# The Goodnight Show: Johnny Carson dead at 79 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 23, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-goodnight-show-johnny-carson-dead-at-79/286277 "2005-01-23T18:44:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [January 24, 2005, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-goodnight-show-johnny-carson-dead-at-79/286277/61 "2005-01-24T03:46:16Z")
> [@](#): > > I’ll never forget the peeing lemur… Wasn’t that a kinkajou? The one that peed on his head? Someone should air the old tonight shows during late-night. I’d love to choose between Letterman, Leno, and old Carson shows. I’ll bet I’d still watch Carson nine times out of ten. ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-goodnight-show-johnny-carson-dead-at-79/286277/62 "2005-01-24T06:06:01Z")
I’m so sorry to hear this. We even knew him around here. RIP, Johnny Carson. [does anyone know more about his emphysema?] ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-goodnight-show-johnny-carson-dead-at-79/286277/63 "2005-01-24T06:48:30Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > I had CNN on mute for about an hour while I was talking to a friend and saw the same _Tonight Show_ clips over and over and over and over . . . Not a single one of Matinee Girl Carol Wayne–am I the only one who remembers her? > > Please tell me Larry King is not going to interview Mickey Rooney about this . . . If I accidentally saw thse two evil gnomes on the same screen I’d have to shoot myself . . . Almost as bad: I learned of his death from Fox News and they were interviewing Jerry Lewis by phone while playing Carson clips on a loop. (Who hears Johnny Carson is dead and thinks “Quick— get Lewis on the phone!”, especially when I think Dean Martin got Carson in the divorce- what about Ed McMahon, Doc Severinsen, Tommy Newsom, even Teresa Ganzel or Joan Embry?) Does anybody else remember when: — the Tonight Show was 90 minutes (this was before about 1982)? — Doc and crew improvising songs on Stump the Band (“Lester knows that one!”) — when Johnny and guests openly smoked on the show? — when Ed would hawk anything from dog food to aborticides during commercial — seeing Johnny give the “approach the Presence” gesture to new comedians or singers who found favor? God this takes me back. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-goodnight-show-johnny-carson-dead-at-79/286277/64 "2005-01-24T06:59:52Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Does anybody else remember when: > > — the Tonight Show was 90 minutes (this was before about 1982)? > — Doc and crew improvising songs on Stump the Band (“Lester knows that one!”) > — when Johnny and guests openly smoked on the show? > — when Ed would hawk anything from dog food to aborticides during commercial > — seeing Johnny give the “approach the Presence” gesture to new comedians or singers who found favor? > > God this takes me back. While I don’t specifically remember aborticides being hawked (and isn’t the word “abortifacient”?) I do recall Ed pourin’ out bags of Alpo. And everything else you mentioned. I’m sad that he’s gone. Dis him if you like, but no talk show has been as good since. ---
**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:** [January 24, 2005, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-goodnight-show-johnny-carson-dead-at-79/286277/65 "2005-01-24T07:21:23Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > Does anybody else remember when: > > — the Tonight Show was 90 minutes (this was before about 1982)? > — Doc and crew improvising songs on Stump the Band (“Lester knows that one!”) > — when Johnny and guests openly smoked on the show? > — when Ed would hawk anything from dog food to aborticides during commercial > — seeing Johnny give the “approach the Presence” gesture to new comedians or singers who found favor? > > God this takes me back. I do. I remember watching him on _Who Do You Trust._ I remember when he took over the Tonight Show. I remember Skitch Henderson annoying me by razzing him over his “Sally” (i.e., sissy-looking) tie. I remember Bill Cosby’s smash first appearance on the show. I remember wishing Johnny would move the show permanently to L.A. because the show seemed so much better when it was broadcast from California. I was a huge, huge fan of his and I watched the show almost anytime he was the host. I’ve seen just about every bit they’re showing on TV now at the time they originally occurred, including the Ed Ames tomahawk toss. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-goodnight-show-johnny-carson-dead-at-79/286277/66 "2005-01-24T08:09:43Z")
Coming to America, I learned English thanks to PBS (Monty Python of course!) and late at night, there was Johnny Carson. I always remember fondly a bit when suddenly he turned serious, and began to report some odd news from a small town paper, reporting on how grateful an old lady was to Johnny: The title of the news article in a blown up in a poster in the studio: “Johnny Carson saved my life!” **Applause from the audience** Then he explained: The lady was watching the Tonight Show at her home, as she always did; but on that night, a truck plummeted into her home and destroyed the couch were she usually sat to watch the show! But, because the show was so lousy that night… The lady decided to go to bed early so she was not there! **Crowd laughed and applauded more** Johnny laughed with the crowd and Ed for the longest time… Later, he even mentioned the guests and music performances of his lousiest show in record! I remain in awe on seeing a comedian making gold out of a terrible night! Goodnight Johnny! I can picture him somewhere now recreating the copper clapper caper with Jack Webb! Tonight Show, Feb 19, 1968: (Saw it on a greatest hits show) > [@](#): > > (With Dragnet music) > _Webb: “Who first discovered the copper clappers were copped?” > Carson: “My cleaning woman, Clara Clifford.” > Webb: "… That figures… Now let me see if I got the facts straight here. Cleaning woman Clara Clifford discovered your clean copper clappers kept in a closet were copped by Claude Cooper the kleptomaniac from Cleveland. Now, is that about it?_" ---
**Author:** ![Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-goodnight-show-johnny-carson-dead-at-79/286277/67 "2005-01-24T14:22:53Z")
I own his “Best of” DVDs, but I wish a cable network would re-air some of his regular nightly shows. I think millions would tune in, just for the memories. I would. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-goodnight-show-johnny-carson-dead-at-79/286277/68 "2005-01-24T14:37:34Z")
You are _wrong_ Barracuda Breath! For some reason that zinger has stayed with me for, what, about 20 years. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-goodnight-show-johnny-carson-dead-at-79/286277/69 "2005-01-24T14:42:11Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > You are _wrong_ Barracuda Breath! > > For some reason that zinger has stayed with me for, what, about 20 years. For me it was Wombat Breath Some Carnacisms A: Sis-boom-bah Q: What is the sound made by an exploding sheep? A: Peter Pan Q: Where do you fry your Peter? ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-goodnight-show-johnny-carson-dead-at-79/286277/70 "2005-01-24T15:22:02Z")
I heard one yesterday that I liked. I don’t think this one made the compilation. A: Yahoo Serious Q: What are the two stages of sex? ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax33](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@shadowfax33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shadowfax33)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2005, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-goodnight-show-johnny-carson-dead-at-79/286277/71 "2005-01-24T17:25:04Z")
Ed McMahon was on the Today show this morning, and suggested that libraries should have tapes of Johnny’s monologues. Paraphrasing Ed: “So, if someone wants to know about the nation’s mood during the 60’s, 70’s, whenever, they could go watch Johnny’s monologues. He always seemed to know what was on the mind of Americans, and how to make them laugh about it.” I would love to see dvds of _just_ the monologues. I always thought that was the best part of the show, anyway. Goodnight, Johnny. And thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-goodnight-show-johnny-carson-dead-at-79/286277/72 "2005-01-28T02:54:45Z")
TV Land’s rerunning a 1979 60 Minutes interview with Carson right now. ---
**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:** [January 28, 2005, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-goodnight-show-johnny-carson-dead-at-79/286277/73 "2005-01-28T05:09:14Z")
> [@Carnac the Magnificent!](#): > > I own his “Best of” DVDs, but I wish a cable network would re-air some of his regular nightly shows. Or even Carson’s Comedy Classics. I don’t think that’s been on anywhere since The Family Channel was showing them about 10 years ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-goodnight-show-johnny-carson-dead-at-79/286277.md?page=3)