Here's Johnny, Carson Back For One Night

I miss Johnny Carson.  He was water cooler television.  His Tonight Show was the epitome of late night talk.  So  I am excited to watch tonight's premiere on PBS of American Masters showcasing the career and life of Johnny Carson.  Talk about appointment television.

People loved to talk about who was on the Tonight Show and what they watched.  One of Johnny's idols and mine too, Jack Benny, gave Carson great advice.  Let your guests be funny.  Johnny followed Jack's style of the long pause, but never tried to out joke his guests.  The results were great television.  Yes, the guests got the greater laughs but everyone who watched always  referred to what happened on Carson's show. Johnny knew how to interview a guest and how to get the best out of them.   He, like Benny, really understood comic timing.  But as I am sure this documentary will show, there is more to Johnny Carson than what we saw on TV.

Watch Johnny and Ed on PBS. See more from American Masters.

So for those, like me, that miss Johnny Carson, this documentary may bring us back to those golden days and provide us richer context about the man.