So Long, John, We'll Miss You

When Fox News Channel broke the news that Johnny Carson had died, it was like a punch to the gut.

I, like millions of others, had grown up watching “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson,” and actually started watching The Tonight Show when Steve Allen started it.

I was in high school when Johnny took over after Jack Paar left the show. I loved the show, which initially started at 11:15 p.m. following a shorter version of the 11 o’clock news. During that early segment, the Tonight Show Band most often played an entire tune. Being a musician, I lived for that as much as for the rest of the show.

Later on, the 11 o’clock news was extended to 11:30, and that early segment was no longer broadcast. Eventually, NBC did away with it, I suppose because most stations did not carry it. The band didn’t play whole tunes very often, just the bumpers in and out of breaks.

In the early 70s I worked for the local TV station, and was the switcher during The Tonight Show. I was paid to watch Johnny do his thing. It doesn’t get much better than that.

I had a lot of great times watching Johnny over the years. The show isn’t as good as when he had it, and that’s not a slam at Jay Leno, it’s a tribute to Johnny, who was one of a kind, and the best there ever has been at late night talk.