This page says the joke was:
Carson was a major investor in the ultimately failed DeLorean Motor Company. Founder John DeLorean was involved in a drug scandal, causing Carson’s guest Red Skelton to quip, “The DeLorean, is that a hopped-up car?”
That finally makes sense.
Yeah, hopped-up could refer to being a high-performance car or being on drugs. With the context of Carson being a major investor in DeLorean.
Great find
Great find! I hereby nominate Dr. Strangelove for the 2022 Vashbul Memorial Research Award.
Roderick_Femm deserves an honorable mention for coming so close with “hoppity”.
Nicely done and thanks. It was bugging me.
So it was that mild drug reference that got that joke cut or overdubbed? That’s pretty silly.
I wonder if it was more of a legal thing. DeLorean launched at least a few libel lawsuits back in 1981:
Could be that, even though it was just a joke, they didn’t want to deal with any potential legal fallout from DeLorean.
It was silly then too but this was shortly after the Reagan Administration began its anti-drug “Just Say No” campaign. Among its provisions was getting the TV networks to crack down on any references to drugs in their programming that were positive or even just neutral. And unlike previous efforts in the past, this was strictly enforced. Thus, even a veteran performer like Skelton who was over the age of 70 and on a program airing late at night couldn’t make a winking reference to drug use without getting bleeped.
Of DeLorean’s and backseats… screenshot:
Aha! “Hopped” and not “hump.” That does indeed make sense!
Well, I was close. 
I see now that I’m lucky I found the quote. I was wondering why a site like “MyVintagePhotos” would have a long article like that on Carson–and one that reads suspiciously like a Wikipedia article. And indeed, it is pulled from the Wikipedia page, but the current one doesn’t contain the quote.
After browsing the history, I see that the quote was removed back in 2011, in this revision:
Citation needed. We now have video proof, of sorts, but it requires a certain degree of interpretation.
That was an amazing find. Thanks, Doc!
mmm
ETA: Now, about that cat on your lap…
Red is saying “humpmobile”. It was common slang for a hot car that could get you laid. Applied at the time to corvettes, porches etc. Would have def gotten bleeped in those days. I’m 67 so it’s in my cultural sweet spot… Good for something.
Red is saying “humpmobile”. It was common slang for a hot car that could get you laid. Applied at the time to corvettes, porches etc. Would have def gotten bleeped in those days. I’m 67 so it’s in my cultural sweet spot… Good for something.
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Red is saying “humpmobile”. It was common slang for a hot car that could get you laid. Applied at the time to corvettes, porches etc. Would have def gotten bleeped in those days. I’m 67 so it’s in my cultural sweet spot… Good for something.
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Funny Username/double-triple post combination.
(I’m NOT criticizing or ridiculing, OK? And welcome to the SDMB.)
I’m utterly jet lagged. Creative juices flowing, but confused :).
So fun to be able to help solve a mystery w the benefit of my age. Weird. 
NBC S&P would not allow Carson to make a joke about the band smoking marijuana so I’m going to guess this.
Except for Dr Strangelove’s cite that says that isn’t what was said.