THE LAST SHOW

Friday May 22, 1992 the date of the last Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. This was a sad day for Johnny's many fans. Johnny was completing thirty years of the late - night program. He had announced a year earlier that he would be retiring on this date.

Thirty years is a very long time to have a successful television show. To put that number of years in perspective when Johnny took over the show in 1962 I was living at home with parent's and sister and was a Senior at Mumford High School. When he retired in May of 1992 I was living in my own home in Farmington Hills with my wife and my son who was now a Senior in High School.

Johnny was always in show business. He began by performing magic as a teenager. He served in the Navy between 1942 and 1946. He then attended college and went to work in radio. Started writing comedy for many of the well know comedians of the day. He had a couple of variety shows in the very early days of T.V. that were not successful. He found success in the late 1950's when he became host of a late afternoon game show called "Who Do You Trust." In 1962 he was picked to become the host of The Tonight Show replacing Jack Parr who was moving on to do a weekly prime time variety show. The rest as they say is history. He would go on to be one of the most popular and successful people in show business.

The network wanted his last show to be a prime time special. Johnny refused. He said would do the final show by himself without any guests.

The show was taped at its usual 5:30 P.M. time from the N.B.C. studio in Burbank California. The 455 seats that the studio held were occupied by friends and family of Johnny and other people who were a regular part of the show. The program began with a black and white film of the beginning of the first show which came from New York for the first ten years. The show was an hour and half program at that time and continued to be for a number of years. The announcer was Ed McMahon who had been with Johnny on " Who Do You Trust" and would be with be with Johnny for the next thirty years. The first band leader was Skitch Henderson. He left after five years and was replaced by Doc Severson who would be with the show for the next twenty-five years.

Johnny entered for the last time. He wore a Navy double breasted blazer. Red tie. White shirt. Red pocket square. Grey slacks. Black shoes. He sat down on a stool at center stage. Thanked everyone and mentioned some of the guests in the audience. Talked about the thirty years.. He said he had done about five thousand shows with around 24000 guests. Johnny said he wished he could do another thirty years but life does not work that way.

He went over to the desk chatted with Ed and Doc. Showed clips of a number of the many guests who had appeared on program. Had a video of the daily routine behind the scenes and how the show was put together each day.

The show began to wind down. The last commercial was shown and Johnny was back sitting on the stool. You could see he was beginning to look a little sad and somber. Made a few closing remarks. including that he would return to T.V. if he could find the right project. The band was playing "I'll be Seeing You" one of his favorite songs. The audience was giving him a standing ovation. Many were in tears. The camera closed in on Johnny standing alone on the stage. Many of Johnny's fans including myself were sitting at home starting to feel a little strange as we began to realize what was about to happen. The picture went to a last shot of Johnny's empty desk. The closing credits were running across the screen. The clock now said 12:30A.M. The last Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson the king of late night television was over.

A FINAL THOUGHT

Johnny Carson's last show was over thirty years ago. Television has changed a lot in the last three decades. There have been a number of late-night shows and hosts since then but if you were a fan of Johnny's he has never been replaced. Johnny was good but there may be another reason for feeling that he could not be replaced by anyone.

When he took over as host of the late show T.V. was still a fairly new medium. I was still in high school a young person. I often watched the show with my parents who were big fans. When Johnny signed off I was a person in middle age. My parents were elderly. The new stars would be younger than we were. Born in a different era. The culture and style kind of different from what we shared with Johnny.

His retirement sent a message to people about my age and older. A certain part of your life is over. The next generation is moving in. You are not young anymore and never will be again.

THAT'S THE WAY LIFE WORKS1

WRITTEN BY

RON TURETT