In a nostalgic clip posted to social media, one user noted that even on his worst day, late-night TV icon Johnny Carson was funnier than the current crop of late-night comedians who substitute cheap political commentary for well-written jokes.
In the video, Carson began with a monologue, which uncharacteristically did not amuse the crowd. However, his partner, Tommy Newsom (filling in for Doc Severinson), saved the situation with a flurry of off-the-cuff remarks which brought the house down.
In any case, the caption to the post read, “On his worst night, Johnny Carson was better than the last decade of Late Night TV. After a flat monologue, Johnny banters with Tommy Newsom …and Tommy upstages him twice. Funnier than anything on tv today.”
While the clip featured several hilarious interactions, the best moment centered on an interaction between Carson and the drummer in the band. Graciously, Carson took time to announce that Eddie Shaughnessy, a musician on the Late Night Show, would be holding a concert.
Bantering with the musician, Carson asked if he would teach a clinic while on the road. Interjecting, Newsom joked that he “went to clinics,” making a joke about his advanced age. After the crowd erupted in laughter, Carson pretended to walk off the set and quippedthat the show would soon be called “The Tommy Newsom Show.”
In the comments under the video, users compared Carson’s effortless charm and class with the current crop of late-night hosts. One commentator quipped, “When a joke fell flat, Johnny would tap dance. He didn’t blame it on the POTUS.” Agreeing, another added, “And to this day, nobody knows Johnny Carson’s politics.”In a similar vein, a user stated, “The wicked Dems killed comedy and now DJT has brought it back!”
Slamming current late-night hosts, one conservative wrote, “Today’s Late Night TVs are horrible. Every host needs politics for their material and it’s the same every night. Johnny Carson was the best. I can still watch reruns of his & never get sick. The only recent host that comes close is Conan O’Brien.” Sarcastically, one comment stated, “Nah, I prefer hateful political commentary instead!”
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This was far from the only time Carson made an impact on the culture. As we reported, his interview with Ronald Reagan was one of the most iconic speeches of the era. Reagan stated, “Well, Johnny, I think that one of the things is that people keep looking to government for the answer, and government’s the problem.”
Continuing his comments, the conservative icon stated, “You, moments ago, ..asked, you know about people and feeling not only confused, but low and down in America, first of all, the American people, if they would just take a little inventory and look around you, triple our troubles, and we’re better off than any other people on Earth.”
Watch the clip here:
Winding down his remarks, Regan said, “And we’ve asked so much of government, and we’ve gotten in the habit over the last 40 years of thinking that government has the answers. There’s very little that government can do as efficiently and as economically as the people can do themselves, and if government would shut the doors and sneak away for about three weeks, we’d never miss them.”
Featured image from embedded video