As American television viewers and NBC television executives try to forget the landmark BATTLE OF BURBANK that sent Jay Leno back to his desk at 11:35pm and Conan O'Brien off in search of a new network, here is a bright and breezy excerpt from THE TONIGHT SHOW's halcyon days and hippest New York nights.
In recent weeks, we've watched the 56 year old TONIGHT SHOW lose its luster in the corrosive crossfire among Leno, O'Brien ,Letterman and NBC Universal executives. Here, we see the crown jewel of late night talk aglow in LIVING COLOR with a sparkling selection of guest stars.
As was tradition in the Johnny Carson years, New Years Eve was a sophisticated, black tie affair, broadcast LIVE to the eastern and central time zones from NBC's renowned, Studio 6-B at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. That stage is now home to LATE NIGHT with Jimmy Fallon. Because the program crossed the midnight hour, it started on 12/31/65 and concluded on 01/01/66.
In this excerpt, we see Carson, sidekick Ed McMahon, actress Gila Golan , the comedy team of Phil Ford & Mimi Hines, plus a young, sardonic Woody Allen, at the zenith of his stand-up career, welcoming in 1966 with luxe laughter in a rarefied, cocktail party atmosphere.
This episode is , to me, a dazzling, kodachrome snapshot of TONIGHT's most elegant, Manhattan years, with a young and daring Carson at his brazen, comedic best.
Here from the HARRY KELLO, YOU TUBE site are two segments of the 1965/1966 New Years episode of THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON,with some commercials included.Enjoy!!!!!
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