R.I.P., Johnny Carson

I feel so SO grateful that I grew up in a time when Johnny Carson was on the air … it was the tail-end, granted … but he was a HUGE part of my life.

Johnny Carson said, about his retirement, “I have an ego like anybody else, but I don’t need to be stoked by going before the public all the time.”

Really, there was nobody like him. He was absolutely one of a kind. A true original. He really LISTENED, didn’t he. He really LISTENED.

Doc Severinsen, the Tonight Show bandleader, said, that during the long quiet years of Carson’s withdrawal from public life, “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.”

He became virtually invisible, after he retired. And yet … never really gone. He withdrew. He was done. “The Tonight Show” was his pinnacle, and he chose to absent himself from publicity … and yet nobody forgot him. He was still “out there”, he was still “alive” … how was he? Where was he?

He was, indeed, always missed. At least by this chick, writing this post.

Here are two funny quotes from Johnny Carson, which I have quoted on this blog. Beautiful.

Johnny Carson’s automatic answers to all interview questions

and

Johnny Carson and Fernando Lamas

Forever, Johnny Carson … you will be remembered forever. Thank you for being in my life, in the way that you were in all of our lives. I have this fondness for you, intense, even though I never met you. You made me feel like I knew you. You let me in. And I thank you for that. From the bottom of my heart.

Rest in peace.

Please feel free to add your own thoughts, recollections, favorite memories of Johnny Carson in the comments.

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13 Responses to R.I.P., Johnny Carson

  1. Dave E. says:

    “5. No. Kumquats”
    Hah!
    Being old enough to stay up for “Johnny” was a rite of passage in my family. Actually getting all of the jokes was another passage of sorts. Nice tribute Red, couldn’t say it better myself.

  2. Carson retired before I really got into viewing late-night TV regularly so, sadly, I didn’t watch him during his run. Since then, though, I’ve come to really respect and admire his comedic timing, his fostering of young talent and his amazing knack for looking at a wet-behind-the-ears comedian and dubbing him/her the next big thing. And sure enough, most of those people became household names.

    One of my favorite bits is when Carson interviews the woman with a potato chip collection. She collected various chips that, to her, resembled famous people or ordinary objects like a candle, a chicken, etc. When she was turned her head to get another chip, Carson reached grabbed a chip from a bowl under his desk and loudly bit into it. The woman jumped nervously thinking he just devoured a cherished member of her collection. He wore a look of mock innocence on his face that was absolutely brilliant.

    I’ll certainly miss him. I can’t wait to tune in tomorrow night to Letterman — the rightful heir to the Tonight Show throne — to see Dave’s tribute.

    Thanks for the forum, Sheila. I knew I could come here and express my thoughts.

  3. Emily says:

    There’s a tradition here in L.A. for fans to place flowers or other relevant items on the star of a recently deceased celebrity on the Walk of Fame (the only person I have ever done this for is Audrey Hepburn). Trust me, his star is COVERED right now. I passed by some people once that had converged on some celebrity’s star who had just died that day (I can’t remember who. Sorry. It was a comedian of some kind because everyone was talking about how much the person made them laugh). Strangers stood chatting about the person, how much their work and life had meant to them. I stood and watched them for a while, actually – people that were total strangers just the day before, brought randomly together because of a mutual admiration, sharing their thoughts on a person’s passing with one another. I just found it so beautiful and touching. Either that or utterly pathetic, depending on your view.

    I wonder if that’s going on at Johnny’s star right now.

  4. Dano says:

    I was 3 when Johnny took over for Jack Parr. Eventually I got to stay up late enough to know him. Even though his era, thirty-plus years, had one foot in old showbiz tradition, I never thought for a moment that he was out of date or out of touch. The guy had that much class, he never ever became a parody figure.

    When a joke bombed, he did a soft shoe. And got away with it, long after anyone else could have.

    My favorite Tonight Show moment: Sometime in the mid 70s. After Robert Blake acts bizarrely, they come back from commercial and they’ve switched places, Blake behind the desk and Johnny in the chair. His impromptu impression of Blake (who may have been drunk) is, basically, brilliant. He scratches himself. He mutters. He drops his pants. Burt Reynolds is the other guest (almost certainly drunk himself) and he is rolling off the couch, laughing in that high-pitched voice. Priceless. I didn’t see another magic TV moment like that one until the time Candace Bergen cracked up with Gilda Radner (“Fern”) on SNL.

    Letterman is actually more our generation’s Steve Allen. Chevy could have been a contender too.
    I think Conan, as a quick-thinking comedian, is a lot like Carson. (I love that the guy has no shame too.) And will be on the throne in a few years.

    Goodnight, Johnny.

  5. rossi says:

    you are right mama
    so right i am grateful to be old enough to
    have experienced him too
    because he was the last link to the great
    hosts of yesterday
    what he had
    no host has really had since
    and that was simply CLASS
    jay leno
    letterman
    nope
    they dont have it

    he has simple
    gentleman-ly
    class
    and showed so in his quiet
    retirement

  6. Lisa says:

    I remember hiding in the doorway between my room and the dining room when I was supposed to be in bed, barely seeing the TV, but I could hear my dad ROARING with laughter, and I knew he was watching Carson. I didn’t get the jokes half the time, but I knew that this “Carson” person must be great because he made my Dad laugh so hard.

    If you’ve ever watched the episodes with Burt Reynolds, you have seen comedic genius. Burt and Johnny played off each other PERFECTLY. Few people had that kind of rapport with Johnny, but the ones that did, he had on all the time. Like Teri Garr. He LOVED her and probably saved her career by having her on when she didn’t have much going on, which kept her in the public eye.

    I’m having a hard time imagining a world with no Johnny.

  7. Wutzizname says:

    I don’t think I was able to appreciate Johnny Carson as much as others might have, but I will say that the impression left upon me was that he was a great entertainer. I remember pieces of his show. Great moments, great performances, but most of all, I remember his golf swing. He really WAS the Tonight Show. In fact, when I was young, I knew it as ‘The Johnny Carson Show’, not ‘The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson’. Of course, I was probably all of…8.

    Late night won’t have as much class, I don’t think it ever will again. I think that other performers will do their night shows justice, however none will carry the classic appeal of Mr. Carson’s show.

    One thing I remember if I recall it correctly (Correct me if I’m wrong) he suggested three things to say in any creative meeting regarding his show. Those were:

    “What’s your angle?”
    “Who’s baby is that?”
    “I’ll buy that.”

    Apparently, if you stick to those remarks, you’ll go far in show business.

  8. Stevie says:

    Johnny Carson was so great at the interview part of his show. Yes, there were times when he’d have some no-nothing neoceleb in the chair and there would be zilch to talk about beyond that person’s last project. But mostly, he could bring out the best in a guest, really showcase that person and let them endear themselves to the audience. This is a skill Letterman has, but not Leno.

    These days, every guest on every panel show has a product they’re plugging; in Carson’s day, especially the earlier years, guests were chosen because they were funny (and not necessarily comedians, either, just amusing performers), or because they sparked well with Johnny and each other, or because (horrors) they were talented and deserved a platform to a larger audience. He frequently would have an opera singer, or a classical pianist, and through his rapt appreciation, let the audience know that here was someone to admire. So we did. And we admired Johnny most of all. He will be missed.

  9. Lee Warren says:

    I wrote about this on my blog this morning. Here’s my best memory:

    My Mom often recounts a story from my early years–-the days when I was just learning how to talk. My Dad worked nights, so Mom and I had this nightly routine. She would tuck me into bed while I asked her if she would turn on Johnny Car-Car.

    My parents divorced when I was eight. So, I’m guessing that during my early years, things weren’t the greatest between them. I don’t really remember butchering Johnny Carson’s name, but I do remember Mom flipping the television on, sitting down on my bed, and gently rocking me to sleep while she laughed to herself. During what had to be an extremely difficult time in Mom’s life, she did what good mothers do. She took care of my younger sister and I and she pressed on.

    One of the ways she found to press on was through laughter. And she laughed a lot while watching Johnny Carson. While I’m sure that I was too young to understand Johnny’s jokes, listening to my Mom laugh created a sense of safety. There’s nothing like hearing laughter from someone you love.

  10. red says:

    These are all wonderful and heart-warming. Lee, I got a bit verklempt reading yours.

    Lileks piece today on Carson is perfect. That he never tried to be “cool”. He wasn’t “cool”. Or trying to be hip or relevant … he had on people that he thought were funny.

    I will NEVER forget watching Steve Martin roller-skating around in Egyptian dress. I mean … WHAT???

    And also – his last show, with Bette Midler singing “one for the road” – has got to be one of the most classic moments in television history.

  11. Right you are…….

    Sheila’s loving obituary for Johnny Carson. I’m siding with Sheila on this one….

  12. Jeff says:

    Where to start? I remember the 90-minute shows that he did up until 1980, when during the last segments he would usually have as guest a new actor or comedian or a (relatively) obscure author, magician, etc. Sometimes those were his best moments. And it also allowed him to keep a guest with whom he was really cooking on for extra time.

    I remember James Woods’ first appearance and how well hit it on, almost immediately. I remember a classic, hilarious exchange on the night before Thanksgiving, sometime in the late ’70s, when it apparently slipped his mind that Doc was in the midst of a painful divorce, and asking him if he what he and the wife were doing on Thanksgiving. The constant teasing of Tommy Newsome…the Piedmont bird-callers…the night after Barbra Streisand bailed on him at the last minute, having Madlyn Rhue come out and sing “People,” and Johnny walking over and saying, “I’m sorry, but we don’t need you.” His absolute style and grace with icons like James Stewart, Henry Fonda and Bette Davis.

    It’s hard to believe he’s gone. He’ll never be topped.

  13. Ith says:

    Wonderful post!

    This was my memory that I posted on Sunday:

    Johnny Carson will always have a special place in my memories. When I was a little girl, (before I started kindergarten) my father used to go to work before I got up, and wouldn’t be home till long after I was asleep. So that I would get a chance to actually spend time with my father, I would go to bed early, and then when he got home about 10pm, I’d get up and we’d play and the we’d watch Johnny Carson together before I went back to sleep.

    Thanks, Johnny, for all the laughter.

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