Without The Tonight Show SNL would Never Exist
 

Carson Wanted to Stop Saturday Reruns, So the Network Created a New Show

When Johnny Carson would go on vacation, the network would show reruns of the Tonight Show. The network would also show reruns on Saturday nights, and Carson asked them to stop doing that. He wanted those reruns kept in reserve for his vacation days — and he wanted more vacation days.

The network had to show something in the Saturday night time slot and started looking around for a new show. The one they ended up with was a comedy sketch show that got off to a rocky start but eventually found its footing, called Saturday Night Live!


And did you know . . . . . . .

Carson Contributed Jokes to David Letterman's Show

Carson was known for criticizing other talk show hosts, except for David Letterman. Carson was a big fan of Letterman's and started sending jokes to Letterman's show after he (Carson) retired. He'd send them daily, and some would make it on air without crediting Carson. A former Tonight Show producer said that he thought Carson missed the monologue segment of his show and needed an outlet for the jokes he was still thinking up.

Source: 5 Secrets About Johnny Carson's '"Tonight Show"

That is a fun fact. Thanks for creating the thread. Loved the old SNL the new one is OK some of the time.

I love SNL! :bigbow:

Such a shame but the late shows are too political now days. Johnny Carson would never be political.

:bigbow:

Nor any comedian of his time. A different era, not to be compared to today.

I am sure I am not alone by saying that I don't enjoy any late night comedy shows these days.

They used to be funny for EVERYBODY..... Wet your pants funny, snorting though your nose funny, gasping for breath funny. Now they are at best, uncomfortable and frequently..... that's enough, time to change the channel.

Bring back Karmac the Magnificent.

CARSON IS CARNAK SIS BOOM BAH- 7 MINS. COMPLETE SKETCH - YouTube

Carson was pulling in nine million viewers and now the "big three" average about three million viewers. There is some wisdom there somewhere.

I suspect you are alone, or at least in the minority.

Almost all late night shows are poltically slanted. Started a number of years ago...it attracts viewers to them for sure.

Used to be Mort Sahl was alone....no longer.

Actually, having worked with politicians for years, most enjoy humor even at their expense

Not alone, not in minority.


Check the stats...........how many watch late night vs. how many viewers there are.


It's funny how the liberal news channels refer to statements by late night hosts..........like that is news.


Viewers get sucked one by agendas.

I watched David Letterman more episodes than anyone probably alive, I'm a night owl. Going back to the 80's on his NBC shows, even when Jay Leno was a frequent guest, they never made jokes about politicians. Leno biggest attraction was his sort of ad-lib routine, pulling out a copy of TV Guide and making fun of the shows of the day. Letterman had Chris Elliot as a regular skit doing satire like the bounty hunter, or Marlon Brando, and who can forget Larry Bud Melman.

It wasn't until Letterman moved to CBS and Leno replaced Johnny that political humor came into being in late night monologues. After Conan replaced Letterman on NBC, he almost never did political humor. He stayed along the same lines that Letterman had setup in his time.

I believe ratings currently for SNL and the late night talk shows will show the largest numbers in the age group of 18 to 34, not really much appeal for those of us who are set in our lives, careers and have seen the good years of the shows.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D7G7yJiV...jpg&name=large

That reminds me, early 80's after the original bunch had departed SNL, the show other than Eddie Murphy was horrible and was almost cancelled at one point.

Late 80's there was a complete upturn with the addition of Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey, Jan Hooks, Jon Lovitz, Kevin Nealon and Mike Myers. Here's one of my favorite routines by my favorite all-time member, Phil Hartman as Regan, and it's really not the same kind of lampooning that is done nowadays, but rather tries to make Regan out to be a genius.

President Reagan, Mastermind - SNL - YouTube

Actually if Letterman had any political guests I would turn the channel. Now if he had Rupert G at Hello Deli on or was sending 30 people in rabbit suits into an H&R Block, I would be watching. I didn't watch his show to see Al Gore, or even Donald Trump talk. Life is too short for that.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/YGltB2PoJ2E/maxresdefault.jpg

When Johnny Carson left Television his viewer numbers were at nine million. Now any of the top three are lucky to get three million.

From Carson to Kimmel: the collapse of the late-night empire

Yep, it used to be that being self-deprecating (at least on the surface)...was considered a positive by most citizens.

Methinks the problem now is, that the parodies are cutting too close to the bone for some folks...thereby eliciting visceral reactions. :shrug:

"Some" enjoy being a "victim"

When we watch the re-runs of Johnny Carson with our Friend who is hooked on the older TV shows we are entertained and laugh a whole lot. We notice that the kind of humor has changed. Jay Leno two thumbs up. Watched Letterman up till the Top Ten List and he was a great interviewer with most Big Name Guests. I want to like Jimmy Fallon but can't get there, I give him a shot once in a while but he has been coming up with NOTHING for a while, The Roots are Fantastic. The other two night wastes of time combined add up to, I wouldn't give them The Sweat Off A Grape! They are Disrespectful Zeroes!

In the old days of SNL Presidential Jokes were made and that was the end of it. The difference is now Presidential Jokes are made and then the Actor follows it up with Vulgarities shortly afterward that are unprofessional, to say the least. These actors/actresses are there to entertain us, their opinion is their own. We live in different times. This isn't going to change at all. I feel sorry about the way things are going.

I'm certain that there is only one set of people who determine what stays and what goes on our Forum. Sir or Madam, you're not one of them with that power, thankfully. Do we need to post based on what please any one person? I think not. I don't like SNL, if you do that's beautiful.

I don't get it either.

But Carson was the reason for SNL sez here. Now he's gone.

It takes all kinds to make a world. Some are easier to like than others.

SNL is certainly not the first to get nuts with politics. Laugh-in predated SNL by around eight years, near the end of the Viet-Nam war. Now THAT was politically charged night-time TV. Carson and many others chose non-political humor over political humor. And for straight stand-up comedy and quick-thinking humor, Carson was a genius. Jack Paar was Carson's predecessor on the Tonight Show but he was too controversial and there was a lot of in-fighting, and he ended up quitting in 1962, which was when Carson took the show to the higher ratings.

I remember the Ed Sullivan Show too, and who could forget Merv Griffin! All great entertainment, mostly non-political. But those were all either talk shows or variety shows that featured interviews and "talk-show stuff.". SNL is not a talk show, nor was Laugh-In. They are political satire, comedy, and entertainment. They've never pretended to be anything else, and they're great for the genre.

Thank you...it is one thing we, in this country USED to be proud of that we can make jest of our leader.

Thanks for posting this because sometimes with all the personal, non comedic insults we forget this.

Laugh in as downright "mean" at times with the on liners

A number of posts have been removed that were directed at member, off topic or political. The topic of the thread is the genesis of SNL from the old Tonight Show. Please return to the topic. It is possible to disagree without being disagreeable and/or personal.

Moderator

You know, all I remember from Laugh In was a lot of funny stuff, very light hearted, silly and goofy and well, just amusing. I don't remember one single "mean" one liner.

I loved the Farkles, Bart and Sparkle and Ferd. There were a passel of Farkles. I remember Edith Ann. And Sock it to me.

Here everyone...laugh a bit;

you tube. laugh in - Bing video

Here we go again!
:popcorn: