Steve Allen talks about the Tonight Show back in 1987. You might not remember Gene Rayburn, Steve Allen’s straight man. Plus, you may not know that it was Jack Paar who introduced the couch on the set. Allen tells it all.
Some more classics with Johnny Carson. First on board is Jim Fowler, a professional zoologist and former host of the Emmy Award-winning television show Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. The reference to “Marlin” was to Marlin Perkins, the previous host of that particular show. Dolly Parton follows, then Elizabeth Martineau (a foot reader from Katmandu, perhaps?). Finally, Johnny in Madonna drag and then disguised as Colonel Sanders.
Johnny Carson as Madonna, as Colonel Sanders
This clip contains one of the Ed McMahon routines that audiences came to love, where Ed acts so serious that you fall for his spiel. You’ll also get to see Joan Embry, the wildlife lady, with twin baby orangutans and Johnny loses it - he’s laughing so hard it looks as though his false teeth will fall out. You’ll also be treated to “MisteRogers Neighborhood.” Finally, you’ll be treated to Bob Hope, Dean Martin, and George Gobel (May 20, 1919 - February 24, 1991) all at one time. I do believe that these men were allowed to drink hard liquor on stage. That’s back when it was still cool to smoke on a set as well. Get a load of Johnny Carson’s snazzy scarf-tie on that last set.
This clip is a gem. Someone has taped various stars and unusual folks who visited Johnny Carson on the tonight show back in the 1980s. In order: David Letterman and Joe Piscopo (Joe was putting in some false teeth, not snorting anything… can you believe how YOUNG he looks?), Albert Brooks, a very sexy and funny Madeline Kahn, Myrtle Young (the potato chip woman), Drew Carey and Garry Shandling in separate stand up routines, a young Jane Fonda, and Elizabeth Tashjian - the spokeswoman for the nuts (nuts are valuable during the “intercourse”). Enjoy!
Steve Allen admits that no one should expect sixty minutes filled with laughs, so he focuses seriously on poetry. Popular songs are portrayed as “monumental” or “epic” poetry, beginning with “be-bop-aloo-ba, she’s my baby.”
Yes, he got laughs.
Then he introduced Fats Domino. I adored Fats…had all his 45 rpm records, which I stored at a friend’s house. That friend’s house burned to the ground, taking all my 45 rpm records with it. If you don’t know what an rpm record is, maybe you should visit history of the 45 rpm record. You don’t know what you missed…the scratchy sound, the studio noise, the dull needle on the record player…They were great, because that’s all we had at the time.
