How much do you know about Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show? His popularity with the late-night audience became so great, and the income from advertising on his show so profitable that, in 1967, NBC had to lure Johnny back to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962)after a walkout with a three-year contract guaranteeing him a minimum of $4 million. In October 1962, Carson replaced Jack Paar as host of The Tonight Show and, following wavering ratings his first year, Carson became a prime-time hit. By the mid-1970s Tonight was the most profitable show on television, making NBC $50 to $60million ($210 to $250million in 2021) each year. He paused long enough for me to recognize my cue, so I asked, "How long is it?" One of television's best-known personalities, Johnny Carson hosted 'The Tonight Show' for 30 years. [2] The show's house band, the NBC Orchestra, was led by Skitch Henderson, until 1966 when Milton Delugg took over, who was succeeded by Doc Severinsen less than a year later. In May 1991, following positive viewer reception during tests in St. Louis (KSDK) and DallasFort Worth (KXAS), NBC reached an agreement with Carson Productions to delay the show's start time by five minutes beginning September 2, allowing its stations to include more commercials during their local newscasts. Here is a gossip filled report of her death. Serving aboard the USS Pennsylvania, he continued performing magic, mainly for his fellow shipmates. Carson had no guests on his final episode of The Tonight Show on May 22, 1992, which was instead a retrospective show taped before an invitation-only studio audience of family, friends, and crew. Debuted in 1964. I want to thank the gentlemen who've shared this stage with me for thirty years. The following is a list of those who guest-hosted at least fifty times during the first 21 years of the show's run: Sammy Davis Jr. guest hosted in April 1965, becoming the first African-American to host a talk show. (The timeshift would also affect Late Night, Later with Bob Costas, and station-programmed overnight syndicated shows.) [citation needed] There are also two appearances by Judy Garland in 1968 that still survive. She jumped (or fell) from a sixth floor apartment building in 1969. His connection with the movie industry remained his hosting of three generations of stars and his memorable turns as the host of five Academy Awards telecasts from 1979-84. Free shipping for many products! Carson hinted in his 1993 interview that he did not think he could top what he had already accomplished. He was dating Playboy model Angel Tompkins while going through a divorce with his second wife, Joanne. Johnny delivered hilarious monologu. After Carnac said an answer, McMahon would frequently repeat it in a booming voice ostensibly as a help to the audience setting up a sneer, putdown, or some other comic reaction from Carson. NBC executives had been proposing the five-minute delay idea to Carson since 1988, only to be repeatedly rebuffed, amid concerns that some of its affiliatesparticularly those that had unsuccessfully sought permission to delay the Tonight Show by a half-hourwould begin preempting the program entirely and replace it with syndicated reruns to generate extra revenue from local advertising. The comedy came from an unexpected question following a seemingly straightforward answer. (1971-79) Print ads: Johnny Carson line of suits from Johnny Carson Apparel Inc. Married men live longer than single men. [3][9] The couple divorced in 1974. She began singing the song, and after the first line, Carson joined in and turned it into an impromptu duet. Johnny Carson - SIS BOOM BAH - Carnac Complete Segment [51][52]:8:10 According to Adam Higginbotham's Nov. 7, 2014 article in the New York Times: The result was a legendary immolation, in which Geller offered up flustered excuses to his host as his abilities failed him again and again. He was the son of Ruth E. (Hook) and Homer Lloyd "Kit" Carson, a manager of the Iowa-Nebraska Light & Power Company. The announcement implied Carnac was responsible for some scandal or disaster currently in the news, as "And now, the great seer, soothsayer, and sage, Carnac the Magnificent." [8] When asked about intellectual conversation on The Tonight Show, Carson and his staff invariably cited "Carl Sagan, Paul Ehrlich, Margaret Mead, Gore Vidal, Shana Alexander, Madalyn Murray O'Hair" as guests;[7] one television critic stated, however, "he always presented them as if they were spinach for your diet when he did [feature such names]. He made memorable put-downs of politicians and celebrities, a format that was used by his successors Jay Leno and David Letterman and legions of comics who came after him. Johnny-Boy Was a Ladies Man Carson, like many other powerful men, had no problems seeing other women. To this day, the cause of her death is still a mystery. The curse concept was created by "Tonight Show" head writer and Woody Allen collaborator Marshall Brickman. Unlike the previous clip shows, Antenna TV's airings feature full broadcasts as they were originally seen, with the only edits being removal of The Tonight Show name, with the show being renamed simply as Johnny Carson (as of January 2018, the broadcasts air opposite the current edition of The Tonight Show in much of the United States, and NBC still owns the trademark on that name), and with bumpers, walk-on music and the closing theme being replaced by generic music cues from the Warner/Chappell Production Music library. [2] The same year, she filed for bankruptcy. "Johnny Carson Calls This Man 'Bombastic' All the Way to Bank.". At age 14, Carson began appearing as the magician "The Great Carsoni" at local venues. Carol followed Nina to Hollywood in the mid-1960s, and the sisters began appearing on television. Question Man". In January 2005, at age 79, Carson died of respiratory failure caused by emphysema. Carol also had guest appearances onThe Red Skelton Show, portraying a similar role. NBC, in turn, was ready to offer The Tonight Show to Carson's most frequent guest host at the time, Richard Dawson. I did the audience warm-up, I did commercials, for a brief period I co-hosted the first fifteen minutes of the show, and I performed in many sketches. and The Fall Guy, and appeared in many sketches on The Red Skelton Show. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. TV Legend Johnny Carson was probably best known for being one of the pioneers of late-night talk show television. Thirty years is enough. The act involved a variation of the magician's billet reading trick: divining the answer to a question written on a card sealed inside one of the envelopes, announcing it to the audience, then tearing open the envelope to reveal the question. The program archive is virtually complete from 1973 to 1992. [1] Ed McMahon served as Carson's sidekick and the show's announcer. In 1999, Carson suffered a severe heart attack at the age of 74 while he was sleeping in his Malibu, California home. One of television's best-known personalities, Johnny Carson hosted 'The Tonight Show' for 30 years. Actor Robert Blake once compared being interviewed by Carson to "facing the death squad" or "Broadway on opening night." "[7] He wrote in his 1998 autobiography: My role on the show never was strictly defined. If I got too many laughs, I wasn't doing my job; my job was to be part of a team that generated the laughs.[13]. Starting in 1967 and continuing until Jay Leno took over, the band was led by Doc Severinsen, with Tommy Newsom filling in for him when he was absent or filling in for McMahon as the announcer (this usually happened when a guest host substituted for Carson, which generally gave McMahon the night off as well). After Carnac entered and stumbled, Ed would continue as follows: "I hold in my hand the envelopes. Johnny Carson: The Ultimate Collection (DVD, 2003, 3-Disc Set) [53], As his retirement approached, Carson tried to avoid sentimentality but would periodically show clips of some of his favorite moments and again invited some of his favorite guests. John Lennon and Paul McCartney's joint appearance on the May 14, 1968 episode guest-hosted by Joe Garagiola, with a guest appearance by Tallulah Bankhead (one of her last), was preserved on poor-quality home kinescope and audiotape in separate recordings by Beatles fans. Teresa Ganzel is better known as a recurring cast member of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962). Wiley Publishing, 2010, p. 22, TV's Most Unforgettable Finales Aired May 22, 2011 on TV Guide Network, a California law barring certain contracts from lasting more than seven years, Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, One for My Baby (and One More for the Road), "TV Guide Magazine's 60 Best Series of All Time", "Carlfred B. Broderick, Noted Sociologist, Dies at 67", "NBC Moves Johnny Carson Starting Time by 5 Minutes", "Letterman delivers Carson-penned monologue", "Former 'Family Feud' host Richard Dawson dies - CNN", "How Johnny Carson Nearly Quit 'Tonight' and Scored TV's Richest Deal Ever", "How many Johnny Carson Episodes are missing? Due to the frequent need for substitutes, starting in 1983 permanent guest hosts were hired in order to give the program more stability. [54][55] More than fifty million people tuned in for this finale, which ended with Carson sitting on a stool alone at center stage, similar to Jack Paar's last show. Carson was given authority to fill the vacant time slot and used it to create Late Night with David Letterman (19821993). Three days later, a local fisherman found Wayne's body in the shallow bay. It was in Norfolk, where he lived until he was inducted into the U.S. Navy in 1943, that he started his show business career. [3][4], Johnny Carson's Tonight Show established the modern format of the late-night talk show:[5] a monologue sprinkled with a rapid-fire series of 16 to 22 one-liners (Carson had a rule of no more than three on the same subject) was followed by sketch comedy, then moving on to guest interviews and performances by musicians and stand-up comedians. Most musical guest segments are also removed. A joke about a shortage of industrial grade toilet paper caused a national panic and a run on all grades of t.p., with a resulting shortage of the product about which he had kidded. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson - Wikipedia I am one of the lucky people in the world; I found something I always wanted to do, and I have enjoyed every single minute of it. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. A year after her successful appearances onThe Tonight Show, Carol mysteriously passed away in 1985 at a resort in Mexico. [8], Since the 1980s, Howard Stern has paid tribute to Carnac the Magnificent, with his own skit called Sternac the Improbable.[9]. The two would usually interact in a comic spot for a short while before the first guest was introduced. The character would emerge from behind the show's curtain accompanied by Indian music, and make his way towards the desk, where he would invariably stumble on the step in front of the desk and lose his balance. When Geller joined Carson on stage, he appeared surprised that he was not going to be interviewed, but instead was expected to display his abilities using the provided articles. Frederick De Cordova, the producer of "The Tonight Show" throughout Carson's 30-year run, believed that Carson never pressured himself to launch a follow-up as he already had achieved unprecedented success on TV. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the Tonight Show franchise. ", "Sis boom bah." Critic Roger Ebert wrote, "Her performance is so good, so heartbreaking, if you will, that it pulls the whole movie together. Debuted in 1964. In 2008 Nelson relocated his family and his show to Branson, Missouri, to take a break from the road, where he performed locally for three years. A year later, she married television and film producer Burt Sugarman, who served as producer on Celebrity Sweepstakes. On our thirteenth-anniversary show Johnny and I were talking at his desk and he said, "Thirteen years is a long time." McMahon, who held the same role in Carson's ABC game show Who Do You Trust? [56] Williams was especially uninhibited with his trademark manic energy and stream-of-consciousness lunacy. The Darkest Secrets from Johnny Carson's Tonight Show "I went back to my hotel, devastated. I was there when he needed me, and when he didn't I moved down the couch and kept quiet. [1] Carol Wayne (September 6, 1942 January 13, 1985) was a television actress most active in the 1960s and 1970s. In that role, he generally is regarded as the best successor to long-time Oscar host Bob Hope. More famously known as the Matinee Lady, Carol Wayne was a model and an actress who worked with Johnny Carson onThe Tonight Show. With a career spanning nearly 50 years, Carson was welcomed into the homes of millions each and every night. More famously known as the "Matinee Lady," Carol Wayne was a model and an actress who worked with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. In 2013, Nelson and family returned . The series has been ranked as one of the greatest TV shows of all time in polls from both 2002 and 2013. "Describe the sound made when a sheep explodes. Menu. The NBC Orchestra during Carson's reign was originally led by Skitch Henderson (who had previously led the band during Tonight Starring Steve Allen), followed briefly by Milton DeLugg. New York meteorologist Dr. Frank Field, an occasional guest during the years he was weather forecaster for WNBC-TV, showed several clips of his appearances with Carson in a 2002 career retrospective on WWOR-TV; Field had maintained the clips in his own personal archives. Monday night shows and shows for most of the 15 weeks that Carson had off were hosted by guest hosts. [35], Although no footage is known to remain of Carson's first broadcast as host of The Tonight Show on October 1, 1962, photographs taken that night survive, including Carson being introduced by Groucho Marx, as does an audio recording of Marx's introduction and Carson's first monologue[citation needed]. Johnny Carson - IMDb Following the cuts in the Tonight Show she was having severe financial problems, and reportedly had fallen into drug and alcohol abuse. Debuted in 1964. [7] Carson influenced the scheduling of reruns (which typically aired under the title The Best of Carson) in the mid-1970s and, in 1980, the length of each evening's broadcast, by threatening NBC with, in the first case, moving to another network, and in the latter, retiring altogether. Recurring character on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose, "Ed McMahon,'Tonight Show' Stalwart, Dies", "STERNAC THE IMPROBABLE RETURNS WITH ANSWERS ABOUT NASCAR, GAMESTOP, AND JASON KAPLAN'S DIET", Here's Johnny: Magic Moments from the Tonight Show, Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carnac_the_Magnificent&oldid=1065449461, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 January 2022, at 16:15. What is more interesting, however, is that Dianes death might actually be connected to Carols, as Ed Durston was also present the night Diane died. Mr. Ed McMahon, Mr. Doc Severinsen, and you people watching. His tempestuous love-life, which included two high-profile divorces, became the fodder of such celebrity staples as "The National Enquirer" and later "People Magazine", and he was even the subject of a roman a clef pulp novel in the early 1970s. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}James Cameron Keeps Smashing His Own Records, The Cocaine Bear Drug Smuggler Was a Real Person, Meet The Last of Us Creator Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us Cast Guide: Actors and Characters, Biography: Jon Stewart (Community Heroes), Biography: You Need to Know: Dorothy Arzner. [23] While the case was settled out of court,[24] the friction between Carson and the network remained and Carson was actively courted by rival network ABC, which was willing to double Carson's salary and offer him a lighter work schedule and ownership of the show. A year after, the sketch went back on the air, with Teresa Ganzel taking on the role that was previously Carols. This led to a stint as the host of the quiz show Earn Your Vacation (1954) and the variety showcase The Johnny Carson Show (1953) in 1955-56. Longtime sidekick Ed McMahon ritualistically and bombastically introduced the Carnac routines. He died in 2005. Johnny Carson -- one of the final Carnac segments - YouTube more willing to die. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in radio and speech with a minor in physics in 1949. At age 14, Carson began appearing as the magician "The Great Carsoni" at local venues.In 1962, Carson was chosen by NBC to succeed the controversial Jack Paar and his The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar (1957). Geller was unable to display any paranormal abilities, saying "I don't feel strong" and he expressed his displeasure at feeling like he was being "pressed" to perform by Carson. [citation needed]. According to Higginbotham, To Geller's astonishment, he was immediately booked on The Merv Griffin Show. [41] Leno, who first guest hosted in 1986, would do so 333 times before becoming the next Tonight Show host in 1992. The success of the Tonight Show, helped lead to her ultimate professional downfall. Selected episodes of Carson's show are available on NBC's Peacock streaming service. [7], His preference for access to Hollywood stars caused the show's move to the West Coast on May 1, 1972; The Tonight Show would not return to New York until 2014 when Jimmy Fallon took the hosting reins. Many nights I'd be listening to Johnny and in my mind I'd reach the same ad lib just as he said it. It was in Norfolk, where he lived until he was inducted into the U.S. Navy in 1943, that he started his show business career. -Faharishi, Indian yogi. I bid you a very heartfelt good night. She was so good at it that she seldom had an opportunity to play anything else. Unlike his avuncular counterparts Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, and Dick Cavett, Carson was a comparatively "cool" host who only laughed when genuinely amused and abruptly cut short monotonous or embarrassingly inept interviewees. BURBANK, Calif. (AP) _ Johnny Carson, who is retiring Friday after nearly three decades as host of NBCs Tonight Show, played a variety of comic characters over the years. [1] Ed McMahon served as Carson's sidekick and the show's announcer . Carson played the lecherous character "Art Fern" who would make references to Carol's ample bosom. Audiences found comfort in Carsons calm and steady presence in their living rooms each evening. Carnac the Magnificent with Predictions about Snoopy and Taxi - YouTube [39], The digital multicast network Antenna TV acquired rerun rights to whole episodes of the series in August 2015. Carson became unexpectedly tearful, and a shot of the two of them was captured by a camera angle from across the set that had never before been used on the show. He was even reported to have left Carols bags at the airport. If a joke (often a very bad pun) generated a negative response, Carnac would give a disapproving look, then cast a comedic "Middle Eastern curse" upon the audience (such as "May your favorite daughter be featured in NFL Films' Sack of the Week", "May a bloated yak change the temperature of your jacuzzi", "May you walk a mile under a diseased camel", "May a demented deer lock horns with your daughter's Kawasaki", "May the fleas of a thousand camels infest the crotch of the person seated next to me, and may his arms be too short to scratch", "May a diseased camel be sick on your prayer rug", or "May your proctologist be a frustrated concert trombonist"). Art Linkletter basically ended his successful television career when he started crusading against drugs with a fervor that made it hard for middle America to find the afternoon talk show host funny anymore. Lyons, James. In January 1985, Wayne and her companion Edward Durston were vacationing at the Las Hadas Resort in Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. There were no cuts or abrasions, so a fall from the nearby rocks was ruled out. Johnny Carson, the legendary "King of Late Night TV" who dominated the medium's nether hours for three decades, was born in Corning, Iowa, but moved with his family to nearby Norfolk, Nebraska when he was eight years old. Behind the scenes, motion picture director/producer Fred de Cordova joined The Tonight Show in 1970 as producer, graduating to executive producer in 1984. Best Known For: One of television's best-known personalities, Johnny Carson hosted 'The Tonight Show' for 30 years. 10 on the TV Guide Network special, TV's Most Unforgettable Finales.[62]. [30] All other shows during this period, including Carson's debut as host, are now considered lost. Jack Paar had often asked Carson to guest-host Tonight in its earliest years and repeatedly claimed he had been responsible for NBC's selection of Carson in 1962 as his replacement. [2] As Allen acknowledged in his book The Question Man, this bit had been created in Kansas City in 1951 by Bob Arbogast and used on The Tom Poston Show in New York where it eventually ended up on The Steve Allen Show, much to the surprise of both Arbogast and Allen. Carson's contract, that took effect in 1981, reduced his work schedule to three nights a week, 37 weeks a year. The coroner stated that death occurred 3 4 days earlier and the body tested negative for drugs and alcohol. They are characters beyondReality, composed thereof. Thus, it was "The Tonight Show" that remains his creative legacy. [42] On February 17, 2014, Rivers returned to the Tonight Show as part of a skit in which numerous celebrities paid new host, Jimmy Fallon, after having lost the bet that he would never become the host of the program. Three days later a local fisherman found Waynes body in the shallow bay. She replaced the late Carol Wayne as the Matinee Lady in the popular "Tea Time Movie" skits. Interestingly, Art had recorded an album addressing the effects of drugs, to which Diane made a rebuttal album that went on to win a Grammy. Debuted in 1977. Per Randi's advice, the show prepared their own props without informing Geller, and did not let Geller or his staff "anywhere near them." Carson, as Carnac, would demand silence before answering questions such as "Answer: Flypaper." Many 1970s-era episodes have been licensed to distributors that advertise mail-order offers on late-night TV. Johnny Carson - SIS BOOM BAH - Carnac Complete Segment Rick OnTheDrums 1.03K subscribers 2.5K Share 543K views 9 years ago Here is a the classic "Sis Boom Bah" skit from The Tonight Show. He was the son of Ruth E. (Hook) and Homer Lloyd "Kit" Carson, a manager of the Iowa-Nebraska Light & Power Company. Carson and Jody divorced in 1963, and only months later, Carson married his second wife, Joanne Copeland. Carson's final television appearance was cameo on the May 13, 1994, Late Show with David Letterman where he handed over a copy of a Top 10 List and sat in Dave's chair for a minute. Jokes would also be topical; for instance, "Over 105 in Los Angeles" (presumably referring to the temperature) instead led to "Under the Reagan plan, how old would you have to be to collect Social Security?" He rarely appeared elsewhere after retiring, providing only a guest voice on an episode of The Simpsons, which included him performing feats of strength and featured Bette Midler as well. An autopsy performed in Mexico revealed no signs of alcohol or other drugs in her body. was to pretend to panic and say, "I want my nana!" "[9] Family therapist Carlfred Broderick appeared on the show ten times,[10] and psychologist Joyce Brothers was one of Carson's most frequent guests. and "I'm surprised because before this program your producer came and he read me at least 40 questions you were going to ask me." Rivers, on the other hand, disagreed. Danny DeVito Tony Danza Despite Johnny Carson's invitation, which actor never appeared on the show? "[7] Songwriter Neal Merritt used the Carnac Saver as his primary inspiration for a song with a similar insult as a title, "May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose," a hit for Little Jimmy Dickens. After his daughters death, Art ended his career in television to campaign about the harmful effects of drugs. He married for the final time in June 1987; Carson and Alexis Maas remained together until Carson's death, nearly eighteen years later. Born in Chicago, Wayne began her show business career as a teenage figure skater in the Ice Capades along with her younger sister, Nina. As more affiliates introduced thirty minutes of local news, Carson's monologue was being seen by fewer people. He said these final words in conclusion: And so it has come to this: I, uh am one of the lucky people in the world; I found something I always wanted to do and I have enjoyed every single minute of it. I had to make sure I wasn't too funnyalthough critics who saw some of my other performances will claim I needn't have worried. It's time to get out while you're still working on top of your game, while you're still working well. Carson created a sense of intimacy with his guests and audiences that made him the unvanquished "King of Nighttime TV". She appeared regularly on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as the Matinee Lady in the Art Fern's Tea Time Movie sketches. [54][57] Midler was more emotional. He was prepared to say a few words, but the crowd's cheering was so loud and so sustained, that he humorously decided to leave without saying anything -- although as he exited, he could be heard saying "Thank you, good night! One of his first jokes upon starting the show (after receiving a few words of encouragement from Marx, one of which was, "Don't go to Hollywood!") Revered for his affable personality, quick wit and crisp interviews, he guided viewers into the late-night hours with a familiarity they grew to rely on year after year. Johnny Carson was born Oct. 23, 1925, in Corning, Iowa, and grew up in Norfolk, Nebraska. NO ONE [at this shout, Carnac always acts startled] knows the contents of these envelopes but you, in your mystical and borderline divine way, will ascertain the answers having never before heard the questions. This was to some degree a variation on Steve Allen's recurring "The Question Man" sketch. During the show's run, its cast and crew collaborated with a number of NBC sitcoms to produce spoof episodes of the Tonight Show. ", and "9W" was the answer to "Mr. Wagner, do you spell your name with a V?" Her death was ruled "accidental".[6][8]. After Carson's death in 2005, Rivers told CNN that Carson never forgave her for leaving, and never spoke to her again, even after she wrote him a note following the accidental death of Carson's son Ricky in June 1991. [11], Carson almost never socialized with guests before or after the show; frequent interviewee Orson Welles recalled that Tonight Show employees were astonished when Carson visited Welles's dressing room to say hello before a show. Pretending to psychically concentrate, Carnac periodically asked for "complete silence" from the audience, and McMahon would retort that he often got it.[6]. Johnny Carson began to push for a reduction in the shows run time from 90 minutes to 60, and while this was good news for the network, as it led to the creation of Late Night With David Letterman it led to her spot in the show being reduced drastically. June 20, 1987 - January 23, 2005 (his death), The Tonight Show Starring Jack Paar (1957), The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962), Dem Tinseltown Homiez, the Hollywood Guys, Live and Swingin': The Ultimate Rat Pack Collection. [20] In response to his demands, NBC created a new comedy/variety series to feed to affiliates on Saturday nights that debuted in October 1975, Saturday Night Live. The resulting jokes often involved puns or wordplay; for example, "The La Brea Tar Pits" was the answer to "What do you have left after eating the La Brea Tar Peaches? Factory launched a 24/7 streaming channel devoted to the series in August 2020, which is distributed through free over-the-top platforms including Stirr, Xumo and Pluto TV. [7], Only 33 complete episodes of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show that had originally aired prior to May 1, 1972 are known to exist.