The image of Johnny Carson delivering his nightly monologue in front of a multi-colored stage curtain is etched in the minds of millions of viewers who tuned in nightly to “The Tonight Show” during Carson’s 30 years as its host. The curtain became a staple of the program when the show moved to California in 1972, just as a majority of television sets used in America for the first time were color TVs. Photo courtesy of Carson Entertainment Group
Sept/Oct 2025 (Volume 17, Issue 5)
By Jeff Stein
On May 22, 1992, Iowa native Johnny Carson took to the stage of “The Tonight Show” for the final time, seated on a stool center stage in front of the iconic multi-colored stage curtain, the spot from where thousands of monologues had been delivered, and said a farewell to his audience.
“I am one of the lucky people in the world; I found something I always wanted to do and I have enjoyed every single minute of it,” Carson said. “I can only tell you that it has been an honor and a privilege to come into your homes all these years and entertain you… I bid you a very heartfelt good night.”
A collage of guests on “The Tonight Show.”
The smooth delivery of the then-66-year-old icon was in contrast to the image seen on flickering black-and-white television sets when his amazing run as host of “The Tonight Show” began on Oct. 1, 1962. A 36-year-old Carson began his first monologue by noting how many people were watching the debut show.
“I know tonight, a lot of people—a lot of my friends—are watching all over the country. And I only have one feeling as I stand here knowing that so many people are watching: I want my nana.”
Johnny Carson (center) on the 1962 New Year’s Eve episode of “The Tonight Show” with Skitch Henderson (left) and Ed McMahon (right).
Carson’s opening night as the third host of “The Tonight Show” franchise, founded by Drake University alum Steve Allen in 1954, featured a stellar guest list: Groucho Marx, Joan Crawford, Rudy Vallee, Mel Brooks and Tony Bennett. Others that first week included actress Tallulah Bankhead, singers Bobby Darin and Barbra Streisand, comedians Red Buttons and Shelley Berman, and bandleader Artie Shaw.
For three decades, Carson presided over NBC’s late night franchise, establishing unprecedented dominance as “The King of Late Night” and huge profits for the network. It was all hard to imagine when Carson was born in the small Iowa town of Corning on Oct. 23, 1925; after all, radio was in its infancy, and television was a far off dream. (Read this issue’s Publisher’s Perspective to learn more about Carson’s Midwest roots.)
Carson was no stranger to national television audiences when he was selected to succeed Jack Paar as host of “The Tonight Show”; he had been a guest host on the Paar program, and was enjoying success as host of a weekday afternoon game show on ABC, “Who Do You Trust,” working with an announcer named Ed McMahon.
An NBC promotional photo following the show’s permanent move to California in 1973 featuring NBC Orchestra leader Doc Severinsen, host Johnny Carson and announcer Ed McMahon.
NBC had pioneered expansion of the network broadcast schedule, first with the morning “Today” program in 1952, then with “Tonight” in 1954. The show Carson inherited was actually 105 minutes long—the first 15 minutes was aired by stations that only had a 15-minute-long local newscast, with the broadcast reintroduced with theme music and fanfare at 10:30 p.m. Iowa time for another 90 minutes.
The Steve Allen-led show was a true variety program with comedy, music and skits. By contrast, the Jack Paar version of the program was focused more on conversation, in deference to the strengths of the host. So which program would Carson emulate—Allen or Paar?
Johnny Carson developed a stable of characters including the all-knowing seer “Carnac the Magnificent.”
The answer—which is why the Carson program aired successfully for three decades—was neither. Carson took elements from both his predecessors’ programs, integrated his own sense of what audiences would find interesting, and in turn set the mold from which all late-night talk shows would now be made. When one hears the phrase “TV talk show,” the image of a set with a desk and guest chairs to one side, a center stage, and a band on the other comes to mind. It was a format cemented by Carson, and while others have made tweaks (David Letterman’s desk was famously to the right of the screen, in contrast to Carson’s being on the left), the essential model is the same.
Johnny Carson and David Letterman. Carson placed “Late Night with David Letterman” into the slot following his program in 1982, and Letterman was Carson’s choice to succeed him as host of “The Tonight Show.”
Carson also had a fondness for “small town” guests who could tell stories of their unique potato chip collection, or play “The Stars and Stripes Forever” by pushing air through their hands. Yet while other hosts might subject the guest to mockery, Carson showed genuine interest and gave those guests a life highlight. (For more on Carson welcoming a trio of guests from Cooper to the program, see the January/February 2024 issue of Iowa History Journal.)
The original Carson “Tonight” show was produced at NBC’s legendary Studio 6B at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. (In a nod to history, today’s version of “The Tonight Show” starring Jimmy Fallon is produced in that same studio.) The show was New York City-based for its first decade, with extended two-week stints multiple times a year in California. On May 1, 1972, the show moved to NBC studios in Burbank as its primary venue, with extended returns to New York. That transition only lasted a year, and the Carson show was Burbank-based for the final two decades of its run, with the change in location and studio configuration leading to an evolution in the feel of the program.
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