The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Himself - Host / ... (2,073 episodes, 1962-1992)

When 'The (1962 Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson') first aired, virtually everyone - including Johnny Carson - smoked on-camera during the show. Over the years, however, smoking on television became unfashionable. By the mid-80s, smoking openly on television was a thing of the past, but Carson's sentimental cigarette box remained on his desk until his final broadcast.

Voted #12 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

Many taped episodes (including appearances by Ayn Rand, and John Lennon and Paul McCartney) were lost in a fire at NBC's archive, and only clips made for other programs (show "best-of"s, promotion, news) have survived. NBC also recycled the original tapes of many episodes, without Johnny Carson's knowledge or approval. It was only once he learned of this that it was stopped.

Art Fern: How do you get there? Let me tell you friends, how do you get there! You take the San Diego Freeway to the Ventura Freeway. You drive to the Slauson Cutoff, get out of your car, cut off your Slauson, get back in your car, then you drive six miles till you see the Giant Neon Vice-Squad Cop.

Johnny Carson: I didn't even know you were Jewish!

Art Fern: Hello there, feature-film freaks! Art Fern here, with today's fabulous feature find.