Tonight Show w/Johnny Carson question (1 Viewer)

Vahan_Nisanain · Oct 29, 2014

I was on eBay just now, and I found a good chunk of taping tickets for the show from his final year in 1992. Was this how Carson would do the show during the final year? Tape each episode at 5:30 p.m. daily, and then each of them would air several hours later?

Mike Frezon · Oct 29, 2014

That's how most of the late night shows were (and are) done.

Mike Frezon · Oct 29, 2014

Here is info on the Fallon Tonight Show tapings.

Vahan_Nisanain · Oct 29, 2014

Thanks everybody.

I take special interest in the ticket for May 22, 1992, which was, of course, the taping of Carson's final show. Was that ticket really only given out to family, friends, and crew? Wikipedia claims those were the only kind of people in the audience for the taping of the finale.

FanCollector · Oct 29, 2014

Yes, the last show was by invitation only. It was very heavily covered at the time, and I think Carson actually mentions it on the show itself.

Jack P · Oct 30, 2014

Taping at the equivalent of 8:30 PM Eastern was the norm since the early 60s. Even Jack Paar was pre-recording his last year or two.

MishaLauenstein · Oct 30, 2014

Very annoyed when I went to see the Tonight Show (with Jay Leno) because I had a similar ticket in my hand for several hours while in line and was very happy to have such a great souvenir and then when we went in they had a ticket-taker who took the ticket away from us!

WTF?

Dave B Ferris · Aug 12, 2015

I wonder what the ratings will be for this new endeavor:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-st-classic-johnny-carson-tonight-20150812-story.html

Mike Frezon · Aug 12, 2015

Dave B Ferris said:
I wonder what the ratings will be for this new endeavor:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-st-classic-johnny-carson-tonight-20150812-story.html

Hard to say, right?

Due to the quality of the product, they should be good. But I would think Carson Productions has waited too long and most of the people who have been wanting something like this for a long time have moved on (in one way or another).

And the venue is probably limiting for much of the country (Antenna TV)--despite the 78% figure mentioned in the article.

It'll be mighty interesting to see.

Wouldn't it be something if Johnny were able to out-perform some of the current gang of late night hosts...?

Oh, what I wouldn't give for that to happen.

Dave B Ferris · Aug 12, 2015

Hard to say, right?

Due to the quality of the product, they should be good. But I would think Carson Productions has waited too long and most of the people who have been wanting something like this for a long time have moved on (in one way or another).

And the venue is probably limiting for much of the country (Antenna TV)--despite the 78% figure mentioned in the article.

It'll be mighty interesting to see.

Wouldn't it be something if Johnny were able to out-perform some of the current gang of late night hosts...? Oh, what I wouldn't give for that to happen.

Indeed, no doubt about the quality. I would think any aspiring comedian would be well served by watching/studying the monologue, for starters.

For the general public, however - I think there is a rule of thumb in the syndication business, that topicality is a deadly sin. Even comedies and dramas (much less a show with a monologue related to the events of the day) that are too topical usually perform poorly in syndication, or are not syndicated, at all.

Mike Frezon · Aug 12, 2015

That could, most definitely, be a factor for some people.

But, myself? I yearn to hear more jokes about General Alexander Haig washing up in his helmet when times were tough during the Nixon administration (a classic Carson monologue bomb that he continued to mine during the entire monologue). Hysterical.

Dave B Ferris · Aug 12, 2015

I know Haig worked in several Republican Administrations; however, I think he was the butt of more jokes for his "I'm in charge" statement after Reagan was shot (because, constitutionally, Haig's position was not on the line-of-succession list).

Was Haig also a character in the famous skit when Carson (as Reagan) kept saying "Yassar" to Arafat, but everybody else in the room was confusing "Yassar" with "Yes, Sir"?

Jack P · Aug 12, 2015

No the other actor was playing Jim Baker the Chief of Staff in that sketch. James Watt, the Interior Secretary was also mentioned as part of the sketch (since the sketch is a variant of "Who's On First?")

It's nice to hear shows are going to be made available this way though it's too bad Sotzing didn't think enough to do this 5-10 years ago.

Mike Frezon · Aug 12, 2015

Oh yeah, Dave. Haig really blew it when said "I'm in charge."

He was Nixon's chief of staff at the White House. And his military demeanor even followed him with the humorists back then.

The particular joke I clumsily referenced above was something that has--obviously--really stuck with me over time. I remember seeing it referenced once in a Rolling Stone article and felt extremely validated that someone else thought enough to remember it, too.

rjd0309 · Aug 13, 2015

It was a very funny sketch, as I recall.

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