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Rare Pre-1972 Carson footage found

C

CrankyYankee

Who knows how many other TV shows were archived by AFN/AFRTS... many old radio shows survive only through AFRTS recordings.
 
The articles noted that Johnny wanted to show clips of past "Tonight Shows" for his 10th anniversary as host in 1972, but that very little footage was available.

Nevertheless, there were a few clips, and it began an annual tradition of anniversary shows (which would eventually be broadcast as prime-time specials) that would continue until Carson stepped down in 1992.

One of the few pre-1970 clips that survived the decades was perhaps the single most famous bit from Johnny's 30-year run as "Tonight" host: A 1965 tomahawk-throwing demonstration with guest Ed Ames (who was then co-starring in "Daniel Boone").

Although the "Tonight Show" had been broadcast in color throughout Johnny's time as host, very little of the pre-1970 footage that exists is in color. There are some black-and-white kinescopes (such as the Ed Ames tomahawk bit).

As far as I know, there are only three pre-1970 Carson shows that exist in color:

(1) The December 31, 1965 New Year's Eve edition (Interestingly enough, there is a live segment from Times Square as the clock hits Midnight, but it's in black-and-white, likely owing to the fact that first-generation TK-41 color cameras wouldn't provide an adequate picture of a midnight outdoor scene at Times Square)

(2) A 1969 show from Burbank (this was before Johnny moved west for good) with Bob Hope, George Gobel, and Dean Martin as guests (this episode has been released on DVD as "Return To Studio One")

(3) And another 1969 episode taped in Burbank with Jack Webb as guest in which he and Johnny do a "Dragnet" spoof concerning "clappers".
 
Joseph_Gallant said:
As far as I know, there are only three pre-1970 Carson shows that exist in color:

(1) The December 31, 1965 New Year's Eve edition (Interestingly enough, there is a live segment from Times Square as the clock hits Midnight, but it's in black-and-white, likely owing to the fact that first-generation TK-41 color cameras wouldn't provide an adequate picture of a midnight outdoor scene at Times Square)

(2) A 1969 show from Burbank (this was before Johnny moved west for good) with Bob Hope, George Gobel, and Dean Martin as guests (this episode has been released on DVD as "Return To Studio One")

(3) And another 1969 episode taped in Burbank with Jack Webb as guest in which he and Johnny do a "Dragnet" spoof concerning "clappers".
Click to expand...

What about the Tiny Tim / Miss Vicki wedding episode, which was in 1969?
 
I own a DVD of the ubiquitous 1964 episode with Arlene Dahl, Henry Morgan and Jake Ehrlich. Is there anything older than that?
 
(1) The December 31, 1965 New Year's Eve edition (Interestingly enough, there is a live segment from Times Square as the clock hits Midnight, but it's in black-and-white, likely owing to the fact that first-generation TK-41 color cameras wouldn't provide an adequate picture of a midnight outdoor scene at Times Square)
Click to expand...

That's probably the only recording of the short-lived 11:15-11:30 block with Ed and the band. From it's beginning back in 1954 to around 1966 or 67, "Tonight" ran from 11:15 PM to 1 AM. In the early days, a lot of late local newscasts only lasted 15 minutes, so stations could join "Tonight" at 11:15 with no problem. By the time Johnny became host, some stations didn't carry the first 15 minutes, either because they thought the monologue was either an afterthought or maybe a little "too hot for TV", or because they had half hour late night newscasts that were making good money. Either way, after a year or two, Johnny was ticked off enough that he refused to start the show until 11:30, forcing NBC to provide 15 minutes for those stations that still only did 15 minute newscasts. The solution was to have the NBC Orchestra (still led by Skitch Henderson at that point) do a 15 minute set, punctuated with some chatter from Skitch and Ed. One of the changes resulting from Johnny's first real contract tussle with NBC was the first 15 minutes of "Tonight" being chopped.
 
Joseph_Gallant said:
Although the "Tonight Show" had been broadcast in color throughout Johnny's time as host, very little of the pre-1970 footage that exists is in color. There are some black-and-white kinescopes (such as the Ed Ames tomahawk bit).

As far as I know, there are only three pre-1970 Carson shows that exist in color:

(1) The December 31, 1965 New Year's Eve edition (Interestingly enough, there is a live segment from Times Square as the clock hits Midnight, but it's in black-and-white, likely owing to the fact that first-generation TK-41 color cameras wouldn't provide an adequate picture of a midnight outdoor scene at Times Square)

(2) A 1969 show from Burbank (this was before Johnny moved west for good) with Bob Hope, George Gobel, and Dean Martin as guests (this episode has been released on DVD as "Return To Studio One")

(3) And another 1969 episode taped in Burbank with Jack Webb as guest in which he and Johnny do a "Dragnet" spoof concerning "clappers".
Click to expand...
...Dr. Frank Field obtained a few colour kinescopes of his occasional 1960s appearances on The Tonight Show, as well as one of a gag appearance Johnny Carson himself made during one of Dr. Field's weather forecasts on the WNBC-TV/4 New York late news. Clips from those kinnies were incorporated into an anniversary tribute special for Dr. Field on WWOR-TV/9 Secaucus back circa 2001...

...BTW, I have a DVD of Return to Studio One, which runs only about 35 minutes. Has AFRTS located the remainder of that program, by any chance?...
 
Azumanga wrote: said:
What about the Tiny Tim / Miss Vicki wedding episode, which was in 1969?
Click to expand...

I thought that only a part of that episode (maybe an hour out of a 90-minute show??), covering the ceremony and the immediate aftermath, survived as a color tape.
 
There is a snippet with Muhammad Ali from New York that survived.

Look I 'understand' to a point why tapes were erased as in 1969 a one hour 2 inch tape cost $250 - however all of these shows must have been put on kinescope for stations in Hawaii and Alaska that were still of the grid. Those should have been kept.
 
Joseph_Gallant said:
Azumanga wrote: said:
What about the Tiny Tim / Miss Vicki wedding episode, which was in 1969?
Click to expand...

I thought that only a part of that episode (maybe an hour out of a 90-minute show??), covering the ceremony and the immediate aftermath, survived as a color tape.
Click to expand...

Indeed, the whole program is archived from VTR. I have a copy of it.

Of note this evening, one of the sponsors - and I believe a commercial is adjacent to the ceremony itself - was for PEPTO BISMOL. Draw your own conclusion. :D

--Russell
 
Tiny Tim, Miss Vicki & Pepto-Bismol(Was: Re: Rare Pre-1972 Carson footage found)

Russell W. noted: said:
Of note this evening (when Tiny Tim married Miss Vicki), one of the sponsors - and I believe a commercial is adjacent to the ceremony itself - was for PEPTO BISMOL. Draw your own conclusion. :D
Click to expand...

Didn't Tiny Tim divorce Miss Vicki within a couple of years??

If it isn't out on DVD, hopefully, the Carson estate will release this episode. I've never seen it.

And include the original commercials, please.
 
I have to wonder if somewhere in Alaska or Hawaii there is a treasure chest of kinescopes just waiting to be found.

Even with videotape it would have been cheaper to make a kine and ship it cheaper weight wise.

ABC had a policy in place as late as 1970 for affiliates that preempted a show and were not able to record in color. I remember WMUR got a 16mm version of 'It Takes a Thief' with the network commercials spliced in.

Carson ran M-F on AFVN in Vietnam on about a 4 week delay. Those kine's are probably in a rice paddy now.
 
Fenway1912 said:
The oldest known Carson NBC clip is from 1962 when Johnny was still finishing his ABC contract but NBC snuck him into another primetime show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=EZ5GwzvkN-k#t=162s


The You Tube clip is from a rebroadcast of the show in 1966 as the ending credits promote a Stanley Cup Final and Mr. Roberts which would mean the rebroadcast aired in April of 1966.
Click to expand...

So Johnny lip-synched on Sing Along With Mitch. Weird. And I suspect "I Love You, Mary Lou" would have been considered corny in 1962.
 
Lkeller said:
Fenway1912 said:
The oldest known Carson NBC clip is from 1962 when Johnny was still finishing his ABC contract but NBC snuck him into another primetime show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=EZ5GwzvkN-k#t=162s


The You Tube clip is from a rebroadcast of the show in 1966 as the ending credits promote a Stanley Cup Final and Mr. Roberts which would mean the rebroadcast aired in April of 1966.
Click to expand...

So Johnny lip-synched on Sing Along With Mitch. Weird. And I suspect "I Love You, Mary Lou" would have been considered corny in 1962.
Click to expand...

It was considered corny in 1922
 
Fenway1912 said:
Carson ran M-F on AFVN in Vietnam on about a 4 week delay. Those kine's are probably in a rice paddy now.
Click to expand...
...was it the entire 105-minute or 90-minute program, minus the commercials (or with PSAs and promos inserted into the commercial breaks), or was it a considerably shorter edition?...
 
Re: Tiny Tim, Miss Vicki & Pepto-Bismol(Was: Re: Rare Pre-1972 Carson footage found)

Joseph_Gallant said:
Russell W. noted: said:
Of note this evening (when Tiny Tim married Miss Vicki), one of the sponsors - and I believe a commercial is adjacent to the ceremony itself - was for PEPTO BISMOL. Draw your own conclusion. :D
Click to expand...

Didn't Tiny Tim divorce Miss Vicki within a couple of years??

If it isn't out on DVD, hopefully, the Carson estate will release this episode. I've never seen it.

And include the original commercials, please.
Click to expand...

I have this episode and with original commercials. Yes additional Armed Forces prints of the Tonight Show exist as well as I've seen them before. I've also sent late 1960s network prints to the Carson archives before and have some more additional prints to peruse.
 
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