A new bio about him has come out, and I haven't read it, but news articles about it have highlighted things that make him look like a total dick.

No wonder he wanted people to not know much about him.  ::)

A new bio about him has come out, and I haven't read it, but news articles about it have highlighted things that make him look like a total dick.

No wonder he wanted people to not know much about him.  ::)


I thought that was pretty widely known. He rarely talked to guests during commercial breaks.

I thought that was pretty widely known.


It basically was, perhaps best seen if the comedian of the evening was good enough for Johnny to call him/her over to the couch to chat

I thought that was pretty widely known. He rarely talked to guests during commercial breaks.


When his show ended in 1992, I was only 3 or 4, so he was definitely before 'my time.'

So it's kind of news to me. I didn't know it was widely known he was difficult.

It basically was, perhaps best seen if the comedian of the evening was good enough for Johnny to call him/her over to the couch to chat


I guess you can't have everything. He was so amazingly talented, but such a nasty personality.

When his show ended in 1992, I was only 3 or 4, so he was definitely before 'my time.'

So it's kind of news to me. I didn't know it was widely known he was difficult.



I saw this documentary when they premiered it at the Paley Center  it's pretty good

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/johnny-carson-king-of-late-night/watch-the-full-documentary/2093/

Johnny Carson was a bit of an enigma. During the 1960's, when he would regularly go out on the town with Ed McMahon, Johnny was known to be a mean drunk as well as a notorious womanizer (despite being married). He also could be very mean and spiteful towards those whom he felt crossed him (Joan Rivers being the most well-known example).

On the other hand, there was a reason that Johnny Carson dominated late night television for 30 years, and that was because he was very good at what he did. He understood the secret of being a good interviewer and entertainer, and his secret was that he understood that his role was to help bring out the best in whoever he was interviewing.


I thought that was pretty widely known. He rarely talked to guests during commercial breaks.


Johnny himself addressed this once in an interview, and he came right out and said that the reason he didn't speak to his guests during commercials was not out of arrogance or spite, but simply that he felt that they might say something interesting during the breaks and he didn't want the camera to miss anything.


It basically was, perhaps best seen if the comedian of the evening was good enough for Johnny to call him/her over to the couch to chat


The practice of Carson's "wave over" may on one hand seem arrogant but on the other hand it was a sure-fire sign for a young comic that he or she had finally arrived. If a comic went on the Tonight Show and Johnny liked them enough to wave them over to the couch then their agent's phone would be ringing off the hook the next day. Johnny may have ben arrogant but he was also a good assessor of talent and if a comedian sucked, well, then they sucked.


When his show ended in 1992, I was only 3 or 4, so he was definitely before 'my time.'

So it's kind of news to me. I didn't know it was widely known he was difficult.


It certainly was a different era back then. The thing about Johnny Carson was that he was always just...there. You'd watch the 10 o'clock news with your parents and then when it was over the Tonight Show theme would play, Ed would bellow out, "Heeeeeeeere's Johnny!" and then Johnny would walk out from behind the curtain and do his monologue. Every night (except for Mondays of course, because Johnny always just had to have his 3-day weekends, the lucky bastard). It was as sure as the sun rising and falling. He was a part of everyone's lives, and when he retired it was definitely the end of an era. (Hell, if you want to get all decadeologistical about it, you could argue that the 80's ended when Johnny quit.)

Now, you want to talk about being unpleasant? I'd have to throw Jay Leno into that category. Say what you will about Johnny Carson, but he never f**ked anyone over anywhere nearly as bad as Jay did Conan.  >:( >:( >:(

Johnny Carson was a bit of an enigma. During the 1960's, when he would regularly go out on the town with Ed McMahon, Johnny was known to be a mean drunk as well as a notorious womanizer (despite being married). He also could be very mean and spiteful towards those whom he felt crossed him (Joan Rivers being the most well-known example).

On the other hand, there was a reason that Johnny Carson dominated late night television for 30 years, and that was because he was very good at what he did. He understood the secret of being a good interviewer and entertainer, and his secret was that he understood that his role was to help bring out the best in whoever he was interviewing.

Johnny himself addressed this once in an interview, and he came right out and said that the reason he didn't speak to his guests during commercials was not out of arrogance or spite, but simply that he felt that they might say something interesting during the breaks and he didn't want the camera to miss anything.

The practice of Carson's "wave over" may on one hand seem arrogant but on the other hand it was a sure-fire sign for a young comic that he or she had finally arrived. If a comic went on the Tonight Show and Johnny liked them enough to wave them over to the couch then their agent's phone would be ringing off the hook the next day. Johnny may have ben arrogant but he was also a good assessor of talent and if a comedian sucked, well, then they sucked.

It certainly was a different era back then. The thing about Johnny Carson was that he was always just...there. You'd watch the 10 o'clock news with your parents and then when it was over the Tonight Show theme would play, Ed would bellow out, "Heeeeeeeere's Johnny!" and then Johnny would walk out from behind the curtain and do his monologue. Every night (except for Mondays of course, because Johnny always just had to have his 3-day weekends, the lucky bastard). It was as sure as the sun rising and falling. He was a part of everyone's lives, and when he retired it was definitely the end of an era. (Hell, if you want to get all decadeologistical about it, you could argue that the 80's ended when Johnny quit.)

Now, you want to talk about being unpleasant? I'd have to throw Jay Leno into that category. Say what you will about Johnny Carson, but he never f**ked anyone over anywhere nearly as bad as Jay did Conan.  >:( >:( >:(


The problem is I don't know the whole picture or story of all in his life, so maybe that's why he can come off as a donkey jerk to me. Maybe some of the bad things they wrote about him was just jealousy or misunderstandings.

Things I read about him that gives me a bad taste about him was that...

-He treated his parents like they were nothing. Sure, his mother had a hard time expressing emotion, but they found news clips and articles of Johnny Carson in 1985 that his mother collected, he STILL didn't forgive her and didn't go to her funeral.
-He didn't visit his mentally ill son, hell, he didn't even visit the ones that weren't mentally ill.
-He preached loyalty to friends in his actions, but he was a womanizer to his wives.Talk about hypocrisy?
-He might have beaten some of his wives.

As for the Joan Rivers thing, I actually agree with him in that matter.Though I have nothing against Joan Rivers.

And I think Johnny Carson was more of a Cold War era icon than even just an 80s icon. You can appreciate someone's body of work, especially if the body of work was for decades, but doesn't mean you have to approach the singer, actor, comedian, and invite them for a cup of coffee.  ;)

The problem is I don't know the whole picture or story of all in his life, so maybe that's why he can come off as a donkey jerk to me. Maybe some of the bad things they wrote about him was just jealousy or misunderstandings.

Things I read about him that gives me a bad taste about him was that...

-He treated his parents like they were nothing. Sure, his mother had a hard time expressing emotion, but they found news clips and articles of Johnny Carson in 1985 that his mother collected, he STILL didn't forgive her and didn't go to her funeral.
-He didn't visit his mentally ill son, hell, he didn't even visit the ones that weren't mentally ill.
-He preached loyalty to friends in his actions, but he was a womanizer to his wives.Talk about hypocrisy?
-He might have beaten some of his wives.

As for the Joan Rivers thing, I actually agree with him in that matter.Though I have nothing against Joan Rivers.

And I think Johnny Carson was more of a Cold War era icon than even just an 80s icon. You can appreciate someone's body of work, especially if the body of work was for decades, but doesn't mean you have to approach the singer, actor, comedian, and invite them for a cup of coffee.  ;)


Did you watch the documentary. From conversations I had with Doc and David brenner at the the Paley screening it was well done and quite accurate.

Did you watch the documentary. From conversations I had with Doc and David brenner at the the Paley screening it was well done and quite accurate.


I watched the documentary and I really enjoyed it. It seemed to do a good job of highlighting Carson's talents as well as his shortcomings.

I watched the documentary and I really enjoyed it. It seemed to do a good job of highlighting Carson's talents as well as his shortcomings.


I thought so too..

Did you watch the documentary. From conversations I had with Doc and David brenner at the the Paley screening it was well done and quite accurate.


I had errands to run today, I'll watch it tomorrow!  :)

I had errands to run today, I'll watch it tomorrow!  :)


just asking...

let me know what you think if you do watch it.

just asking...

let me know what you think if you do watch it.


It made him seem less like a monster to me, but I think they were also trying to make him look good, duh?? LOL. I don't think he cared much for his kids or wives, he liked his career too much.

He didn't know how to express emotions because his family was the same way, thus his relationships failed because of him not knowing how to process emotions.
I think his mother was waaaay too harsh and critical of him, she overdid the whole 'withholding praise' thing parents are supposed to do.
I don't think he went to funerals based on the documentary, so if he didn't go to yours it wasn't personal, he simply didn't go to them.

As for his son that died in 1991, he was touched by it, but since he was uncomfortable with emotions he doesn't know how to process grief/sadness, etc, etc.

And the fallouts he had with friends were legit, he was Johnny Carson, everyone wanted a piece of him, so he was strict in who he trusted. It was a self preservation thingy.

To me his biggest flaw was that he just didn't know how to feel, it was ingrained in him since he was a kid, or it was just his personality. He meant no offense to anyone with it, however it still doesn't excuse his actions or should I say inaction with his kids, and wives.

For me the whole waving his arms so that a comedian he found funny would be interviewed made sense. Why would he interview someone that the audience didn't find funny? They would probably boo the person, so maybe he was saving their face?

The documentary softened him for me a lot. Also, the Bushkin guy that wrote that biography has no loyalty and is nasty for making a book about his life. He's doing it for $$$$.

You just gave me an idea.  ;)

You just gave me an idea.  ;)


It's okay, you don't have to make a documentary about yourself!

Does that mean his sit down partner was unpleasant too?

Does that mean his sit down partner was unpleasant too?


You mean Ed McMahon? According to Hollywood legend, the real reason Johnny Carson smoked a pack of cigarettes a day was because that Ed McMahon had really bad gas and his farts were so foul and putrid that Johnny would chain smoke behind his desk just to cover up the stench.  :o :o :o

Does that mean his sit down partner was unpleasant too?


No.

Anyways, Johnny was an okay person, but faithless with his wives, and uninterested in his kids/wives. I've met bigger dicks in real life, he was okay. But I can't say that I 'like' him as a person.

You mean Ed McMahon? According to Hollywood legend, the real reason Johnny Carson smoked a pack of cigarettes a day was because that Ed McMahon had really bad gas and his farts were so foul and putrid that Johnny would chain smoke behind his desk just to cover up the stench.  :o :o :o


;D

You just gave me an idea.  ;)



I can't wait... lol



found it....

I can't wait... lol



found it....


His 'idea' is on every decade on this website. ;D

For me the whole waving his arms so that a comedian he found funny would be interviewed made sense. Why would he interview someone that the audience didn't find funny? They would probably boo the person, so maybe he was saving their face?




well he would wave over someone HE found funny... there were plenty of comedians who made the audience laugh but still didn't get the nod from Johnny... it was probably crushing to the them... the audience roared but all they wanted was a seat next to the desk... 


found this... http://splitsider.com/2012/05/can-you-guess-whom-johnny-carson-asked-to-the-couch/

it's a sampling of comedians making their 1st appearance on Johnny... some made it to the couch others didn't...


about 3 of the videos aren't working.

You mean Ed McMahon? According to Hollywood legend, the real reason Johnny Carson smoked a pack of cigarettes a day was because that Ed McMahon had really bad gas and his farts were so foul and putrid that Johnny would chain smoke behind his desk just to cover up the stench.  :o :o :o


;D