Johnny Carson's recent passing saddened the entertainment community, where he was known as the original king of late-night television.
Carson's talent, spirit, and dedication are reflected in the plethora of awards he collected over the years. Carson won six Emmy Awards, received the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' prestigious Governors' Award in 1980 and a George Foster Peabody Award in 1986. In 1987 he was inducted into the ATAS Hall of Fame. In addition, the American Friends of Hebrew University recognized his humanitarian efforts with the Scopus Award in 1989. In 1992, Johnny won the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the American Comedy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1993 he received the Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Award.
Carson was born on October 23, 1925 in Corning, Iowa. He began his career as a teenager, working as a magician and ventriloquist, before putting his career on hold to serve in the Navy during World War II. Carson then earned his bachelor of arts degree at the University of Nebraska in 1949, where he was a radio announcer.
After graduation, he continued radio announcing and then earned his own 15-minute show called "Carson's Cellar," which ran until 1953. Then Carson was hired as a writer for "The Red Skelton Show," featuring clown and comedian Red Skelton until he returned to the other side of the camera to host "The Johnny Carson Show" in 1955 and 1956 and several other shows.
In 1957, Carson began hosting the ABC game show "Who Do You Trust?" The game show involved a little banter with the two guests, a few mischievous double entendres, and then trivia. Jeff Hill, a reviewer on www.imdb.com recalled Carson telling a contestant, "The next category is famous middle names. Which of you feels confident with this category? Who do you trust? Here's the first one: Robert Louis Stevenson. Oh, sorry. I'm not supposed to say the middle name." When Carson heard Ed McMahon laughing in the wings, he countered, "Well, you try saying that name without 'Louis' in the middle!"
It seemed everything Carson had been doing led up to October 1, 1962, when Groucho Marx introduced Carson as the new host of "The Tonight Show." According to the TV Guide Channel, 25,000 guests stopped by during the show's 4,000 episode, 30-year run. Notable names like Joan Rivers, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jerry Lewis, and Bob Newhart stepped in as guest hosts when Carson began leaving Monday nights open for guests in 1972. Carson launched the careers of a number of comics, including Bill Cosby, Jerry Seinfeld, and George Carlin.
Despite the laundry list of big stars, Carson's show was so successful because of his comedy and his big heart. He opened his show with the monologue and Ed McMahon's call "Heeeerrre's Johnny!" and also had recurring bits like "Stump the Band," "Carnac the Magnificent," in which Carson played a terrible psychic, "Aunt Blabby," in which he was a gossiping little old lady, and "The Mighty Carson Art Players," which spoofed movies, commercials, TV shows, and events in the news.
His second-to-last show on May 21, 1992 featured just two guests: Robin Williams and Bette Midler, with Midler serenading a teary-eyed Carson with "One for My Baby." Carson's last show on May 22 was a quiet remembrance of all thirty years worth of guests, sketches and laughs, as well as a tribute to his late son, Rick. Carson bid his audience "a heartfelt good night."
Generations loved Carson and made his "Tonight Show" part of their nightly ritual. And for those generations who were sound asleep long before Carson's show came on, DVD and video compilations of show segments abound. "Animal Hijinks" is a hilarious collection of Carson's furry, four-legged, winged guests showing Carson at his best: good natured, curious, and comical.