Born: October 23, 1925
Died: October 23, 2005
Johnny Carson has climbed to the top of a high mountain, and he stands at the edge, a man looking, with some justifiable apprehension, to the deep precipice below. Johnny Carson replaces Jack Paar as the permanent host on NBC-TV’s Tonight show, beginning Monday, Oct. 1 (11:30 PM). It would be a long way to fall. Buffalo Evening New, New York, August 18, 1962
How did Carson reach the precipice of TV fame and eventually become the King of late night? Here’s the story …
He was born in Corning, Iowa. His father worked for a utility company and was transferred from town to town. Johnny never got to make fast friends because he was here today and gone tomorrow. But he yearned for friends; and in order to win them quickly, he studied every “be-the-life-of-the-party” gimmick he could find. He took mail-order courses in magic, ventriloquism and how to tell a story. The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, July 5, 1955
The Carson family did move around a lot, before finally settling in Norfolk, Nebraska when Johnny was eight. A few years later he became interested in magic. The ventriloquism came later …
As a high school youth in Norfolk, Johnny, boylike, read about bit money to be made as a magician. He got himself a kit and set to perfecting his technique. About that time the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce was sponsoring weekly programs in rural school houses and Johnny became a star performer. It also gave him the opportunity to learn how to appear in public and handle an audience. The Columbus Telegram, Columbus, Nebraska, January 12, 1953
After graduating from high school in 1943, Carson enlisted in the Navy and …
While waiting for assignment to active duty he hitchhiked to California and with his card tricks managed to get on the Orson Wells show for servicemen. That was his introduction to big-time entertainment.
Commissioned an ensign in 1945, Johnny was sent to San Francisco to await overseas duty. There he met a ventriloquist. So intrigued with the art of deception, carson bought a book on the subject and ordered a dummy to be sent to him when he would be permanently located. The place turned out to be Guam and Carson spent a year there as a communications officer. The dummy turned up and with little to do, the war being over by this time, Carson had plenty of time to learn how to make his dummy talk. The Columbus Telegram, Columbus, Nebraska, January 12, 1953
After completing his military service, Carson attended the University of Nebraska, majoring in radio and speech. He worked as an announcer at KFAB radio.
Following graduation in 1950, Johnny moved to WOW [a television station] in Omaha as an announcer. It wasn’t long before he had his own “Johnny Carson Show,” a morning variety dish he conducted for a year …. In November, 1951 he moved to Los Angeles and picked up an announcing job at KNXT-TV. The Columbus Telegram, Columbus, Nebraska, January 12, 1953
By this time, Carson was married to the first of his three wives.
In his hours off, he entertained himself by writing his idea for a comedy show. “Carson’s Cellar” was the result, a show which created something of a local sensation in Los Angeles. The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, July 5, 1955
Johnny Carson, described as “the newest comedy star on the television horizon” is still another new entry. He brings his “Carson’s Cellar” to KNXT at 7. The program will be a satire on the current TV scene. The Valley Times, North Hollywood, California, October 4, 1952
You can see the seeds of what was to come on the Tonight Show in Carson’s Cellar …
Each week a “lucky” studio guest gets a chance to undergo surgery on TV when “Dr.” Johnny Carson, a real cut-up in his own right, does an operation. Long Beach Press-Telegram, California, December 14, 1952
Comedian Johnny Carson and June Foray offer their version of a gay hubby-wife breakfast team on television during “Carson’s Cellar” show at 5:30 p.m. on KNXT. Pasadena Independent, California, December 21, 1952
Gay meant something different back then. An “annoyingly perky” morning television team seems to be what this skit was all about.
We especially like his lampooning of some of the more distasteful commercials, like $8.95 vacuums. Also his telling blow at three-week-late New Year’s greetings by eastern shows. Long Beach Independent, California, January 23, 1953.
Comic Johnny Carson peddles coronation souvenirs on his channel 2 show at 10 in a takeoff on the network’s frenzied scramble to be the first with the coronation films [of Queen Elizabeth]. Ventura County Star – Free Press, California, June 8, 1953.
One of the advantages of being a local show in Los Angles, the epicenter of network TV, was that TV and film stars could watch the show. One of these stars was Red Skelton, host of a very popular variety show that ran from 1951 to 1971. Skelton recruited Carson to be a writer on his show, an opportunity too good to pass up and one that led to an amazing showbiz story told by reporter Donald Freeman …
An hour-and-a-half before his [live on the east coast] CBS-TV show, Skelton toppled into a prop door and suffered a concussion. Carson filled in for Skelton. He did a fine job on short notice. As a result, Carson received considerable attention … Soon after the program beamed to the West Coast, I telephoned Carson at his home in Woodland Hills.
“The darndest thing the way it happened,” Carson recalled. “I was out cleaning up the garage, wearing old clothes and the phone rings. It was Cecil Barker, producer of the Skelton show …”
“Listen, Johnny,” Barker shouted. “You gotta do the Skelton program.”
“I gotta do what?” Carson gulped. “When?”
“When?” rasped Barker. “I’ll tell you when. Right now is when. Red’s hurt. Now hurry and get down here.”
“Well, it takes 40 minutes to drive in and …” Carson began.
“One more thing,” Barker broke in. “Now, for goodness sake, don’t you get in any accidents.”
“Were you nervous, Johnny?” I wanted to know.
“I didn’t have time to be nervous,” Carson said. “Honest. I was so excited and there was a lot of confusion. It was a hectic scene – right out of the movies … If they told me a week ahead of time that I’d have to replace Red Skelton, I’d have gotten the shakes for sure, but there wasn’t time to think or get nervous.” Monrovia Daily News, Monrovia, California, September 6, 1954
Carson’s heroics led to The Johnny Carson Show, a short-lived (June 1955 to March 1956), primetime variety show on CBS. To help promote the show, Carson appeared on The Jack Benny Program.
Benny has been raving about Johnny Carson for years – ever since Carson had a five-minute television program on a local Los Angeles station. Carson has had an ambition to be on the Benny program for years. El Paso Times, Texas, November 27, 1955
Johnny Carson put on a good show with Jack Benny Sunday evening imitating the old master to a fare-thee-well, but Jack still stole the show by putting himself again in the role of the underdog, which he does so hilariously. Press and Sun – Bulletin, Binghamton, New York, November 22, 1955
Click here to watch Carson on the Jack Benny show. Click here to watch one of Johnny’s opening monologues on The Johnny Carson Show. Click here to watch an entire episode, presented by Sanka coffee! I’m working on stories on Jack benny and Red Skelton, so subscribe to this blog and you’ll get alerts.
While The Johnny Carson Show was a swing and a miss, it led Carson to a job hosting the successful daytime, gameshow Who Do You Trust (1957 to 1962). Shouldn’t it have been Whom Do You Trust? Regardless, this led to …
Johnny Carson, one of television’s most talented and versatile personalities, will replace Jack Paar as the permanent host of NBC-TV’s late-night entertainment show beginning Monday, Oct. 8, it was announced today by Mort Werner, Vice President, NBC-TV Programs. The program will be titled “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” Tonawanda News, North Tonawanda, New York, February 20, 1962.
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson premiered on October 1, 1962.
“I don’t know what the show will be like. A show like it just evolves and I’ll try a lot of things and stick with what works,” [Carson] said. The Kansas City Star, Missouri, June 3, 1962
From Unknown To Famous 