by Aaren J. Stewart

Created on: January 17, 2008   Last Updated: January 18, 2008

What can be written or said about a TV legend and entertainment icon in just a few short paragraphs? When Johnny Carson's name is mentioned in show-biz circles, terms such as "genius","the king" and "the master" are not uncommon. In 1962, with only a few television shows such as "Carson's Cellar" under his belt, Johnny was tapped to take over "The Tonight Show", NBC was about to take a huge chance-and even worse, Johnny was so nervous about hosting the show in front of millions-he had to spend some time in Las Vegas just to relax and calm down. Johnny was not an immediate hit. Slowly he began to catch on with late night viewers. Moving the show from New York to Burbank after only a few short years. With Ed McMahon as his announcer and trusty side-kick, Johnny became more and more comfortable on-air, and with his monologues becoming so popular in later years; they were often the subject of next-day "water-cooler" conversations at the office. With high-profile guests such as Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin-then known as "The Rat Pack" and the likes of Bob Hope, Johnny's late night show was both a "must be on" and "must see TV", the latter, even before it became a popular NBC slogan. A few guest hosts did come through, such as Joan Rivers, (not a favorite of Johnny's) it is well known that Carson never spoke to her after she got her own show, reportedly because she didn't tell Johnny about it first. Other hosts came and went, but none could ever came close to the quick-wit, magic and charm of Johnny. Carson's show remained popular until his retirement in 1992. Veteran stand-up comedian and frequent guest host,Jay Leno, became the shows permanent host. Insiders thought then "Late Night" host David Letterman-also on NBC, was surely the heir apparent, but Johnny wanted the more mainstream Leno. This is the reason Letterman jumped ship and went to CBS to host the current, "Late Show" with David Letterman. Meanwhile, Conan O'Brien, the current host of "Late Night" has been slated to take over "The Tonight Show"in 2009. Although Carson passed away just a few years ago, he will forever rein as "King of the Night".

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