The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (01-14-1964)

This is a Tonight Show from 1964 that is broadcasting from New York. The video and audio are poor and there are no commercials, but I think it's still fun to watch. The audio gets better after the first 2 minutes.
Guest: Hedda Hopper, Jack Douglas and wife Reiko, Sam Levenson

[@dzajac7875]

I really miss Johnny. No current late night host comes close to his show. Rest in peace Johnny.

[@brendanjobe6895]

Heck, I still somehow tell myself that he'll be back. Never watched an entire episode of Leno, Letterman, or any of the others.

[@detroitjack0325]

How true!

[@johnsjohnson448]

It was a different era when "Stars" were truly STARS. They started out in clubs either doing stand-up, dance, or dinner theater. Then moved on to Television and Radio, or Film. Now, not so much.

[@thecastiel69]

Conan was great

[@SunsetBoulevard111]

dick cavett was far more quality

[@TralfazConstruction]

On Friday night, if I was able to stay awake, my parents would let me stay up to watch The Tonight Show. Sometimes my parents would order pizza from Spats in Penndel, PA, since they stayed open until midnight Friday and Saturday. The delivery man drove a 1950s era Cadillac with a hole in the muffler and we could tell when he was coming up the hill a mile or so from our house.

[@dandering181]

Perfect! 😂

[@TralfazConstruction]

@@dandering181 Thank you. I reread my comment and really thought about those times going on 60 years ago. Best wishes.

[@stevemcmahon7676]

Penndel!

[@twraven1]

Wow I lived in Levittown during this time period!

[@TralfazConstruction]

@twraven1 It's changed a bit. I've been away from that area for a little over two years. Going back in November for my 50th year Class reunion; Neshaminy '74. I'm prepared to be surprised by the changes I've read about and what my relatives still in the area have told me about. Best wishes.

[@dinocrocetti2950]

Just recently lost my Dad. Such grief . He was a police officer in Paterson NJ and loved the tonight show between working his shifts . Amazing to watch this it’s on his birthday when he tuned 32 years old. I feel like I’m watching with him .

[@millardthompson8157]

same here very sorry for your loss my dad as well watched it every night.

[@dinocrocetti2950]

@@millardthompson8157 thanks

[@johnsjohnson448]

Thank-you for sharing the story about your father and his Service in Law Enforcement. It appears that he was a remarkable man and loving father.

[@davidjenkins4364]

ONE OF CRIMES OF NETWORK TV HISTORY IS THE LOSS OF JOHNNY CARSONS FIRST TEN YEARS AS THE HOST OF THE TONIGHT SHOW.

[@Rob_Kates]

True, it is such a shame. Johnny must have been furious when he found out that so many shows had been erased.

[@jparchive296]

Thanks to the one NBC guy that decided to throw the tapes away a couple of decades ago because they couldn’t afford storage

[@HCHxxiv]

​@@Rob_Kates...he was indeed, and so were Steve Allen and many others. And rightfully so.

[@MrAdvance2go]

Absolutely

[@ChrisHyde537]

@markjohnson7488Actually, over 50 years now. I wish that I wasn’t this old to remember.

[@chantingmammal]

This is late night history! One of the earliest found and preserved "complete" shows of The Tonight Show back during the Johnny Carson era!

[@retroboog8973]

HOLY CRAP! You actually have an episode this early that survived! what a treat.

[@americasevilgenius]

Amazing how much more relaxed the show was when they weren't cramming everything into an hour.

[@johnsjohnson448]

Back then, people had a longer attention span. LOL. This format would never fly today.

[@brendanjobe6895]

The band was featured more regularly as well. In fact, it seems like they had a special number or special arrangement every other night. At any rate, we still get to see the best of the best in action.

[@johnsjohnson448]

@@brendanjobe6895 During this Era of Mr. Carson's, "Tonight" show, it ran one-hour and FORTY-FIVE minutes FIVE nights per week. That was a TON of air-time to fill.

[@brendanjobe6895]

@@johnsjohnson448 You're right. At that time, however, I only watched the monologue: I had school the next day. Rarely, if the first guest was someone I really wanted to see, I'd stay up and watch that, too. I well remember the build-up and hype preceding Tiny Tim's wedding (which I did watch).

[@kevinnelson66]

​@@johnsjohnson448In around 1965, NBC affiliates began expanding their late local news from 15 to 30 minutes and Johnny wanted the entire network to broadcast his monologue so he gave the first 15 minutes to Ed and Skitch and began his monologue 15 minutes later. The first 15 minutes were eventually dropped in 1966, cutting the show down to 90 minutes until 1980 when the show was cut down to 60 minutes.

[@vap0rland]

the early 60s episodes are very rare becuase NBC erased all the videotapes, so this is a treat

[@johnsjohnson448]

The "missing" tapes were "allegedly" shipped off to a landfill a year after the show moved to Burbank. A building manager wanted to use the twelve rooms that stored the tapes for offices. Google the story of "Johnny Carson's missing 'Tonight' shows." It is terrific...and sad.

[@leighg9274]

We’ve come a long way since then….down!

[@kathleenking47]

This was a few weeks after JFK assassination 😢

[@stonyman694]

Great to hear so much of the band music.

[@johnsjohnson448]

The network had more time to fill given how Mr. Carson's "Tonight" show during this Era was 105 minutes in length: 1:45 FIVE nights per week, FORTY-EIGHT weeks per year.

[@philbertuglia2203]

I don't believe I ever saw this early Tonight with Johnny!! Jonah was an absolutely fabulous musician., Great Classic t.v. of The The Tonight Show. R I P. Johnny, and Ed.

[@Rick_King]

In some ways, the show changed very little in thirty years. But then, why mess with perfection?

[@Po1itica11yNcorrect]

Johnny Carson was such a natural in front of the camera. He set the bar so high for the other late night hosts that followed, none have come close to replicating his magic. The Tonight Show was an American institution. Everybody watched.

[@dm95422]

What a find !!! NBC erased most of these early Carson shows, unfortunately due to a video tape shortage. Thanks !!! 👍👍👍👍

[@raypeters4525]

MMMMMM MMMMMM, WHAT MEMORIES ! I WAS 26 YRS. OLD WHEN THIS PLAYED, WATCHED JOHNNY OFTEN BACK IN THE DAYS ! BROUGHT A SMILE !

[@user-db6pt7vr3l]

Sweet Jesus you have to be close to 90 years old?

[@chrishultgren777]

good to hear from the old timers that made it!

[@josephscionti4680]

This is indeed a treat!! I got a kick when Jack Douglas mentioned that someone married a “beetle” and he referenced that it wasn’t the “Beatles” from England. This show was presented less than one month before the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan.

[@mikepeterson8388]

This is an absolute treat! Watching Johnny Carson in the early days of "The Tonight Show!" Thank you for this post!!!

[@Lampshade51]

The New York days of the Carson Tonight Show were more freewheeling and had a more urban feel. When it got to the coast it became more polished and lost some edge.

[@rogerrambo4172]

Would you say the same thing happened to Conan when he went from Late Night to Tonight Show?

[@johnsjohnson448]

Remember, during the 1960's, Television was still sort of in its infancy. Mr. Carson "wore" well with viewers. New York was where most of the BIG time network shows were being produced. Around 1970, Merv Griffin changed that.

[@bonanzatime]

Same was true with Jay Leno. He was good and funny as a guest host. Then when he became the official host, he started to suck. And just got worse from there.

[@johnsjohnson448]

@@bonanzatime Jay adjusted his act with the times. He studied the numbers (ratings) minute by minute to see what worked with viewers.

[@bonanzatime]

@@johnsjohnson448 Jay became too conservative and politically correct. And his comedy suffered for it.

[@dandering181]

Fantastic! My 9th birthday! I was in 3rd grade. Less than a month later, popular culture would change forever- The Beatles American debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. Good times. 🎉

[@ekrewer]

I was born 3 days before this show aired!

[@chriscaffee4227]

Carson’s 2nd year leading the Tonight Show from NBC Studio 6B in Rockefeller Center!! Lots of people believed that no one could follow Jack Paar. Humorist Sam Levinson was a fixture on a number of Goodson-Todman shows. He hosted Two for the Money in the 1950s along with being a panelist on What’s My Line?, To Tell the Truth, and Password among others. He taught high school Spanish for 20 years before going full time into show business. He was on Ed Sullivan over 20 times.

[@scatdad]

it's great to see mel davis and the great clark terry on trumpet i knew both of them great guys...

[@Pharoset]

Most of the audience have departed to the Tonight Show in the sky.

[@johnsjohnson448]

During this Era, there was a "Dress Policy" for studio audience members. Men wore a tie and sport coat, and women, a dress.

[@dekelanson5280]

What a great piece of history. Carson had only been on just over a year at this point. Those were simpler times.

[@stevenmcnicoll5060]

Superb! Thank you so much for posting this rare gem.

[@millardthompson8157]

i watched him when i lived alone in the 70s really miss him

[@floralies11]

Nice to hear so much band music. Great musicians and arrangements. A great episode.

[@jeffearle8172]

I could watch this type of show forever. What a treat. No vulgarity or swearing. The gentle humor of Sam Levenson and the snippy monologue of Hedda Hopper. Take me back to my childhood!

[@tomloft2000]

Ed's laugh didn't change in 30 years.

[@essessessesq]

yes, rather forced laughter...John Candy seriously mocked Ed in Candy's role as the sidekick on The Sammy Maiudlin Show on SCTV........Candy played "William B." as second fiddle to Sammy, and he laughed hilariously at eveything Sammy said, even if Sammy just said something like "we'll be right back after this commercial"

[@dboz649]

I hope someone can find all the New York shows and combine them Into a playlist. This is a real treat. Thank you for the upload

[@Jay-vr9ir]

It is believed that ,NBC stations around the U.S. , have some of Carson's shows in their archives .

[@kevinnelson66]

​@@Jay-vr9irI've heard Armed Forces TV might have 16mm film prints in their archives, too. Roughly 30 minutes of audio from Johnny's first show including Groucho Marx introducing Johnny and Johnny's first monologue was discovered on reel to reel tape a couple of years ago.

[@alpineinc1]

Here's one I've been working on - kzbin.info/aero/PLB1TeORqqZ39do_9v6tQsvMQ1FPSOm2cm&si=6OApM1NosUAGihqm

[@johnsjohnson448]

The Library of Congress has audio recordings and possibly some video as do the various Museums of Broadcasting.

[@johnsjohnson448]

@@Jay-vr9ir Universities, Colleges, and High Schools with closed-circuit television "stations" may have them too. Many recorded "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" on huge 3/4" VTRS.

[@johndalton3180]

I liked the 90 minute format so much better. It was more of a "hang." The 60 minute format felt increasingly rushed. The 90 minute was like "hey- join us, have a drink, maybe do some reading, check in again, go to bed."

[@johnsjohnson448]

Once Mr. Carson and NBC changed the running time of the show, other national shows followed. Merv Griffin was offered in both a ninety and sixty minute format for stations until 1980 when it too went to a sixty-minute run time.

[@johndalton3180]

@johnsjohnson448 that's interesting. I remember his show nightly at 8pm on channel 5, the MetroMedia station in NYC. Later bought by FOX.

[@johnsjohnson448]

Mr. Murdoch purchased the Metromedia stations to form the nucleus of the FOX Broadcasting Network which carried "Merv." Once the deal was closed, Mr. Griffin's show was canceled due to FOX wanting to launch its own program: "The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers."

[@johndalton3180]

@johnsjohnson448 I get the impression that Metromedia wasn't too concerned about primetime ratings, which helped keep Merv on the air for years. It was always nice to have Merv as an alternative at 8pm. My mom loved his show.

[@johnsjohnson448]

@@johndalton3180 "Merv" must have had decent ratings if he was on in Prime Time in the big markets. WFLD in Chicago used to air him in prime time, and then, in the afternoons.

[@andrealuvshouse]

Jazz royalty! Skitch Henderson and Clark Terry, together in the Tonight Show Band before Doc Severinsen. Wow!!

[@woodlakesound]

Don Ashworth on bari sax was a member all the way till the end in 92

[@chantingmammal]

doc was still a member of the tonight show band even skitch henderson was the bandleader (and also the pianist)

[@DUCKSAREEVILLLLLLLL]

Carson began in NYC in 1962 when JFK was still alive. He even had the same theme song after he moved to Los Angeles in 1972. I thought all of these NYC shows were destroyed. Thank you, Rlinks! I've never seen these.

[@garyrasberryjr.552]

The NBC recordings were all wiped so that the tape (which at the time was rather expensive) could be reused (a policy most networks had at the time). The only recordings from the time were of kinescopes (basically, just putting a 16mm camera in front of a television monitor) or if a local station saved a recording and an employee decided to save it. When Carson took over production of the show in 1972, he had a copy of every show saved.

[@bluecollarguy67]

You can have Colbert, Kimmel and Fallon…..I’ll take Carson reruns.

[@arthuridis]

I'll take NBC Letterman reruns too.

[@DavidGibson-vt6rk]

This was broadcast almost two months after the JFK Assassination. 3:17

[@JonathanHudgins]

This is history. Love it.

[@RichardSalvucci]

my Heaven. Jonah Jones played that Can’t Get Started note for note all the time. Never saw him live. What a treat

[@dgrant7291]

I would set my Zoro wrist watch alarm to 11:30pm and wake my brother up and throw my blanket over us and the admiral portable TV (w/rabbit ears of course) like a fort at the end of the bed, so we could watch this phenomenal cultural ground breaker! I was 12 in1964 and bedtime was like 10 pm.....you cant keep good men down...even when their 12! lol It sort of felt like we were eavesdropping on how the adults REALLY talked and lived and partied!

[@dandering181]

Well done 👏

[@angelsflight1837]

Awesome.

[@gaylahuckaby1]

Great memories

[@jenko701]

So much better than we have today , I was 4 months old when this was broadcast .

[@johnsweet8508]

Fantastic. Show closes with the Bunny Berigan classic, "I Can't Get Started With You."

[@cadavra8]

Look how professional the band is. Johnny and Skitch are having a snow fight and they just keep playing as if nothing's happening. Marvelous!

[@johnsjohnson448]

I never get the impression that Johnny digs Skitch. There is a HUGE age difference, but yes, these guys were pros so there was always "chemistry."

[@cadavra8]

He didn't much and did ditch Skitch two years later. But my comment was about the band itself. It's hard to maintain your concentration under normal circumstances, much less when there's all that tomfoolery going on right in front of you.

[@OldRustySteele]

@@johnsjohnson448 Hi Johns, there wasn’t a huge age difference. Skitch was 7 years older than Johnny, so at the time of this program (early 1964) Skitch would have been 46 and Johnny 39. Ed was 2 years older than Johnny and Doc 2 years younger than Johnny. Skitch was the leader of the NBC Orchestra from the early 1950’s to the mid 1960’s. I’m not really sure why he left the Tonight Show. Most folks don’t remember that Doc didn’t immediately replace Skitch. For about 2 years, Milton DeLugg replaced Skitch.

[@ApartmentKing66]

@@OldRustySteele Yeah, Doc and Skitch were there with Steve Allen at the beginning of the local WNBT show in 1953. When Skitch left, part of '66 and part of '67 elapsed when Doc took over for DeLugg, who was destined for bigger, better things, like the musical director of Chuck Barris' "Gong Show."

[@jeffearle8172]

@@OldRustySteelethank you! I think Skitch was better than Doc.

[@johnnyedify]

Very few times did I catch a glimpse of these early shows (only 9 y/o), but I do remember Skitch Henderson and later Milton DeLugg took over briefly before Doc Sevrinson . Great shows for many years.

[@Frankincensedjb123]

Wow! This is way back in the way back machine, ten years before I was born. I have no idea who any of these people are except for Johnny. Such a different show back then. Interesting to see how it progressed.

[@tonyrizzo3910]

Spectacular!

[@markthomas6703]

This is great! The show never changed from the 1960s through the 1990s. Stump the band. Ed laughing. Johnny talking politics.

[@roydesell223]

WHEN U WERE ABLE TO WALK THE STREETS

[@rssadlier]

YEAH, THE STREETS!!! BACK THEN WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO USE LOWERCASE LETTERS. NOW WE STAY INSIDE AND DON"T MOVE FROM THE COUCH, GAIN WEIGHT AND STAY ANGRY.

[@bluzzedude8111]

In 4 weeks the Beatles would be here for the first time!

[@ronflatter1235]

Not on this show. Carson was in L.A. when the Beatles performed on the Ed Sullivan Show.

[@michaelm6948]

The NY vibe was great on the earlier Tonight Show.

[@draff1662]

Jazz on TV - those were the days.

[@Rlinks]

Welcome to the show

[@garyrasberryjr.552]

From the era where the show was an hour and 45 minutes. The time goes back to the era when late night local newscasts were only 15 minutes long. Johnny actually had to do two openings: One at 11:15 p.m. (Eastern) for those stations that had a 15-minute news and then at 11:30 p.m. for the other stations. Johnny hated it and would have bouts of the "15-minute flu" so Ed and Skitch Henderson would host the first 15 minutes, then Johnny would do his thing at 11:30 p.m. The show went to the 90-minute format in 1967 when more affiliates aired a 30-minute newscast.

[@ApartmentKing66]

February 1965 was when Johnny quit the 11:15 segment. In 1980, the show was pared down even further to an hour.

[@wmbrown6]

By this time (since 1963), NBC's New York flagship, WNBC-TV, had its 11 P.M. newscast at a half-hour, thus pre-empting the first 15 minutes. Johnny - then very much based in New York - was all too painfully aware of that, which led to him ceasing to handle the 11:15 P.M. segment after February 1965.

[@akrenwinkle]

@@ApartmentKing66 Eventually Johnny worked 3 days a week. One day was a rerun of "The Best of Carson." Another day, there was a guest host, often Joan Rivers. BTW, Joan was the only guest host who had her own intro theme music.

[@strussman]

​@akrenwinkle Originally, Mr. Carson hosted a show that was one hour and forty-five minutes in length five nights per week which took its toll on him. To think that both Dave and Jay hostefive shows per week we'll into their run is amazing. Lol

[@rockfish74]

New York era shows were just more laid back and easy going and fun

[@joemoore9248]

Those were the days

[@modernretroradio993]

I didn't realize that the guests sat in a more dais arrangement back then.

[@bleepiestofbloops]

It's a very weird arrangement. I knew Johnny did it early on but have never seen it in action. Jack Paar and Joey Bishop did it, too.

[@JazznRealHipHop]

Wonderful piece of history. Hopefully more is found. Thank you.

[@karyngreco6299]

It’s so nice to see how everyone dressed up back then. I was 5 when this show aired.

[@analogdesigner]

Rlinks, what a treat, thanks!

[@ronflatter1235]

This was back when Johnny still did the first 15 minutes of the 1¾-hour show.

[@perrybarton]

Thanks for posting this! Johnny was 38 years old when this was recorded.

[@sunny-yl4pr]

Thanks for sharing this video.

[@MarbleForkBand]

Wow... what a time capsule.

[@williamkane7036]

First appearance of Carol Wayne on the Tonight Show!

[@ronflatter1235]

15:53

[@kenschmidt6522]

Johnny and the tonight show kept the same format for decades. It worked.

[@essessessesq]

well, the format was invented by Steve Allen...the desk, microphone, opening monologue, big band, going into the audience , Steve Allen's "Question Man" [ it was borrowed by Carson for Karnak] , guests sit next to the desk...sidekick ...Steve Allen's was Gene Rayburn, later the star of The Match Game...comedians doing standup,,,,the list goes on and on...Steve created the format that was used by most talk shows...Steve originally used this format on radio in California then took it to TV in NYC and in 1954, NBC put it on nationally as Tonight!

[@kenschmidt6522]

@@essessessesq duely noted

[@essessessesq]

thanks Ken...i i didn't mean to sound like a know it all, but many younger people who watched Johnny in the '80s and '90s are too young to know who steve allen was, or that he created the Tonight Show out of thin air based on a late nighty radio show he had done in LA....here is the very fist night of TONIGHT kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYiXeIuqf8SJnbssi=GS156PPlCv_37x43@@kenschmidt6522

[@OnePost909]

@@essessessesq And then walked away from it to pursue prime time stardom which he never found. Brilliant. The other thing to know about Steve Allen is, he hated rock 'n' roll. He hated Elvis. He hated the Beatles. He said in an interview in 1987, "The Beatles weren't nearly as good as Gershwin." Baloney. The man was a fuddy-duddy.

[@essessessesq]

whether one prefers Gershwin or Beatles is a matter or personal taste, and Steve Allen's opinion is as valid as anyone else's...But he did NOT "hate Elvis"...he actually said Elvis was a polite and shy young man who made zero demands for "big star treatment" when he appeared on Allen's show....NBC put Steve Allen up against the top-rated Ed Sullivan Show knowing it was a tough competition....Allen's show lasted 4 years and did pretty well in the ratings....but look at this example of what Steve Allen did in later decades, such as this series he created for PBS....did JOHNNY ever create anything like this? kzbin.info/www/bejne/nny1qY2JhNZ0j9ksi=PeF5ULdOvttkbC8C@@OnePost909

[@kevinfitzmaurice4072]

59:00--Hedda Hopper died a little more than two years after this program, on Feb. 1, 1966. She was 80. Buster Keaton died the same day, at 70.

[@modernretroradio993]

Great upload! This is cool to see. Johnny had definitely hit his stride by this point in his Tonight Show reign.

[@johnsjohnson448]

Mr. Carson used to host the show five nights per week. The original length was one hour and forty-five minutes.

[@modernretroradio993]

@@johnsjohnson448Yep -- with each contract re-negotiation, Johnny reduced his schedule, which he said is why he remained motivated to keep doing the show. He didn't burn himself out.

[@brendanjobe6895]

@@modernretroradio993 I well remember the 1.5 hr shows, and the move from New York. I hate to admit it, but sometimes the 1.5 hr shows could get a little boring during that last 30 minutes.

[@johnsjohnson448]

This is terrific! I am thinking that this is one of the 33 full episodes that are known to be in existence from New York that were saved from being "wiped." Thanks for sharing.

[@matthewreynolds2384]

Priceless saved media!

[@johnsjohnson448]

@@matthewreynolds2384 Actually, the original 33 are in color and on videotape. I wish the Carson people would release them.

[@brendanjobe6895]

@@johnsjohnson448 Didn't Johnny pass away believing that no complete episodes from that period survived?

[@johnsjohnson448]

@@brendanjobe6895 I do not believe so. There is a post on the web telling the story of how the tapes were "wiped" after being moved to NBC Burbank. Supposedly, they were stored in office space, and someone decided to take it upon themselves to "eradicate" them to make room. It is so sad that "sad" does not do justice. LOL.

[@michaelabrams7345]

The Carson people released two episodes from November of 1972 when Johnny returned to NYC for a few weeks. They are included in one of the vault DVD box sets.

[@bilezmom11]

Thank you. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Brought me back

[@Michaelbos]

Simply wonderful.

[@curtpeterson7386]

I wish TV talk show hosts or producers would go back and look at video clips like these. They are not scary, they aren't out of touch-- they are people of the era listening and laughing at the things around them. Genuine entertainment on a talk show. Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Dick Cavett, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin It'd be nice to see and hear that for a week and see what happens, because nobody is watching any of them now. The networks have nothing to lose. The downhill slide started with Letterman-- setting guests up for lame punch lines or outright making them look stupid-- which is why we have so many foul balls on mid-mornings and late nights.

[@jp783]

That band was fucking fantastic

[@denisespurlock7869]

What a treat!

[@edaudio]

This is a video tape of a film. Remarkable

[@marksullivan6427]

Thanks for sharing this !

[@scenes_from_a_life]

wish there more shows available of carson in nyc

[@violetdreams1799]

i remember... thanks for the trip down memory lane ❤

[@michaelj.r457]

It says something about how much I desire seeing what is probably the oldest full episode Tonight Show with Johnny Carson that I would tolerate Hedda Hopper. Anybody who is a Chaplin fan or despises the Blacklist can only feel scorn at her.

[@modernretroradio993]

I liked her in this segment. I wasn't aware that she was among the people who tried to ruin the great Chaplin.

[@raymond9016]

Those Hollywood Communists were fans of Joseph Stalin. They were nuts. So a few communist couldn't get work for a few years. Big deal. That's nothing compared to the rigid cancelculture Hollywood runs today.

[@user-db6pt7vr3l]

Hedda was one of our great patriots. Chaplin WAS a commie sympathizer and so were those on the black list. Being a commie back then was like being a member of the Taliban, today.@@modernretroradio993

[@jacksonmorganfroghin4815]

She was the mother of Paul Drake though.

[@wmbrown6]

@@jacksonmorganfroghin4815- I get it. ;-)

[@intradibles]

It's a shame NBC wiped out Johnny's first 10 years as the host of the Tonight Show.

[@wackyworldnews]

this broadcast should'nt even exist........but here it is !

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Great stuff! Thank you so much!!!

[@ronwaters478]

It's amazing that this early NY show has surfaced. Most of the pre-1970 shows were erased as a cost-saving move by the bean counters. Even though the videotape has substantially deteriorated, it's still watchable. Still waiting for key shows, like the Tiny Tim wedding from Nov 1969, to be posted on KZbin. This exists in a private collection in excellent condition. 2" Beta in color.

[@Rlinks]

On the Johnny Carson youtube page, they posted the wedding nine months ago .

[@ronwaters478]

@@Rlinks - Yes, the wedding is there. But the entire show, including commercials, is out there in a private collection. It's interesting to see the show transform from the usual silliness to just the perfect tone for the wedding. Carson was a master at that. He was one-of-a-kind.

[@junghunlee9941]

He has some kind of dignity....R.I.P. Mr. Carson

[@bgrimsle]

First time I have seen a very early 1 hour 45 minute show. I had always assumed that the first 15 minutes, which were not carried by all stations, was some low key stuff, then at 11:30 he would come back out with the monologue, etc. But here he does the monologue first thing. I did notice a time cue that he mentioned, apparently to make sure the show would resume after ads right at 11:30. Any older folks out there remember any of this? I know later on Carson was not involved in the first 15 minutes, then later the show was shortened.

[@Rlinks]

During Carson's first four years, the show ran for 105 minutes and then was reduced to ninety minutes in early 1967 when Carson stopped appearing for the first 15 minutes because most affiliates were carrying their local news during that time slot as they expanded to half an hour. Ed and Skitch from 1965 to 1967 did the first 15 minutes. Some reports suggest they were a relatively doing a good job. During Carson's 1980 contract negotiations, the show was shortened to sixty minutes beginning that September, where it has remained since. NBC also broadcast The Best of Carson, which were repeats of some of Carson's popular older albeit usually recent shows. Prior to the debut of Saturday Night Live in October 1975, NBC aired The Best of Carson on Saturday nights at 11:30 pm.

[@brendanjobe6895]

Thank you, Rlinks. I missed this particular episode: I was in the hospital, having just been born the day prior. Being 59 now, I'd like to go back in time to this date for a few days. I'm pretty sure a couple of the ads were for L&M cigarettes, as they bought time on Johnny's show from the first night on for 4-5 years.

[@ekrewer]

Fun fact: the original Surgeon General's report declaring that "smoking is dangerous to your health", and which ultimately lead to the demise of TV cigarette advertising, was released 3 days prior to this show on 1/11/64 (which also happens to be the day I was born).

[@brendanjobe6895]

@@ekrewer Yes, my dad said something about Dr. McRae smoking as he scrubbed in for the c-section. His final words before he walked through the door were, "Cigarettes, hell." He died 14 years later of lung cancer at 84 - never believing that cigarettes caused lung cancer. He did, however, think they were associated with an increased rate of it.

[@imdoctorsan]

"We're goin' down, to Auntie Skinner's Chicken Dinner. The people with the wish bone will be the lucky winner, Down at Auntie Skinner's fricassee. Ba- rok rok rok rok dada Ba-rok rok rok rok dada." My grade school buddy had that 76 RPM record. He was a collector.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Wonderful show. I see that they had not yet incorporated a closing theme to the show, using the opening number instead.

[@christophercanzoneri2962]

I don't remember them ever using a particular closing theme. At least nothing particularly distinguished. I think one night they played "Supreme Sacrifice" over the closing credits.

[@leejam5268]

Hedda was 78 when she appeared on this show. For the early 60's at that age is amazing

[@dennisdivine7448]

For context, Jack Douglas was among a very select few comedians who had been frequent guests for both Jack Paar and Johnny Carson, including Jonathon Winters, Orson Bean, and Henry Morgan (until he offended Johnny).

[@larryro8872]

How did Morgan offend Carson? I never heard of it, thanks.

[@dennisdivine7448]

@larryro8872 Henry Morgan accidentally offended Johnny Carson in a critical interview in 1966 when Morgan said that Carson was "cold". Morgan claimed he'd been quoted out of context, but no matter: Carson never spoke to him again, and he was banned from "Tonight".

[@OldsVistaCruiser]

Tuesday night. I was born exactly 2 weeks later.

[@spudwas]

Three weeks before the Beatles made their big splash on "the Ed Sullivan show." Also, less than two months after the Kennedy assassination.

[@infantinofan]

What late night shows used to be like. Not just people plugging their latest movie or book. I have vague memories of Skitch on the show. He left or was fired for what I don't remember.

[@Lava1964]

I missed this episode when it aired--because I was four days old at the time.

[@cpt444]

OUTSTANDING! - Thanks SO Much!

[@justrosy5]

This badly needs both (separate) audio and video remastering. I wish I could get in on it!

[@FredLord-sp4ym]

This is simply terrific. Thanks for sharing.

[@oldmoviesinbwwithsubtitles3501]

wow Wow WOW !

[@adenanthony5257]

This older woman singing has got to be 75 to 85 which means she was born by at least 1890. This was most likely her only television appearance and i garuntee her descendants have no idea this video even exists, and yet here we are watching her sing a little diddy for us.

[@failuretocommunicate]

The earliest surviving show? Also my 7th birthday. Fantastic.

[@dandering181]

My 9th birthday! Happy birthday fellow Capricorn 😊🎉

[@failuretocommunicate]

@@dandering181Happy Birthday back to you, and your icon pic made my day! 🎉🍰

[@djdon60]

whom, too, misses Mr. Carson, had better "thumbs, up" this video. It was the day my 'baby' sister(youngest, of three of us) had her first birthday.

[@cor-z8m]

Evening talk shows should go back to being about conversations!

[@JAMESPATTERSON-mk9sr]

In the segment with Hedda Hopper Miss Parsons did in deed outlive Miss Hopper. Also Miss Hopper mentioned the Rolls Royce gifted to her . I wonder if this was the same car that she willed to Lucille Ball after her death ? The dynamic Miss Hopper did not mind showing her old flabby arms in cold snowy January in NYC did he she ? In terms of her past rep the closest thing to her in recent times would be Barbara Walters .

[@clarkhum]

Paul Drake's mom.

[@lynnlobliner3933]

In some markets the show was 1 hour and 45 minutes long and in other markets it was 1 hour and 30 minutes long (at 23:30 or so he mentions "the early stations"). Since I knew him from Do You Trust Your Wife, I followed him (on weekends, holidays and summer, when I was allowed to stay up late). He only did the monologue once to the 1.75 hr crowd (and the 1.5 hour viewers didn't see a monologue). I was in the LA area so got the 1.75 hour show and I "met" so many people I didn't know about because they were opera and stage personalities, authors, and other east coast types. Missed all that once he moved to L.A. and cut the show to 1.5 hours (and later to 1 hr). Ed was his announcer on Do You Trust Your Wife and Johnny brought him over, so he knew, even if they weren't close, personal friends, that Ed was good with him professionally.

[@joemoore9248]

That was a show?? Do You Trust Your Wife?? OMG Effing Hilarious!

[@lynnlobliner3933]

@@joemoore9248 It started out as Do You Trust Your Wife, a "game" show with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy (Candace Bergen's dad and "brother") but he left and Johnny (w/Ed) took over, and it may have changed names at that point to Who Do You Trust. When Johnny left Woody Woodbury (comic from Ft. Lauderdale) took over, but it only lasted one year more.

[@johnsjohnson448]

6:56 Skitch Henderson and the NBC Orchestra were magnificent. He was probably replaced because of the difference in age with Mr. Carson. It would have been like Doc Severinsen and the NBC Orchestra staying on with Jay Leno. Sadly. lol

[@chriscaffee4227]

Doc Severinsen began playing at NBC in 1949. He accompanied Dinah Shore, Perry Como, among other great hosts of NBC variety shows. He was part of the first Tonight Show band under Skitch Henderson and starring Steve Allen until 1957. Skitch asked him to return to the show in 1962. He has a very long tenure at the NBC Network.

[@johnsjohnson448]

@markjohnson7488 Mr. Henderson was older and had been on the show longer. He considered himself a serious musician and did not care to have his music or orchestra the butt of jokes.