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Johnny Carson dead at age 79


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One of the comments I came across this morning (I think it was from Jay Leno) referred to Johnny as the "gold standard". That really sums it up. A true one off. Fabulous timing, quickness and a sense of comedic possibilities that was second to none. The famous Ed Ames tomahawk incident is a good example. If you watch this clip closely, as soon as Ames realizes where his tomahawk has landed, he starts to make a bee line for the cowboy outline so he can remove it. Johnny grabs his arm and almost forcibly spins him around to keep him from doing so, thereby opening up the possibilies for what eventually ensued and making this as famous a bit as exists in the entire history of television.

So long Johnny...

Up over and out.

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My parents watched him almost religiously when I was growing up... strong memories of staying up late particularly on summer nights and hearing/watching Carson with the windows and front screen-door open. I've never seen a better master at handling a dud joke... he almost always managed to turn it into a laugh anyway. There was a kind of adroit jazziness in his delivery and style.

And it's hard to imagine my favorite sitcom of the 90s--The Larry Sanders Show--ever having come into existence without The Tonight Show as precedent.

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Anyone who grew up with the Tonight Show should get the DVD set which contains the final show in its entirity as well as classic highlights.

I need to correct myself- the show on the DVD is the next to last (with Bette Midler and Robin Williams). The final show featured only Johnny, Ed and Doc and they showed a lot of clips. It was a nice show for sure, but IMHO the previous night's show was the better farewell-type event. Robin Williams was the perfect antidote to the "last-show tension" that was heavy in the air, and while I've not always been the biggest Bette Midler fan, she did a great job for sure.

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Hadn't realized this (or I just plain forgot)...

gal.07.ap.jpg

President and Mrs. Clinton applaud Johnny Carson and

other recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors during a

ceremony at the White House in 1993. President George

H.W. Bush also awarded Carson the Medal of Freedom,

the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1992.

:tup

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Here's an interesting article on Carson's later years (I'm assuming it's interesting, as I haven't had the chance to read it yet), from the a 2002 issue of AARP's magizine.

I'm posting a link to a page with scans of the articles (actual pages). They're pretty big, and if I hot-link them, perhaps they'll take 'em down.

In any case, here they are...

Clicky Linky Thingie, then scroll down for links to the actual pages of the article.

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Quotes from NY Times obit:

Asked how he became a star, Mr. Carson once replied, "I started in a gaseous state and then I cooled."

*

At Christmas time in 1991, he announced in his monologue that General Electric had sent him a holiday card which announced that "in lieu of a gift, a G.E. employee has been laid off in your name."

*

Someone once asked Mr. Carson what he would like his epitaph to be. He thought for a moment and reached for the traditional line of a talk-show host:

"I'll be right back."

*

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another bit of interesting information from the Wikipedia:

"...In 1973, Carson had a legendary run-in with popular psychic Uri Geller when he invited Geller to appear on his show. Carson, an experienced stage magician, wanted a neutral demonstration of Geller's alleged abilities, so, at the advice of his friend and fellow magician James Randi, he gave Geller several spoons out of his desk drawer and asked him to bend them. Geller proved unable, and his appearance on The Tonight Show has since been regarded as the beginning of Geller's fall from glory..."

Yet, even today, Uri Geller is a good friend of Michael Jackson.

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was there ever any mention made of Miles Davis' death on the Carson show? I mean, was Johnny a fan? I wonder if Doc did a tribute or if Johnny mentioned anything at all. I say this because of the earlier post referring to the Hancock/Shorter et al tribute band that appeared on Jay's version of the show

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Carson's Hippest Regular Guest Jazz Musician -- Pete Barbutti

During the 70's he would sit in with the band maybe once per month. Carson wold then give Barbutti a shot to do his jazz hipster bit with Doc's band.

Earlier, Pete Barbutti did an LP of similar shtick (around 1965) for Vee Jay.

Broom soloist Barbutti, in an earlier life, was a record salesman in Chicago. Always admired the doo.

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was there ever any mention made of Miles Davis' death on the Carson show? I mean, was Johnny a fan? I wonder if Doc did a tribute or if Johnny mentioned anything at all. I say this because of the earlier post referring to the Hancock/Shorter et al tribute band that appeared on Jay's version of the show

Miles Davis died on the Johnny Carson show? WTF!

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Jerome Rodale a health fanatic and publisher died on the Dick Cavett show in 1971:

In a New York Times Magazine interview, this 72-year-old longevity guru announced, "I'm going to live to be 100, unless I'm run down by a sugar-crazed taxi driver." A guest on the Dick Cavett Show the next day, while Cavett was discussing politics with journalist Pete Hamill, Rodale's head dropped to his chest and he was heard to let out what sounded like a snore. "Are we boring you, Mr. Rodale?" asked Cavett. There was no response -- Rodale was dead. The show was never broadcast."

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/onstage.htm

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Jerome Rodale a health fanatic and publisher died on the Dick Cavett show in 1971:

In a New York Times Magazine interview, this 72-year-old longevity guru announced, "I'm going to live to be 100, unless I'm run down by a sugar-crazed taxi driver." A guest on the Dick Cavett Show the next day, while Cavett was discussing politics with journalist Pete Hamill, Rodale's head dropped to his chest and he was heard to let out what sounded like a snore. "Are we boring you, Mr. Rodale?" asked Cavett. There was no response -- Rodale was dead. The show was never broadcast."

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/onstage.htm

Now this comes out...but we never heard about it. So if Miles died on the Tonight Show, we have a reason to believe that Miles died there, but there was a massive cover up.

Any footage of Miles on the show? Or Sun Ra? They were both on Night Music, but not on the Tonight Show.

Sinister...

Later...busy watching Law & Order COD right now... :ph34r:

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Jerome Rodale a health fanatic and publisher died on the Dick Cavett show in 1971:

In a New York Times Magazine interview, this 72-year-old longevity guru announced, "I'm going to live to be 100, unless I'm run down by a sugar-crazed taxi driver." A guest on the Dick Cavett Show the next day, while Cavett was discussing politics with journalist Pete Hamill, Rodale's head dropped to his chest and he was heard to let out what sounded like a snore. "Are we boring you, Mr. Rodale?" asked Cavett. There was no response -- Rodale was dead. The show was never broadcast."

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/onstage.htm

:lol:

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Jerome Rodale a health fanatic and publisher died on the Dick Cavett show in 1971:

In a New York Times Magazine interview, this 72-year-old longevity guru announced, "I'm going to live to be 100, unless I'm run down by a sugar-crazed taxi driver." A guest on the Dick Cavett Show the next day, while Cavett was discussing politics with journalist Pete Hamill, Rodale's head dropped to his chest and he was heard to let out what sounded like a snore. "Are we boring you, Mr. Rodale?" asked Cavett. There was no response -- Rodale was dead. The show was never broadcast."

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/freakish/onstage.htm

:lol:

Forget that tragic event, how about this one?

Chris Chubbuck (died 15 July 1974)

Some people will do anything for a scoop. When a technical problem interfered with the orderly presentation of a story on her morning news show, this 30-year-old news anchor announced, "In keeping with Channel 40's policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts and in living color, you are going to see another first -- attempted suicide." She then drew a revolver and shot herself in the head. Chubbuck expired 14 hours later in hospital

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