If you haven't caught the PBS American Masters special about Johnny Carson I highly recommend it! This guy was (IS) a true American icon. The documentary is highly enjoyable and made me realize just how much I miss being able to turn the old Tonight Show on and catch Karnak or Art Fern or Ed's 'Hi-yooooo!' (or Carol Wayne for that matter).
According to the show; Carson's first ten years worth of shows were accidentally erased by an NBC technician. The good news is most of the material on this album is from that 'lost' era and there's some GREAT stuff here!
A little 'Rocket' anecdote: when I was living in L.A. back in the 80's Carson's Art Director (the late John Shrumm) used to be a regular at the bar/club I was working at. He was a crotchety older fellow who loved his 'muddled' Old Fashions almost as much as he used to LOVE giving everyone a hard time UNTIL...you broke through his gruff exterior! Once you got to know him he was an incredibly nice guy. He arranged for me to check out the show twice and on BOTH occasions Johnny called in sick! ("Tonight's guest host....Garrrry Shandling!")...it just wasn't meant to be. HOWEVER I did get to sit behind Carson's desk... in the man's chair! (I was very VERY careful NOT to touch or break anything like Don Rickles once did to his cigarette case!) If you don't know what I'm talking about you have to check this clip out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyxjEuFfxV0
Here's hoping that wherever John (Shrum that is) ended up there's a professional bartender w/a fast light who knows how to make his drink the way he likes it!
What a great story, Rocket. We got to see Johnny one time, and that was shortly before his retirement. As fate would have it, that night was an all-time classic. For one thing, Norm and Cliff from Cheers were there to film a Cheers episode (the one in which Cliff had written a joke for Johnny, so came to the show with his Mom and Norm) with Johnny after his own show had taped. For another, Michael Douglas was the "second" guest. And for the last, the "first" guest, making her one and only Tonight Show appearance, was none other than Elizabeth (NOT Liz, please) Taylor, dressed in a leather pant suit and done up, as they say. We all got to stay in place for the Cheers taping after her appearance, and we all went home with a lifetime's worth of memories. So, yes, enjoy this one. Johnny's like will never come again. Yggi
Thanks Rocket! I never got to be in the audience but I used to watch The Tonight Show all the time. Loved it when Suzanne Pleshette was a guest, Tiny Tim's Wedding to Miss Vicky, Oliver Reed and Shelley Winters about to kill each other, Joan Embry from the San Diego Zoo, Bob Hope, Steve & Edie, Elizabeth Ashley, George Gobel.
lp rip @320 w/ART! (including poster!)
ReplyDeletedisc 1 -
http://www.mediafire.com/?cgo2rwos3y2l5cg
disc 2 -
http://www.mediafire.com/?8sw89km2xa1ked1
"And now...heeeere's Johnny!"
If you haven't caught the PBS American Masters special about Johnny Carson I highly recommend it! This guy was (IS) a true American icon. The documentary is highly enjoyable and made me realize just how much I miss being able to turn the old Tonight Show on and catch Karnak or Art Fern or Ed's 'Hi-yooooo!' (or Carol Wayne for that matter).
According to the show; Carson's first ten years worth of shows were accidentally erased by an NBC technician. The good news is most of the material on this album is from that 'lost' era and there's some GREAT stuff here!
A little 'Rocket' anecdote: when I was living in L.A. back in the 80's Carson's Art Director (the late John Shrumm) used to be a regular at the bar/club I was working at. He was a crotchety older fellow who loved his 'muddled' Old Fashions almost as much as he used to LOVE giving everyone a hard time UNTIL...you broke through his gruff exterior! Once you got to know him he was an incredibly nice guy. He arranged for me to check out the show twice and on BOTH occasions Johnny called in sick! ("Tonight's guest host....Garrrry Shandling!")...it just wasn't meant to be. HOWEVER I did get to sit behind Carson's desk... in the man's chair! (I was very VERY careful NOT to touch or break anything like Don Rickles once did to his cigarette case!) If you don't know what I'm talking about you have to check this clip out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyxjEuFfxV0
Here's hoping that wherever John (Shrum that is) ended up there's a professional bartender w/a fast light who knows how to make his drink the way he likes it!
What a great story, Rocket. We got to see Johnny one time, and that was shortly before his retirement. As fate would have it, that night was an all-time classic. For one thing, Norm and Cliff from Cheers were there to film a Cheers episode (the one in which Cliff had written a joke for Johnny, so came to the show with his Mom and Norm) with Johnny after his own show had taped. For another, Michael Douglas was the "second" guest. And for the last, the "first" guest, making her one and only Tonight Show appearance, was none other than Elizabeth (NOT Liz, please) Taylor, dressed in a leather pant suit and done up, as they say. We all got to stay in place for the Cheers taping after her appearance, and we all went home with a lifetime's worth of memories. So, yes, enjoy this one. Johnny's like will never come again. Yggi
ReplyDeleteThanks rocket
ReplyDeleteThanks Rocket! I never got to be in the audience but I used to watch The Tonight Show all the time. Loved it when Suzanne Pleshette was a guest, Tiny Tim's Wedding to Miss Vicky, Oliver Reed and Shelley Winters about to kill each other, Joan Embry from the San Diego Zoo, Bob Hope, Steve & Edie, Elizabeth Ashley, George Gobel.
ReplyDeleteYour welcome fellas...Holey Moley Iggy! What an amazing AMAZING night to be sitting in the audience. Thanks for sharing that one.
ReplyDelete