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MT&R Salutes Johnny Carson

Thursday, January 6, 2005

New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA—The Museum of Television & Radio joins the world in mourning the death of Johnny Carson.  In tribute to his great talent, the Museum will draw from its collection of more than 2,000 episodes of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson to showcase some of the most memorable episodes and moments, including the farewell show with Bette Midler and the infamous tomahawk throw with Ed Ames.  Screenings will run in New York at 2:00 p.m. and in Los Angeles at 12:15 p.m., from January 26 through February 6, 2005. 

As host of The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992, Mr. Carson was a towering talent who dominated late-night programming for over three decades. He changed the landscape of television and sustained a role as an arbiter of American pop culture that has few equals. In 1995, Johnny Carson began donating all of the existing programs of his show to the Museum, and they are now part of the Museum's permanent collection and are available for viewing at individual consoles in both New York and Los Angeles.

Below is a selection of programs that will be screened:

  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: With guests Jane Fonda, Roger Vadim, the Smothers Brothers, Flip Wilson, and Jennifer Warren, plus Carson as Carnac the Magnificent and a surprise appearance by the cast of Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (Robert Culp, Natalie Wood, Elliott Gould, and Dyan Cannon) (includes commercials). (1968; 75 minutes)
  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Seventeenth Anniversary Show; guests include Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Steve Martin, Anthony Quinn, Dolly Parton, Don Rickles, Bob Hope, Dean Martin, George Gobel, Jimmy Stewart, Jack Webb, and Ed Ames memorably tossing a tomahawk (includes commercials). (115 minutes; 1979)
  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: With guests Gilda Radner, Walter Cronkite, and Karen Akers (includes commercials). (1983; 60 minutes)
  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: With guests Jerry Seinfeld, Carl Reiner, and B.B. King (includes commercials). (1992; 60 minutes)
  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Carson's penultimate "Tonight Show," with guests Robin Williams and Bette Midler, who serenades the host with "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" (includes commercials). (1992; 60 minutes)

Admission to The Museum of Television & Radio screenings is included with the Museum's suggested contribution: Members free; $10.00 for adults; $8.00 for senior citizens and students; and $5.00 for children under fourteen. Admission is free in Los Angeles.

The Museum of Television & Radio, with locations in New York and Los Angeles, was founded by William S. Paley to collect and preserve television and radio programs and advertisements and to make them available to the public. Since opening in 1976, the Museum has organized exhibitions, screening and listening series, seminars, and education classes to showcase its preeminent collection of over 100,000 television and radio programs and advertisements. Programs in the Museum's collection are selected for their artistic, cultural, and historic significance.

The Museum of Television & Radio in New York, located at 25 West 52 Street in Manhattan, is open Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 6:00 p.m. and until 8:00 p.m. on Thursdays. The Museum of Television & Radio in California, located at 465 North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills, is open Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 5:00 p.m. Both Museums are closed on New Year's Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Suggested contribution: Members free; $10.00 for adults; $8.00 for senior citizens and students; and $5.00 for children under fourteen. Admission is free in Los Angeles. The public areas in both Museums are accessible to wheelchairs, and assisted listening devices are available. Programs are subject to change. You may call the Museum in New York at (212) 621-6800 or in Los Angeles at (310) 786-1000. Visit the Museum's website at www.mtr.org.