INSIDE/tv's Top 20 "The Tonight Show" Moments

[JamesG]

The Tonight Show has been a late-night institution for more than 50 years (yes, that's right -- half a century). Jack Paar, who took over the reins from Steve Allen in '57, put the show on the map, with big-name guests and outspoken antics. Johnny Carson, who stepped in when Paar left, made the show appointment viewing for millions of fans and became one of the most beloved TV hosts of all time.

Now, with Jay Leno's last Tonight Show airing Fri., May 29, and Conan O'Brien taking the desk while Leno makes the unprecedented move to prime time, to a 10 PM slot in the fall, we look back and count down the top 20 moments of The Tonight Show. -- By Liane Bonin




20. Ellen gets couched (1986)

Only a select few comics were ever invited to take a seat on Johnny Carson's couch, and until Ellen DeGeneres got the nod, not one had been female. Good thing Ellen saw it coming. "I'm sitting on this mattress infested with fleas [in 1980], and I thought…'I'm going to get called over to the couch, and I'll be the first woman in history ever to get called over,'" she later told Today.




19. Johnny does Hamlet (1982)

When Johnny Carson took a crack at the "to be or not to be" soliloquy, it had to be good. Bringing the Bard up to date, Carson interjected fake product advertisements throughout the Shakespearean monologue to create one of the most memorable skits on the show.




18. Obama speaks (2009)

While many a presidential candidate has turned to late-night TV to drum up votes before an election, Obama's appearance was the first time a sitting president appeared on The Tonight Show. Luckily, Leno didn't blow the opportunity, asking the question we'd all been wondering about: "Now, when is the dog coming?"




17. Stewart's dead dog (1981)

An elderly Jimmy Stewart frequently appeared on The Tonight Show to read poems he'd written. The appearances were sometimes touching, but frequently felt like a visit to the retirement home to humor Grandpa. But when Stewart read an ode to his dog Beau, both Carson and Stewart -- as well as the audience -- wiped away real tears.




16. Rivers meets River (1986)

During her stint as a guest host on The Tonight Show, comedian Joan Rivers (wearing a tiara and ball gown for the occasion) chats up a 16-year-old River Phoenix. Watching him wisecrack with Joan and talk about normal kid stuff just reminds us of the charming kid he was in movies like Stand By Me, the mature talent he grew into in My Own Private Idaho -- and how much we miss him.




15. Jeers and Cheers (1993)

Following the finale of the hit TV show Cheers, the show broadcast live from Boston's Bull & Finch Pub. Unfortunately, the drawback of having a live show at a bar is that your guests can actually drink. Several stars of the show became noticeably sloshed, leaving Leno to try to control the chaos -- and failing miserably.




14. Leno hosts Paar (1994)

During a week of filming in New York in 1994, Jay Leno got back to the show's roots by inviting The Tonight Show's first host, Jack Paar, back to the show. Not surprisingly, Paar was once again controversial, expressing how much he didn't like the show's next guest, Madonna.




13. Johnny climbs Ed (1979)

Though Johnny Carson always joked around with sidekick Ed McMahon, they got a little closer than usual when an animal expert brought a panther to the show. When Carson moved too close to the cage, the big cat took a swipe at the host. Carson's response? Pretending to be terrified, he ran across the stage and jumped into McMahon's arms for a clip that became a classic.




12. Katie steps in (2003)

To drive ratings during a sweeps period, Katie Couric and Leno swapped jobs for a day. It's the only time Leno has ever allowed another host to sub for him, and he may want to watch his back. While Leno held his own on the Today show, Couric showed off her legs and brought her sunshine-y disposition to the monologue, resulting in a surprisingly solid showing.




11. Marmoset payback (1979)

When Joan Fowler of the San Diego Zoo brought a marmoset to the show, Carson thought the cuddly little creature was relatively harmless when it climbed onto the top of his head. When Fowler tried to remove it, however, Carson discovered that the small creature could hold a lot more urine than you'd think.




10. Jacko gets ribbed (2005)

After Leno was barred from making jokes about Michael Jackson due to his role as a witness in the gloved one's molestation trial, the host got creative to get in his jabs. Instead of banning Jacko as a topic du jour from his show, he called on other famous comics to tell Jackson jokes for him, including Dennis Miller, Roseanne Barr and Brad Garrett.




9. The Dancing Itos (1994)

The O.J. Simpson trial was the must-watch circus of the year, so Leno's decision to dress a bunch of guys like Judge Lance Ito and have them boogie through the show on 10 episodes was the perfect cultural commentary.




8. Chip Lady crushed (1987)

Carson invited Myrtle Young, a longtime employee of the Seyfert Potato Chip Company, to bring her collection of chips that look like birds, dogs and other creatures onto the show. All was going well until Johnny reaches behind the counter while Young wasn't looking to stuff a non-collectible chip into his mouth. The resulting "crunch" caused Young to jump while an innocent-looking Carson guffawed.




7. Arnold's big news (2003)

Instead of holding a traditional press conference, Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his intent to run for the governorship of California on Leno's show. Following the program, the Terminator walked to Johnny Carson Park (keeping to a Tonight Show theme, apparently) to hold a conventional, if Hollywoodized, PR fest.




6. Tiny Tim weds (1969)

Ukulele-playing novelty act Tiny Tim (Tip-Toe Through the Tulips) created a stir when he first appeared on the show, thanks to his high voice and hippie-undertaker looks. But when he decided to get hitched on the program, more than 40 million viewers tuned in to see the odd lovebirds take their vows and enjoy a 7-foot-tall cake decorated with 10,000 tulips. Sadly, his marriage to "Miss Vicki" lasted only eight years (not before producing a daughter, Tulip).




5. Jack Paar quits (1960)

Some hosts will do anything for a joke -- even quit. Jack Paar walked off after NBC censors cut one of his jokes. Paar announced, "I am leaving The Tonight Show. There must be a better way of making a living than this ..." and exited the stage, leaving announcer Hugh Downs (the first host of 20/20) to finish the broadcast solo. When Paar was convinced to return, a month later, he joked, "... I believe the last thing I said was 'There must be a better way to make a living than this.' Well, I've looked -- and there isn't."




4. Bobby Kennedy talks (1964)

In his first interview after his brother John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Senator Robert Kennedy didn't flinch when host Jack Paar nervously asked him to talk about his sister-in-law Jacqueline Kennedy or his late brother. In describing JFK's legacy, Kennedy articulated what a generation was thinking and eerily foreshadowed what would be said about him after his own assassination in 1968.




3. Grant apologizes (1995)

After Hugh Grant was arrested for soliciting prostitute Divine Brown, he decided to make his first public appearance on The Tonight Show. To Leno's credit, the host cut to the chase, asking "What the hell were you thinking?" as his first question. Grant's self-deprecating humor won the day, and not only did Grant get his career back, but Leno got a huge boost in the ratings.




2. Carson's quick cut (1965)

When Ed Ames of the TV show Daniel Boone showed off his weapon-throwing skills in 1965, Carson worked in a career-making jab. When a hatchet landed below the waist of a line drawing of a cowboy, Carson cracked, "I didn't even know you were Jewish!" The resulting audience laughter is thought to be the longest in the show's history, and helped propel Carson to must-see status.




1. Bette's kiss-off (1992)

As the last guest on Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show, Bette Midler was unflappable, singing the weepie ballad One for My Baby to a visibly moved Carson with a pro's unwavering smile on her face. It was only as she left the stage that the audience saw her burst into tears, a sincere moment too rarely seen in Hollywood.

http://television.aol.com/insidetv/2...-show-moments/

[70s show watcher]

they got 2 things wrong 1 the night parr made a cameo on jay;s show he did indeed blast madonna but madonna was not a guest on that nights show 2 when robert kennedy was on the show nether parr who had already left 2 years before nor carson were there harry belafonte subbed for johnny that night,

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by JamesG

8. Chip Lady crushed (1987)

Carson invited Myrtle Young, a longtime employee of the Seyfert Potato Chip Company, to bring her collection of chips that look like birds, dogs and other creatures onto the show. All was going well until Johnny reaches behind the counter while Young wasn't looking to stuff a non-collectible chip into his mouth. The resulting "crunch" caused Young to jump while an innocent-looking Carson guffawed.

Link

The Fort Wayne woman who sat next to Johnny Carson on the "Tonight Show" with her potato chip collection in 1987 has reportedly died.

Ian Hoover of 21Alive reported that Myrtle Young died on Saturday of natural causes. She was 90. Her guest appearance with some of her potato chips on "The Tonight Show" was ranked the Funniest moment "Ever" in Television history by TV Guide.

The former potato chip inspector for Seyfert's was sitting in the guest chair between Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon on ``The Tonight Show.'' Young had flown out to show off her collection of potato chips that resemble famous people and animals.

Then, after Ed McMahon distracted her, she heard ``crunch, crunch, crunch'' -- the sound of Carson munching potato chips.

Young swung around, her face showing sheer horror.

``My heart just stopped,'' recalled Young, who didn't know Carson was munching on chips from a bowl hidden under his desk. ``I thought he ate one of them.''

The editors of TV Guide magazine named that moment the funniest on television in the previous 50 years.

The appearance also propelled Young to celebrity status.

Besides visiting the Carson show in Burbank, Calif., she also was a guest on "Late Night with David Letterman" in New York and several other TV shows.

Young knew an unusual potato chip when she saw one -- she had been a chip inspector for 17 years. She collected about a hundred of them that looked like ... well, like other things.

``That's nothing, they ought to see what I've got!" Young sniffed when she read Ripley's Believe It or Not cartoon about a peanut shaped like a wooden shoe.

So she phoned The News-Sentinel earlier in 1987 about her potato chip collection. She told us she's Seyfert's potato chip inspector 17 years, and had turned up some chips we simply must see to believe.

A potato chip collection? "Oh, yes!" she bubbled. "They're shaped like horses' heads, boots, Yogi Bear, just all kinds of things!''

A reporter was dispatched. He discovered 100 chips arranged on newspaper, on her Formica kitchen table, next to a bowl of plastic fruit.

The rest is history.

The viewing will take place from 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Joy Fellowship Assembly of God church, 109 Moeller Road in New Haven. The funeral service will take place at 11 a.m. Thursday at the church. Arrangements are being coordinated by Covington Memorial Gardens on Covington Road in Fort Wayne.