Heeeere's Johnny! The King of Late Night.

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The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered

Күн бұрын

On June 30, 1955, a show premiered on CBS primetime. The traditional variety show was not very successful, did not do well in the ratings, and was canceled less than a year later. But the short-lived Johnny Carson show set the stage for a much longer late-night run that is a cultural touchstone for millions of Americans.
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This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
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Пікірлер: 784

@Nicksonian 11 ай бұрын

Johnny brought a moderate, mid-western mindset to comedy and his show. Today, all things in moderation is an anachronism, and that might be what’s wrong with our world today. Carson thrived during a time of cultural division, but that was somehow much different from what we have today. Back then, a guy like Johnny could bring us all together. Today, no such personality exists. Johnny really was the king, but I don’t think the generations born since he retired would appreciate him as much as guys like me and The History Guy. I too shed a few tears when he signed off from his show, and from this world.

@hadronoftheseus8829 11 ай бұрын

I did not know that. Did you know that, Ed? That is weird wild stuff.

@rllapte 11 ай бұрын

Johnny's influence on comedy, the late night talk format and the reach of television is indelible. He was truly a "one of one" in the grandest fashion. I watched all of the final week installments. His sign off was masterful, gracious and deeply touching.

@RCAvhstape 11 ай бұрын

@@hadronoftheseus8829 Ed, "Ha ha ha. Yes."

@mrgmmiller 11 ай бұрын

I was going to say just about the same thing. There isn't a Johnny in our daily lives pulling us together for an hour anymore...we are now steadfast in our division.

@john-lenin 11 ай бұрын

He was a jerk and a failed comedian who was always trying to upstage his guests

@milosterwheeler2520 11 ай бұрын

An awful lot of Americans would not go to bed until they had seen Carson's opening monologue. The night's guests would determine if they stayed up for the whole show. But the monologue was a must.

@hanslehmann2124 11 ай бұрын

For up and coming comedians of that era, they knew they had arrived when they were asked to perform on the Tonight Show. Even more so if they were invited to sit to Johnny's right after their performance.

@barbaraborgia3289 11 ай бұрын

My newborn daughter wouldn’t go to sleep until she heard his monologue 😅.

@cade83642 11 ай бұрын

That's funny and cute!!

@SoberOKMoments 11 ай бұрын

Absoutely! I was one of them. :)

@jamesmoss3424 11 ай бұрын

R.I.P. Johnny Carson he will always the king of late night.

@inconnu4961 10 ай бұрын

He absolutely will be!

@colinsdad1 11 ай бұрын

I remember watching that last show with my Dad in 1992... my Dad too teared up, as he said "An end of an Era... Carson is irreplaceable. " Thank you for this video- it brought me back to simpler times that I dearly miss.

@RichWhiteUM 11 ай бұрын

I remember watching the last episode with my mother. We both cried because we had both grew up with Johnny Carson. She was born in the '50s and I was born in the '70s. He was a staple of night time TV in our house.

@gtc1961 11 ай бұрын

How right he was...the current crop of late night hosts are all too political.

@bravobravoh1344 11 ай бұрын

I also watched the last show with my dad, it was kind of hard to believe that it was the end of an era.

@samiam619 11 ай бұрын

@@gtc1961They are only too political if you’re a right-wing-can-do-no-wrong kind of person.

@gtc1961 11 ай бұрын

@@samiam619 No, they're pretty far left which is kind of represented by their ratings. That's what happens when you alienate half the country. The shows aren't even funny any longer, it's more of a democrat rally than a TV show. You never really knew where Carson stood on politics, which is why he was so successful. The current crop of brainwashers really don't care, and neither do their bosses. The agenda is more important than the ratings.

@caturdaynite7217 11 ай бұрын

Johnny always made you feel like he was an old friend who made you laugh. At age 11 I got a TV in my room I watched, or fell a sleep to, Johnny every week night. When he said goodbye in 1992, it was like losing an old friend.

@mlynettepinky595 9 ай бұрын

Yeah right, A old racist friend, who disowned his Black biracial granddaughter 😒 That's what Johnny Carson was. He threatened his son Christopher to end his relationship with a Black woman, he was seekng for 10 yrs. Johnny Carson threatened to cut him off financially and disowned Christopher, if he didn't disowned his own daughter. Yeah, he is a old friend, if you like racist and bigots, who disowned their flesh and blood because they are biracial, a different race.

@rdhunkins 11 ай бұрын

There’s no one like Johnny Carson. He was great because he was like a funny friend who’d come over to visit in the evenings and make you laugh. Even when his jokes weren’t that funny.

@Kafkaworld739 11 ай бұрын

Great points and when his jokes weren’t that funny he was always armed with a quip or an expression re the joke that would make you laugh

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 11 ай бұрын

He was, perhaps, most funny in his reaction when a joke didn’t go over.

@bloodybones63 11 ай бұрын

The 'Tea for Two' dance, when a joke stalled.@@TheHistoryGuyChannel

@rllapte 11 ай бұрын

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Yes, that was a major component of Johnny's comedic genuis. The facial expressions, mannerisms and quips were always amusing, good for a wry smile or chuckle no matter how many times you'd seen them.

@_Peremalfait 11 ай бұрын

@@Kafkaworld739 A joke could bomb and Johnny would make a joke of the joke bombing and have everyone laughing. And of course Ed would laugh no matter what. Something about Ed McMahon's laugh was infectious. He was the perfect sidekick.

@matthewbyrd2329 11 ай бұрын

The weekday was never EVER over until we watched Carson. It was always just “Carson”. True American icon.

@haroldvoss5886 11 ай бұрын

Man, this brings back memories from my childhood.. My parents like most back in the 1970's had us kids in bed by 8:30.. BUT one night I couldn't sleep, and stood in the darkness of the hallway, Mom and Dad had the TV on and I heard my first Carson monologue and I was hooked as an eight year old kid. After weeks of sneaking out of bed to hear this funny guy, my parents would yell at me to get mo @$$ back in bed.. Then one night, Mom I suppose was in bed early, and I was up to my regular antic trying to hear a few jokes, but Dad didn't yell at me,, BUT instead when the monologue was about to start, never looked up from his beer or cigarette, he just simply told me to be quiet and sit down, but as soon as the monologue was over he wanted me to go back to bed.. That started a nightly bonding of a father and son that lasted until I was grown up, When I deployed to Desert Storm, Dad would record the monologue on VHS and send them to me.. Great memories Thank you

@CynthiaLynn-vp4fq 11 ай бұрын

Hello 🤗 I always feel good anytime I read your comments 💕

@altonbunnjr 11 ай бұрын

I regularly watch his show on KZfaq. The best thing about him was that he let the guests have the spotlight and would guide things along. He was funniest when his monologue bombed, my favorite quip being “is there a revolver in the house?”.

@eddenoy321 11 ай бұрын

Today there really would be many guns in the house. How we have changed.

@raymondevans205 11 ай бұрын

''Taps Mic..Is this thing on?''

@altonbunnjr 11 ай бұрын

@@eddenoy321 Please go troll somewhere else.

@eddenoy321 11 ай бұрын

@@altonbunnjr Go play with yer guns you paranoid freak.

@inconnu4961 10 ай бұрын

@@altonbunnjr Nah, let him troll. We can have some fun with these nitwits!

@-jeff- 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for the reminder of thousands of hours doing what millions of others were doing at the same time. Watching Johnny before going to bed. That history is my history and can never be forgotten.

@HM2SGT 11 ай бұрын

*"I like your show Johnny. The wife and I use it for a nightlight when we want to fool around."* 😂 _Don Rickles_

@robcampbell3235 10 ай бұрын

Quite a few folks did ... Or so I've heard...

@stevedietrich8936 11 ай бұрын

THG, you missed an opportunity to sign off by adjusting the knot on your tie and stretching your neck. An awesome episode and wonderful tribute to Johnny.

@dblewis1779 11 ай бұрын

I remember the start of the Arsenio Hall show. Being a young black man around 27yrs old... I was excited and ready for the show and what it represented at the time. I definitely enjoyed Arsenio but I never stopped watching the Late Night show. Johnny was just smooth and cool. My evening was planned around his last show.. I guess like a lot of people I knew that not only was an era coming to an end. Also a Master Class on how to carry yourself as a gentleman was coming to an end.

@Blue-oh3te 11 ай бұрын

I agree with your assessment regarding how he carried himself as a gentleman and how he treated his guests. Arsenio’s show was also great - he was also gracious and positive. The hosts that came after them didn’t measure up.

@inconnu4961 10 ай бұрын

Arsenio Hall had an infectious personality and helped the transition from Johnny Carson to the new crop of hosts.

@melodygreen5029 11 ай бұрын

His last Tonight Show was incredibly moving. Definitely a history worth remembering! There will never be another Johnny Carson!

@trevinbeattie4888 11 ай бұрын

I had no idea Carson was a navy veteran. Thanks for sharing the background of what is still my favorite late-night comedy show.

@TheHistoryGuyChannel 11 ай бұрын

He served aboard USS Pennsylvania. He and Ed McMahon occasionally discussed their service, as McMahon was, of course, a marine.

@claytonbouldin9381 11 ай бұрын

@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I remember Johnny and Ed talking about their service and Ed actually out ranked Johnny, which of course Carson played to the hilt. He was the best, period. None of the late night shows today can hold a candle to Johnny Carson.

@michaelmartin4552 11 ай бұрын

@@claytonbouldin9381 Carson left the navy after 3 years. Ed on the other hand served for 25 years and retired as a Colonel in 1966.

@inconnu4961 10 ай бұрын

@@michaelmartin4552 Impressive! Thank you for clarifying this. I was a bit young to appreciate some of that banter.

@garyglenn3654 11 ай бұрын

When he retired, it was hard to believe he was no longer on TV. I can remember going into work being very tired because of course, I stayed up to watch Carson.

@scottward7813 11 ай бұрын

What Johnny did, to his credit, was entertain with his guests. He understood that most of his audience was gonna get up in in six or seven hours and hit daily life again and needed a good night's sleep to do it. Entertain, not antagonize or vilify. Late night "hosts" now preach, whine and complain nonstop and talk politics. They wind people up!

@rcair123 11 ай бұрын

As a boy of 5 or 6 Jonny made me laugh he continued to make me laugh until he retired, now when I see a rerun or a clip I stop what I am doing and laugh again. God bless you Johnny you made America a funnier place and a happier place.

@earlt.7573 11 ай бұрын

No matter what kind of a day you had, when that Tonight Show music hit the room, you felt like all was right with the world. Johnny was always there to make us laugh and end the day on a comforting note. Johnny, Ed, Doc & the band, we sure do miss ya.

@rosezingleman5007 11 ай бұрын

Johnny’s sense of humor was infectious. When a comedian started talking and the camera cut to Johnny breaking up with mirth, it was pure gold. Yes, I cried too when he signed off that last time. He was one of the greats. And RIP Alan Arkin.

@markhodge7 11 ай бұрын

Johnny was a force of nature, but a gentle force. He was like a friend that could always make you laugh. Johnny was just Johnny, and I miss him to this day.

@bloodybones63 11 ай бұрын

In a time when I was cold & hungry, & had no entertainment but old books & even older B&W TV that recieved 3 channels, Johnny was a literal lifesaver.

@markseib4173 11 ай бұрын

The comment about having people not famous on the show: he could have farmers, kids, older ladies, whoever, and he could just engage them, and you felt so good afterwards. What an impact. I miss that kind of conversational connectedness. We seem to be too much in our little silos and echo chambers...

@kkampy4052 11 ай бұрын

That was where Johnny excelled. He could have some Everyman from some little Burg from some State on his show and make that person feel like they were the top of the world. He never made fun of them at all

@cade83642 11 ай бұрын

I'd forgotten about those people too! How right you are!!

@saturn722 4 ай бұрын

Believe it or not there are still people like Carson and there are many many people like the ones he had on his show! The problem is the woke executives of most media companies in our country refuse to show the best of American entertainment. The don’t make real shows anymore that can connect to an audience so they don’t need real actors.

@patraic5241 11 ай бұрын

An appearance on the Johnny Carson Show could make or break a career in entertainment. So many talented people appeared for the first time in the public eye on that show.

@jamessimms415 9 ай бұрын

It broke Joan Rivers when she had her show on Fox. He never forgave her for that.

@JazznRealHipHop 11 ай бұрын

Some of the warmest memories I have of my father was staying up late to watch Johnny Carson with him, maybe making it thru the monologue before falling asleep and him carrying me to bed. Johnny was a part of my home and childhood.

@ajg617 11 ай бұрын

Wonderful. Watched Who Do You Trust during the day and Red Skelton's show religiously. Went to a small private school with Paar's daughter so my parents were always in tune with Paar's show and he'd occasionally show up at school to visit. When Carson took over, it took awhile for my parents - not sure they ever really did. But I found it entertaining and often hilarious and within a couple of years it was a nightly staple for me. Still watch it on YT and Roku.

@stevedietrich8936 11 ай бұрын

Fellow oldster here. I vaguely remember Paar, but remember Red Skelton very well. Clem Kadditilhopper among other characters.

@ajg617 11 ай бұрын

@@stevedietrich8936 Red's shows are on Roku - he was so funny. Miss those days.

@Heres_Johnny. 11 ай бұрын

I grew up watching Johnny on the Tonight Show. A lot of people say he was the best. And they’re right. There never will be anyone who can measure up to his skill doing what he did. And we loved watching. Thank you for this. Great episode.

@nickpaine 11 ай бұрын

"Did you watch Carson last night?" was often heard. The answer was usually "Yes". His influence on the nation's dialogue was enormous.

@tracytrawick322 11 ай бұрын

64, like so many others I was raised on The Tonight Show. Many have come & gone with their own success stories, but none to compare with Ed's nightly opener, Here's Johnny! Nothing like him before (sorry Jack) or since. Great job THG, really outstanding.

@blackbuttecruizr 11 ай бұрын

Back when comedian made fun of everyone, what a class act!

@washingtonradio 11 ай бұрын

Johnny was always someone who would give young talent a chance and didn't mind if someone (or animal) stole the show from him. I remember some of his bits with animals as absolutely hilarious because of his reactions. Also, his humor was more gentle and even handed when it came to politicians

@stanstenson8168 11 ай бұрын

For sure, if Joan Embrey was on it was going to be a great show.

@61rampy65 11 ай бұрын

Johnny was superb at getting laughs from the audience with the animal acts. As @stansenson noted, Joan Embrey (along with Jack Hanna) always made the animal sequences funny and fun to watch. PS: Sadly, Jack Hanna is not doing well these days as he has Alzheimers.

@stanstenson8168 11 ай бұрын

@@61rampy65 We look at a bunch of the same channels.

@delicate_genius 11 ай бұрын

I was a teenager in the 90s. Over a decade before that I would beg my mom to let me stay up to watch Johnny. My heart broke for him when his son died. I cried when he retired and again when he passed. I also loved watching Dave but for different reasons. But, late night died for me when Craig Ferguson left the late late show. Thanks for the memories, History Guy!

@MichaelLivingston-me 11 ай бұрын

I'm with you on the assessment of Craig Ferguson. He wasn't cut from the same mold as Johnny, and that was a good thing. His quick wit and off handed interactions with guests often left me rolling with laughter. A man with originality and depth. Craig Ferguson is also missed.

@DeereX748 11 ай бұрын

This was a perfect tribute to one of the greatest TV personalities ever, since the invention of that medium. No one who has come after him can hold a candle to him, not even the next two "greats" who got their starts on his show: Leno and Letterman. The newer late-night hosts are truly pretenders, and not even good ones. I grew up watching Red Skelton as a child, and as soon as I was allowed to stay up late, became a Carson fan. I've watched him almost ever since he took the show from Paar, and I still watch him on KZfaq and the dedicated Sling TV channel that bears his name. It's fun to see his suits and try to guess the year the particular show was originally aired, although many of them tell that during the intro. It's also interesting to note that many of the issues he talked about, both good and bad, are still present in today's society, although they seem to be more intense and stratified today. You didn't mention Ed McMahon except in passing. You should consider a similar video on him and his path to the side of a man he stayed with for so long, happily in his shadow.

@DavidSmith-ss1cg 11 ай бұрын

Ed was famous for his drinking, and - up to a point - for giving Johnny back-chat - on the show. That time - also famously - his boss made him back down. Ed cleaned up his act OVERNIGHT!

@samiam619 11 ай бұрын

McMahon knew a good thing when he saw it. Think of all the Co-stars that left a dynamite show just to fall on their faces.

@TheNecronacht 11 ай бұрын

You were not alone in shedding tears at those times. It was for me the day the music died in late night television. I liked Leno, absolutley loved Letterman. But neither held a candle to Carson. And all that have followed Letterman and Leno pale in comparison to them. Johnny was the true king of late night television.

@googacct 11 ай бұрын

This episode definitely brings back memories. I grew up watching the Tonight Show monologue with my dad. Many years later and just by chance, I happened to be visiting my dad and we had gone on a little weekend camping trip in his RV and we watched the last episode of the Tonight Show together. I am sure in every persons life there are special moments with a parent you will always remember. For me, this was one of them.

@claytonbouldin9381 11 ай бұрын

I was at a party at my friend's house. Everyone was upstairs socializing and having fun getting drunk and I was in the family room watching the last episode of The Tonight Show by myself. It was the end of an era for sure.

@inconnu4961 10 ай бұрын

@@claytonbouldin9381 Sadly, many of us didnt realize it until later when we saw that few could match him.

@oldgrunt5806 11 ай бұрын

Different but similar to another old school gentleman, Jimmy Stewart. Johnny Carson's monologues were priceless, sometimes pointed, but always polite. He was probably the last of the old school comedians who could laugh at himself and by doing so allowed the rest of us to join in and chill out. Sorely missed in this day and age.

@stevedietrich8936 11 ай бұрын

Johnny Carson was the best late night host we've ever had. Carson spent his youth in Norfolk, Nebraska. We drive through there a few times a year, on fittingly, Johnny Carson Blvd..

@alstruck8063 11 ай бұрын

A true master of his art. Still miss him and Ed chatting me off to sleep with a smile.

@grimreaper6557 11 ай бұрын

Johnny Carson was the best 😍😍❤️❤️

@rcairnut 11 ай бұрын

I started watching in the late 60's till 92. It was odd because I looked at him as if he was a man I knew, like a friend, the class clown, the guy that always made everything more fun. that guy you wanted 'hang' with. That was Johnny to me. I assume millions more felt the same way.

@beebop9808 11 ай бұрын

I hear ya Guy. I would sneak out of my bedroom at night and tune in to Johnny. Long before the days of cable TV. Just a kid back then, guess you could say I grew up with Johnny. He is sorely missed no doubt.

@laara1426 2 ай бұрын

I am sooo glad I grew up in Canada, close to the American border, because the education I received watching Johnny Carson was priceless.

@markbaker9459 11 ай бұрын

Of the many Johnny Carson shows my wife and I enjoyed, the featured,’This year’s top selling gifts for X-mas ‘ . One year a football figure had its head blown off by another toy and Johnny lost it laughing as did we at home, My ribs literally hurt from laughing so hard.

@CynthiaLynn-vp4fq 11 ай бұрын

Hello dear 🤗 I always feel good anytime I read your comments 💕

@eaolson43613 11 ай бұрын

Excellent topic, well researched and presented. To the History Guy himself, who is becoming the voice of "History that deserves to be remembered". Thank you for picking up the webcam one day and telling us about something. You are definitely improving your art.

@CynthiaLynn-vp4fq 11 ай бұрын

Hello dear 🤗 I always feel good anytime I read your comments 💕

@MsRmaclaren 11 ай бұрын

The show when Rickles broke his cigarette box and the follow up when Carson went next door and interrupted CPO Sharkey was hilarious. I still watch it on youtube every now and then.

@leifnelson6244 11 ай бұрын

How Johnny channeled Rickles right back in Rickles' face was masterful.

@jamessimms415 9 ай бұрын

Carnac: Sis Boom Baa

@vincegiaccone4411 11 ай бұрын

Thanks for reminding me of Mr. Carson and his impact on me and the America I grew up in. God Bless.

@beerdrinker6452 11 ай бұрын

I will always love Johnny Carson.

@misolgit69 11 ай бұрын

He must be the only TV presenter to be immortalised as a robotic cab driver in an Arnie movie

@MilesTailsPrower86 11 ай бұрын

Us millennials know Johnny if not by catching his last few shows, then by all of the pop-culture references to him in the decade or so after he retired. The "Carnac the Magnificent" bit is still imitated to this day!

@allimone5400 11 ай бұрын

He did make both Democrats and Republicans laugh, too bad the present late night hosts can not do that

@badapple65 11 ай бұрын

The era of neutrality in entertainment ended with Jay Leno’s retirement from the small screen. We all used to laugh at ourselves but now they want us to laugh at others. The viewership numbers are less than half while late night salaries more than doubled proving it’s all orchestrated.

@michaelmartin4552 11 ай бұрын

He poked fun equally at both sides, and never in a mean spirited manner. His jokes were rarely offensive, and that is something that is completely lacking in modern entertainment. That is why I have not watched late night TV in many years. Each and every one of them has very obviously taken sides, and I have no interest in that kind of humor. Even politicians he spoofed on his show like Ronald Reagan knew it was not done in a mean manner, and they all laughed along with him. Just as they knew he was laughing with them, and not at them.

@thomasbest8599 11 ай бұрын

Republicans can’t laugh at themselves

@michaelmartin4552 11 ай бұрын

@@thomasbest8599 And this is exactly the problem with "humor" today. Most are incapable of doing it without offending others.

@thomasbest8599 11 ай бұрын

@@michaelmartin4552 Diceman and Sam Kinison both had problems with people both sides thinking they were offensive and Dice was at times. Very inappropriate

@jerrymacias150 11 ай бұрын

He set the standard that has not been close to being achieved… thanks HG. great show and thank you for your work…

@shanemoore8025 11 ай бұрын

In the words of the great Johnny Carson himself, “I..I did NOT know that!” Thank you for the trip down memory lane.

@desperado8605 11 ай бұрын

I'm a bit younger but I say the late night crew we have now should remember how he did it

@terrancecoard388 11 ай бұрын

In one of his final episodes he had on an African artist but I did not catch his name. The next day at a record store I went through every CD in alphabetical order until I found Youssou N'Dour. That was tiring but successful. I also remember again in one of his final shows, a singer that showed talent, but obviously nervous during his first song. He calmed down after chatting with Johnny and hit it out of the park with his second number..the great Julio Iglesias. His interviews with children were fantastic...you never knew what would happen. After Jay Leno, I could not tell you the name of a late night show host and don't even know if they still exist. Johnny was indeed the king!

@codymoe4986 11 ай бұрын

I'll bet David Letterman rings a bell..

@terrancecoard388 11 ай бұрын

@@codymoe4986 yes, Leatherman rings a bell but after Jay retired in 14 I did not watch late night.

@rhuephus 11 ай бұрын

@@codymoe4986 Carson made a few quick entrances on Letterman .. but NEVER on Leno.

@goodun2974 11 ай бұрын

@@rhuephus, I liked the Letterman show, sometimes; but I never nuch cared for Leno's show. Letterman often had excellent musical guest stars ---- Warren Zevon was a semi-frequent guest ---- but I found Paul Shafer irritating more often than not.

@woodrowsmith3400 11 ай бұрын

You are spot on about Johnny's ability to interview children. His interview with a five year old Drew Barrymore was absolutely priceless!

@rogergoodman8665 11 ай бұрын

All hail the one and only King of Late Night television. I also shed a tear or two as Johnny said goodbye for the final time that sad night. There will never be a more memorable opening line...... HEEERRREEE'S JOHNNY!!!

@richardhoff1626 11 ай бұрын

Putting this in perspective: I watched the last episode of Carson on my 31st birthday, shortly before the birth of my first child. It was truly the end of an era and odd to think that the next generation would not get to know the man we grew up wanting to watch who then became part of our lives.

@sar4x474 8 ай бұрын

One of my fondness memories was when my father allowed me to stay up and watch Johnny Carson with him. He was a great man. Johnny was a great man too.

@michaelphelan423 11 ай бұрын

For 30 years, I never went to sleep until I heard Johnny’ monologue

@joyoung2483 11 ай бұрын

Johnny Carson is definitely History that Deserves to be Remembered. Thanks for showcasing him!

@joanofarc6402 10 ай бұрын

I love Johnny Carson. He was SO charismatic!! He’s funny, humble, caring and lived for his profession!! He was everybody’s best friend and your neighbor!!

@nunyab8003 10 ай бұрын

I hid a TV in my closet so I could watch Johnny every night. In hindsight, I think my parents knew I had the old black and white, 3’ x 3’ square TV - if the noise didn’t give me away, the heat would have! RIP Johnny.

@pamelamays4186 11 ай бұрын

Johnny Carson helped raise the Boomer generation. One I hit adolescence my treat of the week was staying up late on Friday night to watch Johnny Carson. As an adult, Johnny kept me company many nights when my infant son just couldn't seem to fall asleep. There have been many late night princes over the years. Johnny Carson was, is, and shall forever be the one true undisputed king.

@stevebailey325 11 ай бұрын

I was 17 in 1976 and would come home from my evening shift at A&W and watch the Tonight Show every night at 11:30pm on my oh so cool Sears 4" B&W TV with rabbit ears.:) those were the days!

@jeffreybrooks8643 11 ай бұрын

Johnny Carson has set the Gold Standard for nighttime talk show hosts. No politics, no trashing of celebrities or politicians, no trashy language or vulgar skits.

@jeffnaslund 11 ай бұрын

Having been born in late 1959, Johnny Carson was part of my life until my 30s when he stepped down. It was a mainstay of television growing up

@CynthiaLynn-vp4fq 11 ай бұрын

Hello dear 🤗 I always feel good anytime I read your comments 💕

@jashary15 10 ай бұрын

Johnny Carson changed late-night TV forever. I watched his show for a number of years and like millions of viewers I was on the floor rollicking with hilarious laughter. The guy was an absolute scream. I can remember vividly viewing the news report of his death. I was watching TV that tragic Sunday Evening, January 23, 2005 (I forgot what I was watching that day), when the news broke: "This is a Special Report..." At first I thought it was going to be an announcement of the death of a political figure, such as the President or some famous sports star or something. Instead, the report announced the death of Comedian and late-night host of "The Tonight Show" Johnny Carson at the age of 79. Like millions of viewers I was stunned, but I was also impressed that he was valued that much that he could be worthy of a Special Report. It just shows how much the man was loved and how much joy he bought in millions of American living rooms. Johnny Carson is gone-and the world hasn't been the same since.

@herrunsinn774 11 ай бұрын

Johnny was a man of his time. Not only will there never be another Johnny but there will never be another "time of Johnny". I doubt if young people today would even "get" his show. That is not to fault them in any way, but rather just an observation that the "times" that made up Johnny (for better or worse) have passed. I do hope the younger generations can find an icon of their own to fondly remember as they age. Every generation deserves their own "Johnny".

@christian-michaelhansen471 11 ай бұрын

My mother was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer when I was 9. My father was working three jobs to pay her medical bills and keep the family afloat. So Mama wanted me to scratch her back, and my reward for doing it was that we watched “The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson”! At that tender age, I got Johnny’s jokes! Mama and I would laugh and giggle until she fell asleep. If the “Mighty Carson Arts Players” were one of the acts, I laid next to a snoring Mama and stifled my laughs so as to not disturb her. Carson was an integral part of my childhood. I graduated High School in 1987, but kept watching until he signed off in 1992. I loved him and his cast of characters! They made the pain of losing my Mom in 1980 lesser and easier. Thank you Mr. Carson, for your broad ranged brand of humor!

@katiekane5247 11 ай бұрын

Sweet story. I remember staying up & watching when at my grandma's, laughing at his jokes on her little TV in her bedroom. Simpler time for sure!

@Thomas-ky3rl 11 ай бұрын

I remember my parents as a kid laying up late at night watching Johnny Carson. They have been dead more than 12 years but it's a warm memory from my childhood.

@bryanmixer6248 11 ай бұрын

I was born in 1965, so I realized that I was growing up when I was allowed to watch the momologue, then the momonologue and opening skit, then throughh the first guest. At some point in the early eighties, my dad began to ask me to explain the more current pop culture references/jokes. Many of my friends later agreed that "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" was when they also realized their parents were acknowedging the passage of childhood....thank you THG for reminding us that WE can be part of history, forgotten or not.

@ryansmethurst4985 11 ай бұрын

Carson had a laid-back, even-handed approach to politics that you don't find today.

@RussellTHouse 11 ай бұрын

Mr. Carson was an imperfect human, just like all other humans, having his share of faults. My comment is not so much meant to elevate the man as a whole but his work as an entertainer and the effect it had on his audience over the decades. I remember staying up later than I should have for years, welcoming the opening credits and eagerly waiting for his monologue. What a great time it was to watch a highly skilled entertainer and laugh along with him. I, too, shed some tears when he retired. I felt like the world changed dramatically at the time and had suffered a great loss. But I soon realized that there were other important things in life that lead to joy. Johnny certainly supplied one of those!

@jamesdoyle5405 11 ай бұрын

Coming from flyover country Carson understood Americans and their tastes. He was gentle with "civilians" and was respectful to all.

@paladinhill 11 ай бұрын

One of your best videos ever. I spent a few minutes chatting one-on-one with Johnny in 1973 at the TWA Ambassador Club lounge at the JFK airport when I was a TWA employee. He was a very pleasant and unassuming superstar, short in physical stature, and somewhat shy/reserved in person. Nobody since Johnny has been as good as Johnny in entertaining such a wide segment of American society. I really miss him.

@daveerhardt1879 8 ай бұрын

Great video. Johnny Carson is a part of the social history of America. He could always laugh at himself, which is something I try to every day. He's an American icon.

@shawnmason5290 11 ай бұрын

I’m 59 I remember always watching it after the evening news with my mom and dad. I can now catch him on free antenna TV in the evenings at my house. Carol Burnett I think is on the same channel around that time.

@janetd4862 11 ай бұрын

Nebraskans were proud to claim him as one of their own. We sometimes laughed at his innuendos, but actually he always kept things clean. Even when I used to work at 5 a.m., I stayed up to watch the monologue. He is irreplaceable.

@dspatchin 11 ай бұрын

Johnny was even-handed in his satire, so everyone knew you (or your tribe) would get skewered one night and the other guys the next. It helped to realize there are things to laugh about in all of us. As funny as he was, Johnny was at his best when the monologue was bombing, and you still laughed with him mocking himself!

@BusterKitten 11 ай бұрын

I remember getting in trouble when stayed up past my bed time to watch Johnny Carson's show. Good memories....

@thomasgarrison3949 11 ай бұрын

I loved Johnny Carson, my kind of comedian. May he rest in Peace!

@CynthiaLynn-vp4fq 11 ай бұрын

Hello dear 🤗 I always feel good anytime I read your comments 💕

@d.g.rohrig4063 9 ай бұрын

Your statement about Johnny’s passing is exactly what happened for me when Robin Williams passed. Boy what an experience seeing Robin on the Carson shew! Thank you.

@dougmackenzie5976 2 ай бұрын

Brilliant summation! Johnny was the King for the first 30 years of my life, so, as you, I was quite moved when he signed off and also when he passed. In addition to all the laughs he provided us, remembrance of him now also revives our youth intrinsic to the memories of watching him all those years. And -thank you for another wonderful, thoughtful show.

@katiekane5247 11 ай бұрын

Some of my fondest memories are of staying over with my wonderful grandma. She'd let me stay up & watch Carson with her & not even be upset when I got jokes that I shouldn't have. Got drunk the first time at her house too, on apricot brandy 😔 Miss you Grandma Sissy 💞

@chrisnemec5644 11 ай бұрын

Two things about this: 1) Johnny was also a male model for a while, and actually was seen modeling suits and ties. 2) Johnny said something along the lines of this in 1990: "Some say nobody can ever replace me. Well, someone will have to do so sometime - and they will."

@rhuephus 11 ай бұрын

Well of course he was a model ... he had his own line of men's suits ..

@inconnu4961 10 ай бұрын

This is where Johnny was wrong. Certainly they came after him, but no one could really 'replace' him.

@SoberOKMoments 11 ай бұрын

A lovely tribute to the best of the best. I, too, cried on those two dates. He was our window on the word - with humor. I miss him still.

@shupshekitty 11 ай бұрын

If you notice, almost no one says Mr. Carson in memory of him. He was always Johnny. He was our rock and our friend. He would help us laugh in the midst of our personal tragedies.

@thisolesignguy2733 10 ай бұрын

I'll never forget when I was 5 years old and I saw Dom Deliuse for the first time on the Tonight Show. I've been a diehard fan of his every since. Then I saw George Burns, and John Candy. My 4 favorite comedians of all time (counting Johnny). RIP to all of them, you are missed by one fan that will never forget.

@JosiahGould 11 ай бұрын

The amount of times I've replied to a good joke with "Ha, ha! Yes, sir!" and gotten blank stares has just increased over the years. I was too young to see Johnny but remember him fondly due to the early late-nite shows I watched. Letterman and Conan always referenced Carson. Do a putt after a bad joke in his honor, he was influential to us early (EARLY!) Millennials. I'm sure I fell asleep to Carson more than once as a baby - the man was just there.

@jbart1411 11 ай бұрын

I could not agree with you more about Johnny. He was the best and always will be. I too cried on both those occasions

@debbieellett9093 11 ай бұрын

Thanks THG, I didn't know all of this about Johnny. He was definitely one of a kind.

@shafferjoe1962 11 ай бұрын

Not only was he better known than any president, he was more love and trusted. I was depressed for 3 days after his last show, as I felt as my uncle Johnny had died. When he did pass away, 3 more days of grieving. He was one man I wanted to meet, more than anyone else in the world. You are missed Johnny...

@terrylessmann2274 9 ай бұрын

Hard to believe he's been off the Tonight Show now longer than he was hosting it. I don't get the channel that shows replays anymore, but for a few yrs I did and it was great to see replays again. They were entertaining and funny, even 30 yrs later. That's comedy with staying power. We miss you Johnny.

@broncota2210 11 ай бұрын

I Never want to meet someone that dislikes or doesn't know who Jonny is or was. He deserves to be remembered

@CynthiaLynn-vp4fq 11 ай бұрын

Hello dear 🤗 I always feel good anytime I read your comments 💕

@azenginerd9498 11 ай бұрын

30 years later, Johny's reruns on KZfaq still make me laugh until I cry!

@13_13k 11 ай бұрын

Thank You , History Guy and team for making this video on who I believe to be the greatest television performer of all time. The reason I say he is the greatest is because Johnny wasn't acting or performing, except for the occasional skit, he was himself and he made you laugh and think, and he made his guests feel so comfortable while being interviewed especially other comedians and the child guests. Jonny was loved by all and he loved what he did. R.I.P. Jonathan William Carson. You are dearly missed.

@tyrport 11 ай бұрын

A big part of his secret sauce is that he didn’t interrupt guests when they were on a roll. When things stalled he ad libbed.

@johnwriter8234 11 ай бұрын

. As a US Coast Guard Veteran... i appreciate you showing of the Coast Guard Officer hat! .

@rvasquez8057 11 ай бұрын

Man, another "Out of the Park" video by the History Guy. Keep up the great work.

@buknekkit3084 10 ай бұрын

Grew up with Johnny since the 60's. Always loved his show and have even more respect knowing he was a Navy vet as well.

@jimbarbara1014 11 ай бұрын

I was hesitant to watch this, when it showed as a KZfaq prompt, as it was not on my list of expected "History". But as I am now 68, I was a contemporary fan of Carson like so many, and had long ago realized what a treasure he had been to me, and to everyone else. Probably the best "History Guy" piece ever done, and there are lots of good ones. Thank you HG. And thank you JC.