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Who was the second host of The Tonight Show?
The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 2010–2014), Conan O'Brien (2009–2010), and Jimmy Fallon (2014–present).
Who was the host of The Tonight Show before Johnny Carson?
Jack PaarOn October 1, 1962, Johnny Carson takes over from Jack Paar as host of the late-night talk program The Tonight Show. Carson went on to host The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for three decades, becoming one of the biggest figures in entertainment in the 20th century.
Who was first late-night host?
The first late-night television talk show was The Faye Emerson Show, hosted by actress Faye Emerson. It began airing on CBS on October 24, 1949, in local East Coast markets before the network moved the 15-minute show, which regularly aired up to 11pm, nationwide in March 1950.
Who Started Tonight Show?
History. The Tonight Show premiered on NBC in 1954 as Tonight, hosted by Steve Allen. Jack Paar hosted the show from 1957 to 1962, but the show's longest-running and most famous host was Johnny Carson, who hosted the show for three decades and received six Emmys.
Who was the most frequent guest on The Tonight Show?
Until Joan Rivers became permanent guest host in September 1983, the most frequent of "guest hosts" were: 'Joey Bishop' (177 times), Joan Rivers (93 times), Bob Newhart (87 times), John Davidson (87 times), David Brenner (70 times), McLean Stevenson (58 times), Jerry Lewis (52 times), and David Letterman (51 times).
Who guest hosted The Tonight Show the most?
Joan Rivers hosted 93 times, and Jay Leno hosted the most of all which was 300 times. Jay Leno went on to become a permanent host. Currently, Saturday Night Live alumnus Jimmy Fallon hosts The Tonight Show, and he's the sixth major host.
Who is the greatest talk show host ever?
“Here's Johnny!” The gold standard of the late-night talk show world, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson aired for 30 years, from 1962 to 1992. With his sidekick Ed McMahon sitting alongside him, Johnny Carson became the most respected late-night show host of all time.
Who was the first female talk show host?
Famed television journalist Barbara Walters is best known as the 11-year star of the 'Today' show, and for being the first female co-anchor of a network evening news program.
What is the longest running late night show?
The Tonight ShowThe world's longest running-chat show is The Tonight Show (NBC, USA), which was first aired on 27 September 1954 and presented by Steve Allen (USA).
Who will replace Jimmy Fallon?
NBC said Sunday that Seth Meyers, right, will replace Jimmy Fallon at the 12:35 a.m. “Late Night” show next year. Fallon is moving up an hour as Jay Leno's replacement on the “Tonight” show.
How much are tickets to the Jimmy Fallon show?
All audience tickets to _"_The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" are free. You must be at least 16 years old at the time of the taping to attend. You will be required to present an ID with your birthdate upon entry.
When did The Tonight Show debut?
September 27, 1954The Tonight Show / First episode date
Who did James Corden replace on the Late Late show?
Craig FergusonIt is produced by Fulwell 73 and CBS Studios. James Corden was announced as the show's new host on September 8, 2014, succeeding Craig Ferguson.
Who took Jay Leno's place on The Tonight Show?
Conan O'BrienLeno left The Tonight Show in May 2009 and was replaced by Conan O'Brien, a deal that had been five years in the making, and Leno moved to 10pm with The Jay Leno Show.
Who are the late night talk show hosts?
The 9 Best Late Night TV Hosts Currently on Air, RankedStephen Colbert, The Late Show. Image Via CBS.John Oliver, Last Week Tonight. ... Daniel Baker and Joel Martinez, Desus & Mero. ... Seth Meyers, Late Night. ... Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Kimmel Live! ... James Corden, The Late Late Show. ... Trevor Noah, The Daily Show. ... Samantha Bee, Full Frontal. ... More items...•
Who was Johnny Carsons favorite guest?
Steve MartinSteve Martin was more than "just a wild and crazy guy" he was also a favorite guest of Johnny Carson. Steve made frequent appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson starting in 1972 and continuing until the show ended in 1992.
Who was the first host of Tonight?
Steve Allen was the first host of "Tonight." His run on the show set the bar for nearly every talk show to come. He was a pioneer and his impact is still felt today.
Who are the hosts of the Tonight Show?
You know Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, and Jimmy Fallon, but do you know all the other hosts of " The Tonight Show "? This iconic late night talk show has had a number of talented and very funny men walk through the stage curtain and deliver the monolog over the years. While Carson and Leno have the longest runs, the show has seen quite a bit ...
How long was Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show?
Johnny Carson: 1962 to 1992. Johnny Carson will be forever known as the king of late night television. His 30 years as host of "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" serves as an achievement—both in longevity and artistically—for current and future talk show hosts to aspire to.
Why did Allen have his own talk show?
Because Allen was so popular with viewers, NBC gave him his own prime time talk show. Rather than quit "Tonight," Allen hosted both programs simultaneously, sharing hosting duties with Ernie Kovacs during his final 1956-57 season.
When did Donald Trump appear on Jay Leno?
Donald Trump appears on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' at the NBC Studios, on Septmber 7, 2004. Kevin Winter / Getty Images
When did Conan O'Brien leave the Tonight Show?
Conan O'Brien: June 2009 to January 2010. When Leno left late night to take a shot at primetime in 2009, "Late Night" host Conan O'Brien stepped into the role of "Tonight Show" host. Then the wheels came off the bus.
Who took over for Jay Leno?
Mike Coppola / Getty Images. " Late Night" host Jimmy Fallon took over for Jay Leno in February 2014. While Fallon promised that the show wouldn't feel much different than "The Tonight Show" people had grown to love, he did make at least one big change.
How long did Johnny Carson host the Tonight Show?
Carson went on to host The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for three decades, becoming one of the biggest figures in entertainment in the 20th century. John William Carson was born on October 23, 1925, in Corning, Iowa.
Who replaced Jack Paar on the Tonight Show?
In 1958, Carson appeared on The Tonight Show as a substitute for host Jack Paar. The Tonight Show had originated in 1951 in Los Angeles as a radio program hosted by Steve Allen. In 1954, the program moved to TV and in 1956, Jack Parr replaced Allen as the host.
What happened to Rose O'Neal Greenhow?
Confederate spy Rose O’Neal Greenhow drowns off the North Carolina coast when a Yankee craft runs her ship aground. She was returning from a trip to England. At the beginning of the war, Maryland native Rose O’Neal Greenhow lived in Washington, D.C., with her four children. Her ...read more
How many people watched Tiny Tim's wedding?
On December 17, 1969, The Tonight Show drew its largest audience when some 58 million people tuned in for the on-air wedding of the diminutive singer Tiny Tim to a teenage fan known as Miss Vicki.
What happened to the Los Angeles Times?
A bomb explodes in the Los Angeles Times building. A massive explosion destroys the Los Angeles Times building in the city’s downtown area, killing 21 and injuring many more. Since Los Angeles Times publisher Harrison Otis, a virulent opponent of unions, believed that the bomb was directed at him, ...read more. Crime.
Who was the first president to be born in a hospital?
On October 1, 1924, future President James Earl Carter is born in Plains, Georgia. Carter, who preferred to be called “Jimmy,” was the son of a peanut farmer and was the first president to be born in a hospital. Carter was raised a devoted Southern Baptist and graduated from the ...read more.
Why was Mikhail Gorbachev named the man of the decade?
Having forced the resignation of Soviet leader Andrei Gromyko, Mikhail Gorbachev names himself head of the Supreme Soviet. Within two years, he was named “Man of the Decade” by Time magazine for his role in bringing the Cold War to a close.
Storyline
The show originated as a local New York City late night program in June 1953 and went onto the network in September 1954. Throughout the summer of 1956, Steve Allen was the only host.
Did you know
The show began in 1953 as a local show on WNBT-TV, the NBC station in New York City. "Tonight!" began in 1954 when Sylvester L. Weaver Jr., the president of NBC, decided to expand the network's programming past the 11:00 p.m. local news.
How many hosts does the Tonight Show have?
The program has had six principal hosts in ...
What is the Tonight Show?
The Tonight Show, long-running American late-night television talk show. Airing since 1954 on NBC, it is the standard against which others of its genre are judged. The show has won multiple Emmy Awards. Except for a brief (and unpopular) switch to a magazine-type news program in 1957, the format of the show has been remarkably consistent ...
Why was the Tonight Show pushed back?
In an effort to improve ratings and return Leno to late night (after his unsuccessful stint with a talk show at an earlier time slot), NBC suggested that The Tonight Show be pushed back by 30 minutes to accommodate a new program for Leno.
What network did David Letterman work for?
Disappointed at not being chosen, Letterman left NBC for rival network CBS and received his own late-night show opposite The Tonight Show, called the Late Show with David Letterman (1993–2015). During a period in which late-night talk shows proliferated (Arsenio Hall, Chevy Chase, Magic Johnson, and others had less-than-successful shows ...
When did Conan O'Brien leave the show?
After several weeks of heated negotiations, O’Brien left the show in late January, and Leno returned as host in March. The program’s ratings soon rebounded, but in 2013 Leno announced that he would be stepping down as host the following year. Conan O'Brien. Conan O'Brien, 2009. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images.
Who replaced O'Brien on the Tonight Show?
In February 2014 Jimmy Fallon, who had replaced O’Brien at Late Night, began hosting The Tonight Show, which moved back to New York City. He brought from his Late Night show his focus on comedic sketches rather than the long opening monologue favoured by Carson and Leno, and the Roots remained his house band.
Where did Johnny Carson move to?
Carson brought a completely different tone and style, returning the show to its comic roots, moving it from New York City to Burbank, California, and becoming one of the most-beloved figures in American television history during his nearly 30-year tenure as the “king of late night.”. Robert Blake and Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show.
Who was the producer of the Tonight Show?
Behind the scenes, motion picture director/producer Fred de Cordova joined The Tonight Show in 1970 as producer, graduating to executive producer in 1984. Unlike many people of his position, de Cordova often appeared on the show, bantering with Carson from his chair off-camera (though occasionally a camera would be pointed in his direction).
When did Johnny Carson start the Tonight Show?
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise that aired on NBC from October 1, 1962, to May 22, 1992.
How much did Carson pay for his show?
Eventually, Carson reached an agreement that paid $25 million a year while reducing his workload from 90 to 60 minutes, with new shows airing only three nights a week 37 weeks a year (a guest host would appear Monday nights and for most of Carson's 15 weeks of vacation and "Best of Carson" reruns would air Tuesdays) and also give him ownership of the show, as well as its back catalog, and of the time slot following the Tonight Show which became Late Night with David Letterman produced by Carson Productions. In September 1980, Carson's eponymous production company gained ownership of the show after owning it from 1969 to the early 1970s.
How many episodes of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show are there?
Bottom right: Carson does a skydiving demonstration, 1968. Only 33 complete episodes of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show that had originally aired prior to May 1, 1972 are known to exist. All other shows during this period, including Carson's debut as host, are now considered lost because of wiping.
How long is the Tonight Show?
Carson was given authority to fill the vacant time slot and used it to create Late Night with David Letterman (1982–1993). Today, The Tonight Show remains one hour in length and is still followed by Late Night, currently under the title Late Night with Seth Meyers (2014–).
What was Johnny Carson's show?
Johnny Carson's Tonight Show established the modern format of the late-night talk show: a monologue sprinkled with a rapid-fire series of 16 to 22 one-liners (Carson had a rule of no more than three on the same subject) was followed by sketch comedy, then moving on to guest interviews and performances by musicians and stand-up comedians. During the early years of Carson's tenure, his guests included politicians such as former U.S. Vice President (and future U.S. President) Richard M. Nixon, former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, and Vice President Hubert Humphrey, but by 1970, Carson primarily interviewed as guests people who had a book, movie, television show, or stage performance to promote. Other regulars were selected for their entertainment or information value, in contrast to those who offered more cerebral conversation; Carson refused to discuss politics on The Tonight Show out of concern it might alienate his audience.
What time does Carson's show start?
The show broadcast two openings, one starting at 11:15 p.m. and including the monologue, the other that listed the guests and re-announced the host, starting at 11:30. The two openings gave affiliates the option of screening either a fifteen-minute or thirty-minute local newscast preceding Carson.
What was the first episode of Steve Allen Tonight?
Originally a local program airing from 11:20 p.m. to 12 midnight on WNBT New York as The Steve Allen Show, the program was moved to the full NBC network in the Fall of 1954. The first network episode of Tonight aired on September 27, 1954, and ran for 105 minutes instead of the 60-minute duration of modern talk shows (however, the first fifteen minutes were shown on very few stations). The announcer of the show was Gene Rayburn (who would eventually become a top-game show emcee, best known for his 22 years at the helm of the Match Game) and the bandleader was Skitch Henderson. Allen's version of the show originated such talk show staples as an opening monologue, celebrity interviews, audience participation, and comedy bits in which cameras were taken outside the studio, as well as music; among the members of Allen's musical ensemble were Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé, who later became a married couple.
Who was the announcer on Monday and Tuesday?
Beginning that fall, Ernie Kovacs (who came over from the faltering DuMont Television Network) was the regular Monday and Tuesday host for the 1956–1957 season with his own cast and regulars, including his own announcer ( Bill Wendell; who would later work with David Letterman) and bandleader.
Why did Allen leave Tonight?
Allen departed Tonight in January 1957 after NBC ordered Allen to concentrate all his efforts on his Sunday night variety program, hoping to combat CBS 's The Ed Sullivan Show ' s dominance of the Sunday night ratings. Kovacs, instead of getting the show five nights a week, was let go, and a radical format change was made (see below).
When did Jack Paar return to the Tonight Show?
The format returned to a comedy-oriented talk/variety program on July 29, 1957, with Jack Paar being brought in to host his own version of The Tonight Show .
Who is the host of America After Dark?
America After Dark. Tonight Starring Steve Allen is an American talk show hosted by Steve Allen. It was the first version of what eventually became known as The Tonight Show. Tonight was the first late-night talk show, as well as the first late night television series of any time to achieve long-term success.
When did Steve Allen's show end?
After Allen's prime time show ended in 1960, he would intermittently return to the format he used on Tonight with syndicated programs bearing the name The Steve Allen Show, from 1962–1964, 1968–1969, and 1971. Tonight!
Who created the Tonight Show?
"The Tonight Show" was the brainchild of NBC executive Sylvester "Pat" Weaver, who created "Today" in 1952, the first morning show and one that's still on NBC to this day.
What was Steve Allen's show called?
He was given his own show on Sundays called "The Steve Allen Show" (NBC hoped it could take on "The Ed Sullivan Show"), and started spending more time there, eventually saying goodbye to "Tonight" in 1957.
What did O'Brien say about Jimmy Fallon?
O'Brien rejected this plan, putting out a press release saying "The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn't the Tonight Show," and that he didn't want to push back "Late Night" or its new host, Jimmy Fallon. O'Brien then mocked NBC on air, saying "You can do anything you want in life ... unless Jay Leno wants to do it, too." That led to a settlement instead of a compromise, making O'Brien far and away the shortest tenured host.
Why did O'Brien turn down the Tonight Show?
Circa 2001, Fox reached out to O'Brien and offered him a show earlier in the night. O'Brien turned them down, both wanting to preserve his body of work and because he still had his eyes on "Tonight.". This started the second Tonight Show conflict, detailed in Carter's book "The War For Late Night.".
When did Carson get out of Tonight?
In 1979, Carson wanted out of "Tonight." He was tired of the grind, especially the onerous 90 minutes of programming each night, and tried to get out of his contract on a technicality. This set off a year long battle between NBC and Carson over the show.
Who was Leno's manager?
Meanwhile, Leno's manager Helen Kushnick used cutthroat tactics to guarantee her client "The Tonight Show.". Well before Carson even went to Carnegie Hall, Kushnick and her allies planted a false story in the press that NBC was trying to push Carson out.
When did David Letterman start his new show?
Realizing there was a market for young fans watching TV at unusual hours, they announced a new show that would follow "Tonight" starting in 1982: "Late Night with David Letterman."
Who is the creator of the Tonight Show?
Before it was The Tonight Show, it was Tonight with Steve Allen. As the creator of the show, Today developer Sylvester "Pat" Weaver recruited Allen personally, based on his experience in local Los Angeles radio and his time as a regular on the variety game show, What's My Line?
How long has the Tonight Show been around?
For 66 years now, The Tonight Show has reigned supreme over the late-night television talk show world. It is actually the longest-running late-night talk show ever and the all-time longest airing weekly episodic entertainment program in American history. It is by far a fixture of American pop culture.
How many viewers did Leno lose?
Seemingly in support of Conan over his exit, Leno actually lost viewers in his return, averaging closer to 4 million viewers during his return year compared to the 5 million who tuned in during his last stint. These were coined at the time as the worst ratings in Tonight Show history.
How long was Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show?
Often viewed as the greatest late-night talk show host not just in the history of The Tonight Show, but in late-night - period, Johnny Carson's unprecedented 30-year run as host began after NBC saw the success Carson had in hosting ABC's Who Do You Trust?
Why did Jack Parr walk off the set?
In 1960, he famously walked off of the set right before air time out of protest when he found out NBC censored a joke of his about a "water closet" (slang for toilet). He did not return for three weeks until NBC apologized.
When did Conan O'Brien sign a contract with NBC?
While he was hosting Late Night, Conan O'Brien signed a contract with NBC in 2004 ensuring that whenever Jay Leno stepped down as Tonight Show host, Conan O'Brien would take his place.
What is the longest running talk show?
The Tonight Show is the longest-running late-night talk show in history and it has had a few hosts in its run. Here are the hosts and why they left. For 66 years now, The Tonight Show has reigned supreme over the late-night television talk show world. It is actually the longest-running late-night talk show ever and the all-time longest airing ...
