The Tonight Show May 2, 1972

What was a typical Tonight Show episode like 50 years ago? The show had officially moved to Burbank full-time the day before (though it would still periodically return to New York into 1973) and even though the show had visited Hollywood for years, they still seem they're getting used to it at this time. Guests are Johnny Mathis, George Carlin, Rob Reiner, Carol Wayne, and Mr. Blackwell.
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[@nightowl5475]

Wow! Johnny Mathis is my favorite! What a great singer with such range. What a treat!

[@baronvonnembles]

This is longer grey haired Johnny. Around 78 or so he wore his hair shorter and it was virtually all silver. By 1986 or so it was white, noticeably thinner and Johnny was showing his age. It seems like there was a transition when the show moved to Burbank. The New York version was little bit rawer and more spontaneous. The Hollywood version was slicker and more predictable.

[@Tre404]

As a singer, I completely concur with Mathis at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1677">27:57</a> when he says that it is easier to sing something loudly than softly, because it takes less control. Absolutely true.

[@MrMenefrego1]

"concur" 🙄 🤣

[@HMMELD]

The sign of a real amateur is to belt out tunes at the top of their lungs. It's more like screaming. None of the really good ones do that.

[@kittendiotima4212]

So great to see the show right after they moved to Burbank! A great Tea Time, with Carol in peak form, laugh out loud funny interview, with Carson trying hard not to crack up.

[@HMMELD]

Yes, it is great.

[@HMinot]

Love those old commercials!

[@MrMenefrego1]

What great days those were; there were a few things you could always count on back then, and Johnny was one of them.

[@Sunmoon-gj9gy]

I was 15 then , i miss the 70's and my home 🏡 and parents 😢

[@halyourpalg2019]

Those were the "Good Ol Days"

[@luislaplume8261]

Yes! Policewoman and Wonder Woman. Angie Dickinson and Lynda Carter. No She Hulk! Feminist Social Justice Warrior liberal!

[@LeeKav]

Johnny made a joke in his monologue around 1973: "You know what's really upsetting? In twenty years, THESE will be the good old days."

[@frankgerace5997]

Right you are!!

[@kevinnelson66]

The break in at the Watergate hotel and the tragedy during the Munich Olympics occurred in 1972. The Viet Nam war was still going on. Good times

[@frankgerace5997]

@@kevinnelson66 most people tend to think “the good old days” were whenever they were young, whatever was going on in the world at the time.

[@TERoss-jk9ny]

I was 6 years old when this aired. When I was 14 or 15, I got my first tv, a 13” black & white, and I worked at a Del Taco in Victorville, CA. Every night, when I got home, I watched Johnny. Such great memories! Thanks to all who upload JC shows.

[@jessejames7757]

You just a baby yes those where good times.

[@ssnoc]

I was 14 then - how I miss those days, it was so different then in such a great way

[@charlesritt5088]

Johnny had on 2 what was then referred to as " confirmed bachelors " Johnny Mathis and MR. Blackwell.

[@walterluberto5323]

Thanks for sharing

[@deputay]

You're welcome! Hope you enjoyed it - I have other Johnny Tonight episodes on my page as well

[@webking185]

Thank you for sharing

[@deputay]

You're welcome! Hope you enjoyed it

[@imashmenge7981]

Good golly, I was a long haired hippie, 20 years old then! Now almost everyone’s gone. Thanks for the pleasant memories; I hope all you old farts have lived a full life.

[@luislaplume8261]

In my case I already had a mustache and long sideburns with several inches of hair over my forehead. All kinds of hairstyles we believe were cool at that time. No multi colored hair nor piercings to the face and body then. I graduated from Richmond Hill High School in 1974.

[@jessewolf7649]

70 ain’t old…

[@thejoseyscottrocks]

This show was recorded the day before I was born, and it’s amazing!

[@freddyfurrah3789]

Happy Birthday

[@atant2]

I was born 15 days later.

[@meijer78]

Johnny's second night of their permanent stay in Burbank. Awesome find.

[@garylee3685]

The girl in the jello commercial is Denise Nickerson, I think. She was Violet in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. She passed in 2019.

[@deputay]

I think you're right. Once I had her in mind and heard her voice, I could just hear her saying "Cool it!" in Willy Wonka. Good find

[@gaylestockwell5315]

Johnny Mathis is the BEST!

[@johnsjohnson448]

I would love to see the final show in New York, and the first episode from the move to Burbank. This is terrific! Thank-You for sharing.

[@deputay]

You're welcome! And I second your thoughts; I've always wondered if the knew the last New York show would be THE last show

[@brianoneill7186]

They returned to NY for something like two weeks each year, although they stopped making those trips in 1974.

[@johnsjohnson448]

@@brianoneill7186 I have read that somewhere. Thanks again for clarifying that.

[@kevinnelson66]

@@deputay I believe someone filled in for Johnny during.the final week in New York while Johnny was getting settled in California.

[@ricarleite]

He did shows in NY back and forth for a while. It wasn't a clean cut transition.

[@kaylakain6039]

This is great thank you for uploading this so much funny to watch compared to some of the talk shows now way to much drama

[@deputay]

You're welcome! I'd wanted to upload this for a while now, just had computer issues in my way. Glad you enjoyed it

[@newmankidman5763]

"TOO much"

[@MTSs2024]

Omg thank u so much for this, if you have any more episodes with intro theme please upload :)))

[@deputay]

You're welcome! And yes I do have more episodes & have a new computer on the way which will (hopefully) solve the issues with the previous attempts

[@MTSs2024]

@@deputay yayyyy

[@HMMELD]

To their credit they got a formula that worked and never messed with it. So many shows, websites, etc can't seem to stand a good thing.

[@robertmusgrave9236]

that first commercial looked like it was made in the 90s but this 1972.

[@clubteenseenmagazine]

WOW 🙏🏼

[@GypsyNomad912]

Wow .Way back right after I was born..

[@RobertPerrigoOkiechopper]

I was 18 yrs old when this aired. Please send me back.

[@elwoodblues6663]

what good would it do you if youre not young again

[@robertblackhall1978]

Does anyone know the name of the song the band is playing at the end as the credits roll? Thanks!

[@deputay]

If you find out, let me know! I've always enjoyed it and remember it was used by the Tonight Show throughout the 70's

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Thanks! Great show! Do you have the first regular show in Hollywood?

[@deputay]

Unfortunately I don't, still looking for it though

[@johnking5174]

@@deputay Hi, which station was this taped off from, do you know?

[@garylee3685]

​@johnking5174 I was looking but I see no ID super at the top of the hour, nor no local breaks at all. So I don't know what station this is taped off of.

[@MargueriteFairProductions]

Blackwell was a rude man.

[@r66fplaysgames]

Where did you find this? What kind of videotape was this on?

[@MrJoeybabe25]

This was two days after Arthur Godfrey did his last radio show on CBS.

[@chirelle.alanalooney8609]

What do you know, it's the "Meat Head".

[@paulbarber9599]

Nothing like the good old days of television better than this garbage that’s out here today

[@kaylakain6039]

Do you have anymore espideos of devtive school I really miss watching it

[@chrisfreeman9960]

I guess this was recorded from a home video taping system? Was under the impression they began to show up in the mid-'70's. Or this show was somehow available because it was shown more than once because Carson hosted it. What's seems more definite as far as very early home taping are the shows where Carson had a substitute guest host, such as the one I saw from 1972, which had Burt Reynolds as guest host. A program such as that was generally shown only once, making it definitely rare.

[@Rob_Kates]

50 years ago, the commercial breaks seemed so short. I think the first break was just 60 seconds. You don't see breaks that short anymore.

[@deputay]

Agreed, though in candor I edited out most of the breaks where it would be local advertising. So, some breaks were all national ads, but the later it went, there was more time for local ads, which would just be a black screen. Sometimes the person running audio would leave the mics up to hear the band, sometimes it was silent.

[@Rob_Kates]

@@deputay OK, thanks for letting me know.

[@fightman49]

I watched this because I’d rather be there.

[@barbaravalentine4436]

Wow he looked so young. Like a College kid.

[@felixthelmocevallosmorales41]

John William Carson 23 de octubre de 1925 23 de enero de 2005 98 años 79 años 19 años 🎙️🎙️🎭🎭🎙️🎙️🎭🎭🎙️🎙️

[@Davids-fb9ub]

Where is the mustache?

[@newmankidman5763]

50 YEARS. I had no idea the Lipton brand already existed back then. I had not been born yet, but still

[@s34cea75]

Lipton was founded in 1891 I believe

[@newmankidman5763]

@@s34cea75, thanks.

[@cc1k435]

They were making a powdery tea mix my dad really drank a lot of, even back then. 😆

[@newmankidman5763]

@@cc1k435, I have never developed a taste for Lipton ice-tea

[@MalEvansUSA]

Johnny was a great singer

[@brentmann2988]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="212">3:32</a> Johnny Carson with a funny joke about Burbank.

[@doncourtreporter]

We were a very cool generation.

[@davidmitchell6873]

You were. Why did you all turn out so horrible though?

[@teresagradolf974]

Lester longhoffer is using Cher Tate O'Neil Micky I actually liked them but they can leave me out if there game

[@pinklemonadeanimations]

_NBC_

[@teresagradolf974]

Rob winchell is bring mean

[@mannyrodriguez4992]

ONE OF THE GREATEST SINGERS OF ALL TIME... AND A CLASS ACT...JOHNY MATHIS

[@kaylakain6039]

I remember Adam 12

[@PhilVerryChannel]

Whats funny to me is to see the comments, what people don't realize, this is what television looked like, when you got your television through a antenna on top of your house and there was no such thing as cable TV yet, this.... is what you would watch & record it using your VCR tape. This was the way television looked! Everyone is spoiled today with perfect picture, digital. There were only about 4 tv channels in the USA. This one was one of the best.

[@deputay]

Preach

[@jackkomisar458]

@@deputay I wouldn't say everyone is spoiled today. The picture should be good. I remember the days of black-and-white TV and antennas on the roof, when I was a kid. The CBS and NBC affiliates were close by, and the pictures from them were good, but the ABC station was 40 miles away and gave a grainy picture. Technical problems were common. Our family was slow to buy a color TV, but I remember the first color TV's in my friends' houses. It was very difficult to adjust the color balance. Everyone on the screen was either orange or purple. Often, you had to adjust the picture again for a new show.

[@deputay]

@@jackkomisar458 I hear you, but my ire comes as much from the quality of these old videos I share. Back then you're at the mercy of what reception you had (if not cable), the tape aging, duplicates, etc

[@RageTVHTX]

There were 4 broadcast networks, NBC, ABC, CBS and PBS. Most major cities had about 3 to 4 stations that affiliated with either network and an independent. I’m amazed that these off air recordings exist as home vcrs weren’t very common in those days. I know that there was a reel to reel system that you could make home recordings on but those weren’t cheap

[@jckhammer]

​@@deputaythe truth

[@teresagradolf974]

Ray Thompson demon with Medford demons bogarts

[@ApartmentKing66]

Is there a point to your posts or are you just stringing random words together because you have nothing better to do?

[@roncaruso931]

51 years ago in 2023! Johnny was on the air for 10 years in 1972. He is still the best.Who knew Rob Reiner would become a lunatic Trumpnhater?

[@jessewolf7649]

Not surprised. He was a lunatic in ‘72.

[@jckhammer]

​@@jessewolf7649smart man . Who would've figured carrol o conner was an even more hardcore Democrat who surely would've hated trump as much or more if he was alive

[@93Jubilee]

They were far too smart to support a lunatic like trump.@@jckhammer

[@fightman49]

Meathead.

[@MTSs2024]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="6">0:06</a>

[@kylecain6685]

?

[@romanjake6903]

PROPERTY OF Internet Archive!!!

[@deputay]

Not where I got it from, but maybe they've already downloaded it and put it on the site?

[@teresagradolf974]

Love you dad help Britney please

[@willythegman5509]

It’s very cool though my god the tape is sadly rough looked like it was pulled from a old toilet

[@deputay]

Funny you say that, that's almost how it was presented to me years ago: "I can give you these old tonight shows from the early 70s, problem is we found them in a bus station garbage can."

[@willythegman5509]

@@deputay that’s actually crazy and kinda sad Someone would throw that away I have a Carson tape from 1989 it was a anniversary-show with jay Leno and Eddie Murphy and it had that with commercials and a couple other shows I’ve never heard ofthe tape skipped around to different show’s of the time. sadly though I put it in a VHS tape rewinder one of those car ones yk? and it sucked the tape back into the cassette cartridge I’ve tried to fix it so I could upload it I just don’t think it’s possible to reconnect the tape to the other Reel

[@deputay]

@@willythegman5509 oh man I can't tell you how many tapes I've lost that way (or in the VHS or Beta). The American Bandstand episodes I put up last year almost suffered the same fate but I was able to thread the tape through the machine past the rough parts. The things we do...

[@willythegman5509]

@@deputay for real man i ain’t ever going use that thing again it’s slower to rewind it in the player sure but I’d rather it take longer then go super fast and get destroyed

[@deputay]

Right! But remember what we were told: "Rewinding can hurt the machine, better get these rewind-only machines that run 50 mph"

[@AndyAction]

No shortage of racist and misogynistic jokes, plus every joke at Ed is a fat joke.

[@nightowl5475]

Different times Andy, I’m sure Ed didn’t mind it getting those weekly fat checks.

[@jessewolf7649]

Woke halfwit?

[@markjackson6431]

@@nightowl5475 unfortunately those fat checks couldn’t avoid him being broke

[@ApartmentKing66]

Yup, the good ol' days, when people could take a joke, unlike today, with everybody a thin-skinned pansy.

[@freddyfurrah3789]

I DEPISE REINER

[@davidmitchell6873]

Nobody really cares.

[@charlesritt5088]

You depise Reiner ? It is spelled despise

[@freddyfurrah3789]

I DESPISE REINER. I HATE CARLIN, TOO.

[@charlesritt5088]

You hated Carlin too ? I'm guessing you were really into the Lawrence Welk show

[@davidmitchell6873]

Ill bet you love a fat orange guy though.

[@davidmitchell6873]

Ill bet you love the orange guy though.

[@freddyfurrah3789]

I HATE ROB REINER

[@AndyAction]

I’m sure he hates you!

[@natch27]

What an inarticulate addition to the comments on this page.

[@jckhammer]

Because he's a Democrat and your a trump fanatic? Lol carrol o conner was as much or a bigger Democrat that rob reiner when he was alive . It's usually the lower intelligent scale that can't differentiate or separate politics from tv show fiction