

We went to bed with his show, as did most of the country, and watched it until we fell asleep.
His monologues were and are engraved in our hearts and memories.
We loved Carrnack, his interaction with the animals, and also when he would have a blank expression on his face and break a pencil, instead of a comeback remark!

I remember him saying that most home accidents happen during his show!

Last year I purchased "The Ultimate Collection of Johnny Carson".
Three DVD's are in it. We've never taken time to view it, now we have a reason to visit the past and remember how we laughed at this wonderfully talented genius of comedy.

Rest in Peace old friend!

« Last Edit: Jan 24^th, 2005, 12:20pm by luci »

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lakelady
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Re: Johnny Carson is dead
« Reply #7 on: Jan 24^th, 2005, 6:56pm »

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I remember like it was yesterday...I went to Los Angeles for the first time to visit my brother. I think I was 18 or 19. The one thing I HAD to do was visit NBC studios and see the Johnny Carson show. We took the tour first and our group sat in the empty studio audience amazed at how small it was! We stook in line for hours to get tickets. They had a couple of comics outside telling jokes and getting the crowd pumped. When our time came, the tickets were sparse. We couldn't sit together. I remember sitting behind a big camera and couldn't see a thing. My brother came at the last moment and switched seats with me so I could see.

The clock in the studio on the wall read 10:30 pm though it was actually 5:30. Ed and Doc came out about 15 minutes before the start time and joked around with the audience. Then at exactly start time, the band started up and out he came. There was an X on the stage where he stood. He was so tiny! Just a wee man!
During the commercials after he sat down, he would smoke and fan the air before he went back on camera. That night there were no huge stars. Only Donald O'Conner. But luci, he did Carmack! It was hilarious.

Because I was studying television and production, he was a huge influence on why I wanted to work with NBC.

I admired and respected that he was a private person and didn't bask in the limelight. Just an ordinary talented man doing his job.

Rest in peace JC and know that you affected so many lives you never even knew about.

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lakelady
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Re: Johnny Carson is dead
« Reply #8 on: Feb 1^st, 2005, 9:17am »

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Oprah Remembers Carson
by Michael Ausiello

Late-night legend Johnny Carson, who lulled America to sleep for nearly 30 years as host of NBC's Tonight Show, died Jan. 23 of emphysema at his Malibu, Calif., home. He was 79. The sad news caught his colleagues in the showbiz world off guard. Here, Oprah Winfrey who sat on Carson's couch back in 1985, before she was a full-fledged talk-show queen shares her fond memories of Johnny.

TV Guide Online: Were you hosting The Oprah Winfrey Show at the time you did Tonight Show?
Oprah Winfrey: No, it was still called AM Chicago, and we were getting a lot of publicity for beating Donahue. So I was on [Tonight] for the first time then.

TVGO: Was Carson proud of all your success?
Winfrey: No, no, no. The thing about it is, when you're sitting there during the commercial break, he normally just focuses on whatever is on his desk at the time. So you're sitting there thinking, "He hates me. Oh my God, I'm bombing, he hates me." But then he comes back from the commercial break and he's on again. You're [thinking], "Oh, what I talk to Carson about?" And he says, "I know how to do what I do." One of the things that I've admired most about him was he left and he was gone. He didn't come back. He didn't try to do a sitcom. He didn't try to sing.

TVGO: What else do you remember about appearing on Tonight?
Winfrey: Are you kidding? It's an out-of-body experience. You're standing behind the curtain, you hear the music and then you're like, "It's the curtain! It's the curtain!" I can't remember anything.

TVGO: Did you ever think you'd end up being bigger than him on TV?
Winfrey: No, I don't think there's bigger. I think, for his time and what he represented, there is no bigger. There is different. Just like there will be people who will come after me who will be different. But I don't think anybody can say that they were bigger. There is no bigger.

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yesteach
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Re: Johnny Carson is dead
« Reply #9 on: Feb 1^st, 2005, 9:13pm »

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David Letterman did his "salute to Carson" last night - had Doc Severinsen and Peter Lasalley (sp?)... the sat and shared their memories... Doc Severinsen and a couple of others from the band(names slipped my mind at the mo) played... was really nice to see.

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Addams
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Re: Johnny Carson is dead
« Reply #10 on: Feb 1^st, 2005, 9:49pm »

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I saw David's tribute and really enjoyed it. I never knew until then that Johnny Carson was writing a few of the monologue jokes that David Letterman used in his monologue. Last night ALL the monologue jokes he told were written by Johnny Carson. I could tell the respect Letterman hadA for Carson and he attributed all his succes to Carson without limitation. It was a good show.

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