Plays Well With Others

Heeeeere’s Johnny…

I didn’t want to post something about Johnny Carson’s death immediately on Sunday, because I’d rather take my time and come up with a fitting memory for someone who’s talent I enjoyed on numerous occasions, rather than sign on and type a quick note to announce his death. That’s what the newspaper is for.

Anyhow, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson was really the only late night talk show I would stay up for to watch. Since then I rarely stay up for Letterman or Leno, unless there’s someone specific I want to see. For Johnny, I’d usually stay up just to see him.

When I learned that he was leaving the show, I thought, “it’s the end of an era, it won’t be the same”. And it isn’t. I think Jay Leno can be funny, but just very rarely is on that show. I saw him do stand-up on the Tonight Show and he was pretty funny. As a host, though, I think he’s dull. He just doesn’t play off his guests the way Johnny did. If something made him laugh, he’d just crack up, which is something I miss about TV these days. Nothing is just spontaneous. There are very few moments where people step out of their character and just go with the moment or laugh uncontrollably with cameras rolling.

The final show was a tearjerker. Not a dry eye in the house as Bette Midler sang “One More For My Baby”. It was a fitting end to a career spanning 30 years… but I think we all held out hope that it was just a big joke and he’d tell us he’d be back Monday for another 30 years.

A couple of years after HIS show ended, I bought a four video tape set of the “best of” shows. Some of the best stuff I’ve ever seen and I still watch it from time to time and just crack up. He had great comic timing and knew just what to say to keep the laugh going a little longer.

Losing him is like losing a little piece of ourselves…

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