In the oddest of odd coincidences, our comedy-centric beat recently has been focused on late night TV - and behold, big time changes are underway in that world.
The latest and not greatest is that Stephen Colbert has been canned by the pathetic craven cowards and greedy bastards at CBS and Paramount. CBS' not so grand poobahs, very likely smarting over Colbert's criticism of the pending merger of Paramount Media and Skydance Global, will pull the plug on the show when the Late Show host's contract expires next May.
That said, as we stifle no small degree of anger, disgust, contempt and revulsion towards CBS, Paramount, Shari Redstone and the Ellisons (Larry and David), we continue our series Saluting The Heroes Of Late Night TV.
Johnny Carson was so big in the 1960's and 1970's that The Beach Boys devoted a song to him. We agree wholeheartedly with Brian Wilson's assessment, as Johnny was the coolest guy ever, especially in his heydey as King Of Late Night. Reportedly, Johnny HATED the song, but what the heck, it's our blog, so here it is.
There are innumerable extremely funny Carson clips, even with so many of the 1960's shows still missing - WAY too many Tonight Shows were taped over.
Herrrrrrrrre's Johnny, first with vocalist and actor (then on the Daniel Boone TV series), Ed Ames.
Can't believe I forgot all about Johnny's hilarious routine with Jack "Joe Friday" Webb from a 1968 Tonight Show. As Webb's radio shows (Pat Novak For Hire and Dragnet) and his guest star appearance on an episode of All Star Revue starring the wacky Ritz Brothers indicate, he possessed a wry sense of humor.
Do we miss the ridiculously talented Betty White, always flat-out hilarious on The Tonight Show with Johnny and other hosts? Yes.
Today we pay tribute to the many terrific stand-up comedians seen frequently on Carson and Letterman (note with the exception of Groucho, there weren't tons of comics on Dick Cavett's show, at least in his 1960's and early 1970's late night incarnation).
Johnny Carson's Tonight evolved into a showcase for stand-up comedians.
George Carlin actually guest hosted The Tonight Show, as did Groucho Marx and Bob Newhart.
Johnny often featured his contemporaries in the standup world: Jackie Mason, Jonathan Winters, Bob Newhart and Rodney Dangerfield.
Richard Pryor, most trenchant of all stand-up philosophers, was a frequent guest on both the Carson and Letterman shows.
One of the outstanding albeit lesser-known stand-up philosophers was the excellent Native American comedian and actor Charlie Hill, seen previously on The Richard Pryor Show.
Among the satirists seen on Late Night With David Letterman: Bill Hicks (1962-1994).
Sam Kinison, friend and cohort of Bill Hicks, brought his incendiary Pentecostal preacher persona and severe fallout from bad marriages to the stand-up world.
In another galaxy of the stand-up comedy universe: Mitch Hedberg (1968-2005).
And then there was Norm. . .
Here, David Letterman pays tribute to his friend (and friend of all late-night TV shows) Robin Williams.
Robin cracked up Johnny and David and thus got dozens of appearances on their shows.
In closing, here's the monologue that got Stephen Colbert, here sporting a mustache reminiscent of the octogenarian version of Groucho Marx, fired. Colbert is correct in his assessment that CBS' craven 16 million settlement of a frivolous lawsuit by Off-Brand Orbán was, indeed, a BIG FAT BRIBE.
Desperately hoping the merger will get FCC approval, CBS announced that the decision to cancel Late Night With Stephen Colbert is for "financial reasons," and, while even high-rated late night TV shows don't bring in anywhere near the dough-re-me they did in the pre-streaming past, ESPECIALLY during the 1960's heydey of The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, to suggest that this decision is not politically motivated remains laughable.
At CBS, 60 Minutes and anything remotely resembling journalism a la Edward R. Murrow, Eric Sevareid, William L. Shirer, and Walter Cronkite will be next to go.
This, and the pusillanimous actions of Columbia University and the Paul Weiss law firm, alas, remains par for the course these days. The Teapot Dome boys of 100+ years ago would say "geeeeees, Louise, can you guys tone down the sleazy corruption, graft and grift just a smidge?"
Rant over and thanks, readers, for your patience. Will return next weekend with the fourth installment of Saluting The Heroes Of Late Night TV.
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