If you missed it, something called Antenna TV is showing Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show weeknights at 11 (with 90 minute episodes weekends at 10:30).
Oh the joy I had last night falling asleep to Johnny like it was 1974.
I have my DVR set to capture the show, and last night around 10:45 or so I hit play.
Therrrrrre’s Johnny walking out and doing a crisp monologue. Like all the greats even his dated jokes that I really didn’t get still made me laugh.
Over to the desk for a solid outing of Carnac the Magnificent. There’s Ed repeating everything Carnac says (wonderfully captured years later by Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman on SNL) and a surprisingly dirty joke. Carnac divines that the envelope says “The Girl with something extra.” He opens the envelope and says its a girl with measurements of (whatever the numbers were) 36-24-36…and nine. Hilarious if you get it.
There was some sort of labor dispute with the musicians at this time, so there is no Doc and no band whatsoever. First guest Bob Hope comes out…and there’s no Thanks For The Memories. You never see Bob without that song playing. Very strange.
I can see why Johnny reportedly didn’t like Bob as a guest. I am a very big fan of Hope, but here we see the beginning of The Old Bob Hope that was on your television in the 80;s. He’s lost a few miles off his fastball, is just there to plug his show, and on this night Johnny is the funnier and quicker of the two. But we get some Hope being Hope, he’s gotta tell us…some jokes, and then Hope leaves. Bob isn’t going to sit on the couch for another 75 minutes.
Second guest was Don Rickles. Now here’s the magic of Johnny’s Tonight Show. I fell asleep. When I woke up Michael Landon was on. Some are bobbing and weaving and I woke up to see Freddie Prinze (actual Freddie not Freddie Jr. you kids).
Freddie was full of charisma, and while not particularly hilarious by today’s standards, you can see why his act of being I’m Puerto Rican And You Aren’t popped in a time when Don Rickles calling you a hockey puck was outrageous. Some diversity on 1974’s The Tonight Show.
Some more fighting the sandman and woke up to whoever the 5th guest was…some blonde woman presumably doing that act where the ditzy blonde might actually be smarter than she is letting on….or something. I was half asleep and if it turns out she’s really famous or was the secretary of education or something forgive me.
And that’s it…I dove for the remote and drifted off on the couch. Wonderful sheeer-retroness. I can’t wait to see who Johnny has tonight (and by tonight I mean 40 years ago and on a DVR recording from two night’s ago.)
It’s worth the safari expedition to track down Antenna TV. On my Fios system it’s up in the 460s labeled WPIX…so if you’re in the NYC area look for it on one of the extra Channel 11 digital stations (11.2 or whatever and however that works for you OTA people).
Great stuff.