# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/81 "2014-04-30T19:09:02Z")
Fixed links from above: [Paul Ehrlich](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_R._Ehrlich) [Edward Mulhare](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Mulhare) ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/82 "2014-04-30T19:13:46Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > I think you’re wrong on that count. > > OP Pic: [https://scontent-b-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10257806\_10203391221998919\_3316284087444893607\_n.jpg](https://scontent-b-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/10257806_10203391221998919_3316284087444893607_n.jpg) > > Ted Bessell in 1969: [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/That\_Girl\_scene\_1969.JPG](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/That_Girl_scene_1969.JPG) I don’t think that you have ever seen an episode of _ **That Girl!** _ as Bessell was a much larger man than the person who is shown in the picture. [Here’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cskPO-kF7t4%E2%80%9D) a video of Bessell. Clearly the seated person is NOT him. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/83 "2014-04-30T19:14:05Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Dudes, it’s almost certainly Ted Bessell. Look at the pics posted above. Looks much older then Bessell to me, with thinner hair. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/84 "2014-04-30T19:21:11Z")
> [@tbook](#): > > Edward Mulhare[https://www.google.com/search?q=Edward+Mulhare&rlz=1C1RNNN\_enUS372&es\_sm=122&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=W0hhU8vnGeTg2gWxsYGQDg&ved=0CLQBEIke&biw=1280&bih=628](http://https://www.google.com/search?q=Edward+Mulhare&rlz=1C1RNNN_enUS372&es_sm=122&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=W0hhU8vnGeTg2gWxsYGQDg&ved=0CLQBEIke&biw=1280&bih=628) Not [Mulhare](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hThDJVhqnp0). He was a much taller man (6’2”) The man seated is clearly 5’8” to 5’ 10” at the tallest. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/85 "2014-04-30T19:35:03Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Yep. Jack Warden, Jack Klugman and George C. Scott? I have to wonder if people are trying to be funny. Or if they have that neurological disorder where they have no facial recognition ability. Yeah, don’t know what I was thinking when I suggested Klugman - his hair wasn’t wavy. 😉 Seriously though, I thought the camera may have caught him in a transition of expressions similar to what another poster described, and so didn’t look like we normally think of him. Subsequent viewings on Google however have disabused me of that notion. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/86 "2014-04-30T19:53:42Z")
Could be [producer Danny Arnold](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Arnold), except he does not show an imdb listing for that show under _self_ – and the face looks familiar, he looks to me like an American comedian. ---
**Author:** ![tbook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@tbook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tbook)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/87 "2014-04-30T19:55:20Z")
> [@nevadaexile](#): > > Not [Mulhare](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hThDJVhqnp0). > He was a much taller man (6’2”) > The man seated is clearly 5’8” to 5’ 10” at the tallest. Robert Young’s height is listed at 6.0’. The man in question does not appear to be shorter than Young. ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/88 "2014-04-30T20:06:17Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > _The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour_ was nominated for an Emmy in 1970 under the category of “Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction or Scenic Design: For a Variety Single Program.” See [here](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063902/awards?ref_=tt_ql_4). Campbell himself was not nominated, but he could have shown up on this show for it. > > However, the Mystery Man is not David Frost. I feel sorry for those few who didn’t have a variety show back then. But I was hinting that [Michael Constantine](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Michael_Constantine_Lloyd_Haynes_Room_222_1969.JPG/220px-Michael_Constantine_Lloyd_Haynes_Room_222_1969.JPG) was the guy. He has the same smile and won an Emmy that year so he would have belonged on that stage. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/89 "2014-04-30T20:08:38Z")
> [@Aquadementia](#): > > I feel sorry for those few who didn’t have a variety show back then. > > But I was hinting that [Michael Constantine](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Michael_Constantine_Lloyd_Haynes_Room_222_1969.JPG/220px-Michael_Constantine_Lloyd_Haynes_Room_222_1969.JPG) was the guy. He has the same smile and won an Emmy that year so he would have belonged on that stage. Which one is he, the left or the right? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/90 "2014-04-30T20:35:05Z")
It’s Mel Ferrer. He was “a star” when this photo was taken, whereas Peter Mark Richman (who does have a similar look) was not. Some pics can be seen at: [https://www.google.com/search?q="Mel+Ferrer"&lr=&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=h11hU96BEtbfsASlqoHgDw&ved=0CAYQ\_AUoAQ&biw=969&bih=668](https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Mel+Ferrer%22&lr=&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=h11hU96BEtbfsASlqoHgDw&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=969&bih=668) ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/91 "2014-04-30T20:38:50Z")
I repeat that this photo may not be from 1971, but rather from the November 11, 1970 broadcast, when according to TV listings for that date, _every single person in the picture_ was on the Tonight Show (due to their having won an award at the Photoplay Awards). It seems unlikely that the same exact grouping showed up a year later for a reunion because they all won Emmys. Michael Constantine wouldn’t be a bad guess, except I think his hair is so dark that even the lights wouldn’t turn it that shade of golden brown. Also, his eyebrows are… a lot more prominent, shall we say. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/92 "2014-04-30T20:48:57Z")
I’m going to take back Mel Ferrer and nominate Graham Kerr. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/93 "2014-04-30T20:55:25Z")
[http://www.radiodiscussions.com/showthread.php?615072-Retro-Eastern-Virginia-Wednesday-November-11-1970](http://www.radiodiscussions.com/showthread.php?615072-Retro-Eastern-Virginia-Wednesday-November-11-1970) According this link guests that night were: > [@](#): > > 11:30 Tonight Show (Johnny is in Hollywood for the presentation of the 50th > Photoplay awards. Guests include John Wayne, Carol Burnett, Bette > Davis, Robert Young, Danny Thomas, Glen Campbell, Marlo Thomas, > James Brolin, and Karen Valentine.) Mystery man doesn’t look like John Wayne, so maybe it’s Bette Davis as a cross dresser. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/94 "2014-04-30T20:59:49Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I’m going to take back Mel Ferrer and nominate Graham Kerr. Not even close, I remember Graham Kerr from that time period, that is not him. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/95 "2014-04-30T21:09:05Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I’m going to take back Mel Ferrer and nominate Graham Kerr. Yipe, I think Graham Kerr is even less likely than Mel Ferrer. Kerr’s hair was a) super-straight and b) super-dark at that time. Also he looks nothing like this guy. Other than that… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/96 "2014-04-30T21:10:39Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > [http://www.radiodiscussions.com/showthread.php?615072-Retro-Eastern-Virginia-Wednesday-November-11-1970](http://www.radiodiscussions.com/showthread.php?615072-Retro-Eastern-Virginia-Wednesday-November-11-1970) > > According this link guests that night were: > > Mystery man doesn’t look like John Wayne, so maybe it’s Bette Davis as a cross dresser. Holy shitsnacks, I posted that on the last page, along with [an actual newspaper TV listing.](http://newspaperarchive.com/us/kansas/hutchinson/hutchinson-news/1970/11-07/page-26) Am I invisible? > [@me](#): > > BTW, how sure are you that this is a show devoted to the Emmys? Because I found a few newspaper listings dated November 11 for the Tonight Show ([here’s a sample from the Hutchinson News in Kansas](http://newspaperarchive.com/us/kansas/hutchinson/hutchinson-news/1970/11-07/page-26) – zoom in for the 10:30pm listing) for an episode devoted to the \*Photoplay \*Awards, with guests John Wayne, Danny Thomas, Marlo Thomas, Karen Valentine, Carol Burnett, James Brolin, Robert Young, Bette Davis, and Glen Campbell. You can also see a _TV Guide_ listing for that date [from their Eastern Virginia edition](http://www.radiodiscussions.com/showthread.php?615072-Retro-Eastern-Virginia-Wednesday-November-11-1970) (scroll to WAVY Ch. 10 Norfolk for the 11:30pm listing). > > Obviously the guy in question is not John Wayne, Bette Davis, or Glen Campbell. 🙂 But considering this group of people otherwise matches the photograph, this may help narrow things down. Maybe a producer from \*Photoplay \* (which, for you youngsters out there, was an early version of _Us_ or _People_) or something? > > (I should mention that the 50th Annual \*Photoplay \*Awards were hosted on the Glen Campbell show, which possibly explains his inclusion.) ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/97 "2014-04-30T21:12:59Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > The description [here](http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/classic-television-revisited/images/21373838/title/marlo-thomas-photo) says it’s [Ted Bessell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Bessell). I figure that because he’s the only one in that picture you didn’t know. Another vote for Bessell. There are other pix on the Interwebz of him and he’s a match all the way. ---
**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:** [April 30, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/98 "2014-04-30T21:13:58Z")
> [@choie](#): > > Holy shitsnacks, I posted that on the last page, along with [an actual newspaper TV listing.](http://newspaperarchive.com/us/kansas/hutchinson/hutchinson-news/1970/11-07/page-26) Am I invisible? I’ve been having that invisibility problem lately too. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/99 "2014-04-30T21:16:17Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > I’m going to take back Mel Ferrer and nominate Graham Kerr. Sorry, but Kerr is at LEAST 6’3” or 6’4”. The man seated is less than 6 foot tall. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2014, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321/100 "2014-04-30T21:20:37Z")
> [@choie](#): > > I repeat that this photo may not be from 1971, but rather from the November 11, 1970 broadcast, when according to TV listings for that date, _every single person in the picture_ was on the Tonight Show (due to their having won an award at the Photoplay Awards). > > It seems unlikely that the same exact grouping showed up a year later for a reunion because they all won Emmys. > > Michael Constantine wouldn’t be a bad guess, except I think his hair is so dark that even the lights wouldn’t turn it that shade of golden brown. Also, his eyebrows are… a lot more prominent, shall we say. 🙂 [Constantine](http://www.nola.com/celebrities/index.ssf/2013/05/naomi_campbell_43_and_other_ce.html) in the 1960s. Lower RHS. A little too “Greek” to be the man seated [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/challenge-who-is-the-man-sitting-with-all-the-stars-on-johnny-carson/687321.md?page=6)