Talk:Johnny Carson/Archive 1

The Zsa Zsa Gabor VIDEO
It is apparent that URBAN LEGEND is wrong beyond reasonbble DOUBT citing cooments in reference to Johny Carson  with Zsa Zsa Gabor pussy petting!. I have seen the VIDEO of Zsa Zsa Gabor with a cat on her laps asking Johny Carson if he wants to caress her pussy. The VIDEO was re-broadcasted after Johny's death on a TV special in memory of John Carson where Zsa Zsa Gabor indeed had a cat on her lap and asked a famous question contrary to Urban Legend outrageous claim apparently supported by some replies corrspondance from Zsa Zsa and Carson publicists. It is true that Jane Fonda when she was on and asked him if it was true, and he NEVER denied it (look and listen carefully  as his reply is also a joke), he made out of it just another of his JOKES  which of course was misinterpreted by so many dummies: (see VIDEO http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/video/zsazsav.rm ). The VIDEO of Zsa Zsa Gabor on Johny Carson show EXISTS and it is true story  not an Urban Legend  as  quoted:  http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/zsazsa.htm !


 * Uh huh... then show us the Gabor video that you claim "exists" and not a monochrome copy of the Fonda appearance... RadioKirk (u|t|c)  22:25, 30 June 2006 (UTC)

News of Death
He apparently died of emphysema. Recommend changing the word 'tabbed' to 'tapped' in this sentence from the first paragraph: "...KNXT - tabbed Carson to join...". Plus, shouldn't those be em-dashes or double hypens?

MSNBC is reporting that his death is from complications from emphysema (Dblevins2 19:17, 23 Jan 2005 (UTC))

Adding a link to CNN's obituary. 23skidoo 20:26, 23 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I've em'ed and en'ed the whole document. -- user:zanimum

Come the Vandals
Some ass is screwing up the page... Please fix.


 * Could someone un-deface the picture on the main page? I can't for the life of me figure out how to do it.


 * Something should be done about the persistent vandalism by 68.32.2.128. I don't know if we should protect the page, or what, but something should be done.--Fermatprime 01:24, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Highlights in Pupils?
I dunno if this is a Wikipedia convention, but it's a very old journalistic tradition to remove the highlights in the eyes of the photo when a person is dead.

The photo here is just great, but those white highlight pixels look wrong somehow for a guy who's just died. Should we remove them, like this:



Steverapaport 21:04, 23 Jan 2005 (UTC)


 * I'm not sure if you're kidding or not. The photo was taken when he was alive and it's an accurate photo of what he looked like.  Why would we change it?  Moncrief 21:30, Jan 23, 2005 (UTC)


 * I see no reason to change it. – flamuraiTM 21:31, Jan 23, 2005 (UTC)


 * Wasn't joking, it really is an old New York Times tradition (and other papers too). But if we don't do it here, I guess we don't.  Steverapaport


 * I'm quite interested in this, could u explain farther what they do? Maybe an exanple?  I also wish to express my condolences for Carson, he will be missed. M@$+@ Ju 03:22, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)


 * I too miss Johnny already.  I would love to explain further but I'm starting to feel I was hallucinating this tradition -- I can't find any mention of it on the 'net yet, and yet I'm sure it exists.  I've written to some journalist friends and hope to have more on it soon.  Steverapaport 19:16, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I think the photo is a great image of Johnny Carson. He would want us to smile and feel warm after seeing it. I hope St. Peter will let everyone in Heaven stay up late tonite so they can enjoy him again (after the news, of course). Glad to see the vandalism has been temporarily thwarted. Thanks! Vaoverland 01:27, Jan 24, 2005 (UTC)

This "tradition" sounds like an urban legend. Please provide a verifiable source for this "very old journalistic tradition."Edison 16:33, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

In the Navy
I just noticed that the page indicates that Carson served in the Navy to 1978. This is innacurate Carson was discharged from the Navy in 1948.
 * Yes. The page was protected after vandalism.   says it was until 1946, but if it's wrong, please provide another source, and I'll change it. -Frazzydee|✍ 03:06, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Letterman joke-writing
Since the page has been protected from vandalism, I'd like to suggest a minor edit to reflect the fact that the revelation that Carson did some joke-writing for Letterman came out only 2-3 days before his death. It's an interesting piece of trivia (plus one wonders if it wasn't intentional, to give Carson one last bit of recognition before he died). 23skidoo 06:12, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * I'm sure once the storm blows over it will be included. It's a good piece of information. --Cioxx 10:17, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)
 * Peter Lasally, longtime producer for both Carson and Letterman, released that information to the public . He told CNN he did so to respond to rumours about Carson's health shortly before his death. This information should be in the article. Samaritan 18:48, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)


 * Done. Steverapaport 19:40, 24 Jan 2005 (UTC)

COTW
I really would like to nominate this for COTW... but I'm not so certain. -- AllyUnion (talk) 13:30, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Hollywood Star
I would like to add this image to the article, but I don't know a good place for it. I took this about a month ago, I only thought to upload it recently due to his passing. -- AllyUnion (talk) 13:37, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Episode notes
It would be nice to include some notes from memorable episodes. -- AllyUnion (talk) 13:44, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Wouldn't it be better to do that on the Tonight Show page? --Chrysaor 21:04, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Due to his connection to Gore is it fair to now say he was a Democrat?
Due to his connection to Gore is it fair to now say he was a Democrat?
 * Having purportedly written a joke or two for a politician does not commit someone to a specific party. And I'm not sure why it's relevant at all. It's just conjecture based on a trivial news item.

Early career
I've heard he was up for & refused what became "The Dick Van Dyke Show". Can anybody confirm? Trekphiler 09:25, 2 December 2005 (UTC)

Additional material to incorporate
If someone more experienced wants to take these balls and run with it, I'd greatly appreciate it if you want to.

Thanks!

NiftyDude 17:56, 18 January 2006 (UTC)

Well, he's done it again, folks. When I returned from Italy, I found the usual pile of mail awaiting me, and one small hand-addressed envelope from Johnny Carson. In his letter, referring to a recent appearance by speaking-to-dead-folks John Edward on a popular TV show, Johnny expressed dismay at the acceptance afforded such a farce. The enclosed very generous check expressed his willingness — again — to support the work of the JREF. We are substantially encouraged by Johnny's participation, and we promise that his contribution will be assiduously applied to getting the facts out there to interested persons all over the world. It's so good to have friends, and Johnny Carson is one of The Good Guys who have reached out to us. Sincere thanks. http://www.randi.org/jr/092702.html

Monday, November 08, 2004

Most people know that James Randi is legally obligated to give $1,000,000 to the first person who can prove the existence of "paranormal" powers in a properly-constructed test. Not everyone knows that a lot of the money was fronted by his buddy Johnny Carson, who also started out as a professional magician. You can find hundreds of web pages about albino midget bicycle porn, but sadly, far as I can tell, www.randi.org is the only web site that carefully debunks paranormal flim-flammery, with a good sense of humor and regular weekly updates. http://www.mcnett.org/2004/11/most-people-know-that-james-randi-is.html

what about this toilet paper shortage?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toilet_paper

"December 19, 1973: comedian Johnny Carson causes a three week toilet paper shortage in the USA after a joke scares consumers into stockpiling supplies. " ,


 * i found this,


 * "To make this background information complete, we need some statistics. I should warn you that these statistics are a bit grotesque and are based on a sample population of 106 people.

Here we go:

The average tear is 5.90 sheets of TP. 44% wipe from front to back from behind their backs. 60% look at the paper after they wipe. 42% fold, 33% crumple, 8% do both fold and crumple, 6% wrap it around their hands. 50% say that they have wiped with leaves. 8% have wiped with their hands. 2% have wiped with money! Which finally brings us back to our lead story - The Great Toilet Paper Shortage! It actually all started as a joke. Johnny Carson was doing his typical NBC Tonight Show monologue on December 19, 1973.

Heeeere's Johnnnnnny....

Of course, Johnny, like most talk show hosts, had a staff that helped write his monologue. His writers had heard earlier in the day about a Wisconsin congressman named Harold Froehlich. Froelich claimed that the federal government was falling behind in getting bids to supply toilet paper and that "The United States may face a serious shortage of toilet tissue within a few months".

His writers decided to include a joke based on this quote in Carson's monologue. He said "You know what's disappearing from the supermarket shelves? Toilet paper. There's an acute shortage of toilet paper in the United States."

Too bad they couldn't see the consequence of this statement. You may not be aware if you are young, but the early 1970's was a time of shortages - oil in particular. The next morning, many of the 20 million television viewers ran to the supermarket and bought all the toilet paper they could find. By noon, most of the stores were out of stock! Stores tried to ration the stuff, but they couldn't keep up with demand.

Johnny Carson went on the air several nights later and explained that there was no shortage and apologized for scaring the public. Unfortunately, people saw all the empty shelves in the stores, so the stampede continued.

Scott Paper showed video of their plants in full production to the public and asked them to stay calm - there was no shortage. The video was of little help. The panic fed itself and continued.

They finally got the shelves restocked three weeks later and the shortage was over. It is the only time in American history that the consumer actually created a major shortage (I don't think that the "shortage" of Barbie or Power Ranger dolls at Christmas time could be classified as a real shortage!).

And to think that it all started as a joke."

http://members.tripod.com/earthdude1/toilet_paper/toiletpaper.html

FIGHTING AGAINST FLIMFLAM
Leon Jaroff

(From: Time Magazine Australia, 1986, June 13, p. 50-52. Reprinted with permission in Investigator 3, 1988 November)

The studio audience at the Tonight show in Burbank is strangely silent, staring intently at the proceedings on the stage. A shirtless volunteer lies face up on a table, behind which stands a short, balding man with a fringe of white hair, a bushy beard and piercing green eyes. He kneads the exposed abdomen with both hands, presses one thumb down and draws it across the skin. A trickle, then a stream of blood appears. The audience gasps. Now his hand thrusts into the abdomen and, accompanied by a sickening squishing sound, pulls up a clump of bloody tissue. Host Johnny Carson grimaces. A groan of revulsion sweeps the crowded studio; one woman faints.

Again the hands plunge down, bringing up more gore and then a tubular organ, which the bearded man stares at momentarily. "Oh, no! That doesn’t come out," he apologizes, his eyes suddenly twinkling, and pushes it back into the body. The spell is broken and the audience roars, then titters nervously as he proceeds to remove additional gore. Finally he wipes away the blood, revealing an expanse of unbroken, unscarred skin.

What millions of people have just seen is a demonstration of "psychic surgery." The blood had been donated by a volunteer before the show; the "diseased tissue" consisted of shreds of lamb heart, hidden in a tray behind the table and manipulated by the facile hands of a master magician: James ("the Amazing") Randi, 59, conjurer, showman, crusader and America’s most implacable foe of flummery. The props and the techniques are those used by the so-called psychic surgeons of the Philippines, who promise miraculous, painless, lifesaving surgery to lure desperately ill people to their clinics. But what the sufferers get is sleight of hand, not surgery, and Randi’s goal is to spread that message. "These people go to the Philippines," he explains, "they spend their money, and they return home, in most cases to die."

Finally, in 1987, a skeptic named James Randi exposed Popoff's scam on the Johnny Carson Show. The reverend's wife was feeding him info-blurbs on frequency 39.17 MHz, according to an article in Science and the Paranormal magazine. Popoff listened to his wife's transmissions on a tiny earpiece. Ironically, the healer insisted the device was a hearing aid. http://www.idsnews.com/story.php?id=26408

A tribute to Johnny Carson by James Randi

A very bright light in my life has gone out.

Forgive me if what follows is a little disorganized, but I've just heard that we've lost Johnny Carson. It doesn't seem possible. We were in touch just a week ago.

I'm dropping this into the web page as a sort of catharsis. The phone has been ringing incessantly, and I'm hardly able to speak coherently to those who express their grief and shock.

Just a few years ago I asked John about his triple bypass and how it was affecting his life. Typically, he told me that it had made such a difference to him in so many ways, that he would recommend it to everyone, "whether they need it or not." I now regret that I was never able to ask him a burning question: whether he'd given up smoking. I suspect he hadn't, since those of us who appeared on his show were well aware that he smoked all through the taping, concealing that fact by waiting until the camera was on a guest and would probably stay there for at least 30 seconds. There was an exhaust fan under the desk, always a lit cigarette within reach, and the audience had been prompted to simply not notice that he was smoking in between camera shots. I mention this because it seems pretty evident that tobacco got the man, as it does so many of us. It makes me hate the product — and those who promote it — even more than I did previously; it took away my father, too.

John was generous, kind, and caring. The JREF received several checks — 6-figure checks — from this prince, because he really believed in what we were doing, he followed our web page closely, and he would call every now and then with comments and suggestions for subjects he believed to be important. The phone will never again give me the delight of hearing his voice, and that is the burden I will have to live with. I will miss him more than I can say.

There was always a bit of mystery connected with my appearances on the show. John would never wish to meet guests before they actually walked out onto the set, but I was accustomed to hearing at tap on the door about 10 minutes before airtime, opening it to find him standing there. He was thoughtful enough to want to ask me what I wished to promote during my appearance, and always had some sort of anecdote to share with me. Once, after he'd left my dressing room, I was asked by the prop man, "Do you know where the body's hidden, or something?" He just couldn't understand why John had broken his rule in my case.

When the famous expose of Peter Popoff occurred on his show, conditions had been somewhat changed over those that usually applied. Earlier that afternoon I had met with Fred DeCordova, his director, I had shown him the video footage that we had exposing Popoff's scam, and when Fred said that he would show the video to Johnny, I'd suggested that it might be better to surprise him. "No," Fred had insisted, "Johnny doesn't like surprises." "Well, just think for a moment about the expression he'll have on his face," I told him. That did it. We went on-camera that evening without Johnny knowing the big surprise — that Popoff had a concealed receiver in his ear. John let out an expletive that was dropped out of the tape before it was broadcast later in the evening, and DeCordova had to agree that we'd made the right decision.

John and I were fond of pertinent quotations. We'd exchange them by e-mail or phone, really, I suspect, trying to out-quote one another. Here's one I'll send him right here and now:

Love is a bad tenant for one's bosom; for when compelled to quit, he always leaves the mansion more or less out of repair. — C. F. Hoffman 1806-1884

I loved you, Johnny. We all did.

Yes, I'm rambling because I just don't know what else to say. I will miss Johnny Carson like no other person in my life. He was such a good man, one of my minor gods, and a good friend that I regret to say I did not meet again in person after he left TV so long ago. Just one small example, if I may, of how generous he was. When I called and asked him if he might place a telephone call to Martin Gardner on that gentleman's 90th birthday, John had no hesitation agreeing to do so. "I've got most of his books," he told me, "and it'll be fun to speak with him." They did speak, on the afternoon of Martin's birthday, for some 20 minutes. That's the kind of gentleman that Johnny Carson was.

John, I will miss you, as will so many millions here and around the world, but your legacy lives on. I've just run out of words.

http://www.randi.org/jr/carson.html

By JACQUES STEINBERG Published: July 25, 2005 SAN FRANCISCO, July 23 - As vice president, Al Gore learned that the most disarming way to counter his wooden image was to tell better jokes about himself than the late-night comedians did. Mr. Gore now says he received occasional tutoring on those one-liners from the master of the television monologue, Johnny Carson.

Mr. Gore said he had telephoned Mr. Carson on several occasions in the mid-1990's to seek his guidance on "timing and delivery."

"He let me call him up and bounce jokes off him and he would give me advice on the presentation of gags," said Mr. Gore, who said he had initially approached the retired "Tonight Show" host through a mutual friend. "It was such a privilege."

Mr. Gore said that Mr. Carson, who died in January, had even given him a couple of jokes. But Mr. Carson's greatest contribution, Mr. Gore said, came in 1994, when over the telephone he walked Mr. Carson through a skit he intended to do before a black-tie Washington dinner known as the Gridiron. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/25/business/media/25carson.html

Democracy is buying a big house you can't afford with money you don't have to impress people you wish were dead. And, unlike communism, democracy does not mean having just one ineffective political party; it means having two ineffective political parties. ...Democracy is welcoming people from other lands, and giving them something to hold onto -- usually a mop or a leaf blower. It means that with proper timing and scrupulous bookkeeping, anyone can die owing the government a huge amount of money. ... Democracy means free television, not good television, but free. ... And finally, democracy is the eagle on the back of a dollar bill, with 13 arrows in one claw, 13 leaves on a branch, 13 tail feathers, and 13 stars over its head -- this signifies that when the white man came to this country, it was bad luck for the Indians, bad luck for the trees, bad luck for the wildlife, and lights out for the American eagle." --Johnny Carson

Letterman Pays Special Tribute to Carson

By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer

NEW YORK - David Letterman paid tribute to Johnny Carson (news) on Monday by telling his jokes. On his first "Late Show" since Carson's death on Jan. 23, Letterman's opening monologue was comprised entirely of jokes that Carson had quietly sent to him over the past few months from retirement in California.

Letterman didn't tell the audience until after the monologue was over who wrote the jokes. His guest on Monday's show, former Carson producer Peter Lassally, had revealed a few days before Carson had died that the retired "Tonight" show host missed his nightly monologue and had written jokes for Letterman.

"I moved to Los Angeles from Indianapolis in 1975, and the reason I moved is because of Johnny Carson and the `Tonight' show," Letterman said. "And I'm not the only one. I would guess that maybe three generations of comedians moved to be where Johnny was because if you thought you were funny and you wanted to find out if you could hit major league pitching, you had to be on the `Tonight' show."

more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=494&e=1&u=/ap/20050201/ap_en_tv/tv_letterman_carson_4

Johnny Carson, 1925-2005 (bio) tv host, comedian http://www.newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Johnny_Carson.php

Fred De Corova fired by Carson?
There was a story years ago that Carson fired longterm director Frederick (Freddie) De Cordova sometime after the show where Carson showed a photo montage tribute to Carson's son who had been killed in a car accident, because De Cordova gave some signal to hurry up and finish it due to time constraints. I have not found this in recent sources about De Cordova or Carson. Anyone else hear that story & have a citeable source?Edison 16:38, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

The story is probably not true, from what I know De Cordova remained with Carson until Carson's retirement. --67.54.239.90 13:59, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

Has anyone else Noticed...
That the Description of The Uri Geller Business on the tonight show in this article describes Carson as an Experienced Magician, but the Uri Geller Article describes him as an Amature Magician, and that the articles also state He "Asked for help from James Randi" and "Needed Help from James Randi" Respectively?

The Tonight Show
In my opinion, there is far too much material regarding The Tonight Show on this page. This show is a biography page. Much of the Tonight Show material should be on the Tonight Show page, not duplicated here. Mdchachi&#124;&#91;&#91;User talk:Mdchachi&#124;Talk]] 19:18, 4 December 2006 (UTC)
 * Possible, but one comment in the "Tonight Show" part of it answered a question I'd always had - why it was "Carnac the Magnificent" and not "Carmac." (I thought it was when I first heard it, till I was corrected, becuase I figured it had to be a combination of "Carson" and McMahon." As noted in the article, though, "Carnac" was his stage name as a magician. I think the "Carnac" part should stay somewhere, just because a lot of people may have that question and only think to come here, since only Carson did it as "Carnac."4.68.248.130 (talk) 16:49, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

Beach Boys song
Could anyone if they deem appropriate add in a bit of trivia that Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys wrote a song as a tribute to Johnny Carson simply titled "Johnny Carson" from the bands 1977 Love You.

Orange Julius passes
According to the Orange Julius corporate website, Carson received a lifelong pass to all Orange Julius stores in the USA in 1965. Should we put that on there? TheListUpdater 14:40, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

Age
Theres something wrong with his age, but i don't know how to change it.

Fair use rationale for Image:Finalshow.jpg
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Fair use rationale for Image:Johnnyfinal.jpg
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