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Happy 95th Birthday Johnny Carson
A thread
http://waldina.com/2020/10/23/happy-95th-birthday-johnny-carson/
A thread
http://waldina.com/2020/10/23/happy-95th-birthday-johnny-carson/
Today is the 95th birthday of the talk show host and comedian Johnny Carson.
His influence on The Tonight Show launched the careers of David Letterman, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Jeff Foxworthy, Ellen DeGeneres, Joan Rivers, David Brenner, Tim Allen, Drew Carey, and Roseanne Barr.
The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left.
NAME: Johnny Carson
OCCUPATION: Talk Show Host
BIRTH DATE: October 23, 1925
DEATH DATE: January 23, 2005
EDUCATION: University of Nebraska
PLACE OF BIRTH: Corning, Iowa
PLACE OF DEATH: Los Angeles, California
FULL NAME: John William Carson
BROADCASTING AND CABLE HALL OF FAME
OCCUPATION: Talk Show Host
BIRTH DATE: October 23, 1925
DEATH DATE: January 23, 2005
EDUCATION: University of Nebraska
PLACE OF BIRTH: Corning, Iowa
PLACE OF DEATH: Los Angeles, California
FULL NAME: John William Carson
BROADCASTING AND CABLE HALL OF FAME
PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM 1992
KENNEDY CENTER HONOR 1993
PEABODY 1986
EMMY 1976 for The Tonight Show
EMMY 1977 for The Tonight Show
EMMY 1978 for The Tonight Show
EMMY 1979 for The Tonight Show
EMMY 1992 for The Tonight Show
HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME 1751 Vine St. (television)
KENNEDY CENTER HONOR 1993
PEABODY 1986
EMMY 1976 for The Tonight Show
EMMY 1977 for The Tonight Show
EMMY 1978 for The Tonight Show
EMMY 1979 for The Tonight Show
EMMY 1992 for The Tonight Show
HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME 1751 Vine St. (television)
ASTEROID NAMESAKE 3252 Johnny
BEST KNOWN FOR: One of television's best known personalities, Johnny Carson hosted "The Tonight Show" for 30 years. His farewell show in 1992 drew 50 million viewers.
BEST KNOWN FOR: One of television's best known personalities, Johnny Carson hosted "The Tonight Show" for 30 years. His farewell show in 1992 drew 50 million viewers.
Born in Corning, Iowa on October 23, 1925 to Ruth and Homer R. Carson, a power company manager, Johnny Carson learned how to reel in audiences at a young age.
He fell in love with magic when he was 12 years old, and after purchasing a magician's kit through the mail, began performing magic tricks in public, as "The Great Carson."
Following high school, in 1943, an 18-year-old Carson joined the U.S. Navy as an ensign, and then decoded encrypted messages as a communications officer. Serving aboard the USS Pennsylvania, he continued performing magic, mainly for his fellow shipmates.
He later said that one of the fondest memories from his service was performing magic for James Forrestal, U.S. Secretary of the Navy.
Though assigned to combat in the summer of 1945, Carson never went into battle — WWII ended in 1945, following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, and Carson was sent back to the United States.
In the fall of 1945, Carson began studying at the University of Nebraska, and received a bachelor's degree in radio and speech four years later.
After college, he had a short stint as television writer for The Red Skelton Show in Los Angeles, and then moved to New York City in pursuit of bigger audiences.
In October of 1962, Carson replaced Jack Paar as host of The Tonight Show—a counterpart to NBC's Tonight show—and, following wavering ratings his first year, Carson became a prime-time hit.
Audiences found comfort in Carson’s calm and steady presence in their living rooms each evening. Revered for his affable personality, quick wit and crisp interviews, he guided viewers into the late night hours with a familiarity they grew to rely on year after year.
Featuring interviews with the stars of the latest Hollywood movies or the hottest bands, Carson kept Americans up-to-date on popular culture, and reflected some of the most distinct personalities of his era through impersonations, including his classic take on President Ronald…
…Reagan.
Carson created several recurring comedic characters that popped up regularly on his show, including Carnac the Magnificent, an Eastern psychic who was said to know the answers to all kinds of baffling questions.
In these skits, Carson would wear a colorful cape and featured turban and attempt to answer questions on cards before even opening their sealed envelopes. Carson, as Carmac, would demand silence before answering questions such as "Answer: Flypaper."
"Question: What do you use to gift wrap a zipper?"
Carson was The Tonight Show's host for three decades. During that time, he received six Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Carson's final appearance as host in 1992 attracted an estimated 50 million viewers.
Carson was in and out of relationships throughout his life, marrying four separate times. He married Jody Wolcott in 1948, and they had three sons, Charles (Kit), Cory and Richard. Richard died in an auto accident in 1991.
Carson and Jody divorced in 1963, and only months later, Carson married his second wife, Joanne Copeland. That relationship ended in 1972, following a grueling legal battle that ended with Copeland receiving a settlement of nearly $500,000 and annual alimony from Carson.
That same year, Carson married third wife Joanna Holland—from whom he filed for divorce in 1983.
For the first time in 35 years, Carson lived life as an unmarried man from 1983 to 1987. He married for the final time in June of 1987; Carson and Alexis Maas remained together until Carson's death, nearly eighteen years later.
At age 74, in 1999, Carson suffered a severe heart attack while he was sleeping at his Malibu, California home. Soon after, he underwent quadruple-bypass surgery. In January of 2005, at age 79, Carson died of respiratory failure caused by emphysema.
Carson, considered to be one of the most popular stars of American television, has been praised by several mainstream comics—including Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon—for helping them launch their careers. Today, he is regarded worldwide as a televison legacy.
TELEVISION
The Tonight Show Host (1962-92)
The Tonight Show Host (1962-92)
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
Paul Williams Still Alive (11-Sep-2011) · Himself
Run for Your Life (Apr-2008) · Himself
The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (10-Apr-1993) · Himself
Looking for Love (5-Aug-1964)
Paul Williams Still Alive (11-Sep-2011) · Himself
Run for Your Life (Apr-2008) · Himself
The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom (10-Apr-1993) · Himself
Looking for Love (5-Aug-1964)
AUTHOR OF BOOKS
Happiness Is a Dry Martini (1965)
Happiness Is a Dry Martini (1965)
This thread can be read here: http://waldina.com/2020/10/23/happy-95th-birthday-johnny-carson/
