Desi and Johnny Carson question - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

KurtfromPitts · 07-09-2011, 11:47 AM

I have a couple of books-In All His Glory [about Bill Paley] and Desilu, written in 1992-93-that say that a young Johnny Carson was pushed aside from a radio game show which had the same title as his first national TV gig called "Earn Your Vacation" to make room for Desi, who would alter the format and change the title to "Your Tropical Vacation". Two questions, did Carson ever host a national radio show, and is the story about Johnny being replaced by Arnaz true?

TV Knowledge Fan · 07-10-2011, 12:32 AM

...and there's a lot of misinformation she quoted and used in writing "In All His Glory"....especially the part about Desi Arnaz and Johnny Carson.

First of all, before "I LOVE LUCY", Desi was host of a sustaining {unsponsored} Sunday afternoon CBS radio show from January through September 1951, "YOUR TROPICAL TRIP", featuring him and his band performing musical numbers inbetween segments with Desi as a quiz show emcee, asking contestants a number of questions, giving them the opportunity to win a "grand prize" of a trip to somewhere in Latin America. Towards the end of the series, Johnny Carson arrived from Omaha, Nebraska to begin work as a staff announcer at KNX-TV, the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles; he NEVER hosted a network radio quiz or game show.

The network owned the rights to "YOUR TROPICAL TRIP", and reworked it as a TV summer replacement quiz show, "EARN YOUR VACATION", hosted by Johnny, in the summer of 1954, on early Sunday evenings. While he was doing that, he was also one of Red Skelton's writers. When Red injured himself rehearsing a comedy sketch that August, Johnny was called in to substitute for him at the last moment. That appearance earned him enough acclaim to interest CBS in featuring him in his own comedy/variety show the following summer (which lasted one season).

Those are the facts. But apparently, that didn't get in the way of Sally "twisting" those events to her advantage, making it sound more intriguing for her book {Desi kicked Johnny out of his own game show? Horrors!!}. She also has a habit of using some information for her books without conducting proper research on them: for example, in her 1981 book "Up the Tube" {about programming executive Fred Silverman's years at all three networks), she quoted a scene from "THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW" that was actually from a first draft script- what she quoted "Ted Baxter" as saying was NOT what he said in the actual episode [had she actually watched the episode in question, she would have corrected it, but apparently, she didn't bother to]. I take most of the information in her books as factual, but I know which parts are fact....

KurtfromPitts · 07-13-2011, 11:41 AM

Your Tropical TRIP. Thanks, TVKF.

07-09-2011, 11:47 AM	#1
KurtfromPitts Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 10, 2006 Location: Carnegie PA Posts: 1,535	Desi and Johnny Carson question I have a couple of books-In All His Glory [about Bill Paley] and Desilu, written in 1992-93-that say that a young Johnny Carson was pushed aside from a radio game show which had the same title as his first national TV gig called "Earn Your Vacation" to make room for Desi, who would alter the format and change the title to "Your Tropical Vacation". Two questions, did Carson ever host a national radio show, and is the story about Johnny being replaced by Arnaz true?

07-10-2011, 12:32 AM	#2
TV Knowledge Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 29, 2006 Location: Long Branch, N.J. Posts: 2,577	I've also read Sally Bedell-Smith's book, Kurt... ...and there's a lot of misinformation she quoted and used in writing "In All His Glory"....especially the part about Desi Arnaz and Johnny Carson. First of all, before "I LOVE LUCY", Desi was host of a sustaining {unsponsored} Sunday afternoon CBS radio show from January through September 1951, "YOUR TROPICAL TRIP", featuring him and his band performing musical numbers inbetween segments with Desi as a quiz show emcee, asking contestants a number of questions, giving them the opportunity to win a "grand prize" of a trip to somewhere in Latin America. Towards the end of the series, Johnny Carson arrived from Omaha, Nebraska to begin work as a staff announcer at KNX-TV, the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles; he NEVER hosted a network radio quiz or game show. The network owned the rights to "YOUR TROPICAL TRIP", and reworked it as a TV summer replacement quiz show, "EARN YOUR VACATION", hosted by Johnny, in the summer of 1954, on early Sunday evenings. While he was doing that, he was also one of Red Skelton's writers. When Red injured himself rehearsing a comedy sketch that August, Johnny was called in to substitute for him at the last moment. That appearance earned him enough acclaim to interest CBS in featuring him in his own comedy/variety show the following summer (which lasted one season). Those are the facts. But apparently, that didn't get in the way of Sally "twisting" those events to her advantage, making it sound more intriguing for her book {Desi kicked Johnny out of his own game show? Horrors!!}. She also has a habit of using some information for her books without conducting proper research on them: for example, in her 1981 book "Up the Tube" {about programming executive Fred Silverman's years at all three networks), she quoted a scene from "THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW" that was actually from a first draft script- what she quoted "Ted Baxter" as saying was NOT what he said in the actual episode [had she actually watched the episode in question, she would have corrected it, but apparently, she didn't bother to]. I take most of the information in her books as factual, but I know which parts are fact....

07-13-2011, 11:41 AM	#3
KurtfromPitts Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 10, 2006 Location: Carnegie PA Posts: 1,535	Your Tropical TRIP. Thanks, TVKF.