The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson: Ann-Margret (1978)

Source:The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson- Swedish and Hollywood Goddess Ann-Margret, on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1978.

"JOHNNY CARSON INTERVIEW ANN MARGRET Jun 16 1978"

From Missy Logo

Just to talk about Ann-Margret, she was so adorable and that really includes everything about her, but in this case especially it was her voice that caught my attention. She has this very sweet soft voice that reminds me a lot of Elizabeth Taylor as far as how she speaks to people. Which I'm sure was driving Johnny Carson crazy ( at least inside ) with him thinking something like she's too cute to also be this sexy. But that is Ann-Margret who is this very sweet, adorable, soft, and yet sexy and gorgeous woman. Very similar to Raquel Welch or Rita Hayworth from a previous era.

As far as The Cheap Detective, it could've been called The Cheap Movie as well. Not a great movie, but with a great cast including Ann-Margret, but Louise Fletcher, Stockard Channing, ( talking about beautiful, adorable women ) Peter Falk who is the star of the movie and someone who if anything might have been even funnier than Johnny Carson, even though they would've made a great contest. It's a pretty funny movie similar to Columbo as far as the humor and funny people in it, but this is not one of Humphrey Bogart's great film noir humorous movies, but more like play on those movies.

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The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson: Burt Reynolds: 8/02/1978

Source: The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson- Burt Reynolds, on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1978

"Burt Reynolds On The Tonight Show 8 2 1978.” Originally from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, but the video has since been deleted or blocked on YouTube.

Burt Reynolds, the master of action/comedy who was a basically a comedian himself who didn't do standup ( except when he was sitting down being interviewed ) being interviewed by the master of the late show the King of Late Night Johnny Carson. What could possibly be funny about two masters of the wisecrack and improv who play off each other perfectly because they have similar sense of humors? And then throw they were both somewhat immature when it came to comedy as far as not afraid of looking silly when they do their comedy.

I didn't get much out of this interview other than Burt's wisecracks about Hollywood parties and his trip to Florida for his summer vacation and how commercial the towns that he went through have become. But with Carson and Reynolds you didn't need a script for these two guys to have a funny interview, because they played so well off each other. Sort of like Whose Line is it Anyway, Saturday Night Live, any Cary Grant movie where the director trusted his cast and let them do their things and be themselves as performers, because they director knew it would work out. 

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The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson: Rodney Dangerfield in 1981- No Respect

Source:The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson- Comedian Rodney Dangerfield, in 1981.

"Rodney Dangerfield On The Johnny Carson Show 1981."

From The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson

Every time I hear Rodney Dangerfield talk about his wife I think of the sitcom Married With Children and the marriage between Al and Peggy Bundy. They have two kids as well and that might be the only reason why they stayed married.

To hear Al Bundy (played by Ed O'Neal) you would think you were listening to Hot Rod do his standup routine about his wife. But replace Mrs. Dangerfield with Peggy Bundy. They make so many cracks about their wives you would have to think they were drunk when they got married and had kids together. Otherwise why would a sane sober man marry and have kids with a woman he doesn't like and isn't attracted to. Unless he's an idiot.

The 'I get no respect' routine is what made Rodney Dangerfield a star. And then add the wife bit and that makes the routine ever better. Because now Rod can say he doesn't even get respect from his wife. Again, how believable this is, you can decide for yourself.

Maybe the only reason why Mrs. Dangerfield stayed with Rod is because she rather be with an overweight unattractive successful man, than a handsome well-built loser who can't even hold down a job as a burger flipper at a fast food joint. I mean how hard is it to flip burgers anyway.

But perhaps you would have to ask Mrs. Dangerfield that yourself. And she also might show you how flip charcoal, I mean burgers as well. But you take away "I get not respect" what does Hot Rod have going for him. But he played it as well and as long as anyone could.

The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson: Rodney Dangerfield (1983)

Source:The Lazy Cow- Mr. Dangerous Rodney Dangerfield.

"Rodney Dangerfield Funniest Jokes Ever On The Johnny Carson Show 1983 online video cutter com."

From The Lazy Cow

I'm not an expert on Rodney Dangerfield, but I believe this is his best performance on this show. This wasn't an interview at all. Johnny Carson, maybe asked Hot Rod one or two questions. And Rod just did his act with one wisecrack after another. Mostly about his wife and kids which might be why male comedians get married so they can have people they know really well that they can make fun of.

Unless they're always on the road and when they're in town they mostly are just hanging out with their mistress and their bastard kids they're keeping a secret in some hell hole of an apartment, its their wife and kids that they know the best.

This wasn't Hot Rod's: "I get no respect routine" where he goes off on some airline for giving his first-class seat away because he was five-seconds late for the flight. Or the great view of the bathroom that he gets when he goes to his favorite restaurant.

This was Rod's: "My wife and kids routine" where he goes off on his wife Mary (or whatever her name is) for sleeping with other guys, because she has to have sex and every time she sees her husband naked she just laughs and can't performed adequately as a result.

And his son Joe (or whatever his name is) for being so dumb and wild that he believes every time Joe goes out he needs a leash, so he doesn't run into doors, because he forgot to open them. And his daughter Sally (or whatever her name is) who sleeps with her teachers, because she's too dumb to do the work in school. And he did a great job. 

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The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson: Shelley Winters- August, 1987

Source:The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson- Interviewing Hollywood Goddess Shelley Winters: August, 1987.

"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: 08/28/1987...Shelley Winters -Newest Cover Popular Reality"

From The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson

If Shelley Winters wasn't the great actress that she was, she probably would have been a standup comedian, or a variety show comedian doing skit-comedy, or a talk show host. She was an enormous talent (not physically) and personality who had an incredible wit and intelligence. Literally not just one of the best actress's who has ever lived, but one of the greatest personalities and comedians as well.

Shelley was a great entertainer who reminds me a lot of the great Ginger Rogers as far as an entertainer who combined such great talent for the dramatic, who also had a great personality and was very funny. Who was both very adorable and yet very bright and funny all in the same package.

Johnny Carson, was perfect for Shelley, because he was also very bright and had a very quick off the cuff humor and perhaps shared the exact same sense of humor as Shelley. So they related very well and could make fun of the same things and shared similar experiences. Like being married enough times to produce enough kids to fill up the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. Or both having enough spouses combined (if not by themselves) to fill out an LAPD police lineup. They also knew each other very well.

When Johnny was interviewing Shelley Winters, or someone like that, or a Burt Reynolds, Jimmy Stewart, he was interviewing actors who could match him joke for joke and even sound funnier. 

Source:The Daily Review- Hollywood Goddess Shelley Winters, on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson: August, 1987.

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David Von Pein: The Tonight Show- Jim Garrison vs Johnny Carson, January 31st, 1968

Source:David Von Pein- New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison, in 1967 or 68.

"New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison discusses the assassination of President Kennedy with Johnny Carson on NBC's "The Tonight Show" on January 31, 1968. Audio only."

From David Von Pein

I always found it interesting about Jim Garrison and why would a New Orleans District Attorney be investigating the assassination of a U.S. President who was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Which is about a thousand miles or so from New Orleans. And spend ten years of New Orleans taxpayer dollars on this investigation an investigation that was under the jurisdiction of the Dallas PD and the FBI.

And I don't believe Oliver Stone's JFK movie from 1991 which I've seen several times, has ever made that clear. If you want to know why Oliver Stone is such a conspiracy theorist, is because of serious people like Jim Garrison who come up with these incredible theories. Maybe it's just me, but you would think a big city District Attorney like Jim Garrison would have enough crime cases of his own to investigate.

The only conspiracy theory that I believe is worth considering, that any serious person with respect on these issues, someone like Robert Blakey, who was the Chief Counsel of the House Assassinations Committee in the late 1970s that looked into the JFK assassination, is the theory involving organized crime. Especially the Italian Mafia in America in Dallas and Chicago in particular. They clearly wanted President John Kennedy killed and would have had the access and power to pull it off.

And Lee Harvey Oswald, who wasn't interested in his own personal safety and freedom, would have been the perfect assassin for the Italian Mafia who hated President Kennedy. Not saying that the Italian Mafia did have Kennedy assassinated, but they could've done it if they wanted to pull it off. And the Jack Ruby and Lee Oswald connections, I believe give this theory credibility.

I think it's obvious that Lee Oswald was the assassin who killed President Kennedy. It was his gun, he worked at the Dallas Book Depository, he had the means, motive, access, he could pull this off and was a good enough shooter to do it. The only question here is did anyone put him up to it. Was this a one-man operation, or were there others involved. Like members of Chicago or Dallas organized crime.

Jack Kennedy, had plenty of enemies on the Far-Right in Dallas and perhaps Texas as a whole. The Far-Left especially Communists like Lee Oswald, hated him as well. The Italian Mafia hated Kennedy, because his administration was serious about putting them out of business. After the Mafia helped Kennedy get elected president especially in Chicago in 1960. With all of these factors its hard to believe that one little loser could have pulled off this assassination by himself. Which is how these conspiracy theories come about. 

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Johnny Carson: 'Best Moments on Politics on The Tonight Show'

Source:Sovereign Rebellion- The King of Late Night Johnny Carson, talking to CBS News's Mike Wallace, on 60 Minutes, in 1979.

"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

In addition, the Center for Media and Social Impact (CMSI) has adopted a set of best practices as it relates to the copyright doctrine of fair use when making online videos. Specifically, any reproduction, reposting, or quoting in order to memorialize, preserve, or rescue an experience, an event, or a cultural phenomenon is an acceptable use of copyrighted material under fair use." 

From Sovereign Rebellion

Source: Johnny Carson- President Ronald Reagan and some guy named Jim: Which one is which? LOL

"Johnny Carson's Best Moments on Politics." From Johnny Carson. The video has since been deleted or blocked on YouTube.

I haven't seen them all, but I believe my favorite Johnny Carson political skit is the politician under the lie detector. Because that plays so well with today's American politics and I'm sure it played very well back in 1982 politics when that skit was done. Just imagine how many politicians would disqualify themselves from running for office, or would have to resign from office if they were always under a lie detector every time they spoke in public.

Imagine if politicians had to answer questions in public about their records under a lie detector test and here are some examples of what that could be like.

Question- "Senator Jones, why did you vote against the clean energy bill?" Answer-"Because Big Oil told me if I did, they wouldn't bankroll my reelection campaign.

" Question- "Representative Smith, why did you vote against the middle class tax cuts?" Answer-"Because I believe middle class Americans are too stupid to spend their own money wisely. Besides, it's not the people's money anyway, but the government's money."

American politicians have a bad habit of promising their constituents things from government that they don't want to ask the people to pay for. Because they know raising revenue, (another way of saying increasing taxes) or moving funds around, (another way of saying cutting popular programs) could cost them politically. So what they say is they'll give people free roads, or education vouchers, free health care, (to use as examples) instead the theory being if that government does it then the service is free. But anyone familiar with American politics, Milton Friedman and pays taxes, knows there's no such thing as a free lunch. At least when it comes to government.

Imagine if American politicians were asked to explain how they would pay for their new popular government programs and were under a lie detector and didn't know that.

Question- "Senator Wilson, how do you plan to pay for your national childcare program? Well, with the debt and deficit being as high as it is, we're going to have to increase payroll taxes out of people's paychecks, or ask wealthy people to retire later, or a combination of both." Unless Senator Wilson represents Massachusetts, or Vermont, two states that fills out their taxes with smiles on their faces and actually celebrates National Tax Day and sees it as a holiday, he can probably forget about reelection. Because his opponent would call him a tax and spender. Who thinks Americans are under taxed and that government should take more of their hard-earned money from them.

Lying politicians is as common in America as snow is as common in Canada and socialism is as common in Sweden. If a politician is asked at a party by someone who doesn't know them and has never seen them before, what they do for a living? And the politician tells them I'm a state senator, or U.S. Representative, or something like that, the politician might get a drink thrown in their face. And if the politician happens to be President or Vice President of the United States, the drink thrower would probably get tackled to the ground by a Secret Service agent. And be arrested for being so stupid as to not know who the President and Vice President of the United States are. Well, at least not knowing who the President is.

So a full-time lie detector at least for Congress, would throw out a lot of the trash that currently stinks up the House and Senate, because Members of Congress would no longer get away with lying. 

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The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson: 'Ronald Reagan's Funny Return to California: January 4, 1989'

Source:The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson- talking about President Ronald Reagan and Vice President Dan Quayle in 1989.

"Johnny Carson discusses Ronald Reagan leaving the White House and the funny things that happen when he moves back to California... 

From The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson

I think Johnny's best line here was about President Reagan reaching a deal with Random House to write his presidential memoirs and getting a big advance for it, had to do with President Reagan's bad memory. 

If you're familiar with Ron Reagan's second presidential term and I am even though I was a kid for his entire presidency and had just started junior high when he left office, you know that President Reagan claimed to not remember a lot of key parts of his second term. 

Iran Contra, being a perfect example of President Reagan's so-called memory lapses, that and claiming if he didn't know if he had agreed to the arms for hostages deal in 1985-86. And his own Vice President (his first officer in his administration) a man who was a very active and responsible VP who was in on everything that the President did: George H.W. Bush, claiming to know nothing about Iran Contra. Even though he was at all the meetings.

Johnny's joke being that: "Funny how a big advance from Random House to write your memoirs can jumpstart your memory." In this case the memory about Iran Contra and a lot of the key moments of his second term as president. 

There are only a few ways this could have gone down. President Reagan, came down with Alzheimer's as President of the United States and that is why he forgot so much about his presidency even as President. And if you believe that I have a ski resort in Los Angeles where they get the best snow that I would like to sell you. 

President Reagan, was too much of a delegator and not on top of things that were going on at his National Security Council. Which is very believable. Or of course he knew what was going on the whole time and didn't want Congress to know about arms being traded for hostages in Iran. Because he didn't want to get into trouble for  Which is also very believable.

A good line Johnny had about Vice President Elect Dan Quayle, who of course was President George H.W. Bush's Vice President. Dan Quayle, was a young U.S. Senator who had only been in Congress for less than twelve years (between both the House and Senate) by the time Vice President Bush selected him in 1988 and didn't have much a resume before Congress and was 41 at the time, was viewed at the very least by the national media to be not ready and immature and not real bright. 

Dan Quayle got a bad wrap as being known as an idiot and perhaps immature, but he didn't do much as Vice President to show anyone outside of him that he was up for the second ranking position in the U.S. Government. And Johnny making the crack that Ron Reagan will be having dinner with talk show Merv Griffin. While he will be having finger food at Jack in The Box. (A California fast food joint)

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CBS News: 60 Minutes- Mike Wallace Interviewing Johnny Carson (1979)

Source:CBS News- The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, on CBS News's 60 Minutes in 1979. 

"Part 1 of 2 as Mike Wallace interviews "Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson." 

From Billy Loves Jazz

The perfect interviewer Mike Wallace interviewing the perfect late show talk show host Johnny Carson in 1979. I can’t think of a better combination here other than maybe Mike Wallace interviewing Cary Grant, or someone like that. 

I believe Johnny answered the Mike Wallace question of why don’t you take on serious topics by saying that is not what he does. He’s a comedian and his job was to entertain people and make them laugh. He wasn’t Phil Donahue on the air hosting national town hall everyday. His job was literally make fun of what is going on in the world and have fun with it. He did do political satire and would make fun of what is going on in the news and public officials when they screw up. But again doing it in a humorous way.

Carson, was a comedian first and talk show host second. And what he would do with his talk format would be to question other comedians and entertainers, because again his job was to entertain people. Not to inform then on what is going on in the Middle East, or why stocks on Wall Street are down. And he would even interview politicians and other public officials, but generally those people would have good if not great sense of humor’s as well. 

Carson would routinely go after politicians like Ron Reagan, Bob Dole, Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy and they would make fun of politics together and perhaps of each other. I believe Carson was interested in politics and current affairs a lot which is why he did read and watch a lot of news, but he wasn’t going to use his show simply cover the issues of the day. But to make fun of what is going on in the world. 

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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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