TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON, THE {JOHN DAVIDSON, EUBIE BLAKE, SID CAESAR, IMOGENE COCA} (TV)

Summary

One in this series of late-night talk/variety programs hosted by Johnny Carson. On this program, Carson welcomes singer John Davidson, comedy duo Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca, and musician Eubie Blake. In his opening monologue, Carson comments on the following topics, among others: tips for tourists to the Burbank area; the anniversary of California's addition to the union; the development of the neutron bomb; President Carter's current popularity; Ronald Reagan's opinions on the Panama Canal; a recent embarrassing moment for G. Gordon Liddy; and Texas' new death penalty methods.

Next, Carson conducts a round of "Stump the Band" in which audience members suggest songs for bandleader Doc Severinson and the NBC Orchestra to play and receive a prize if the band do not know them, and the band struggles to come up with the tunes for "Jake-Jake the Rattlesnake," "The Duck Song," "Here Come the Yankees" and "Ten-Gallon Hat."

Carson then bids farewell to his lighting switchboard director, who is departing the show after striking oil out East, and the first guest, Davidson, takes the stage and sings "You're Still the One." He chats with Carson about his recent vacation and the difficulty of stepping away from a busy career to relax, and then gives Carson a lesson in CPR and the Heimlich maneuver, demonstrating on a medical doll as well as Carson himself. He then sings "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight."

The next guests, Caesar and Imogene, take the stage and present a funny pantomime in which they appear as a married couple going for a leisurely drive. The wife eagerly asks to switch places and take a turn driving, but the husband soon finds out the hard way that she is extremely lacking in the necessary skills. They chat with Carson about reuniting for a tour after a long time apart; the challenges of live TV and dealing with technical difficulties; Carson's love of their variety program "Your Show of Shows"; a memorable episode involving a highly poisonous king cobra; the unique nature of arguments between married couples; a sketch of theirs involving darts and stuffy characters in an English pub; and an incident in which Caesar found himself improperly attired when a sketch was changed at the last minute.

The final guest, Blake, takes the stage and plays a number on the piano. He then talks with Carson about attending a record convention in San Francisco; the recent centennial celebration of Thomas Edison's invention of the phonograph; making his own first record in 1919; his life as a "henpecked" husband and his current wife's role as his agent; his memories of 1920s musical stars Eddie Cantor and Belle Baker; and his amusing explanation of a "medicine show," common in 19th-century America. Carson closes the program by previewing the following night's guests. Includes commercials and promos.

Details

• NETWORK: NBC
• DATE: September 9, 1977 11:30 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 1:30:00
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: B:84429
• GENRE: Talk/Interviews
• SUBJECT HEADING: Talk/Interview; Comedy
• SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1962-1992
• COMMERCIALS:
  • TV - Commercials - 9 Lives cat food
  • TV - Commercials - American Standard plumbing fixtures
  • TV - Commercials - Budweiser beers
  • TV - Commercials - Clairol Moisture Lover device
  • TV - Commercials - Fantastik multi-surface spray cleaner
  • TV - Commercials - General Electric Bright Stik fluorescent lights
  • TV - Commercials - Kleenex tissues
  • TV - Commercials - Nestle's chocolate morsels
  • TV - Commercials - Pillsbury frosting
  • TV - Commercials - Schick Super II razors
  • TV - Commercials - Summer's Eve cleanser
  • TV - Commercials - Tums heartburn relief
  • TV - Commercials - Vanish toilet bowl cleaner
  • TV - Commercials - Wendy's restaurants
  • TV - Commercials - Wishbone salad dressing
  • TV - Promos - "Dirty Harry"
  • TV - Promos - Emmy Awards show

CREDITS

• NBC Orchestra … Music by
• Doc Severinsen … Conductor
• Johnny Carson … Host
• Ed McMahon … Co-Host
• John Davidson … Guest, Performer
• Eubie Blake … Guest, Performer
• Sid Caesar … Guest, Performer
• Imogene Coca … Guest, Performer
• Richard Nixon
• Jimmy Carter
• Ronald Reagan
• G. Gordon Liddy
• Thomas Edison
• Eddie Cantor
• Belle Baker