McMahon’s Affability Demonstrated Real Virtues

The death of television personality Ed McMahon at the age of 86 marks the passing of a true original. McMahon was one of the very first Americans to enjoy the postmodern status of being a celebrity solely by virtue of being famous.

As announcer and second banana to host Johnny Carson during the NBC Tonight Show’s years of greatest prominence and cultural influence, McMahon exemplified what was then a relatively new phenomenon: the ability to become famous, wealthy, and admired without having any particular talent.

That’s not to say there was anything dishonorable about his career or something wrong with McMahon’s public persona. Quite the contrary. He was quite likable, pleasant, well-mannered (an underrated virtue these days), and overall a boon companion both for Carson and the audiences in the studio and at home.

However, he was liked for what he was, not what he could do. He couldn’t sing, dance, tell a joke, or even read the news. His turns as straight man to Carson’s various comical characters were most notable for their, well, charming ineptitude. (more…)

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Tags: Ed McMahon, johnny carson, Star Search, tonight show, virtues
Posted Jun 24th 2009 at 5:53 pm in Entertainment | 168578One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/stkarnick/2009/06/24/mcmahons-affability-demonstrated-real-virtues/McMahon%27s+Affability+Demonstrated+Real+Virtues2009-06-25+00%3A53%3A26S.T.+Karnick

Ed McMahon – When Late Night Television Was Young

Picture it.  After passing through the Pearly Gates, Ed McMahon spots his long time friend and TV partner.  With a wide grin and outstretched arms, he greets him. “Heeere’s Johnny!” The affable, genial, self-described “Second Banana” to Johnny Carson on the “Tonight Show,” has passed away at age 86.

In a November 2007 radio interview I did on The Andrea Shea King Show with McMahon to talk about his then newly published book “When Television Was Young, Live, Spontaneous and in Living Black and White,” we talked about his life, and what it was like to share the NBC “Tonight Show” set with The King of Late Night.

McMahon was dealing with a bout of layrngitis, but it didn’t stop him from opening the interview with the famous words that announced to American viewers it was time for their eagerly anticipated nightly entertainment — “Heeere’s Johnny!” (more…)

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Tags: bette midler, Ed Ames, Ed McMahon, johnny carson, Robin Williams
Posted Jun 23rd 2009 at 12:20 pm in Classic Hollywood, Featured Story | 1673468 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/asking/2009/06/23/ed-mcmahon-when-late-night-television-was-young/Ed+McMahon+-+When+Late+Night+Television+Was+Young2009-06-23+19%3A20%3A26Andrea+Shea+King

Conan O’Brien: Class Act and Worthy ‘Tonight Show’ Successor

Although I rarely find any interest in the entertainment industry, I am very glad to see Conan O’Brien become the head of the “Tonight Show.” His ascension to the throne continues a tradition that Johnny Carson brought forth and Jay Leno continued. The new host of the “Tonight Show” is a nice guy. (Steve Allen was as well, but many would consider he and Jack Paar to be less relevant since they came before Carson. I avoid this debate since, again, I am not in the industry.)

Yes, Johnny Carson preferred that David Letterman get his job (I watch Letterman, although less so lately), but the network saw Leno as the logical heir. Letterman is just too acid-tongued. It makes for some fun comedy, but the “Tonight Show” is about harmless and lighthearted fun. It made sense that Craig Kilborn, who was harder-edged than Conan, followed Letterman. Craig Ferguson, like Letterman, let’s his liberal political ideology affect his monologues. (more…)

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Tags: Andy Richter, Bill Clinton, Conan O'Brien, Don King, Jack Paar
Posted Jun 13th 2009 at 3:11 pm in Entertainment | 155026One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/egolub/2009/06/13/congratulations-conan/Conan+O%27Brien%3A+Class+Act+and+Worthy+%27Tonight+Show%27+Successor2009-06-13+22%3A11%3A25Eric+Golub

The Ghost of Johnny Carson

David Letterman was just rising – earlier than you might think for a guy who’s show is on late enough for college partiers and “freelancers” to enjoy without fear of feeling tired the next day. You’d think that only if you didn’t know the show is taped earlier in the day – and what was taped this week certainly stirred the pot.

“You think maybe you would have edited that, David?” Mr. Carson asked, standing in the lavish bathroom.

“I mean your producer had the time. They could have cut it, right?”

Carson looked very young. Circa ‘66 young.

Letterman was incredulous.  “Johnny… what the heck are you doing here, how can this be possible?” the aging late night host queried. (more…)

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Tags: David Letterman, johnny carson, Late Night, mccain, nbc
Posted Jun 12th 2009 at 6:04 pm in Entertainment, Media Criticism, News, Political Humor, Politics | 1588309 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/emannix/2009/06/12/the-ghost-of-johnny-carson/The+Ghost+of+Johnny+Carson2009-06-13+01%3A04%3A59Ernie+Mannix

Letterman ‘Jokes’ About the Statutory Rape of 14-Year Old Willow Palin **Updated** Sarah and Todd Palin Respond **2nd UPDATE** Letterman Responds

–

To be amazed at how low David Letterman will stoop in order to humiliate Sarah Palin means we still think of him as an entertainer, instead of what he is: a leftist ideologue willing to do whatever it takes to destroy a perceived threat to the Democrat majority. Letterman’s nothing special or unique. He’s merely joined the whole of the entertainment industry in sacrificing his place as an entertainer and legacy as an artist to wage ideological war.

Maybe our first step in fighting back is to wake up to this fact and stop being amazed. (more…)

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Tags: cbs, David Letterman, jay leno, johnny carson, Late Night
Posted Jun 9th 2009 at 11:09 pm in Celebrity News, Politics | 1563387 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/06/09/letterman-jokes-about-the-statutory-rape-of-14-year-old-willow-palin-funny/Letterman+%27Jokes%27+About+the+Statutory+Rape+of+14-Year+Old+Willow+Palin+%2A%2AUpdated%2A%2A+Sarah+and+Todd+Palin+Respond+%2A%2A2nd+UPDATE%2A%2A+Letterman+Responds2009-06-10+06%3A09%3A29John+Nolte

O’Brien Plays it Safe, Smart in ‘Tonight Show’ Debut

Conan O’Brien played it safe in his debut as host of NBC’s Tonight Show last night. That’s a good choice, actually. The big question is: Will it last?

As I noted in an article reporting on NBC’s choice of personable Saturday Night Live alum Jimmy Fallon to host its Late Show as O’Brien moved to the Tonight Show, Fallon was closer to the style that had worked so well for the latter program in the past: intelligent, likable, and not too challenging or edgy.

O’Brien, I noted, was much less winsome and much more ambitious in his comedy, and for the Tonight Show to have success, either he or the audience would have to change, with the latter being highly unlikely except through serious shrinkage. And of course that would be a disaster for the Peacock Network.

Fallon has done well at Late Night since taking the reins on March 3, in both entertainment value and audience ratings. Late Night appears to be in very capable hands, and although it’s simply a timewaster, that’s all it is intended to be, while delivering consistent audience numbers for NBC’s advertisers. (more…)

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Tags: Conan O'Brien, jimmy fallon, johnny carson, Late Night, talk shows
Posted Jun 2nd 2009 at 3:33 pm in Entertainment, Reviews | 1497746 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/stkarnick/2009/06/02/obrien-plays-it-safe-smart-in-tonight-show-debut/O%27Brien+Plays+it+Safe%2C+Smart+in+%27Tonight+Show%27+Debut2009-06-02+22%3A33%3A59S.T.+Karnick

Letterman vs. O’Reilly (and Limbaugh, and the Republican Party, and the War on Terror…)

Kids, you might not believe me, but there was once a point when Dave Letterman was considered funny.

You know what really destroyed Letterman for me? For years Letterman coasted on the same gag — “Look at how much precious network time I’m wasting with comedy bits intended to go nowhere and provide zero entertainment to the audience.”

Now, the thing of it was, we, the loyal Letterman audience, thought we were in on the joke. We laughed along with Dave as he wasted our time, because we were digging that he was also wasting the network’s time. All those “found comedy” moments that yielded nothing but awkward silence and stilted interaction with deli owners. (more…)

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Tags: Bill O'Reilly, David Letterman, johnny carson, Norm McDonald, Saturday Night LIve
Posted Apr 1st 2009 at 1:36 pm in Entertainment, Featured Story, Political Humor | 9493062 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/aspades/2009/04/01/letterman-vs-oreilly-and-limbaugh-and-the-republican-party-and-the-war-on-terror/Letterman+vs.+O%27Reilly+%28and+Limbaugh%2C+and+the+Republican+Party%2C+and+the+War+on+Terror...%292009-04-01+20%3A36%3A42Ace+of+Spades

Review: The Great Buck Howard—A Show Biz Valentine

The Great Buck Howard is a funny, knowing gift for anyone who loves old-fashioned show business: It celebrates the entertainer who is in it for the fun of putting on a good show, and for bringing a little pleasure to anyone who cares enough to come out and watch. 

Buck Howard the man is an old-fashioned show-business type: He is a mentalist—a magician who does mind-reading tricks. But he is preternaturally good at what he does (in contrast to his complete lack of self-awareness), and he was once a pop-culture fixture, a regular on The Tonight Show. (“The real one—with Johnny Carson,” he constantly reminds—this will have its intended melancholy effect only on those over 40 or so.) Now he plays half-empty halls in third-tier markets. Not that this tempers his enthusiasm, or that of his fans. Which is exactly the point. (more…)

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Tags: 9/11, amazing kreskin, brothers lost, colin hanks, don most
Posted Mar 25th 2009 at 2:51 pm in Reviews | 88770No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mlong/2009/03/25/review-the-great-buck-howard%e2%80%94a-show-biz-valentine/Review%3A+The+Great+Buck+Howard%E2%80%94A+Show+Biz+Valentine2009-03-25+21%3A51%3A07Mike+Long

Oscar ratings up 11% and up over 14% with the coveted 18-49 demo!

Good news for the Motion Picture Academy. Despite the fact that the five Best Picture nominees had combined to gross less than $300M domestic by showtime, Oscar ratings were up considerably from last year’s all-time low. Early numbers show that the ABC telecast scored a 27 share, surging by 11% overall and by over 14% with TV’s “money demo” 18-49s. Compare that to last year when the show was down 25% in households from 2007 and down 30% among 18-49s.

The credit should go to producers Lawrence Mark and Bill Condon, although I can see why the streamlined show is a bit of a Rorschach test for viewers. If you love movies, and especially actors, last night’s show was respectful and enlightening. If you are inclined to dislike awards shows and actors, then the telecast would be pretty dreary.

(more…)

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Tags: acadamy awards, anne hathaway, ben kindsley, ben stiller, bill condon
Posted Feb 23rd 2009 at 10:55 am in Entertainment, Media Criticism, News | 6465022 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/smason/2009/02/23/oscar-ratings/Oscar+ratings+up+11%25+and+up+over+14%25+with+the+coveted+18-49+demo%212009-02-23+18%3A55%3A10Steve+Mason