Heeere’s Johnny!
Incredible as it may seem to all of us Johnny Carson fans, it has now been 25 years since Johnny Carson last hosted The Tonight Show. On May 22, 1992, Johnny hosted his 4,531st and final Tonight Show. As over 50 million viewers tuned in, there were no guests that night, and Johnny sat alone on a stool and conducted a retrospective hour and said a heartfelt final goodbye to his fans.
Since Johnny’s retirement, as all the other talk show hosts will freely admit, Johnny has been irreplaceable and remains the #1 most beloved talk show host in the history of television. Let’s take a look at a few little-known facts about Johnny Carson.
1. He started out in show business as a magician, calling himself “the great Carsoni.”
Physical Gold & Silver in your IRA. Get the Facts.
2. Early in his career, Johnny also worked as a ventriloquist. His dummy’s name was “Eddie.”
3. While serving in the Navy, Johnny’s biggest moment was filling in for Rita Hayworth during a magic show given by Orson Welles and letting Welles saw him in half.
4. Johnny was 10 and 0 as an amateur boxer during his Navy service during World War II.
5. Johnny co-wrote the familiar Tonight Show theme with Paul Anka. Anka wrote the music, Johnny wrote the lyrics. Although the lyrics were never used during the show’s run, Johnny collected 50% of the residual payments. The song was known as “Johnny’s theme.”
6. When asked who he most wanted as a guest on The Tonight Show, Johnny replied “Cary Grant.” Grant never did show up as a guest.
7. He was an expert drummer. Johnny once appeared on The New American Bandstand and stood in for the drummer.
8. In 1966, Johnny single-handedly helped popularize the new board game Twister, when he played a round of the game with Eva Gabor on the show. Sales of “twister” soon skyrocketed.
The post Heeere’s Johnny! appeared first on LewRockwell.
Leave a Reply