Another indicator of the poularity of the tune in 1956: Looking at the King discography by Michel Ruppli, I noticed the two VOCAL versions of "Honky Tonky" sung by Tommy Brown: -- the first one on King 4976, rec. on 18 Sept. 1956 (backed by Bill Doggett's Combo according to Ruppli, but on the label shown on Discogs it says "Clifford Scott Orchestra", --- a second one on King 5001, rec. on 29 Oct. 1956 ("Bill Doggett, vocal by Tommy Brown") which is here on Youtube:   It sounds like the first version is here (below, starting at 2:34). The sax is a bit more to the fore here. (But I did not do a full comparison.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAB3zdGQf1Y   Amusing and interesting, but atypical for that tune, isn't it? Maybe a concession to pop music buyers more weaned on (sing-along?) vocals. And non-essential to my ears. 

Yeah neither of us can testify about how long it takes to smoke a cigarette. I think the evidence is most compelling that Doggett forced Syd Nathan's hand to green light a two-part track, and that it was the centerpiece of the recording session, not an afterthought. I also think it likely that it was played before the gig in Lima Ohio, likely with Percy France in the group, but that it caught fire at that dance and because people asked for it to be played again, it got Doggett to thinking.

My question about Schaap's observations was a hypothetical one and I guessed the answer (yours, actually ... ). But still I'd say it would have taken a LOT of used King 4950 singles to examine to come up with an assertion that holds water and goes beyond anecdotical evidence.  As for the smoke break, doesn't this just make for a nice story too?  Anyone can vividly imagine how this happened. Besides, I've always been a non-smoker but is it unreasonable to figure you can finish a cigarette within 2 1/2 minutes, particularly a non-king size one? (Remember as well the longer 100s were still more than a decade away), 

Anyone else getting ready for next month's World Cup?  I won't be at any stadium, but I expect to watch many of the games.

It's pretty clear Schaap was talking about the original release of Parts 1 and 2, not any subsequent reissue of one over the other. Clearly though Honky Tonk Part 2 being picked is an indication of its overall popularity.   Which brings up another aspect I didn't get into ... but what's with the "engineer left the equipment running for a smoke break" but also "keep going, keep going, keep going"? Fastest smoke break in history?  Because he would have had to come back fast enough to keep them playing, too. I find that aspect of the story a bit questionable.