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11 Episodes 1976 - 1977
Episode 42
Tue, Nov 30, 197661 mins
In the comedy segment, Johnny reads psychics' predictions for the Carter administration from the National Enquirer; he then presents his own predictions for the incoming administration. George Burns talks about his TV special, on which Johnny appears. They also talk about his autobiography "Living It Up" and his philosophy that he doesn't believe in aging, because he's now too old for it. He describes his average day and talks fondly about Groucho Marx, who he says is probably three of the top five living comedians; Burns recalls a joke by Groucho that involved a 15-year set-up. He then talks about the film he is making with John Denver ("Oh, God!"), in which he plays God. Johnny shows still photos from Burns' early career; Burns tells a few stories from the photos. He then sings a couple of songs that will be heard on the special, including "Red Rose Rag" and a song by Marvin Hamlisch and Tim Rice. Rodney Dangerfield does a stand-up comedy routine, and has a brief interview in which he continues with more jokes. Michael Constantine talks about his new show "Sirota's Court". Asked what he would have done instead of acting, Constantine says he would be a bum because he hated every previous job he ever had. He decided he liked entertainment and thus decided to learn acting, not really knowing anything about how to go about it and having only vaguely heard of Broadway. He worked in small off-Broadway productions for free for six years, earning money working as a burger stand counterman and as a barker in a Manhattan shooting gallery that used Tommy guns instead of rifles. A clip from his sitcom is shown. Shana Alexander talks about her book "Talking Woman", and the difficulties of being a writer and how deadlines motivate her. She then discusses her father, who was a well-known Tin Pan Alley songwriter whose compositions include "Happy Days Are Here Again"; "Ain't She Sweet" was written about Shana on the day she was born. She also discusses her idea that some arguing can be good for a marriage. Finally she describes doing "Point/Counterpoint" on "60 Minutes".
Episode 52
Tue, Dec 14, 197690 mins
Johnny confronts Don Rickles about his broken cigarette box. John Davidson; Richard Pryor (Silver Streak (1976)); Darleen Carr (Once an Eagle (1976)); Dr. Michael W. Fox (book "Between Animal and Man").
Episode 84
Thu, Jan 27, 1977
The Carpenters perform 'From This Moment On'.
Episode 87
Tue, Feb 1, 197790 mins
Floyd R. Turbo ridicules a proposal to make Puerto Rico the 51st state. Buddy Hackett first shows off a crate of snow he shipped from Aspen, tossing some into the audience, and then discusses his skiing activities. He talks about his lack of sex appeal, then speculates on comedy styles in Ancient Egypt. He also talks about starting to perform at colleges for the first time, and then discusses a massive elephant statue in his yard which used to be located at the children's zoo in Echo Park. Cindy Williams first discusses her car troubles, including her mechanic's puzzlement at her not being able to get her car started. She talks about the cast of "Laverne and Shirley" trying to go to the recent Golden Globes in a school bus, only to be turned away, and comments on her upcoming appearance on Battle of the Network Stars. Washington Post television critic Sander Vanocur discusses various aspects of the TV industry, including the casual trend in local news, and the possibility that excellent miniseries may replace more standard series; he believes the quality of current television is at an all-time high. He comments on the effect of Johnny's past skewering of President Nixon and Henry Kissinger, with Johnny noting Kissinger's good-natured reaction, and on President Ford joining NBC as a commentator. Vanocur then talks about the new Carter administration, expressing his admiration for the bluntness of Commerce Secretary Juanita Kreps. He describes most of Carter's appointees as being LBJ's junior varsity, and says he doesn't believe that Carter has a real energy policy, which the country needs badly. He expresses the hope that Carter will be aggressive in setting the nation's course, and will not follow through on his plans to set a more conversational tone with the public.
Episode 97
Tue, Feb 15, 197790 mins
The comedy segment is a post-Valentine's Day interview with Cupid. Rita Reutter is a 58-year-old widow and grandmother who won election as Homecoming Queen at Florida Tech University. She is studying for a master's in Guidance and Counseling, and talks about her campaign and various aspects of her life, including her aggressively friendly personal style. George Carlin does a stand-up routine about shopping in supermarkets. During the interview he talks about how some Swedish comedians translated some of his routines (with his permission). He and Johnny then talk about phrases with seemingly contradictory meanings, such as why boned and de-boned chicken seem to be the same thing. McLean Stevenson talks about his TV show, and whether it will be renewed; he then diverts into a conversation about Carlin's earring. Stevenson recalls attending Northwestern, and mentions that he dated the Rose Bowl queen four years earlier, but it did not go well. He also says that since he stopped drinking, it might have affected his sense of humor. He then talks about playing in golf tournaments with Harvey Korman and Dodgers coach Ron Perranoski, and Johnny kids him that his jokes about various people may cost him desperately needed viewers from many demographic groups. Martina Navratilova, 20 years old and the 2nd-ranked tennis player in the world, talks about playing in the Virginia Slims tournament later in the evening, and says she adjusted her sleeping schedule for matches starting at unusual times. In the first five weeks of the year she has already earned $85,000; she shows a Gucci bracelet she bought herself, now that she is successful. She says her defection from Czechoslovakia has only caused problems at school for her younger sister, and hopes that at some point in the future she will be able to see her family again, as the Czech government has denied her mother permission to leave the country.
Episode 103
Wed, Feb 23, 197764 mins
The audience submits questions for President Carter. David Steinberg discusses his fear of snakes; violinist Itzhak Perlman (album "Vivaldi: The Four Seasons") performs and is interviewed; Joan Embery presents wild animals.
Episode 108
Wed, Mar 2, 197790 mins
The comedy segment is Aunt Blabby, who talks about how watching "Roots" led her to discover some of her own odd relatives. Diana Ross performs; in the following interview, she talks about her trip home to Detroit. Asked about touring, she says that all tours are the same whether starting out or successful - much time in hotel rooms. Once she was successful, she bought a home for her mother, and then bought herself a car. At one time she decided not to buy diamonds for herself, because she felt it was better to receive them as a gift from a man, but she later relented. She talks about her upcoming special and her role planning it, including her portrayals of other famous singers including Bessie Smith, Josephine Baker and Ethel Waters. Burt Reynolds talks about his new house next to Barbra Streisand's, which was previously owned by George Harrison. He thanks viewers for the mail he got from his last appearance, when he appeared ill; over a hundred people sent him Bibles, which he greatly appreciated. Reynolds then shows home movies from his trip to Mexico, including a fishing excursion and being serenaded in his empty hotel by a mariachi band as a hurricane approached. Jay Leno, in his Tonight Show debut at age 22, does a stand-up routine. Jack Douglas talks about brief vignettes of various episodes in life and other subjects Johnny asks about, such as his failed investments in a ski resort in Maine and a rubber plantation in Brazil. He then shows a film of supposedly "found footage", to which he and Johnny add humorous narration, much of it based on the premise that the footage depicts the hidden life and history of Beverly Hills.
Episode 165
Fri, May 20, 197765 mins
Carson first asks Muhammad Ali about his heavyweight title defense four days earlier against Alfredo Evangelista, where he did not do as well as expected. Ali first jokes about Johnny getting old, and then points out that he did win regardless of how; Evangelista was 13 years younger, so his strategy was to let him expend his energy, and take control in the final rounds. They then discuss his film "The Greatest". Ali says that since he was playing himself, he didn't see the script until the day of shooting. He isn't sure if he would like to do additional acting. A clip is shown, and Ali explains that the incidents in the clip (involving Sonny Liston) really did happen. Peter Falk talks about his upcoming "Columbo" show in which a Mensa-type society plays a role. Johnny then has the trial quiz from Mensa, which they try. Johnny gets 3/5 correct. Falk then presents a puzzle from the episode, and a short clip is shown. Johnny claims to know the answer (after Ed makes the first attempt) but does not reveal it on the air after Falk asks him not to. Steve Landesberg does a stand-up comedy routine; during his interview he jokes about boxing. Carl Sagan talks about intelligence in humans and other animals, the topic of his book "The Dragons of Eden".
Episode 177
Tue, Jun 7, 197790 mins
Johnny discusses the pinched nerve that kept him off the show for two weeks, and all the unsolicited medical advice he received. He then reads suggestions for water conservation from an ad that appeared in local newspapers, and also provides some additional ideas. Suzanne Pleshette talks about falling off a ladder in her kitchen, which kept her at home for several days, and she and Johnny discuss their daytime viewing habits; she goes on to the topic of her usual avoidance of the kitchen, and her husband's very basic tastes, which leads Johnny to discuss his steadfast dislike of liver and broccoli. She says that because her husband doesn't like flying, they once took a train from New York to Chicago to avoid a series of connecting flights. During the ride there was a tornado warning which unnerved her, and they spent the night in a Chicago hotel during a thunderstorm without their luggage, which had been sent ahead, and had to order room service wearing their raincoats. Johnny then comments on her habit of sketching and writing down her daily observations. Tom Snyder, host of the Tomorrow Show, in the same studio, talks about the dream he had about coming on the Tonight Show. In the dream, Johnny had asked whether Tom had his car there, because he wanted to do the interview in the car - a 1956 Ford convertible. Johnny then talks about typical dreams that performers have about being in the wrong play or having nothing to say. Snyder comments on moving his show back from New York, and responds to criticisms of his style and demeanor, and an urban myth about a past on-air flub. He also comments on the fact that his show's offices aren't on the studio lot due to lack of space, and talks about his interview with Governor Jerry Brown the previous night. Stanford professor Dr. Paul Ehrlich discusses his new book "The Race Bomb", and topics including population control and racial biases; he notes that racial classifications in Brazil are largely dependent upon economic status, regardless of skin color. Johnny notes Andrew Young's recent suggestion that the last four presidents were racist, which he later amended, and comments on the impact of charges of racism. Ehrlich comments on the history of ethnic biases regarding intelligence on immigration policy, and the inaccuracy of IQ tests in measuring intelligence and other positive qualities. Johnny then jokes about being irritated by the phrase "why Johnny can't read" and similar variations, and Ehrlich reads two hypothetical cultural questions for an IQ test that would stump white test subjects.
Episode 187
Tue, Jun 21, 197790 mins
Johnny looks at free things to do around Los Angeles. Tony Randall (The Tony Randall Show (1976)); Buddy Rich talks about performing in Japan; Tom Dreesen performs stand-up and is interviewed; Merie Earle (The Waltons (1972)).
Episode 218
Wed, Aug 3, 197764 mins
Gregory Peck (MacArthur (1977)); Edgar Bergen performs with Mortimer Snerd and is interviewed; George Gobel (The Hollywood Squares (Daytime) (1965)); minor league pitcher Jim Bouton.