'Tonight Show' Pays Tribute to Carson


http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/thumbnails//CARSON_TONIGHT_SHOW.sff_WXS119_20050124211741.jpg (http://apnews.excite.com/image/20050124/CARSON_TONIGHT_SHOW.sff_WXS119_20050124211741.html?date=20050125&docid=D87QTCT00)(AP) Don Rickles, left, and Bob Newhart speak
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BURBANK, Calif. (AP) - Johnny Carson was remembered Monday on "The Tonight Show" with an affectionate lookback at his nearly 30 years as host, including tributes by comedians and former guests that left many in the audience teary-eyed.

"As a performer, I never wanted to impress anyone more than Johnny Carson," said Jay Leno, the show's current host. "Johnny had that special quality of grace, charm and dignity in the public arena. He was an incredibly polite man and when you were invited into his house, this show, you knew you were an honored guest."

Carson died Sunday at 79 after nearly 13 years in retirement. NBC said he died of emphysema - a respiratory disease that can be attributed to smoking.

Leno's guests Monday included Carson favorites Bob Newhart and Don Rickles, as well as comedian Drew Carey, singer k.d. lang and Carson's former sidekick, Ed McMahon.

McMahon told Leno that on their first "Tonight Show" together, he asked Carson what his own role should be. McMahon said Carson replied, "Ed, I don't know how I see my own role. Let's just go down and entertain the hell out of them."

McMahon also recounted the entertainer's strong sense of privacy.

"He was great with 10 million people, lousy with 10," McMahon said.

The tribute show contained an abundance of archival clips, including one of a dark-haired young Leno making his first appearance as a guest on the "Tonight Show." He would take over as host when Carson retired in 1992.

Others included Carson in one of his signature bits, the mind-reading "Carnac the Magnificent," a routine that David Letterman's band leader Paul Shaffer occasionally still borrows for the "Late Show."

http://ak.imgfarm.com/images/ap/thumbnails//CARSON_TONIGHT_SHOW.sff_WXS121_20050124213206.jpg (http://apnews.excite.com/image/20050124/CARSON_TONIGHT_SHOW.sff_WXS121_20050124213206.html?date=20050125&docid=D87QTCT00)(AP) Musician k.d. Lang performs during a taping
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Comedians Jerry Seinfeld and Roseanne Barr, who made their starts on the show, also appeared in clips.

Missing from the show was Carson's longtime bandleader Doc Severinsen, but he made an appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live," where he told King he was still grieving.

"I'm still having a problem with it, you know," he said. "I think 'I'm OK, now, OK, I've got everything under control,' and then bam, it hits again."

While the mood on the "Tonight Show" set was often celebratory, there was quiet reflection outside NBC's Burbank studios.

At Johnny Carson Park, adjacent to the studio, a vase of red roses and other flowers had been left at a plaque of the late-night host along with notes that said, "Goodnight Johnny, we'll miss you" and "Nobody did it better than Carson."

"He will be missed by a lot of people, especially his sidekick Ed McMahon," said Basha Kerbel, 73, of Toronto, who came with her husband and received standby tickets for the show. "It's a sad day for everybody. He was liked by so many people."

Debby Kulber, 50, of Cleveland, remembered Carson for his self-deprecating style.

"He was able to laugh at himself. And he made all the guests seem interesting," she said. "He was just very funny."

In Los Angeles, meanwhile, flowers were placed on Carson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. "This is a very sad day in Hollywood and I could tell you that Hollywood hasn't been this shocked since the news flash of Marilyn Monroe's demise," said Johnny Grant, the honorary mayor of Hollywood. "I think we all figured that Johnny Carson would just live on forever."

I haven't flipped it over to Letterman but I am watching and taping the tribute to him on Jay Leno. Great stuff. :lol:

im getting ready to watch it myself in a few minutes

I'm sure both Letterman and Leno are airing a sort of tribute, they both owe their careers to Johnny. But for obvious reasons, "The Tonight Show" will have a more elaborate one.

Jay gave a great speech about Johnny. It was great that he had Ed McMahon on and especially since Ed has been going through so much in the past 24 hours. Seeing those clips are great, brings back how funny Johnny was.

Letterman is a rerun. Either he's on vacation or is doing his own tribute tomorrow and didn't want to conflict with Leno's tribute.

Those clips from past shows were great. Johnny was so funny. I can't believe he died.

I watched some if the show, too. That was very nice to do for a tribute. I really don't remember any of the old Tonight Show with Johnny. I was only 8 when he retired. His final show was the only show I really remember. But I've seen many of those famous clips a lot. RIP Johnny Carson.

it was a great tribute

Damn! I knew I should have taped it. I didn't know Leno was going to do a tribute show.

Damn! I knew I should have taped it. I didn't know Leno was going to do a tribute show.
You can catch it next Monday (TECHNICALLY Tuesday) @ 2am on NBC.

Craig Ferguson didn't have a tribute on his show, but he told a story about how when he came over here from his home country how his father and uncle would watch Johnny and he and his cousins would sneak downstairs and watch it too, and he said another story I thought that was nice

I just came home from work and I'm watching Jay Leno's tribute to Johnny Carson. It's on my DVR. This show featured clips from Johnny Carson during his heyday of the "Tonight Show" throughout his 30-year run as host.

that was an EXELLENT tribute! Johnny Carson was THE best host of "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson" (not "The Tonight Show" like everyone calls it. Although, when Steve Allen then Jack Parr hosted it, it was called "The Tonight Show". And now, with Jay Leno, it's again called that. And I'm sure it will also be called that when Conan O'Brian takes over in a couple years.)
I remember reading an interview with Jay Leno when he took over, and he said they asked him if he wanted it to be called "The Tonight Show starring Jay Leno" and he said "I'm not deserving of that title. Only Johnny Carson is".

I remember I used to watch the show almost every weeknight-and on weekends, when NBC used to show reruns of it-and I remembered seeing a lot of those clips that they showed-like when he pretended to get really mad at Don Rickles for breaking his cigarete box, and he walked onto the set of Rickles show and confronted him about it. :lol:


R.I.P. Johnny. You'll be missed by everyone!

I don't know what David Letterman should do with Johnny's tribute on the "Late Show" probably tonight or who knows. Will see.:rolleyes: