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"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (1962) More at IMDbPro »

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13 reviews in total

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17 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
Johnny Carson (1925-2005).A national treasure., 24 January 2005
Author: SmileyVision from United States

I write these comments just hours upon hearing the sad news of Johnny's death.To say that I will miss him is a moot point.I have missed him for the last twelve and a half years since he stepped away from his desk.I miss his unique humor and his classic reactions.I miss his ribbing of our nation's presidents both democrat and republican.I miss his banter with Ed McMahon,Doc Severinsen,and Tommy Newsom.He was a big part of my childhood.Though I was never allowed to watch on school nights,I would be sneaky and listen from my bedroom where I was supposed to be asleep.Even when the jokes fell flat,he still found a way to get a laugh.All the hilarious moments too numerous to mention,both those I witnessed when they were fresh,and those looked back on in anniversary shows that I was too young to remember,are what I miss about Johnny Carson.I was indeed sad when he stepped down,and always remained hopeful that he would come back and entertain us some more,but alas,it was not meant to be as he chose to bask in his retirement and rightfully so. I bid to Johnny Carson what he bid to us in his final words on the air, a "heart felt good night."

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10 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
A Living Legend, 2 February 2002
Author: John Langbein (medrjel) from Dixie, USA

As great as Steve Allen and Jack Paar were, Carson took the ball, reshaped it, and sent it in for a shot heard round the world. There is a reason he hosted the show for 30 years, 4 times longer than his 2 predacessors behind him. He was brilliant at making anyone seem interesting. Steve could do it, and so could Jack (though not as well from what I've seen), but Johnny really had a grasp of finding the way to question people to fit their response style. He really was the first true King of Late Night. If others say it's Paar or Allen, then I say Carson became Emporer!

The skits were done cheaply, but they were so much fun, you laughed with them, not at them.

Originally, the Carson's show was 90 minutes, and it was trimmed to 60 in the early 80's since he felt he could not keep the level up like he had in the past, which made the way for David Letterman. Thank You Johnny!

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6 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
Funny+Awesome+Classic=Johnny Carson, 4 December 2005

Author: CarsonFan from United States

This show is downright hilarious! Johnny Carson is the funniest comedian ever! Period. You have to love Johnny. The moments on his show can't be beat. Ed Ames' tomahawk toss, Don Rickles breaks Johnny's cigarette box, Bob Hope's stand-up act about Johnny, the spoofs of Mr. Rogers, Walter Cronkite, and Tarzan, and many, many more. However, I wasn't even a year old when Johnny retired, so I didn't get to see him on NBC. But I have DVDs featuring highlights of his show which are hilarious. They ought to show reruns on E or TV Land or somewhere. I mean this is the King of Late Night, the Silver Fox,America's King of Comedy for 30 years. As my title of this review says, "Funny+Awesome+Classic=Johnny Carson." No matter what anyone says no one will be better than Johnny. No one! Not at all!

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4 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
None better, 19 August 2005
Author: orthogonal6 from US

Carson – the best at what he did. Enigmatic off camera, from what I understand, but absolutely brilliant on camera. His easy interview style and ability to let his guests be the focus stands in contrast to so many pretenders to his late night throne. His jokes and skits, even the ones that flopped, made you feel like you were "in" on the jokes. I don't remember all of his tenure, but I remember over half of it and can still quote from long ago evenings. Example – Doc Severinson wearing a loud jacket with flowers on it. Johnny: "That's some jacket Doc. Put some fertilizer on it and it might bloom". Doc: "We could dip it in your monologue". Johnny: "I'll suggest that to the new band leader". Spontaneous? Probably not. Hilarious? Absolutely! As fun and nostalgic as it is to see current superstars early in their careers as Johnny gave them their first big break, it is even more of a treat to see so many legendary stars, many still in their heyday. Bob Hope, Lucy, Dean Martin, etc. Like Johnny, they are gone now. And like Johnny, they don't make'm that way any more. Sad, but thank God for DVD and video.

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4 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Here's Johnny!!! - What did the Pearly Gatekeeper say when..., 23 October 2005
Author: DKOSTY from United States

Here's Johnny!!! - What did the Pearly Gatekeeper say when...Johnny arrived there? There will never be another Johnny Carson. The entertainment he provided with the help of thousands of guests over 30 years will never be equaled by anyone. I don't even know that anyone can ever do justice to comment on one of the rare things that rates more than a 10 on a scale of 10 in our lifetimes.

Even before Johnny Carson died, a greater loss was when NBC lost most of his Tonight Shows from the 1960's. If only somebody could find these shows because these are the shows which made him number 1. They were 90 minutes each of Carson arriving at the top of his career. It has been forgotten how hard nosed an interviewer he was during that decade. Also lost are some of the most famous guests in show business during that era & the fact that he would have controversial guests on & face them on any subject during that era.

The greatest thing was Carson arrived at his peak in the 1960's & then amazingly stayed there for three decades. Thank goodness NBC didn't lose any of those other shows. How they got lost makes me wonder if they didn't want the tough hard-nosed Carson who was not afraid to face any guest remembered or if they wanted to lose some of the early images of Johnny smoking on air. I mean, NBC managed to archive all the Original LET'S MAKE A DEAL programs in the same era. Why not the Johnny Carson's?

I have the set of clips of his & every so often I turn them on. I taped his last show, & keep it in my archives. I wish somewhere, somehow, someplace those 1960's shows would show up. At least now that I've seen the best, I can only wish to see it again. We were all blessed to have had Johnny Carson.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Johnny Carson was the best at what he did., 23 January 2005
Author: TxMike from Houston, Tx, USA, Earth

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

We all received the sad news today that Johnny Carson, in his 80th year of life, died today. Carson had long been retired from his Tonight Show, a show taken over capably by Jay Leno. But there never was anyone like Johnny Carson, and there may never be.

What I most liked about Johnny was his humble approach to his show. He opened with a monologue, he told his jokes plainly and simply, and waited for the laughter. It usually came. Some times it didn't. When the laughs did not come, he took on that familiar sad look of his, and that became the joke.

I was a working person during the run of his show, but Johnny Carson's tonight show was one that I often stayed up late for, it was that good. When the show was still in New York, he of course told New York jokes. One I remember vividly was during one particular cold winter, Johnny simply said, "It was really cold today." Ed McMahon, his trusty sidekick, asked, "How cold was it?" Johnny answered, "It was so cold today, a cab driver was saying something to a pedestrian and his middle finger froze." Another I remember was, when doing his 'Carnac' routine, the answer was "Four on the floor." The question was, "Describe two 80-year old topless go-go dancers."

Johnny of course went to Los Angeles, and there the show took on another dimension. Johnny was quite a prankster, and played a good one on Ed McMahon, not as part of the Tonight Show, but funny anyway. Ed was "set up" by placing some studio property in the trunk of his car. Leaving the studio, guards made a random trunk check, and "discovered" the stolen property. Johnny Carson actually dressed up as one of the guards, Ed McMahon was so flustered, declaring his innocence, it didn't even register to him that he was face to face with his boss!!

But the best thing I liked about Johnny Carson was his interview style. He was the best ever. He would ask a question then shut up and let the guest talk. He didn't have a big ego, like many current TV personalities, and try to show how much he knew. He simply let the other person talk.

Farewell and Godspeed, Johnny Carson.

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3 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
a university of comedy and entertainment, 25 December 2001
Author: occupant-1

Carson and company helped lay the foundation for contemporary topical humor in the US. From '62 to '92, the most significant pitches for movies, books and live appearances on the part of actors, authors, politicians and every other kind of luminary came before America and the world at Carson's desk. This show probably experienced an unrepeatable level of success.

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Johnny Carson, His Work Will Live On, 5 February 2005
Author: JTKBIZ from United States

For thirty years Johnny Carson's tonight show defined main stream late night television. For thirty years main stream was a very good thing. I think that the fact that his show hasn't been on since 1992 makes us realize what we have truly missed. Fortunately a lot of his shows have been saved. In the beginning his guests included Groucho Marx, Jack Benny, George Burns, Buddy Hackett and many others too numerous to list. In the end he was discovering the talents of Jerry Seinfeld, Roseanne Barr, and Drew Carey. Bob Hope of course was pretty much on his show through out. Thirty years with thousands of quality guests and thousands of quality laughs, that is his legacy. An unmatched legacy indeed.

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0 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
maybe not the original, but certainly the best, 31 July 2003
Author: jf2k from cork ireland

I haven't seen the movie itself but I understand it's an overall view of JC's 30 years on the show. I lived in FLA one year and watched it sometimes during the week. What I saw was funny, smart and bright. I always liked the "monologue" and I wonder who actually started that tradition, or was it JC himself? And the big guy on the settee-McMann? what exactly was his function? I was sorry to see JC finish his run and thought he could have lasted at least another 5-10 years. He was a brilliant host - the best ever. When he paid tribute to his late son, it was very poignant and reserved.

God bless Johnny Carson.

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0 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
Dorothy Stratten, 28 March 2002
Author: catnipsmile (catnipsmile@yahoo.com) from Michigan, U.S.A.

Dorothy "Stratten" is said to be on this collection of tapes. I have the whole set and did not see her. Her name is spelled as "Stratton" on the Johnny web site-this is wrong. If I'm wrong please let me know. I was really looking forward to seeing her in some form on one of the collection tapes. Although I didn't get to see her I still enjoyed the whole collection. I grew up with Johnny and will miss him very much.

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