Johnny Carson Kept Americans Up Late for 30 Years

Johnny Carson was quick-witted; he was cool, and he was a master foil for some of the biggest names in show business.

He is the iconic host of the most enduring U.S. night-time talk show, kept Americans up late for 30 years.

Introduced by sidekick Ed McMahon’s nightly rallying cry of “Heeeeeere’s Johnny,” Carson’s blend of humor, music and conversation on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” was the last thing millions of Americans heard before drifting off to sleep for three decades.

Carson, 79, died on Sunday after a long bout with emphysema, his family said.

America has never had a comedian who lasted as long on one program as Carson nor exerted as much influence. The Iowa-born, Nebraska-raised comedian often expressed the national mood better than any other competitor.

His show was also a reliable money-spinner for NBC: under Carson, “The Tonight Show” accounted for between 12 percent and 17 percent of the network’s revenues depending on the year.

Politicians could test their popularity by Carson’s monologue — a joke about them might set people laughing and spell trouble, as Richard Nixon found out when Carson started making Watergate jokes. Carson stopped the Nixon jokes when the president resigned and took a helicopter ride into exile.

Former President Bush felt Carson’s sting when he reneged on his “Read my lips, no new taxes” pledge, inspiring the comedian to say Bush’s next step would be “Read my lips, no new promises.”

And Jimmy Carter and his brother Billy were not helped by Carson’s 1978 joke question: “Who has the two biggest boobs in America?” Answer: “Lillian Carter.”

Watched nightly by millions, Carson had over 24,000 guests on his show, asked them more than 200,000 questions and, NBC calculated, was seen over 30 years by 83 billion people.