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Johnny Carson: Jokes
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The thing about Johnny Carson was, you could barely tell his politics. Sure, from the sounds of it, he was left of center. But what made him so great was, you couldn't tell. His jokes and so forth didn't give off some political spin that today's comics do. And other then this interview, Carson kept to himself and stayed out of the limelight. Unlike some of today's so-called entertainers.
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One favorite Johnny Carson anecdote came from his military period. On board the USS Pennsylvania, one of his duties was decoding and delivering messages. Once he had the opportunity to deliver a message to James Forrestal, the Secretary of the Navy. Forrestal, as the story goes, asked Carson if he wanted to make the Navy his career. Carson replied no and told him his dream was to become a magician and entertainer. Forrestal asked if Carson knew any card tricks and Carson was only too happy to oblige the Secretary of the Navy with some jokes and card tricks.
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Like many a sketch show, The Johnny Carson Show is uneven, with some sketches scoring while others fall flat. This one had an advantage in Carson; his awkwardness when things go wrong (or seem to) can be funnier than his best gags. You'll see these grace notes as he tries to remember how the saying, "Starve a fever, feed a cold," goes or stretches a "Good night" to fill dead air when the show runs short. While he describes his most striking trait as being "tall and thin" and makes jokes about this, Carson plays on that awkwardness in sketches, such as when he tries to remember the names of the products he saw on TV in the grocery store and ends up doing pantomime.
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When television began to invade America's living rooms, Carson chased the new medium to Los Angeles, where he hosted a handful of low-budget comedy series, conducting phony interviews and performing skits and characters. The material was quirky and occasionally naughty, yet homespun enough to hit home with the heartland. Although he was popular, the shows weren't, and he ended up writing jokes for Red Skelton. His first big break came in 1957 as replacement host of the ABC daytime quiz show "Who Do You Trust?" When Carson inherited the show, he needed to hire an announcer. A big man from Philadelphia showed up for what would be a very bizarre job interview.
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Rarely tasteless or crass, Carson monologues wrapped serious points in groaners and “Tea for Two” jokes. Each taping day, the “Tonight Show” writers supplied Carson with jokes. “He selected and edited the jokes, by himself,” writes Mark Evanier. Once he had the jokes, the writers were out of the picture. [Carson] rephrased some, added a line or two of his own, and then the monologue went directly to cue card person. “You could,” writes Evanier, “… spot the new guys on the writing staff, sneaking [around the cue card area] … trying to get a look at the cards, trying to recognize their jokes.” If you didn’t make the cards once a week or more, you were looking for a new job.
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Just days before Carson's death, it was revealed that the retired "King of Late Night" still kept up with current events and late-night TV, and that he occasionally sent jokes to Letterman. [9] Letterman would then use these jokes in the monologue of his show, which Carson got "a big kick out of" according to Worldwide Pants, Inc. Senior Vice-President Peter Lassally, who formerly produced both men's programs. Reportedly, sometimes Letterman would do the golf swing after one of those jokes, as a silent tribute to Carson. Lassally ... claimed that Carson had always believed Letterman, not Leno, to be his "rightful successor." [10] Letterman frequently employs some of Carson's trademark bits on his show, including "Carnac" (with band leader Paul Shaffer as Carnac), "Stump the Band," and the "Week in Review."
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