The Beginning of Late Night Shows: Johnny Carson in New York

For a generation of fans who knew Carson as the one and only king of late-night television, the news that a new biography of the comedian starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in the works, is intriguing. Although Carson wasn’t the show’s first host, he was the one who established the position and its structure. The show had been running for eight years with two different hosts, Steve Allen and Jack Paar, when he took over. Carson assumed control and his reign lasted 31 years, from 1962 to 1992.

The Early Years of Johnny Carson’s Career

The years Johnny Carson spent in New York had their own distinct character. Sam Karshner authored an article for Vanity Fair in 2014 on that time period, in honor of Jimmy Fallon’s hosting the Tonight Show when it returned to Manhattan. According to the narrative, Carson, a native of Nebraska, frequently cracked jokes about the unpleasant aspects of living in New York, to the point where the city council begged NBC to get him to lighten up. It’s reasonable to assume that nobody will ever unite America’s late-night audience like Johnny Carson did.

John W. Carson Foundation

Carson established the Johnny Carson Foundation in 1981 with the goal of advancing programs for children, educators, and healthcare providers. In August 2010, the Carson-founded charity announced receiving $156 million (the equivalent of $216,443,687 in 2021) from a personal trust the comedian had set up years before his death in January 2005. By far, the largest of the Hollywood foundations was now Carson’s. The foundation keeps funding charity endeavors.

David Letterman Paid Tribute

The Late Show Together with former Tonight Show executive producer Peter Lassally, bandleader Doc Severinsen, and David Letterman paid homage. No matter what was happening in the world or whether someone had a good or poor day, Letterman noted at the start of this episode that for 30 years, people wanted to finish their days being “tucked in by Johnny.” Additionally, he revealed to his viewers that the monologue he’d just delivered, which had been warmly received by the studio audience, was made up completely of jokes that Johnny Carson had given to him in the months before his passing.