# Challenge! Who is the man sitting with all the stars on Johnny Carson? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 30, 2014, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321 "2014-04-30T00:42:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 20
**Author:** ![VernWinterbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c67d28/32.png) [@VernWinterbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VernWinterbottom)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/381 "2014-05-03T11:06:40Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > D’oh! I’m red-green colourblind, but I thought I’d managed to overcome it. How typical this is of the Doper attitude. By the way, I cannot believe how godawful some of the Tonight Show sets have been. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/382 "2014-05-03T13:13:34Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > [Peter Mark Richman](https://www.google.com/search?q=peter+mark+richman&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=uI1gU8vuE-rU2AXU1oG4CQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1166&bih=857) > > I’m thinking you’re right. Going only by the pictures I would have sworn that was Martin Landau. ---
**Author:** ![DonLogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/383 "2014-05-03T13:30:58Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Question about Richman’s daughter: All she said was “No, that’s not my father”? On what does she base this belief? Childhood memories? Scrapbook collections? Could she have asked dad himself?. It may be necessary to waterboard her to get the truth. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/384 "2014-05-03T13:40:56Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Going only by the pictures I would have sworn that was Martin Landau. There is a bit of a resemblance. Landau was also considered for the role of Spock on _ **ST: TOS** _. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/385 "2014-05-03T13:45:07Z")
I can’t remember the phrase or word, what’s it called when everybody reads something different into the same image? It’s what we have going on here. I think it’s mass hysteria. Get someone who doesn’t know there’s a mystery to count the number of people in the picture and they’ll say there are only 8 people. We’re all just imaging the existence of this mystery man. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/386 "2014-05-03T13:45:44Z")
Okay, let’s go with the hypotheis that this wasn’t during a taping of the show but instead was a side bar photo op while getting ready for the Awards. Who was the executive producer of the Emmy Awards then? And are there photos of that person? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/387 "2014-05-03T13:50:43Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I can’t remember the phrase or word, what’s it called when everybody reads something different into the same image? Rorschach test? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/388 "2014-05-03T13:52:57Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Maybe they were held at NBC Burbank? :dubious: 😕 Wikipedia says the 1971 Emmy Awards was at the Pantages Theatre, which Google Maps says is a 5-10 minute drive from NBC Burbank. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/389 "2014-05-03T13:56:52Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Rorschach test? :dubious: Thanks, that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/390 "2014-05-03T14:16:45Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Who was the executive producer of the Emmy Awards then? And are there photos of that person? [Apparently not online.](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1251440/) ---
**Author:** ![rucciface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ba9def/32.png) [@rucciface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rucciface)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/391 "2014-05-03T17:07:45Z")
I’m just sure it’s Peter Mark Richman…the moment I looked at the photo, I thought “I know exactly who that is, but can’t remember where I’ve seen him.” Reading the thread, post #4 gave me the name. The actor played Chrissy’s reverend father on “Three’s Company”. That’s where I’ve seen him. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/392 "2014-05-03T17:09:04Z")
Jean Paul Belmondo either it’s him or it’s his doppelganger > **[Jean-Paul Belmondo](https://www.imdb.com/media/rm946970880/nm0000901?ref_=nmmi_mi_all_evt_2#)** > > Jean-Paul Belmondo ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/393 "2014-05-03T17:20:17Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Get someone who doesn’t know there’s a mystery to count the number of people in the picture and they’ll say there are only 8 people. We’re all just imaging the existence of this mystery man. _There…are…four…lights!!!_ ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/394 "2014-05-03T17:44:08Z")
Image of Jean Paul Belmondo 1974 right profile, tuxedo [![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KDUznk7DkrM/Uc_p-rvZjyI/AAAAAAAACdM/8fZUrYtVLyU/s400/1974_film_stavisky_boyer_belmondo.jpg) ](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KDUznk7DkrM/Uc_p-rvZjyI/AAAAAAAACdM/8fZUrYtVLyU/s400/1974_film_stavisky_boyer_belmondo.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/395 "2014-05-03T18:25:06Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I wonder if he’s Michael Zannella, Carson’s talent coordinator. Nope. I worked with Michael Zannella in the early '80s. The only thing he and MM have in common is that they’re both white. Other than that, they couldn’t look more different. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/396 "2014-05-03T18:35:10Z")
It wasn’t the Emmy awards - it was the 1970 Photoplay awards. People have already posted TV guide clippings from the time describing the show and naming everyone we see on in the picture as guests - _except_ for the mystery man. That’s the best evidence we have to do as to the source of the image. So, Nov 11 1970, shot after the Photoplay awards. He looks very familiar, but that might be due to a couple of factors - one is that he might look like someone we all know today, so he’s triggering the ‘I know him!’ feeling. The second is the ‘face on Mars’ effect - the image is relatively low resolution, and our brains may be filling in the gaps by mapping his face to someone we know. In case you don’t remember, there was a big pseudo-mystery years ago about a ‘face on Mars’ that was captured by one of the Mars orbiters. A whole industry of cranks developed around this image of what looked like a face carved into a rock formation. But when a new Mars orbiter with a higher resolution camera imaged the same formation, the illusion of a face completely fell apart. Maybe if we saw a high resolution image of the same scene the guy would not strike that feeling of ‘knowing’ him. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/397 "2014-05-03T18:46:50Z")
> [@Wiseguy70005](#): > > Is that the one where he says something like he feels like a pair of brown shoes in a roomful of tuxedos? The quote is, “Did you ever get the feeling that the world was a tuxedo, and you were a pair of brown shoes?” Basically a joke about feeling like a fish out of water, or feeling out of step with everyone else. Yep. Here’s a [full clip of the entire segment](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLiEVvGMjhk). It’s well worth watching, as it’s hilarious. And don’t miss Dean Martin’s antics while Gobel is being interviewed. Relevant to our mystery man search: This show is from 1969, when Carson was still in New York, but this episode was shot in Burbank on the same set that the mystery man is sitting in. During the episode it’s mentioned that Johnny came out to Burbank twice a year. ---
**Author:** ![randompattern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@randompattern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randompattern)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/398 "2014-05-03T18:57:46Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > He looks very familiar, but that might be due to a couple of factors - one is that he might look like someone we all know today, so he’s triggering the ‘I know him!’ feeling. The second is the ‘face on Mars’ effect - the image is relatively low resolution, and our brains may be filling in the gaps by mapping his face to someone we know. As far as current actor I thought he looks a little like[Chris Meloni](http://https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.tcwreviews.com/2011/12/itsbeen-awful-long-while-since-weve.html&sa=U&ei=BTxlU8DFPIGMyASw2oGYAw&ved=0CEAQ9QEwCTgU&sig2=rNsb6wuaeLT_1cIAOFq-Pw&usg=AFQjCNHSgwQKlHKyah4Lb3Y2GewXOTnXbQ) from L&O SVU. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/399 "2014-05-03T20:14:46Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > It wasn’t the Emmy awards - it was the 1970 Photoplay awards. People have already posted TV guide clippings from the time describing the show and naming everyone we see on in the picture as guests - _except_ for the mystery man. It also names people who aren’t in the photo. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2014, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/400 "2014-05-03T20:17:01Z")
I’m seconding the vote for Lloyd Bridges. The image posted upthread (#238) doesn’t look much like the mystery man, but Bridges’ later photos do. For example, scroll down the Wiki link ([Lloyd Bridges - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Bridges)) and zoom in on him in the photo where he’s seen with son Beau. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321.md?page=19) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321.md?page=21)