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''The Johnny Carson Show'' was a 1955–56 half-hour 
In a 1978 profile of Carson in ''
''The Johnny Carson Show'' USA Today article
''The Johnny Carson Show'' DVD set at DVDVerdict
''The Johnny Carson Show'' Shout Factory 2007 DVD Press Release
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnny Carson Show 1955 American television series debuts 1956 American television series endings 1950s American variety television series 1950s American television talk shows Black-and-white American television shows Television series by CBS Studios CBS original programming English-language television shows
prime time
Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...
variety show
Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a co ...
starring Johnny Carson
John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He is best known as the host of '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson received six P ...
.
While working as a staff writer on ''The Red Skelton Show
''The Red Skelton Show'' is an American television comedy/variety show that aired from 1951 to 1971. In the decade prior to hosting the show, Richard "Red" Skelton had a successful career as a radio and motion pictures star. Although his televi ...
'', local Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
television comedian Carson filled in as host when Skelton was injured during a show rehearsal. As a result of Carson’s performance, CBS created the primetime variety program ''The Johnny Carson Show'', a traditional potpourri of comedy, music, dance, skits and monologues. Jack Prince was the male vocalist on series. It aired on Thursday nights at 10pm ET.
The short-lived 1955–56 series served as a precursor of what came later for Carson, planting the seeds for sketches he performed on the later ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...
'' such as "Mighty Carson Art Players". However, the show flopped in the ratings and was quickly cancelled. This show was produced in Los Angeles at the Vine Street Theater. The show was alternately sponsored by Revlon
Revlon, Inc. is an American multinational company dealing in cosmetics, skin care, fragrance, and personal care. The headquarters of Revlon was established in New York City on March 1, 1932, where it still remains. Revlon was founded by brother ...
, and General Foods
General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the United States by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895.
The company changed its name to "General Foods" in 1929, after several corporate ...
(Jell-O
Jell-O is an American brand offering a variety of powdered gelatin dessert (fruit-flavored gels/jellies), pudding, and no-bake cream pie mixes. The original gelatin dessert ( genericized as jello) is the signature of the brand. "Jell-O" is ...
, instant Sanka
Sanka is a brand of instant decaffeinated coffee, sold around the world, and was one of the earliest decaffeinated varieties. Sanka is distributed in the United States by Kraft Heinz.
History
Decaffeinated coffee was developed in 1903 by a team ...
, and Minute Rice).The Best of Johnny Carson and Friends. Perfs. Johnny Carson, Bob Hope, Dean Martin, Mel Brooks, Ronald Reagan. DVD. Mill Creek Entertainment, 2009.
In a 1978 profile of Carson in ''The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'', Kenneth Tynan described the ''Johnny Carson Show'' as "a half-hour program that goes through seven directors, eight writers, and thirty-nine weeks of worsening health before expiring, in the spring of 1956." Carson wound up hosting a daytime game show called '' Who Do You Trust?'' (1957–62) until he was tapped by NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
to replace the departing Jack Paar
Jack Harold Paar (May 1, 1918 – January 27, 2004) was an American talk show host, author, radio and television comedian, and film actor. He was the second host of '' The Tonight Show'' from 1957 to 1962. ''Time'' magazine's obituary of Paar rep ...
as host of ''The Tonight Show
''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. 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 201 ...
'' in 1962, a position Carson would hold for 30 years.
Kinescopes of ten episodes from the series were discovered in a closet by Carson's second wife Joanne and released by Shout Factory
Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...
on DVD in 2007. Joanne Carson says the kinescopes were hand-picked by Carson as a courtship gift to her and featured his favorite episodes from the series. Additional episodes survive at the UCLA Film and Television Archive
The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the a ...
.
Following the cancellation of the series, CBS assigned Carson to host another series, this time airing in a daytime time slot. This series also was titled ''The Johnny Carson Show'' and began in May 1956, but ran only through the summer. A single episode of this version is included on Shout Factory's DVD release of the 1955–56 series.
References
External links
* *''The Johnny Carson Show'' USA Today article
''The Johnny Carson Show'' DVD set at DVDVerdict
''The Johnny Carson Show'' Shout Factory 2007 DVD Press Release
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnny Carson Show 1955 American television series debuts 1956 American television series endings 1950s American variety television series 1950s American television talk shows Black-and-white American television shows Television series by CBS Studios CBS original programming English-language television shows