The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson: Dyan Cannon (1982)

Source:The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson- Hollywood Goddess Dyan Cannon, on Johnny Carson in 1982.

“Dyan Cannon (born Samille Diane Friesen; January 4, 1937) is an American film and television actress, director, screenwriter, editor, and producer…

From Geta Yedi 

“There is no initial comedy segment. Johnny first asks Dyan Cannon how she feels about being called sexy. She says it used to bother her, but no longer. She confirms that producer Jerry Wald gave her the name Cannon because he said she reminded him of explosions. She agreed to the change to get a screen test. After the test she was rejected, and told her nose was too flat. She went to a surgeon to have it changed, but he refused. Then she and Johnny talk about how men and women try to change partners in relationships. She says she became a spokeswoman for Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and Johnny says he is also involved in the organization. She then talks about her film “Author, Author”, and a clip is shown. Next comes the comedy segment: Johnny as a spokesman for the banking industry. Dr. Ruth Westheimer talks about why American society has difficulty dealing with the topic of sex. She talks about her radio show. She and Johnny then discuss various issues that people are curious about…

Source:IMDB- Hollywood Goddess Dyan Cannon, on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, in June, 1982.

From IMDB 

Hollywood Goddess Dyan Cannon, on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, in June, 1982. This photo is from another video that apparently is not available online right now, but you can still see the interview on this blog by clicking the link from Geta Yedi.

Source:The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson- Hollywood Goddess Dyan Cannon, on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, in 1982.

Johnny Carson, needed to be careful about having people like Hollywood Goddess Dyan Cannon on his show, because she was probably as quick as he was off the cuff with the humor, or at least in the same ballpark. Who didn’t need a script to crack joke and even do monologue.

And as good as Johnny was at poking fun at famous people and he might be the best comedian ever at doing this, he wasn’t exactly flawless. I mean he was basically the male Liz Taylor when it came to married life. Both when it came to his multiple marriages and divorces. He could write a book literally based on his personal experiences in life of what not to do when it came to married life. And Dyan knew these things and knew him very well.

Late night comedic hosts have to draw a line about who they pick fun at when they have guests on. I mean if they have people on who are experts at screwing up, sure! Making fun of them would be easy, especially if they don’t know how to punch back, or even screw that up. But not many people would want to see that.

But if they go after quick-witted people like a Dyan Cannon who knows the host well and has had her issues in life that could be poked fun at like her multiple marriages and divorces, but can give it back as well then they’ll end up taking clean shots on their own show and perhaps even be put on the defensive.

Johnny Carson, whether they were standup comedians, or not and Dyan’s case, more of a comedic actress with a quick off the cuff humor and great ability to improvise, loved funny people. Which is why having Dyan on his show worked so well.

Johnny, also liked intelligent people and intelligent people who were funny. Frank Sinatra comes to mind, Burt Reynolds would be another one and Dyan Cannon would be close to, or at the top of this list. He would mention things to talk about and generally what was going on in Dyan’s life and what she’s interested in and they would simply talk about like two people who knew each other very well. With no script and would do it in a very funny way that would keep the audience interested and laughing. And even have Dyan with her adorable laugh laughing her head off for most of the interview which is what you see here. Dyan Cannon, was the perfect guest for Johnny Carson, because she kept him on his toes and made him think.

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