Johnny Carson Memories: Johnny Tries Replacing Ed With A New Announcer

Around the time of our country's first female VP running mate, Johnny decides it is time to replace Ed with a female announcer. EXCERPT

[@3-2-1-.]

"See you later, Ed!" Best line by an audience member!

[@windsorkid7069]

"See ya later Ed!" That was great.

[@Jay-vr9ir]

Fred DeCordova or another assistant would speak to the audience before the show started and tell people not to yell anything out , during the show .They either let this guy slide or this guy may have been a plant ,that Johnny did not even know about .

[@ericwright1840]

It was.

[@ericwright1840]

It was‼️🙃

[@mikependleton5124]

Perfect timing.

[@byronmartin6459]

😅😅😅😊😊😊

[@crazycappy01]

"See you later Ed." THAT was funny when an audience member chimes in.

[@noelcook8421]

That was plan it was so clear

[@samsmith4216]

funniest moment of the bit

[@THE-HammerMan]

@Barbara Guest I was in the audience once, and that EASILY might NOT have been rigged. The Cosa Nostra existed; It was a dance craze like the Samba!

[@kevinthetruckdriver353]

Was it a plant?? Don't think so since it caught Carson off guard (he turned his head away from the camera). You have to remember back in those days on the Tonight Show. They didn't need a plant to make or break a skit. That wasn't Johnny Carson's way. Besides. There were more applause for Ed than the woman. Just another bad skit with a great ad lip one liner (from the audience). Since the audience in those days respected The Tonight Show crew since The Tonight Show didn't think their viewers were stupid. Carson made sure of that since that boy who grew up in Norfork, NE never left him.

[@THE-HammerMan]

@@kevinthetruckdriver353 Johnny's reaction...I bet you're right. Still, I'd like to hear the audience vote with Ed in that dress! He'd lose!

[@stevenj9970]

Ed, like Johnny, was the best ever on ANY late night show.....everyone now and in the future will be measured by these Giants.

[@davidrice3337]

Agreed

[@cathynewyork7918]

Great comment -- and I agree.

[@cathynewyork7918]

@Barbara Guest Are you illiterate? This comment makes no sense -- it is gibberish! Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon were very talented stars with a lot of charisma -- don't put this trash comment on a thread about them.

[@miketheyunggod2534]

See you later Ed. OMG that was epic.

[@Fightingninja7]

“See ya later Ed” I bet you that guy tells his family about that day every chance he gets! He probably tells them that he made Johnny Carson laugh 100 times a day😂

[@TheStuport]

"See Ya Later Ed" @ 1:20.....nuff said! That Was Priceless

[@waynemarvin5661]

"Nuff"?

[@cfwintner1]

I miss them so much. Thank god for these KZbin memories.

[@19571975]

The audience member stole the show with "See ya later, Ed." LMAO

[@Ron-d2s]

Ed could have.... Ed: "lets do a comparison... Hit it Doc" Janet: "HERE'S JOHNNY!!!!!!" Ed: "Ok my turn................. HERE'S JANET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Crowd goes wild, Janet smiles and waves, Johnny flails his arms shouting: "Let's leave it the way it is!!!!"

[@markdanielczyk944]

When an audience member cracks up Johnny and Ed, now you've got something!👍🤣

[@robwilliams2265]

WOW!! I can't believe Ed got a bigger applause than she did.

[@BLACKPOLO14]

Love when the audience member shouts out, "See you later, Ed!" That got a good laugh out of both Johnny and Ed!

[@irgski]

…”See ya later Ed!”….lol

[@as48507]

I wish this type of show still existed.. what we have now SUCKS!!

[@mariocisneros911]

Ed won the applause . It was a bit stronger, louder .

[@us-Bahn]

Yea but the band wanted Janet

[@PassivePortfolios]

There were a lot of LGBTQ in the audience.

[@thyslop1737]

Johnny what can you say?. He really was the king of late night. The bat he swung in Hollywood was ginormous. The talk show hosts since then can only cough up a fur ball on the bests of nights. All of them hacks.

[@THE-HammerMan]

Ed's loyalty was without question... but there's no way he'd look as good in that gown. "See you later, Ed!"

[@tdunph4250]

When Janet walked out I nearly had a heart attack! WOW!!

[@Danny-ju2ip]

When women were sexy and it was ok to appreciate their beauty and sexuality 😍

[@wcwbulldog1701]

When It Comes To Late Night TV, There Is 1 Name That Stands Taller & Shines Brighter Than All The Rest.....CARSON....NUFF SAID.

[@XrayxRich]

My, how we've fallen as a society.

[@BegoneJonah]

"See ya later, Ed!" - When the audience is writing better comedy than the writers.

[@waldolydecker8118]

You said it. One of the great lines ever on the show...simply brilliant - and it comes from an audience member.

[@jkrasney1]

Hilarious 😂! Great line made by a member of the audience.

[@DougTrovinger]

Sometimes the fifth wheel is someone that got tickets to the show. LOL

[@TheLarryBrown]

I wonder how they just happened to have a live microphone on him at that moment and you could even hear them getting it ready.

[@SilentKnight43]

Perfect gag line from the audience, lol.

[@run4funorgo4dough]

See ya later Ed! lol

[@amfmr]

Johnny was a great host, and also a great performer in the bits he performed with either a staff member or a guest. I found his interviews to be very good. What was most amazing was how well he could interview a guest. Whether it was a comedian constantly joking, a person or celebrity very uncomfortable on a talk show, or a guest with some strong opinions, Johnny could respond and react to the jokes, interact well with the uncomfortable guest, and talk with the opinionated guest in a back and forth without creating a tense, argumentative situation. Sad that he's gone. Great that these clips are here to remember him.

[@gregwatson8219]

Only one Tonight show

[@jose2144]

@@gregwatson8219 Yes there WAS only 1 Tonight Show. The one starring Johnny Carson! Not Leno & definitely NOT Jimmy Fallon. Fallon must of sucked off Lorne Michael to get that job. Johnny is the Gold Standard. Actually I still watch Johnny on Antenna TV Thank you Johnny

[@tomperkins5657]

I am so grateful I was able, starting almost from the beginning, to see these two all the way through.

[@cathynewyork7918]

I agree with you for being grateful to watch Johnny Carson and Ed McMahon. What masters of the craft they were. I watched Johnny Carson every night for decades. Plus I got to see many live Frank Sinatra concerts. With these two men, I saw the best in the business! Lucky me. I also briefly met Ed McMahon when we were seated at the same table in a live Frank Sinatra concert in Las Vegas. He was warm and friendly and very decent.

[@kkampy4052]

My favorite thing about Johnny was that he would have some person from some small burg somewhere and he would never talk down to them, he would never make fun of them, he would have them on the show and treat them as well as he would treat any of the Hollywood a-listers

[@prism8289]

Probably because Johnny was himself from a nowhere place.

[@cathynewyork7918]

@@prism8289 but many stars were originally from nowhere places, and then would talk down to people once they became famous. This commenter is correct, that Johnny was great at having people from some small town somewhere and never talking down to them. He was the best.

[@prism8289]

@@cathynewyork7918 and look at Dick Cavett, another Nebraskan (as I lay here in my sweatshirt). And look at Warren Buffett, one of worlds richest men that is to like all the others.

[@cathynewyork7918]

@@prism8289 Yes, Dick Cavett was very very good, and Warren Buffett, "The Oracle of Omaha" is widely regarded as a financial genius.

[@cathynewyork7918]

@@prism8289 My celebrity "love of my life" was Frank Sinatra -- I saw him hundreds of times in concert in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Chicago and New York City. He was from Hoboken, New Jersey, not really a breeding ground for big Hollywood stars!

[@johnburgess6572]

A REAL show !!! He was the best.,,,why no one like him now ???

[@QuakeWorldTeamFortress]

See you later ed! LOL!

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

Loved these skits. That must have been the best job in show business.

[@MarceloRomero360]

They should've hired that audience guy as a writer

[@mattygates1]

Comedy gold. You don’t see this anymore.

[@Hithere-ek4qt]

Bullshit Comedy gold? That’s laughable

[@omegaman1409]

This duo entertained me in the 1980s growing up. I used to-stay up late at night just to watch the show. To me it was the best night show ever. Leno was good but Johnny was the best.

[@tomperkins5657]

That and frisbee is the reason I flunked out of college the first time. 😁

[@tdunph4250]

Mr Carson was in a class all by himself. Its not even up for debate. There are some distant 2nd's and 3rd's though. Merv Griffin, Jack Parr, David Letterman, Dick Caveat etc

[@TheLarryBrown]

​@@tomperkins5657Try an Aerobie Skylighter....it's really fun!

[@ttaylor758]

Audience member nails it

[@Bobalicious]

Classic Johnny.

[@dm95422]

LOL @ 1:19 "See You Later Ed !" 🤣🤣🤣

[@ultramaximusreviews]

See ya later Ed! LOL

[@philswaim392]

I bet Johnny was thinking this would be a better gag

[@photomanwilliams4147]

And, he didn't plan that the best line of the whole gag would be the audience member saying "see you later Ed."

[@Mike1614b]

that was great- big laugh from the guy in the audience

[@billmalec]

That was one beautiful human being.

[@seansheldrick1849]

The girl wasn’t bad either.

[@ThomasEWalker]

"We can start right now"... (come with me, sweetie; exit stage left.)

[@googoo-gjoob]

psst... they left stage _right_

[@dhpbear2]

Air Date: July 13, 1984

[@buffettfanman]

I miss Carson and Ed! Jimmy Fallon is a mediocre replacement.

[@billsmith8339]

Mediocre is being kind ... for either Jimmy! And just forget Colbert!

[@williamkerr2121]

@@billsmith8339 Got that right!

[@stevenj9970]

Jimmy Fallen, you mean........I'd rather watch Carsons last turd........

[@MuzixMaker]

I miss late night entertainment.

[@barrybrown9104]

Ok to add my 10 cents to this: this was also during the time that Carson was trying to get back into the show. This wasn't too long after a Wall Street Journal article that Johnny was losing his edge. He was still winning but losing the important 18-34 demo. There was a news conference that was held at The Beverly Hilton where Johnny's braintrust came out and told everyone he was still the king of late night. Basically he was but was losing to a younger demo that was watching David Letterman. Over the following years it got worse when people were just watching him to get to Letterman. Plus cable and stations around the country started delaying Johnny to air Love Connection or other shows because they could make $$ before airing The Tonight Show. In the end: Johnny was just trying to get some life back in the show. He and Ed were more than friends and Ed wrote a book after Johnny had died. Loosen up people they were soul brothers before the term had ever been coined.....

[@MarvinThiessen]

Letterman was overrated.

[@bc1969214]

@@MarvinThiessen and Johnny's next guest. Whatever you think of Letterman he looked up to Johnny and considered him a mentor.

[@DurangoLegend]

He couldn't have been losing audience to Letterman because they were on the same network and never competed against each other in the same time slot. Letterman didn't move to CBS until Carson retired. Or are you saying that people were skipping Carson to watch Letterman which aired immediately following the Tonight Show?

[@TubenIt83]

Johnny’s first three wives names all started with a “J”. Janet could have been next!

[@waldolydecker8118]

One night Rickles told Carson he was so cheap, he probably did that so he didn't have to change the lettered bath towels

[@williamkerr2121]

@@waldolydecker8118 HAW!

[@bocagoodtimes1460]

Now that’s an outfit!!!!

[@donaldfleming5049]

I just realized that that is the exact same dress that Joan Collins wore on the cover of the December 1983 issue of Playboy. Hard to decide who wore it better, Joan or Janet.

[@Ron-d2s]

The best kind...... more out than in!!!!!!

[@wesmcgee1648]

Now that's one hunka woman.

[@mikeholt1248]

You ain’t just a-woofin’, Wes!!

[@spuwho]

Janet Hillis. A former LA Rams Cheerleader. (she cheered with Jennilee Harrison of Three's Company). She was meant to replace Carol Wayne on Johnny's skits, but never got used enough. She was cast in various shows in the 1980's, mostly as side kicks or in backgrounds or as someones girlfriend. She bounced around the casting circuit of LA for several years before hanging it up.

[@MarvinThiessen]

Casting circuit or casting couch?

[@spuwho]

@@MarvinThiessen Judging by the amount of actual appearances, I would stick to circuit. She moved back to Texas.

[@visarr]

"bounced around"

[@bill2953]

Good lord what a babe.

[@bill2953]

@Barbara Guest By their name I would hope. lol

[@erichaynes7502]

@Barbara Guest Johnny wouldn't even visit his son in the mental health facility!

[@williamkerr2121]

@@erichaynes7502 So?

[@dougholdem2898]

It was a good run Ed! Actually Ed should be standing there tomorrow night and Janet should be laying there.

[@majorproduction3990]

Ed's got a laugh 😃

[@bobmalack481]

Ed knew his place as no. 2..but knew himself and self respect as acknowledging he is the best no. 2 in the buisness..Robert at 67.

[@cathynewyork7918]

I met Ed McMahon briefly when we were seated at the same table at a live Frank Sinatra concert in Las Vegas. He was just the way he was on TV -- warm, friendly, very pleasant. I was impressed with how decent he was.

[@alanstrong3295]

Ed was a Marine Colonel. That would secure my vote. A proven leader by all means.

[@ekimp252]

He was an airborne FAC that flew 85 combat missions earning 6 air medals. Semper Fi indeed.

[@BegoneJonah]

@@ekimp252 Yes! Thank you for pointing this out! I've always liked Ed McMahon and this is a big reason why.

[@garypaquin9571]

Johnny was always threatening to fire Ed, especially if he made a comment that got a big laugh. Carson’s wife du jour or management would talk him out of the idea because Johnny was a small man and a mean drunk. Ed would drink with him and prevent other celebrities from beating the crap out of his boss (Carson’s term). Ed wasn’t in the studio when Wayne Newton barged into Carson’s dressing room, jacked him up against the wall and said he would return and beat him to death if he told one more joke inferring that Newton was gay. Newton’s voice was in the soprano range. It never bothered Ed Sullivan who made him a star. Ed McMan made a deal with the devil. As a decorated combat veteran he deserved much better. Thanks to the IRS he died a bankrupt and broken man.

[@BegoneJonah]

@@garypaquin9571 I hate the fact that Ed died poor and broken. You’re right, he deserved much better.

[@natureboy1313]

​@@BegoneJonahMany don't know that Ed McMahon's home went into foreclosure and who stepped in to help the WW2 vet. Donald Trump took over the payments to help Ed M.

[@justinherbert9146]

I guarantee Johnny tapped that Johnny's best friend and lawyer wrote a book about their exploits = wrote that Johnny was double digit down there

[@bc1969214]

Bombastic Bushkin? Not sure about the best friend part after he got fired.

[@justinherbert9146]

@@bc1969214 Yes Attorney Bushkin - great book - if you are a fan of Johnny you should read it - Carson was a real ladies man - bopped everything in sight - and Bushkin who was a witness to it all wrote that Johnny was so big it had its own zip code lol

[@scottleonard5106]

Lol!! See ya later Ed

[@4seeableTV]

Damn she's gorgeous.

[@tedunguent156]

Well, not anymore.

[@WilliamNast-v1g]

SO DAMN FUNNY!

[@Ryan-re1rs]

I loved listening to Johnny on xm radio, then they dropped his channel for some junk ass hipster radio.

[@kevinbergin9971]

Reminds me of SNL. But that one was for real.

[@OldTelivisionRocks]

Man Julius La Rosa firing would have been nothing if this was real.

[@aviation3530]

1984 doesn’t seem that long ago. Janet 👀OMGosh she was smokin 😳I wonder what she looks like now as a 65ish +or-‘ year old??

[@Hithere-ek4qt]

Yes, she was good looking, but certainly not smoking hot. I guess you don’t get out much do you?

[@aviation3530]

@@Hithere-ek4qt I’m so sorry for you. I guess when you’re only use to seeing dudes you can’t appreciate a beautiful women.

[@ClapHurts]

Shes bald

[@spuwho]

You can see her in Fantasy Island in a swimsuit. She gets dumped in the pool when her boyfriend is getting solicited by the mermaid, played by Michelle Phillips. They pull her out of the water and she just kind of lays there.

[@softsofasoftsofa]

July 13, 1984 show

[@Paul-lm5gv]

WOW! Looks lke a movie star! Wonder whatever happened to her?

[@sisenor4091]

They turned on Ed real quick.

[@tomperkins5657]

Sadly, "Se", so did I.

[@sisenor4091]

@@tomperkins5657 Haaa!

[@hemicuda123ify]

Johnny number one Ferguson was number 1A and the rest of them might as well get on a bus and leave town... And Ferguson did a few things better than Johnny ...leno and Letterman were decent but way down the ladder compared to those two boys. Johnny would turn over in his grave if he listened and watched the incompetence of the late night empty suits of today.

[@JK-br1mu]

Would Johnny giggle through some Kimmel and Fallon performances.

[@tomperkins5657]

I absolutely agree!!

[@BeazleyStudios]

I'd like to add Conan to this list. He was a pretty good follow up for Johnny, if only the people at the Tonight Show had told Leno to shut up and get out of the building when he retired the first time.

[@cathynewyork7918]

@@BeazleyStudios No! Conan failed at the Tonight Show. I stopped watching it because I hated Conan, and so did many others. Conan tanked the ratings. He was the worst.

[@paulpinball9952]

Johnny would turn over in his grave if he knew he was being compared anywhere CLOSE to Craig Ferguson.

[@kennywagner4025]

What about giving Jack Torrence (Nickleson) a try?

[@OikPoinFive]

Yessss!

[@Soxruleyanksdrool]

**Nickelson

[@randallulrich]

Do you mean Jack *Nicholson* ?

[@kennywagner4025]

@@randallulrich sorry about spelling

[@Soxruleyanksdrool]

Oh.

[@billrandall9704]

Earlier comment identifies her as Janet Hillis. Google search found an obit for Janet Hillis with DOB 1962, DOD 04/29/2024 in Arkansas. Unknown if her but age would be about right

[@davidmorin6667]

I watch reruns every night, no other host compares to Johnny Carson LET'S GO BRANDON

[@cathynewyork7918]

This is not classy to use the crude Brandon reference. Try to have class, or get off this thread.

[@mrsteve1257]

@@cathynewyork7918 Cathy the New York Fascist.

[@cathynewyork7918]

@@mrsteve1257 You are wrong. It is never classy or decent to use vulgar phrases like the Brandon reference.

[@williamkerr2121]

@@cathynewyork7918 Sure it is. Biden is the enemy.

[@cathynewyork7918]

@@williamkerr2121 Mr. Biden is NOT the enemy. Mr. Biden supports America and the U.S. Constitution. Evil donald trump tried to overthrow our democracy and now wants to kill the Constitution. trump is the evil being, NOT Mr. Biden.

[@donaldfleming5049]

Does anyone know what her full name is? She appeared in multiple Mighty Carson Arts Players skits, but I can't remember what her name is.

[@rrrrkoop2776]

Her name is Janet. -- :)

[@donaldfleming5049]

@@rrrrkoop2776 But what is her last name? That's what I want to know.

[@rrrrkoop2776]

@@donaldfleming5049 lol, I know, just couldn't resist. and you are not the only one asking that question. we all want to know. lol

[@MikeSmithEnterprises]

Janet Hillis @@donaldfleming5049

[@bustersmith7535]

Where is Janet today?

[@ultramaximusreviews]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@victorhgarcia5069]

Janet who? I do not recall her..

[@spuwho]

She moved back to Texas after giving up on her attempts at Hollywood for 3-4 years.

[@kevinfitzmaurice4072]

This almost happened for real on "Saturday Night Live": Michael O'Donoghue, one of the writers and an occasional performer in the early years, wanted to fire announcer Don Pardo on the air in 1981. Pardo was indeed let go off-camera by then-producer Dick Ebersol, but returned to the show a year later. (Lorne Michaels was gone from SNL during this period and was uninvolved in this situation.)

[@craigwhite9927]

An old girlfriend of mine's dad was an exec at NBC and because he was such a legend at NBC at the time NO ONE wanted to be the one to tell him and the job of telling him fell to her dad. He's the guy who actually informed him

[@ernestbrown9660]

Yeah, O'Donoghue was great at black comedy, but he was more than a little bit of a jerk. Having an old square-hair announcer like Pardo be in on the joke of SNL's humor actually enhanced the show.

[@jimh4167]

I vote for Janet 😍😍😍😘😘😘😘 See you later Ed

[@Joeblow-ms3cv]

Wow! I think you know what I mean 🙂

[@graburn]

Does anyone know Janet's full name?

[@victorhgarcia5069]

Asking the same here ..

[@spuwho]

Janet Hillis. She also appeared on Fantasy Island.

[@BrendanRWolfe]

I would have taken Janet too

[@countalucard4226]

I’m sure someone out there knows who she was?

[@spuwho]

Janet Hillis was her name. She was supposed to replace the deceased Carol Wayne as a sidekick for Carson skits. But he did so few after Carol died, Janet was never called back.

[@countalucard4226]

@@spuwho Thanks for the info!

[@peachbottom2010]

what did that guy yell?

[@DoctorRocker66]

See ya later Ed.

[@tuliothx]

"See you later, Ed"

[@jorgemontefusco650]

Janet who?

[@sirbobloblaws]

She's on first.

[@jameshernandez5766]

What does Janet look like today?

[@trsdarrin]

I think you need to worry about what you're gonna look like in 35 years

[@scottjohnson7780]

You're gone Ed.

[@theessentials450]

That's as close to a poltical statement carson ever did. Smart and classy.

[@elwoodblues6663]

g.o.a.t

[@jrnumex9286]

. hollyweird standards lady almost 2 old already

[@Matt71439]

is there a whiff of cruelty in the skit?

[@bleepiestofbloops]

No

[@Circuit7Active]

no

[@Ron-d2s]

You can not apply your set of morals to ancient history.

[@felixthelmocevallosmorales41]

John William Carson (Corning, Iowa; 23 de octubre de 1925 - West Hollywood, California; 23 de enero de 2005) fue un presentador, comediante, escritor y productor de televisión estadounidense. 98 AÑOS 79 AÑOS 19 AÑOS.

[@Falconlibrary]

Learn English

[@michaelelliott1212]

This bit would not work in today's society. A lot of folks would scream misogyny.

[@us-Bahn]

Is misogyny now the same as lechery? Do we need two different words? Could we choose one and save space in the dictionary?

[@waldolydecker8118]

you lie and are wrapped in phony victimhood. You have absolutely NO factual evidence that this bit would not work today...none. In fact, if you did a few hours of research, you could probably find plenty examples of this-type bit working in today's sitcoms, live performances, movies, and other video performances. There is nothing wrong with this bit, so quick trying to play the victim.

[@TheBigMclargehuge]

The word misogyny has very little use in the English language. I think the hatred of all women is probably classifiable as a mental disorder. Of course the lefties have expanded the definition to include pretty much anything they want to call misogyny. Much like you seem to be expanding the definition of lechery to include the appreciation of attractive women.

[@notaverypopularchannel4878]

@@TheBigMclargehuge You are reaching. This display has very little relation to what any mainstream left wing politician would call misogyny. Maybe objectification as another commenter implied lechery but not misogyny.

[@williamkerr2121]

So what? Let'em holler. We'll do as we damn well please!

[@jefolson6989]

Back when we could be sexist right on television! The good old days. Carson was one of the leading objectifiers.

[@stonerrocky]

Meh.

[@chrislj2890]

So you have no sense of humor and you're also gay. Got it.