Rare 1964 Tonight Show Clip (From Color Videotape!)

[Stanislav]

Mark Evanier reports on the posting to YouTube of a very rare item, indeed: a segment of a September 1964 color Tonight Show that was preserved on 2" quad and not junked with the rest of the tapes that were wiped by NBC. Mark has it embedded in the blog post:

http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2009_06_13.html#017264

Or you can go right to the clip on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkeqkEg2SiI

Nice to see what Johnny's show REALLY looked like to viewers of that era! (Not some grainy, scratchy, third-generation B&W kinescope).

 

[therealjm12]

Stan, thank you for posting that. it was great. It's just too bad there are not other clips from the Tonight Show from the NYC days.
What a waste.

 

[hubcity]

Stan, thank you for posting that. it was great. It's just too bad there are not other clips from the Tonight Show from the NYC days.
What a waste.

There's a bit more, actually - not a wealth of video by any stretch, but portions of the New Year's Eve 1965-1966 show are up:

Opening Credits and Criswell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZCjBz4iGW8

The Muppets: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOvfXvQygrk

The portion with Woody Allen used to be available - can't find it now, though.

 

[KyDXIn]

Stan, thank you for posting that. it was great. It's just too bad there are not other clips from the Tonight Show from the NYC days.
What a waste.

There's a bit more, actually - not a wealth of video by any stretch, but portions of the New Year's Eve 1965-1966 show are up:

Opening Credits and Criswell: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZCjBz4iGW8

The Muppets: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOvfXvQygrk

The portion with Woody Allen used to be available - can't find it now, though.

Thanks NBC for trashing so much incredible priceless footage.

 

[searadiofreak]

Was this recorded in the same studio that Letterman and Conan used? And is Jimmy Fallon in the same spot? (I know there are two studios across the hall from each other on the sixth floor.)

 

[LKellerIII]

Great clip! A couple of observations...perhaps obvious:

Note the leisurely presentation. Johnny and Ed's slow intro of Mr. Zabka - the nice leisurely performance itself, and the long friendly chat between Johnny and Zabka afterward. Granted, the Tonight Show had 90 minutes to play with in those days - but I suspect modern viewers would be bored by the slower pace of the show.

Loved Johnny's mention of NBC's 3 note signature tone (bong, bong, bong) as something from the past. I guess it wasn't used in the 50s and 60s, but it's been back since the 80s on NBC radio and TV.


Finally, the lead up to the commercial at the end, with Johnny holding up the product (L&M cigarettes, yet). Those of us old enough will remember that The Tonight Show, like many shows of that era - would intro the actual commercials, and show the product. It was not unusual for Ed to do live commercials on set - sometimes with amusing results...like the Alpo commercials on set with live dogs. On some occasions, they would NOT eat the Alpo.

 

[azumanga]

Loved Johnny's mention of NBC's 3 note signature tone (bong, bong, bong) as something from the past. I guess it wasn't used in the 50s and 60s, but it's been back since the 80s on NBC radio and TV.

Actually, the NBC chimes were used at the end of many of their programs during this era, generally over the Xylophone (1950s) or "snake" (1960s) logos; they also continued to use the chimes on radio. They retired the chimes from general television use in the early-1970s, except for occasional use on NBC's news programs.

Finally, the lead up to the commercial at the end, with Johnny holding up the product (L&M cigarettes, yet). Those of us old enough will remember that The Tonight Show, like many shows of that era - would intro the actual commercials, and show the product.

Johnny was also one of the last to do this -- I recall him doing these intros until close to his retirement from the show.

It was not unusual for Ed to do live commercials on set - sometimes with amusing results...like the Alpo commercials on set with live dogs. On some occasions, they would NOT eat the Alpo.

And on one occasion, Johnny would instead.

 

[PrivateSector]

Was this recorded in the same studio that Letterman and Conan used? And is Jimmy Fallon in the same spot? (I know there are two studios across the hall from each other on the sixth floor.)

Letterman, Conan and now, Jimmy Fallon all used the same studio. Carson was done in a different studio. Not sure which one.

In California, Johnny was always in studio one and Leno was done across the hall in studio three. Studio one had quite a history. Most Bob Hope specials were done there. Regular shows done in studio one included Truth or Consequences, Hollywood Squares and many others. Studio three was the home of Let's Make A Deal for many years.

Interestingly, The Ed Sullivan Theater was also a regular taping location for Password, To Tell The Truth, What's My Line and many of those other great 60's game shows.

I love that stuff!

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Interestingly, The Ed Sullivan Theater was also a regular taping location for Password, To Tell The Truth, What's My Line and many of those other great 60's game shows.

After Sullivan finished at 9:00 ET, they were able to strike and re-dress the stage
for Line to go live at 10:30 ET? The CBS techs in their various union jurisdictions
may have been good at what they did, but I don't they would move that fast!

Or are you referring to the syndicated WML from 1968-1975?

 

[searadiofreak]

Was this recorded in the same studio that Letterman and Conan used? And is Jimmy Fallon in the same spot? (I know there are two studios across the hall from each other on the sixth floor.)

Letterman, Conan and now, Jimmy Fallon all used the same studio. Carson was done in a different studio. Not sure which one.

In California, Johnny was always in studio one and Leno was done across the hall in studio three. Studio one had quite a history. Most Bob Hope specials were done there. Regular shows done in studio one included Truth or Consequences, Hollywood Squares and many others. Studio three was the home of Let's Make A Deal for many years.

Interestingly, The Ed Sullivan Theater was also a regular taping location for Password, To Tell The Truth, What's My Line and many of those other great 60's game shows.

I love that stuff!

Well, if Carson used a different studio, it must have been the one across the hall. I get them confused, 6-A, and 6-B. Because the only other main studios are 8-H, (SNL) and the news studios, back when "Nightly" and "Today" were based in the the main tower. I attended a Letterman taping in the late 80's, and at the time WNBC ran their newscasts out of the studio across the hall. In fact, Letterman occasionally "invaded" the Live At Five WNBC newscasts while they were on the air. Fun stuff.

 

[radioman148]

Mark Evanier reports on the posting to YouTube of a very rare item, indeed: a segment of a September 1964 color Tonight Show that was preserved on 2" quad and not junked with the rest of the tapes that were wiped by NBC. Mark has it embedded in the blog post:

http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2009_06_13.html#017264

Or you can go right to the clip on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkeqkEg2SiI

Nice to see what Johnny's show REALLY looked like to viewers of that era! (Not some grainy, scratchy, third-generation B&W kinescope).

Thanks for sharing this rare clip.

 

[searadiofreak]

Was this recorded in the same studio that Letterman and Conan used? And is Jimmy Fallon in the same spot? (I know there are two studios across the hall from each other on the sixth floor.)

Letterman, Conan and now, Jimmy Fallon all used the same studio. Carson was done in a different studio. Not sure which one.

In California, Johnny was always in studio one and Leno was done across the hall in studio three. Studio one had quite a history. Most Bob Hope specials were done there. Regular shows done in studio one included Truth or Consequences, Hollywood Squares and many others. Studio three was the home of Let's Make A Deal for many years.

Interestingly, The Ed Sullivan Theater was also a regular taping location for Password, To Tell The Truth, What's My Line and many of those other great 60's game shows.

I love that stuff!

Well, if Carson used a different studio, it must have been the one across the hall. I get them confused, 6-A, and 6-B. Because the only other main studios are 8-H, (SNL) and the news studios, back when "Nightly" and "Today" were based in the the main tower. I attended a Letterman taping in the late 80's, and at the time WNBC ran their newscasts out of the studio across the hall. In fact, Letterman occasionally "invaded" the Live At Five WNBC newscasts while they were on the air. Fun stuff.

Upon further investigation, according wikipedia, Johnny did indeed tape in 6-B, across the hall from 6-A (Letterman, Conan). But also according to this source, Jimmy Fallon is back in 6-B, the original Carson studio. Very interesting.

 

[cspotrun]

notice the little blinking box in the upper right hand corner towards the end of the clip? that was a cue for a commercial break for local stations.

 

[wbhist]

When Carson showed the cover of Mr. Zabka's LP, notice that one of the themes mentioned on the cover was for Movie Four. This was WNBC's late afternoon (and, up to January 1965, Saturday night) movie series (the Saturday night edition was replaced, ironically enough, by weekend repeats of Carson's Tonight Show, so this particular show may have been repeated on one such Saturday night). According to Mr. Zabka, the Movie Four theme was "Silhouette of a Dream," and I think it's the first Movie Four cut on this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZjYB6KDa5E

Would anyone know who recorded the easy-listening variation of "Petite Fleur" that was on the second Movie Four cut?

 

[4dude]

Thanks NBC for trashing so much incredible priceless footage.

Which looked MUCH BETTER!!

 

[Smittian]

Stan Zabka's son is none other than William Zabka, who played the villain in what seemed like ever 80's teen movie. Most notably Johnny Lawrence from "The Karate Kid".........................."SWEEP THE LEG!"

 

[radioman148]

Stan Zabka's son is none other than William Zabka, who played the villain in what seemed like ever 80's teen movie. Most notably Johnny Lawrence from "The Karate Kid".........................."SWEEP THE LEG!"

Did not know that--Thanks!

 

[johnnya2k6]

Was this recorded in the same studio that Letterman and Conan used? And is Jimmy Fallon in the same spot? (I know there are two studios across the hall from each other on the sixth floor.)

Letterman, Conan and now, Jimmy Fallon all used the same studio. Carson was done in a different studio. Not sure which one.

In California, Johnny was always in studio one and Leno was done across the hall in studio three. Studio one had quite a history. Most Bob Hope specials were done there. Regular shows done in studio one included Truth or Consequences, Hollywood Squares and many others. Studio three was the home of Let's Make A Deal for many years.

If you mean the first few years of LMAD before it moved to ABC, yes.

Studio 3 also served as home to "Laugh-In" and "CPO Sharkey", and we all remember that classic moment when Don Rickles destroyed Johnny's cigarette box and Johnny going across the hall to the latter show to give Rickles a grilling he would never forget!

When Leno returns this fall with "The Jay Leno Show", he'll still originate from Studio 3.

"Access Hollywood", meanwhile, currently occupies Studio 1.

Oh, and Jimmy Fallon is done at Studio 6B, the former home of "Live at Five" as well as Carson before he moved to Burbank.

 

[radioman148]

Was this recorded in the same studio that Letterman and Conan used? And is Jimmy Fallon in the same spot? (I know there are two studios across the hall from each other on the sixth floor.)

Letterman, Conan and now, Jimmy Fallon all used the same studio. Carson was done in a different studio. Not sure which one.

In California, Johnny was always in studio one and Leno was done across the hall in studio three. Studio one had quite a history. Most Bob Hope specials were done there. Regular shows done in studio one included Truth or Consequences, Hollywood Squares and many others. Studio three was the home of Let's Make A Deal for many years.

If you mean the first few years of LMAD before it moved to ABC, yes.

Studio 3 also served as home to "Laugh-In" and "CPO Sharkey", and we all remember that classic moment when Don Rickles destroyed Johnny's cigarette box and Johnny going across the hall to the latter show to give Rickles a grilling he would never forget!

My favorite line from that grilling, Rickles announcing to his audience, "Johnny Carson ladies and gentleman"
Carson firing back, "They know who I am!"

 

[FreddyE1977]

my dad would not be springing for a color set for another decade, but it is nice to see