TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON, THE {BERT CONVY, DAVID BRINKLEY, ARLENE FRANCIS} (TV)

Summary

One in this series of late-night talk/variety programs hosted by Johnny Carson. His guests for this program are actor/singer Bert Convy, reporter David Brinkley, and actress/game-show panelist Arlene Francis.

In his opening monologue, Carson touches on the following topics, among others: the arrival of St. Patrick's Day; George Washington's somewhat belated promotion to General of the Armies of the United States; the 25th anniversary of public television; and the recent lowering of airline prices, including on Carson's preferred company, "Trans-cockamamie." Carson and announcer Ed McMahon then discuss the following: their Irish heritage, with McMahon asserting that his ancestor was "a favorite" of General Napoleon Bonaparte; bandleader Doc Severinsen's recent shows at the Sands Hotel and Casino; and a line of witty t-shirts for dogs.

The first guest, Convy, takes the stage and explains the history of "black Irish," possibly descended from Spanish visitors; the societal norms of leisure time that have led to the stereotypes of Irish people as alcoholics; a story about his own hard-drinking father's missing coat; and a couple of Irish jokes. In the spirit of the holiday, Convy then performs "Danny Boy" and leads the audience in a singalong of "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling."

Next, Brinkley joins Carson and chats about the demanding nature of television work; their respective long careers and wide-ranging reach to millions of viewers; his beginnings on television before the end of World War II; a common Hollywood belief that one is "through" if mentioned by name in a joke in Carson's monologue; why television news, more popular than print, is less "thorough" than the information found in newspapers; why he dislikes the term "anchorman"; how television news changed when it became a money-making business; and why the private lives of civil servants should only be made public when it impacts their daily work.

Finally, Francis takes the stage and discusses the perils of live television, including a dramatic incident with a misbehaving monkey; her long career on "What's My Line?" and memories of their occasional non-human guests; a misunderstanding surrounding her trademark heart-shaped necklace, a gift from her husband Martin Gabel, erroneously believed to be a secret hearing aid; her role as host of the magazine program "Home" in the early 1950s; why Brinkley, unlike the others, cannot simply make jokes to cover for on-air mistakes; then-unknown Senator Jimmy Carter's appearance on "Line," where he went unidentified even with the panelists going unmasked; Judy Garland's memorable appearance on the show shortly before her death; the secret to her long marriage to Gabel; and her recent book, "Arlene Francis: A Memoir."

Details

• NETWORK: NBC
• DATE: March 17, 1978 11:30 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 1:14:39
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: B:87639
• GENRE: Talk/Interview
• SUBJECT HEADING: Talk/Interview; Comedy/Variety; Saint Patrick's Day
• SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1962-1992
• COMMERCIALS:
  • TV - Commercials - "Oliver's Story" (Avon paperback)
  • TV - Commercials - Allstate Homeowner's and Mortgage Protection insurance
  • TV - Commercials - Black & Decker appliances
  • TV - Commercials - Domino liquid brown sugar
  • TV - Commercials - Fiat automobiles
  • TV - Commercials - Garanimals young people's clothes
  • TV - Commercials - JCPenney stores
  • TV - Commercials - Kleenex tissues
  • TV - Commercials - Long John Silver's restaurants
  • TV - Commercials - Mazda automobiles
  • TV - Commercials - Pillsbury Crescent dinner rolls
  • TV - Commercials - Purina cat food
  • TV - Commercials - RCA Selectavision VCRs
  • TV - Commercials - Revlon Cream-On eye shadow
  • TV - Commercials - Stanley hammers
  • TV - Commercials - Swiss Miss pudding
  • TV - Promos - "NBC Saturday Night at the Movies: Rio Lobo"

CREDITS

• Fred de Cordova … Producer
• Peter Lassally … Associate Producer
• Dick Manley … Commercial Producer
• Bobby Quinn … Director
• Raymond Siller … Writer
• Bill Daley … Writer
• Charles Isaacs … Writer
• Bill Larkin … Writer
• Robert Keane … Writer
• Hal Goodman … Writer
• Larry Klein … Writer
• NBC Orchestra, The … Music by
• Doc Severinsen … Conductor
• Johnny Carson … Host
• Ed McMahon … Announcer
• Bert Convy … Guest, Performer
• David Brinkley … Guest
• Arlene Francis … Guest
• Napoleon Bonaparte
• Jimmy Carter
• Martin Gabel
• Judy Garland
• George Washington