John William "Johnny" Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American actor, comedian and writer best known for his iconic status as the host of The Tonight Show from 1962 until 1992. During his tenure The Tonight Show was often referred to as "the Johnny Carson show" (not to be confused with his mid-1950s TV show of the same name) or just "Carson."
Before The Tonight Show
Johnny Carson was born in Corning, Iowa and grew up in Norfolk, Nebraska, where he learned to perform magic tricks, debuting as "The Great Carsoni" at age 14. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946. Carson attended the University of Nebraska, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1949. The next year, Carson took a job at a local Nebraska radio station; next, Carson took a job at Los Angeles television station KNXT, which would be his entry to the big time. In 1953, well-known comic Red Skelton - a fan of Carson's sketch comedy show, “Carson’s Cellar,” which ran from 1951 to 1953 on KNXT - tabbed Carson to join his show as a writer. In 1954, Skelton knocked himself unconscious just one hour before his live show went on the air; Carson replaced him - and a star was born. He hosted several TV shows before his run on The Tonight Show, including the short-lived Johnny Carson Show (1954 - 1955) and a five-year stint on the game show Who Do You Trust? (1957 - 1962).
The Tonight Show
Carson became the host of NBC's The Tonight Show on October 2, 1962. His co-host was Ed McMahon thoughout his entire tenure with the program. His first guest was Groucho Marx, who had been one of many substitute hosts following the departure of Jack Paar. Carson shared writing credit on "Johnny's Theme", the title music for his version of the program, which was co-written by Paul Anka.
For millions of Americans, watching The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson at the end of the evening became a ritual, and Carson became a well-known entertainer loved by many. Most of the later shows began with music and the announcement by Ed McMahon "Heeeeeere's Johnny!," followed by a brief comedic monologue by Carson. This was often followed by comedy sketches, interviews, and music. Carson's trademark was a golf swing at the end of his Tonight Show monologues. Common bits and characters included:
- "Carnac the Magnificent," where Carson played a psychic who gave the punchline to a joke before revealing the setup
- "Floyd R. Turbo," a dimwitted yokel responding to a TV station editorial
- "Art Fern," the fast-talking host of a movie program who advertised products and romanced his attractive blonde assistant when the camera was off
- "Aunt Blabby," an old woman who bore more than a passing resemblance to comedian Jonathan Winters' character "Maude Frickert"
- "Stump the Band," where studio audience members ask the band to try to play obscure songs given only the title
- "The Mighty Carson Art Players," which spoofed news, movies, television shows, and commercials
Carson was often at his best, however, when sketches went wrong (as they often did). If the opening monologue fared poorly, the band would start playing the song "Tea for Two" and Carson would start to dance, which invariably earned laughs from the studio audience. Carson had a talent for declaring quick quips to deal with unexpected problems.
The Tonight Show received an enormous audience on December 17, 1969, when Tiny Tim married Miss Vicki during the show.
The show was originally taped in New York City, with occasional stints in California. In May 1972 the show permanently moved from New York to Burbank, California, and Carson stopped doing shows five days a week. Instead, on Monday nights there was a "guest host" (leaving Carson to do the other four each week). Joan Rivers became the "permanent" guest host from September 1983 until 1986. Thereafter, The Tonight Show returned to using various guest hosts, with Jay Leno the most frequent. Leno then became the exclusive guest host in the fall of 1987.
In 1973, Carson had a legendary run-in with popular psychic Uri Geller when he invited Geller to appear on his show. Carson, an experienced stage magician, wanted a neutral demonstration of Geller's alleged abilities, so, at the advice of his friend and fellow magician James Randi, he gave Geller several spoons out of his desk drawer and asked him to bend them. Geller proved unable, and his appearance on The Tonight Show has since been regarded as the beginning of Geller's fall from glory.
Carson was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1987. His other awards include 6 Emmy Awards, and a George Foster Peabody Award. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992.
Personal life
Carson married his college sweetheart Joan Wolcott on October 1, 1949. They had 3 sons. Their son, Richard, was killed on June 21, 1991, after his car plunged down a steep embankment along a paved service road off Highway 1 near Cayucos, a small town north of San Luis Obispo; apparently, Richard had been taking photographs when the accident occurred. On his first show after his son's death, Carson gave a stirring tribute to Ricky Carson in the final minutes of his show as several of his photographs were displayed.
In 1963, Carson got a "quickie" Mexican divorce from Joan and married Joanne Copeland on August 17, 1963. After a protracted divorce in 1972, Copeland received nearly half a million dollars in cash and art and $100,000 a year in alimony for life. At The Tonight Show's 10th anniversary party on September 30, 1972, Carson announced that he and former model Joanna Holland had been secretly married that afternoon, shocking his friends and associates.
On March 8, 1983, Holland filed for divorce. Under California's community property laws, she was entitled to 50 percent of all the assets accumulated during the marriage even though Carson earned virtually 100 percent of the couple's income. During this period, he joked on The Tonight Show, "My producer, Freddy de Cordova, really gave me something I needed for Christmas. He gave me a gift certificate to the Law Offices of Jacoby and Meyers." The divorce case finally ended in 1985 with an 80-page settlement, Holland receiving $20 million in cash and property. The story goes he met his fourth wife, Alexis Mass, when he saw her strolling along the beach near his Malibu home holding an empty wine glass. He left his house and offered to fill the glass up for her. They married on June 20, 1987.
Carson was close friends with the scientist Carl Sagan, who often appeared on The Tonight Show to give presentations on astronomy (Carson himself was an amateur astronomer). According to Sagan's biographer, Keay Davidson, Carson was the first person to contact Sagan's wife with condolences when the scientist died in 1996.