Johnny Carson’s 30-year career hosting The Tonight Show was memorable and historic. It was the setting for a series of classic television moments remembered by television viewers of various generations. Although many people remember Carson for his hilarious characters and skits, he wasn’t one to shy away from controversial topics when it was something he truly believed in. Many of his best-known moments have been captured on various classic TV DVDs, allowing Carson fans to watch his favorite parts over and over again.
One of Johnny Carson’s best-known moments, one that showed the world how fast his wits really was, happened two years after he began his run on The Tonight Show. On April 29, 1965, Ed Ames from the television series Daniel Boone was a guest of Carson. Ames was demonstrating how to throw a tomahawk using the wooden silhouette of a man, and when he threw the tomahawk it landed directly on the silhouette’s crotch. As the crowd laughed, Carson joked, “I didn’t even know you were Jewish.” This classic television comedy piece was so popular that it was often played on the show’s anniversary.
Other classic moments from The Tonight Show revolved around some of the recurring characters Johnny Carson played, often with the help of Ed McMahon. Possibly the most famous of these classic television characters was Carnac the Magnificent, a mentalist played by Carson who claimed to be able to answer questions sealed in envelopes without even seeing the question. The answers, of course, would never be direct answers and instead would be puns. When the audience didn’t like one of the jokes, they responded with equally outrageous curses, such as “Let a sick yak befriend your sister.” Carson also had other popular characters, such as Floyd R. Turbo, Ralph Willie, and Aunt Blabby.
Not all of Carson’s comedy sketches contained these repeating characters. There were a number of unique skits that appeared on the classic television show, including Carson’s portrayal of Hamlet delivering the famous “To be or not to be …” soliloquy. In Johnny Carson’s version, however, there were a series of product advertisements that flowed directly from Shakespeare’s famous lines to create one of the funniest representations of the play to date.
In addition to providing laughs and unexpected kicks, Carson from time to time used his show as a means to expose scams and counterfeits that were taking advantage of the general public. The famous psychic Uri Gellar appeared on the show in 1973. Carson himself prepared the props for Gellar’s act without Gellar or his manager being able to see them before filming. Despite Gellar’s claims of having genuine mental powers, he was unable to reproduce his usual tricks with the accessories Carson provided. This method of proving Gellar a fraud had been suggested by Carson’s friend James Randi, a trained theater magician (like Carson himself) who later appeared on the show in 1987 to expose the supposed faith healer Peter Popoff. Although Popoff claimed that his knowledge of the audience’s problems came from “divine visions,” Randi provided Carson and his audience with a video showing Popoff’s wife describing people for him to heal through a microphone that transmitted to a hidden speaker in his hearing aid.
Other classic television moments on The Tonight Show included visits from zoologists such as Joan Embery and Jim Fowler. They brought animals that Carson often interacted with in some way; many episodes showed Carson being dragged by smaller animals. A famous incident that is often shown as a clip showed Carson leaning too close to a panther’s cage, causing the cat to paw at him. Carson ran across the stage and jumped into Ed McMahon’s arms for comedic effect.
When Johnny Carson withdrew from the show, its final episodes were considered major events. The most sentimental moment came in the penultimate of its episodes. Bette Midler and Robin Williams were his guests. After Carson revealed some of his favorite songs in conversation, Midler began singing one. The song soon became a duet between her and Carson. He ended his appearance singing “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)”. An excited Carson began to cry at the camera. This historic and moving moment was captured on film with a long camera angle that was never used in the previous 30 years of Carson’s career. One of his most emotional classic moments became a landmark in late-night television filming.
Carson was an incredible artist, a charismatic personality, and a creator of moments. His appeal as a celebrity and comedian extends to future generations as classic television shows become available on DVD.
~ Ben Anton, 2008
