Even when I was a little kid I loved Carson. I may not have gotten all the jokes but I liked hearing people laugh. Fridays were great because my parents let me stay up late and watch the Tonight Show.
Always planned to try to get in the audience to see him but then he retired right before I had the opportunity.
Anyone here get to? What was that like. Tell us everything!
I was, but it was a long time ago and my memories are fuzzy. I do remember that the guests were Charles Nelson Reilly (whom I knew from his game show and guest star appearances) and a little old lady who had beaten up a burglar. I remember that the seating was extremely steep (which was nice because it allowed everyone a great view) and that the theater was much smaller than I imagined - more like a school auditorium than a movie theater or the larger theaters where I saw touring shows. I was disappointed that Johnny never came out into the audience during the episode. Unfortunately, that’s about it. Oh, and we were offered the chance to see a new sitcom being filmed, but I wasn’t interested because it was set in a bar. Instead we saw a game show with Peter Marshall and Leslie Uggams. Yeah, I turned down the opportunity to be in the audience for one of the first episodes of Cheers.
Edit: Cheers and the game show (Fantasy, which ran for only one season) date my visit to 1982.
Cool. Thanks so much for the post.
I’ve been to a couple of sets and think, like myself, the first time people are in an audience for a TV or game show they are surprised by how small the theater is. And how many different shows are being taped at the same time in a split venue.
Didn’t Carson used to joke about the people “in the balcony” when in fact the tiny theater had no balcony seating?
I’ve been twice: once in 1980, and the second time in 1988. Each time, we scored the trifecta: all of Johnny, Ed McMahon, and Doc Severinson were there.
As I recall, getting in was almost an all-day affair. You lined up at NBC Studios Burbank early in the morning, in hopes of getting a ticket. They started giving them away at (IIRC) 8:30 AM, and they gave out more tickets than there were seats, so we were told that if we wanted to get in, we had to return early, in order to line up for the 5:00 PM taping. I believe that each time, we did nothing more exciting than visit a local park for a walk and went for some lunch. We returned to NBC at about 2:30, and there was already a lineup, though not a long one. As time went by, it grew longer, though, and I doubt the people at the end of it got in, despite having tickets.
Each time, we got in, and had decent seats. The studio was a lot smaller than I expected, and there is no balcony in the seating. But the sets were there: the desk, the curtain, and the band’s area, just like you’d see on TV. Some NBC employee told us all to behave–no heckling, no inappropriate behaviour, or the like, or we would be forced to leave; although laughter and applause were always welcome. Eventually, the musicians came in and tuned up. Johnny himself came out to say hello. He took a few questions, thanked us for coming, and hoped we enjoyed the show.
Then the taping began, and it went pretty much like you’d see on TV. There were no retakes. I don’t recall all the guests I saw, but I do recall Tony Randall, jazz singer Joe Williams, and then-mayor of LA Tom Bradley. Interestingly, Johnny and his guest may have been seen quietly chatting going into a commercial, but once they cameras were off, they stopped, and the guest and Johnny just sat quietly. During commercial breaks, the band played for us in the audience, and they were excellent–they weren’t used enough in the broadcast, in my opinion, but they sure entertained us during the commercial breaks.
One of the times I was there, when the Tonight Show was over, we in the audience were offered a choice: we could leave, or we could stay to be the audience for a Bob Hope special. Most of us stayed, and got to hear a Bob Hope monologue, and watch a few comedy sketches featuring him and others. Hope’s monologue was side-splittingly funny, and lasted 45 minutes, later edited down to 10 minutes when I saw the special a couple of months later.
Although an almost all-day affair, it was worth it each time. I think I still have one of my Tonight Show tickets somewhere.
Awesome post. I almost felt like I had been there myself. Thanks.! 
Yeah @Spoons thank you for sharing that!
Yes, I was in the audience for an episode sometime in the 1970s. I believe we had McMahon and Sevrinson, too.
I only remember one guest, and I can’t even remember her last name. She was Carol something, a blond actress with straight-across bangs and big eyes. She had a sort of Carol Channing schtick, but was much younger. Johnny made off-color jokes with her during the down-time between filming.
Off-topic: I also was in the audience for tapings of Laugh-In, The Jimmy Dean Show, and The Dinah Shore Show.
Carol Wayne, perhaps? She appeared on the show fairly frequently, often in Johnny’s sketches (particularly Tea Time Movie), and often played a bubble-headed persona.
That’s her! Thank you very much.
Two-click link to bio of Carol Wayne in Cs directory at Findadeath.com. NSFW warning: contains small thumbnail of Carol holding her nipples under her cupped palms.
Noted in the article is that her last companion was one Edward Durston, also the last person in contact with the daughter of Art Linklater before her falling death (disputably due to LSD).