Johnny

I don't have too much to add to all the obits of Johnny Carson. He simply was the unparalleled king of late night. I think his two greatest talents, greater than his work as a monologist, was his ability to establish a connection with his audience (both in the studio and at home) and his way of putting guests at ease, thus showing them to their best advantage.

A few personal memories. I remember being in bed, not quite asleep, hearing my parents laugh at Johnny's jokes. I think I associated watching The Tonight Show with being an adult.

Though just a kid, I got to stay up late to watch 1970 come in. While the adults upstairs were having a party, I was in the basement watching Johnny. I even remember a joke he made, something along the lines "we've got about ten minutes to make up for the silliest ten years in history." Not a great joke, but it stuck with me.

As I got older, Johnny was still there and I became a regular viewer. My favorite guest was Don Rickles. Johnny would let Rickles do his bit and then top him by slipping in some line about how poorly his TV career had gone. One of Johnny's most famous moments was when he returned from vacation (he took lots of vacations) and found Rickles had broken his cigarette box. Johnny walked straight to where Rickles was shooting his own show (C.P.O. Sharkey) and stopped the taping to reproach him. I think this was all spontaneous. (I remember Rickles guest-hosting the show earlier and breaking the box, or is my imagination filling in the blanks?)

Another popular guest was Burt Reynolds, whose self-mocking style endeared him to the audience and helped make him one of the biggest stars of the 70s and 80s. I think many stars of today grew up watching this and patterned their appearances on Reynolds' casual style.

Johnny also had certain regulars you didn't see anywhere else. For instance, the flamboyant Monte Rock III--I'm still not sure what he did outside appearing on The Tonight Show. Then there was Stan Kann, who would demonstrate gadgets that never seemed to work.

I remember seeing new comedians, like Drew Carey or Roseanne Barr or Gary Shandling. No one could break a comedian like Carson. I've actually talked to some who have been on the show. They generally say it was the most important moment in their career. Interestingly, Jay Leno did well in his debut but was asked back so many times his material got too thin. His career was in trouble and it was David Letterman's show that saved him.

Carson was good with animals, of course. I often feel Leno and Letterman work with animals because Johnny established the precedent, not because it's what they like to do.

If there was one thing I didn't like, it was that Johnny didn't have much use for rock and roll. It would take Letterman to correct that.

Both Letterman and Leno know how much they owe Carson. I have no doubt both will start their shows tonight with a heartfelt tribute. In Leno's case, he'll be righting a wrong, since, on bad advice, he decided not to mention Johnny when he premiered in the slot.

I don't want to sound ghoulish, but lately former hosts of The Tonight Show have been dying, and in order. Steve Allen left us in 2000 and last year saw the passing of Jack Paar. Jay Leno is set to retire in 2009, and he can't be comfortable with this trend.