Heeere's Johnny

Sad Clown - Pic courtesy of Wikipedia

by Trebor Snillor
Today I had a TimeOn day off, but was snowed in. Dallas has had horrible winter weather all week. My house is extra drafty due to the fact that my kitchen is under construction. “This too shall pass”. ..We can only hope that is true.

On Netflix, I watched a biographical documentary on Johnny Carson, the King of Late Night. There is a lot to cover about this enigmatic man – “the most famous man in America”. I’ll cover some major points, keeping in mind a book would be needed to do justice. (And one was recently a best-seller).

Rocket Man

Johnny came from a wholesome Middle America home in Norfolk, Nebraska. He was a middle child and felt a little bit overlooked by his parents, especially his mom. He got his good looks and sense of humor from her, but she openly admitted that she favored the eldest daughter. (“Daughters are more fun”). Much of his early extroversion was partly to win back her love and approval.

Like many famous people, Johnny was on a “rocket to the moon” already by the time he was in junior high. He liked being a center of attention – he developed a magic act to be on stage. He also acted in school plays. By the time he was in college, an entrepreneurial bent was clear; he rented his car to frat brothers for 25 cents/hour. He quickly progressed to being a radio DJ and announcer, still as an undergraduate.

After Carson served a stint in the Navy, he came back and found his way back into radio. From there. He segued into television. In fact, he had one of the very first TV shows, Carson’s Cellar. He was chagrined when it was canceled after 39 episodes – this would be just about his only career stumble, ever. He became a writer for Red Skelton and was occasionally on TV himself. He guested on the Jack Benny Show and was already a household name at age 30. From ‘57-’62 he hosted Who Do You Trust with sidekick Ed McMahon. The two men would be a comedy duo for 35 years to come.

Jack Paar Replacement

In 1962, Jack Paar left The Tonight Show, fairly suddenly (in a bit of a huff). Johnny’s second wife, Joanne Copeland was connected in the TV industry and got NBC to offer him the gig. He initially said no, thinking he was no intellectual match to Paar. Paar had turned the show into a witty political salon in previous years. Even after succumbing to pressure and taking the job, industry pundits were skeptical about whether he would last. “He’s no Jack Paar” they intoned.

King of Late Night

It turns out that he was quite a bit more than Paar.. Johnny had the flexibility to be clown, straight man, ad man, student, actor or whatever a situation required. He was convivial, gracious and made his guests look good. He could touch on politics (a la Paar) but was also a very gifted stand-up comedian. He could cross over between topics and soon became late night solid gold. He had it “made in the shade” after about 1 season – his popularity was fairly instant and ubiquitous. The rest is legend – I’ll proceed to his personal life..

Sad King Midas

The bio I was watching was made in 2012. Many people close to Carson (2nd wife, Doc Severinsen, staff writers, etc) painted a picture different from the All-American success story. Easier to cover this in bulleted format:

o Carson was married 4 times. The first 3 wives all complained that he was married to his career and was at times unfaithful.
o His son Rick told Doc, “I wish my Dad liked me as much as you do”. Apparently his relationship was strained with all 3 sons.
o Doc said that Carson intimidated him in person and it was hard to get comfortable with him.
o Writer Al Jean said that no one really knew Carson. All you ever had was some aspect of his public veneer.
o Carson wasn’t even that close to sidekick McMahon. He had producers tell McMahon to dial it back at a point when Johnny felt Ed was stepping on punch lines and horning in. The implication was clear to Ed – cease or find a new job.
o Carson got cross-ways with his longtime business manager Bushkin. There was a pattern of Carson living in a virtual fortress – he eventually had trust issues with much of his inner circle.
o Jokes were made of Ed’s drinking, but Johnny actually had the drinking issue. He would become angry when he drank and have to be rescued from various situations.

Conclusion

Carson was a complex man, a complex picture. He was America’s “comedy Walter Cronkite” but he was also a man with intimacy, trust and probably Mother issues. Doc says that Carson never completely recovered from his adult son’s fatal car accident circa 1990. He carried a quiet sadness after that. Whenever we think someone is “living the dream” you never know what demons might have knocked at their door. Carson was the King of Late Night but he was also all too real in so many ways – really one of us.

© 2015 Snillor Productions