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Thread: Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies

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    Veteran Member DJ_Duane's Avatar
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    Sad Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies

    By JEFF WILSON, Associated Press Writer

    LOS ANGELES - Johnny Carson (news), 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, the location or the cause of death.

    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 audiences never tired of him; Carson went out on top when he retired in May 1992.

    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 was born in Corning, Iowa, and raised in nearby Norfolk. 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.

    The appearance probably was Carson's first monologue in front of a national audience, according to "The Complete Directory to Primetime TV Stars."

    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 hosted 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 and took over on Oct. 2, 1962.

    Audiences quickly grew fond of Carson's boyish grin and easy wit. He even made headlines with such clever ploys as the 1969 on-show marriage of 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 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 1976.

    He dispatched would-be late-night competitors with equal 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.

    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, N.J., and repeatedly hosted the Academy Awards (news - web sites) from 1979 on.

    Carson's graceful exit from "Tonight" did not avoid a messy, bitter battle to fill his job.

    Leno and fellow comedian David Letterman's tug-of-war over the job inspired a satirical 1996 HBO movie, "The Late Shift," based on the Bill Carter book of the same name.

    Leno took over as "Tonight" host on March 25, 1992, becoming the fourth man to hold the job after founding host Steve Allen, Paar and Carson (Letterman moved to a competitive late-night job at CBS).

    Carson stayed out of the fray and, after leaving "Tonight," took on the role of Malibu-based retiree with apparent ease. An avid tennis fan, Carson was still playing a vigorous game in his 70s. He was seen in the stands at professional matches including the U.S. Open and Wimbledon.

    He and his wife, Alexis, traveled and dined out 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 videocassettes of the best of "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," released in the early '90s, offered further proof of his appeal.

    In 1993, he was celebrated by the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors for career achievement.
    ___

    AP Television Writer Lynn Elber contributed to this report.
    Last edited by DJ_Duane; 01-23-2005 at 01:25 PM.

  2. #2
    God/dess MojoJojo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies

    I never really liked him...but he, without a doubt, an icon of television, and seemed to be a good hearted individual. I just saw a story on him the other day saying that he was thinking about coming back into the limelight a little and often wrote jokes for David Letterman just for kicks.

    RIP
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    God/dess RoseDelight's Avatar
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    Default Re: Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies

    That's sad to hear. He kind of stayed out of the public eye for a while. There were rumors he had cancer, I wonder how true that is now? Hmm.


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    God/dess Sirona's Avatar
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    Default Re: Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies

    If i'm not mistaken he'd been battling emphysema for years.
    http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6504289/
    Last edited by Sirona; 01-23-2005 at 02:38 PM. Reason: added link



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    God/dess montythegeek's Avatar
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    Default Re: Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies

    How dead is he?

    PS: above is an homage to one of his signature jokes and not an attempt to be mean. I know some one who met him in person and he was a aupposedly REALLY nice guy in person. He was a talented comedian.

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    God/dess RedZ28's Avatar
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    Default Re: Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies

    Without Johnny Carson guys like Jay Leno, David Letterman and Jerry Seinfeld would not have became as big as they are now. He was a class act and he will be missed. #1800

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    Default Re: Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies

    That's too bad he did pave the way for many .

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    Default Re: Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies

    Wow, I had no idea.... that is terrible..



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    God/dess tiamaria's Avatar
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    Default Re: Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies

    Awe,I loved him!

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    Default Re: Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies

    I love Johnny Carson, he was so funny! Not too many like him left anymore...
    ~*~ I must not fear. ~*~
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    I will face my fear.
    I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
    And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
    Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
    ~*~ Only I will remain. ~*~

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    Default Re: Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies

    Wow.. How sad. Like a few of us, I never really like him when he was doing the Tonight Show, but it's still a loss.

    What got me was that they had just been talking about him on the news the other day, saying how he still clipped headlines from the newspapers (you know, the ones that were messed up), and he would write jokes, but he said that he didn't know why he still did it, because he no longer had an audience. It's just very eerie that they were just talking about him, and two days later, he dies.

    RIP Johnny.

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    Veteran Member DJ_Duane's Avatar
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    Default Re: Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies

    The reason he clipped-out headlines was because he would write jokes on that material and send it into the David Letterman Show. Letterman used Carson's jokes on his show and Carson got a big kick out of it.

    According to news reports, Letterman was Carson's choice to replace him on the Tonight Show, rather than Leno.

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    God/dess onlythebest's Avatar
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    Default Re: Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies

    OMG!!!

    R.I.P.Johnny.
    One of woman's cardinal rule: Body parts can be fake,everything else has to be real.

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  14. #14
    Sitri
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    Default Re: Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies

    I will miss him. Another Iowa/Nebraska guy with a humble midwest attitude and our known dry sense of humor taken to a new level...

    The answer is bish boom baaa..

    What sounds does a sheep make when it explodes....?

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    Veteran Member Pumpkin Pie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies

    Being 41 now, I do remember watching and enjoying him. When I was young, he was an adult treat. My parents would let me stay up to watch the monologue and skits then off to bed I was sent. What I liked most about him as simply that he was obviously and sincerely a nice guy. He could laugh at himself. He never seemed to buy into the hype about himself.

    Probably my most favorite interview done by him was where he interviewed some child genius. The kid was five years old and already reading college level books. Bright and cute. He had read one of the biographies that was out on Johnny and what he was most excited about was when he read that Johnny had been a magician.

    Kid, "Are you really a magician?"

    Johnny, "That's how I got my start in show biz."

    Kid, "Show me a trick!"

    Johnny laughs and pulls a quarter out of from behind the kid's ear.

    The kid got all excited and asked him to do it again. Johnny pulled another quarter from the other ear. The kids wildly applauded.

    It wasn't fall-on-the-floor funny, but sweet.

    It was also a nice cozy warm feeling to fall off to sleep with.

    Good night, Johnny. Rest in peace.

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    Default Re: Johnny Carson, King of Late Night, Dies

    I cried when I watched Leno last night. I grew up watching the tonight show. Every night I stayed up with my dad and watched the monolog. It has not been the same or ever will be.
    "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

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