Paul Lynde on Johnny Carson

[Mind_your_head]

Run time: 09:58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw9QpqRBlkE   Posted on YouTube: October 05, 2008 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: May 30, 2009 By DU Member: Mind_your_head Views on DU: 1002

 
Not a "political video" per se, but JOHNNY CARSON was the originator of the "tonight show". Jay Leno was a FAITHFUL "place-holder" for all of these years. (No, disrespect to Jay Leno) There is no "match" for Johnny.

This is just a miniscule sampling of Johnny's appealing "warmth". Please watch and do some youtube/google searches of your own...

[tomreedtoon]

1. Are the quotes intended to indicate sarcasm?

I don't know. I can't afford that expensive dripping sarcasm icon that people use here.

I do know a couple of things, though. Johnny Carson, no matter how warm and appealing he appeared on camera, was one of the coldest fishes on earth once that red light went off. He didn't associate with guests, he didn't chat with them during commercial breaks, and when the show ended, he walked straight off.

He had a lot of power; even appearing in the dead-last slot before signoff, a book author could increase the sales of his book, no matter how esoteric. And because he used that power, Carson was feared throughout showbiz.

As for Paul Lynde, although he was a very visible gay and perhaps was a very public introduction to the concept of gay camp, he was a very troubled man. This article from the TV party web site tells some of the tragic details of his life and death:

http://www.tvparty.com/myslynde.html

On a personal note, I saw Lynde a few years before his death, doing a trilogy of scenes from Neil Simon's plays. He was a thoroughgoing pro, showed up even for the cheap matinee seats I and my girlfriend had then, and played the parts without any pretense or egotism. (Better than that more obvious drunk Robert Goulet did in a bad roadshow of "Carousel.")

[Mind_your_head]

2. No sarcasm here.

I have NO connection to hollywood whatsoever, so I have no basis to know what may have gone on behind the scene.

I have NEVER heard that Carson was "cold" to his guests. Quite the contrary, that he was very warm & open, but I have no "insider" knowledge.

Watching through the years, and watching tapes lately, I really don't see how he could possibly be "cold" behind the scene and still ellicit such warm response from most/many/all of his guests.

I've "heard" through 4th parties, that Johnny Carson was a 'private man', but that is a very very different thing from being "cold".

[lapfog_1]

3. Just for us old fogeys...

Johnny Carson was not the originator of the Tonight Show... he just held the chair for the longest period of time.

I personally don't remember Steve Allen , but I certainly remember being allowed to stay up some nights to see Jack Parr.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonight_Show

[Mind_your_head]

4. Oh my gosh....you're right!

I "forgot about that. It was "before my time" :blush:

What a hypocrite I am trying to point out something to the "youngers" and I'm not "young enough" to really know the origin!

:slaps forehead:

I "meant" well....but I was WRONG! Thanks for the correction! :hi:

[eShirl]

6. I remember Steve Allen from the fascinating show he did on PBS, "Meeting of Minds"

"The show featured guests (played by actors) who played significant roles in world history. Guests would interact with each other and host Steve Allen, discussing philosophy, religion, history, science, and many other topics.

"As nearly as was possible, the actual words of the historical figures were used. The show was fully scripted (yet the scripts were carefully crafted to give the appearance of spontaneous discussion among historic figures who, in real life, would have at most known of each other by reputation). Guests included: Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette, Florence Nightingale, Thomas Paine, Francis Bacon, Thomas Jefferson, Voltaire, Karl Marx and Charles Darwin.

"Typically, each episode would be split into two parts, broadcast separately, with most or all of the guests introduced over the course of the first part, and the discussions continuing into the second part.

"Frequently, actors would make multiple appearances as different guests, over the course of the series; this was particularly true of Allen's wife, Jayne Meadows. There was also one major departure from the usual format, in which William Shakespeare was joined by several characters from his plays, with Meadows playing the role of the "dark lady" of his sonnets."

http://www.answers.com/topic/meeting-of-minds-1

[onager]

5. Paul Lynde story.

I remember an interview with Lynde where he said many of his fans were nice elderly women.

But one time, Lynde snapped after hearing the same question for the umpteenth time from a nice elderly woman: "How come a nice boy like you isn't married?"

Lynde said he regretted it immediately, but that one time he blew up and said: "Jesus Christ, lady, get a CLUE!"

:rofl:

[bulloney]

7. Carson was brilliant. Leno was good. Conan O'Brien will take the show over the cliff.

I predict Letterman's ratings will soar after the novelty of a new Tonight Show guest wears off. I can't believe NBC couldn't have found someone better to replace Leno.