Ed McMahon Dies at 86

[bpatrick]

I wonder if Ed was responsible for the selection of
Woody Woodbury as Johnny's replacement on "Who
Do You Trust?" Ed and Woody were fighter pilots in
Korea and knew each other. Be that as it may, Woody
didn't work out as Johnny's replacement; the show lasted
only fifteen months with him, and his attempt at a talk
show lasted only about a year (1967-68).

On his website yesterday, Steve Beverly mentioned the
game shows Ed hosted: "Missing Links," "Snap Judgment,"
"Concentration" (briefly), and a 1979 prime time entry,
"Whodunit?" Beverly says that Ed was not a good host;
he never seemed to be in the comfort zone that the best
emcees put themselves in. But as announcer-sidekick,
he was the best.

 

[searadiofreak]

I now feel a certain closure with the Carson Tonight Show. The combination of Conan taking over for Jay, and now the passing of ledgendary Ed, it just seems time to move on. And that is hard to do, since the Carson years were so much a part of my life. That show, in that era, was unmatched. Nobody came close to Johnny and Ed, although many tried. Looking back at the clips (especially last nights great tribute with Conan), you realize that this show was absolutely legendary. And while we move on, we can feel fortunate that we had an opportunity to see THE greatest TV talk show of all time, and Ed was a huge part of that.

 

[Silkie]

We used to have a deal going years ago in our Friday after work watering hole in Baltimore: "Oh, I'm so sorry, I will not be able to attend this Sunday, as Ed McMahon will be coming to the house with my Publisher's Clearinghouse check.".

 

[BlueWanderer]

The tribute on Conan's Tonight Show was good, but not that great. They should have spend at least one more full segment showing more Ed McMahon clips. I was a bit disappointed how the second segment went and those TMZ jokes during that segment really aggravated me. I did enjoy the Late Night clip with the somewhat eerie "If I don't see you again, have a nice life" comment.

I was too young to remember the Carson-era Tonight Show so I mostly remember Ed as "the guy with the big checks who came to your door". He will be missed.

 

[Tim L]

On a recent trip to Columbus, Ohio I decided to check out a Half-Price Books store there..They have a lot of relatively rare books and video..I happened to find a 10 episode Johnny Carson Show DVD(Price:$7.98).This was, however, Johnny's Prime Time CBS effort in 1955-56..His first big break..Among the extras is a 1958 Who Do You Trust episode with Ed..Another extra is a clip from when Johnny guest hosted for Jack Paar, which i didnt know he ever did..

 

[firepoint525]

On a recent trip to Columbus, Ohio I decided to check out a Half-Price Books store there..They have a lot of relatively rare books and video..I happened to find a 10 episode Johnny Carson Show DVD(Price:$7.98).This was, however, Johnny's Prime Time CBS effort in 1955-56..His first big break..Among the extras is a 1958 Who Do You Trust episode with Ed..Another extra is a clip from when Johnny guest hosted for Jack Paar, which i didnt know he ever did..

Haven't almost all Tonight show hosts started out as guest hosts, or at least had some hosting experience with their own shows? If Carson had retired around 1985 or so, Joan Rivers might have taken over as host of Tonight. After she bolted for her own (short-lived) show on Fox, Garry Shandling emerged as heir apparent. Then sometime after that, Jay Leno emerged as the most obvious choice.

Of course, David Letterman wanted to be promoted to an hour earlier, hosting Tonight himself. Conan O'Brien has now done what Letterman wasn't able to do, but it took him 16 years to do it. Letterman hosted Late Night for 11 years.