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The last one is discussed further because of her abrupt departure as "The Tonight Show"s permanent guest host as well as treasured guest after Johnny discovered her Fox deal in 1986 that Ms. Along the way, there's plenty of interviews of people who he helped to either mentor or just expose to a mass audience-David Letterman, Jay Leno, Garry Shandling, Jerry Seinfeld, Joan Rivers. And then there's the way he wanted his private life really private. We also get glimpses of his four wives and his affairs in between.
AMERICAN MASTERS SUBJECT OF 2012 TV
It seems to cover everything of his life and career choice-his discovery of magic tricks at 13 or 14, his first TV appearance on a station in Omaha, Nebraska, his initial Los Angeles local TV exposure, his big break on national TV as substitute on Red Skelton's show before his own same-named show on CBS, and then his pinnacle-30 years of "The Tonight Show". As someone who didn't grow up with Carson I found the clips to be incredibly funny and I think the film really got across what made him so special with so many people.Īfter a couple of months of sitting on my DVR, I finally watched "American Masters: Johnny Carson: King of Late Night. What I really enjoyed is how we'd get the biography of Carson's life and then while we're told the stories we'd get a cut to a Tonight Show clip where he's joking about it. It's really amazing that it took so long for American Masters to do a documentary on the legend but they really haven't let you down as the film is certainly well produced and director Peter Jones did a fantastic job at putting it together. Jay Leno, David Letterman, Arsenio Hall, Conan O'Brien, Drew Carey, Jerry Seinfield, Angie Dickinson, Joan Rivers, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Steve Martin and Dick Cavett are just a few of the familiar faces who show up to talk about what Carson meant to them. It's said that Carson was one of the most loved figures in television history and that certainly appears to be the case simply by how many people turned up to be interviewed for this. Through interviews and archival footage we're told the ups and downs of Carson's career. The two-hour documentary covers a wide range of topics including Caron's early work in magic, his Omaha, NE days, his moves to Los Angeles, a couple failed television shows, his game show and finally his thirty-year run as host of The Tonight Show.
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AMERICAN MASTERS SUBJECT OF 2012 SERIES
Very good and the definitive biography on the man.Īmerican Masters: Johnny Carson: King of Late Night (2012) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Very good entry in the long-running series takes a look at the life and career of Johnny Carson.
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You learn a lot about the man and I can really respect the job the "American Masters" folks did with this one. However, if you hate biographies that gloss over problems and only paint a rosy picture (a very common problem), then this is for you. If you want to feel happy, don't watch this. It's an odd contradiction-with such a public figure having such an incredibly private life-and often, he was alone. And, while there was lots of praise for him as a performer, it was sad that no one interviewed for the show ever felt close to him. He also struggled with alcoholism (or at least a serious drinking problem) and his very public divorces. In turn, he had a horrible time connecting with his own children-and seemed to be very distant. He had a difficult mother-one who had a very hard time praising Johnny or connecting with him. Because of this, instead of focusing on his triumphs (and this made up most of the show), I kept getting bogged down with his failings.
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So, while you learn about all of Johnny Carson's many on-screen successes and accolades, you also hear about what an absolutely screwed up guy he was as well. This is because with a 'warts and all' biography, you get more than just effusive praise-you get the good AND the bad. In fact, it was EXCEPTIONALLY well made and because of this it depressed me. This episode of "American Masters" was well made-I have no complaints about this in any way.