When I was a kid, I loved loved loved Fridays. Not only was school done for the week and the weekend of play was at hand, it was the one weeknight that my bedtime was not under Nazi control. Translation: I could stay up till all hours, as long as I kept the TV in my room and me quiet. Not an issue. I didn't want to do anything that might endanger my Friday night watching Johnny Carson and "The Tonight Show."
This was when late night talk shows were true entertainment. Spontaneous, funny, educational, always interesting. Nothing like the over-rehearsed publicist-driven offerings now hosted by Jay Leno and David Letterman. I made a pledge the day Johnny Carson said goodbye that I would never watch late night talk shows ever again. And, except for peaking at the usually clever first 15 minutes of David Letterman, I have held to that promise. I am very, very content in living with my memories of "The Tonight Show" when it really was "The Tonight Show."
I looked forward to those Friday nights with Johnny. What old friend would I get to see that evening? Tony Randall teaching us the origination of some obscure 
word. Suzanne Pleshette complaining about her husband. Pearl Bailey pulling Johnny out to join her in a soft shoe dance. Jimmy Stewart reading one of his poems, perhaps dedicated to the paper clip. Joan Embery from the San Diego Zoo putting some creature on top of Johnny's head. Don Rickles popping out to surprise Johnny during a Japanese bath. Maybe Carnak. Or Aunt Blabby. Or Art Fern. It was always a roll of the dice, but it almost always came up a winner for me.
Once I actually had to expand my viewership beyond Friday. In a much ballyhooed event, that crazy crooner Tiny Tim was going to actually get married on a "Tonight Show" episode airing on, gasp, a Monday (and school)night. This precipitated about three weeks of Kissinger-like negotiations with my mother to be allowed to stay up for the nuptuals. I had to commit to going to bed at 7:30PM for several hours, so that my eight hour plus sleep time would not be disrupted.
My love for "The Tonight Show" also provided me with my first-ever attendance as a member of a studio audience. Long, long ago, Johnny's gabfest was based in NC Studios at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. And the age limit for tickets was a very loose "15." I would send for tickets and then my friend Leo and I would truck down there for the 530PM taping. As soon as we got home, I would send for more tickets the very next day. I continued to do this for about four years. And we relished the 1230AM commercial break where they always showed the audience and we would clamor to see us enjoy that 15 nano-seconds of fame.
As I got older, I got to watch "The Tonight Show" a lot more than just Friday nights. And it was the ideal way to end a day of college or work. Because it was spontaneous. Television you will never ever see again. Whether it was a celebrity or maybe an animal, you didn't know what to expect.
It's one show that I truly miss to this day. And now I go to bed on Friday nights at the same time I go every other night.
And I long for one more chance to stay up late with Johnny.
Dinner last night: Ribeye steak with sauteed mushrooms at Porterhouse Bistro.
1 comment:
Len,
How did I miss this Tonight show entry? This show was one example of my passage into adulthood. The time slot, the topical humor, and hip factor (at least in the early days) were part of the "world" that needed exploring. Seeing the show live was a special thrill because I think for every time Johnny and crew actually appeared there were three shows we would get stuck with the guest host. Guest hosts like Joey Bishop and Joan Rivers to name a few. Even when we were "stuck" with the C Team (Tommy Newsome in the sidekick role instead of backup Doc Severson) was a treat. Thanks for letting me tag along and for doing the same after the show moved to LA.
15thavenuebud
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