"Heeeeeeere's Johnny!" Who do you trust? It was a question that John William Carson asked viewers and contestants every day for five seasons, as host of the popular game show by that title in the 50's and early 60's. "Who Do You Trust?" was Johnny Carson's first team-up with Ed McMahon, and his next-to-last one. Their next teaming was in 1962, and that one lasted for 30 years. It was "The Tonight Show, starring Johnny Carson", and on that show they ruled the twilight airwaves together.
But it might not have happened. After several years of hosting the odd TV series, Carson had virtually "retired" to studio writing. He wrote for The Red Skelton Show, and seemed content to work behind the camera. One night, though, Skelton suffered a concussion by running into a doorway, and since Carson was the most airtime-experienced person on the staff, he got called out of the bullpen. Reciting on-air a monologue he had thrown together while driving over to the studio, he earned high praise for his efforts from the bulk of Hollywood, including Jack Benny, who said he would go far. It was that event which brought Carson back into the hosting game, but still "paying his dues" in the minor leagues of broadcasting. However, he worked hard and impressed many. So, when Jack Parr left "The Tonight Show" in '62, Carson got the call to the starting lineup. And the rest is television history.
The DVDs: "The Ultimate Carson Collection"
For a while now the Best of Carson home videos have been available - on tape - directly through the Carson Club, and for a long time they were only purchasable from there. But a year ago the "Ultimate Carson Collection" was created and released on both VHS and on DVD, putting the best of the best together into one place. Uh, not that you'd have known about it unless you happened to hit Carson's web site or catch some pre-dawn-hours infomercials! Now, finally, the DVDs are available at a select couple of Internet e-tailers, the best known of which is Amazon.com. To mark this wider release, the nice folks at Johnny Carson's Club have sent me a copy of the DVD version to review. And I was stunned by what a terrific and entertaining set this is!
It is said that Carson has kept his own personal library of the masters of the Tonight Show broadcasts, and that he spent the necessary effort (and money) to keep the media from deteriorating over the years. Indeed, Carson's own website states that there are "4,000 episodes...stored 54 stories underground in a working salt mine outside of Kansas City." It goes on to explain that the vault is "believed to be one of the largest single television archives in the world, (and) the film and video repository is naturally climate controlled and protected from both earthquakes and fire."
Looking at this set, I can believe it all. This gorgeous 3-disc anthology provides the following programs, in both stunning black-and-white and in living color. Upon playing, you can easily see the hard work that went into this collection. But more on the quality in a moment; let me open by describing the contents of the DVDs for you. The first three programs were made especially for home video audiences and approved by Mr. Carson himself, the other three were previously broadcast over-the-air (descriptions below are taken from the marketing materials):
"The Best of the 60's & 70's"
"The Best of the 70's & 80's"
"The Best of the 80's & 90's"
"Johnny Goes Home" (Johnny's visit to his hometown in Nebraska).
The Emmy Award winning "5/21/92 Episode" (the second to last show starring Bette Midler and Robin Williams)
"The Final Show" (the final telecast looking back at 30 remarkable years)
While the above list is pretty self-explanatory, I'm going to take a moment and go into further detail: The first three programs are looks at a slice of Carson's Tonight Show career, each targeted at two decades. While you might THINK that the first disc would be '62-'72, the second from '72-'82, and the third from '82-'92, they didn't strictly hold to that. For instance, material on the first disc could be anywhere from the '70s. But you'll be pleased to note that nothing is repeated on the second disc...they don't "pad" it. The third disc consists of the penultimate and final shows in Carson's reign, both hilarious and touching tributes to the man and his legacy. But the 2nd feature on the 2nd disc is the most touching, and underrated, program in the set. This is an awesome look at Carson's background in his hometown of Norfolk, Nebraska. It shows him both then and now, operating the exact same car he learned to drive in, talking to old friends and classmates (and a teacher, too!). He looks us, the viewers, straight in the eye and informs us that he was no angel growing up; describing both the good and the bad (like taking cars for joyrides) in his youth. Showing us what this slice of America was like, both then and later on. This is, like Carson himself, more than a piece of entertainment...it's a part of Americana. This even includes home movie clips from his and his family's collections. It's a sweet look at what was, and where he (and we all) came from. I won't try to claim that this is "worth the price of admission alone", but it is definitely the icing on the cake; a terrific documentary that I'm VERY grateful was on this set. I enjoyed it a lot.
The Packaging, and Menu Navigation:
The set comes in a 4-panel "digipak", with three of the inner panels used by clear disc holders over boards that give you a list of some of the guest stars you will see on the volume which belongs there. Pictures (large and small) of Carson and his guests frame those guest lists. The big pictures of Carson are appropriate to the era depicted on each volume. There is no insert book: all the information is printed directly on the cardboard. The digipak itself slides into a cardboard slipcover, which is decorated on each side with a simple picture of Carson (younger on one side, older on the other), framed by a large star. The discs themselves are black with patterns of dark gray circles all over, except on the right where the disc numbers are printed larger, in the same dark gray color. The hub rings that hold the discs in place are somewhat tight, loosening up only with much use; I expect that purchasers of this set are going to break a hub (or perhaps even a disc) in their attempt to get the discs out.
The navigation and menu sequence starts on each disc with an entertaining (but overlong) animated sequence that gives you a taste of what follows. The sequences get old on repeat viewings, but are skippable just by pressing the "menu" button on your remote. The main menu lets you jump right into the action, or take a look at the complete list of guest stars you can find on that DVD. Extra menus are rarely more than one level deep, and when they are deeper than that they always keep a complete list of all other selectable options on-screen at the same time. You can always easily get to the next extra, or choose to watch one of the features from right where you're at, or jump back to the main menu. An elegantly simple menu design, and handsome in appearance. Great animated sequences (brief this time) let you know when your choice has been activated. There is no guessing or frustration here. A great job!
Video
The video you will see throughout this set is of a stunning quality, by-and-large. I won't claim that it's entirely fault-free, but you would be hard-pressed to find flaws that interfere with your viewing pleasure. Colors are bright and smooth in almost every scene. For the older footage, the gray scale has a nice vivid range that goes beyond mere black and white. There are, of course, some artifacts (speckles) in the oldest footage, along with some shimmering in the background. In some sequences the black levels are a bit off, but the shades or colors don't become murky or overly bright; they stay fairly even. The resolution is consistently quite good, even for the material recorded to videotape. It never becomes distractingly fuzzy or blurry, as we've seen with other DVDs that come from analog video sources.
Indeed, just about everything in this collection looks as good at the day it was first broadcast! It is hard to believe, with such varied sources over such a long range of years. But believe me: this anthology looks Great with a capital "G". I don't know if the material went through any sort of remastering process, or if the fine results on these discs are due to Carson's immaculate storage and maintenance criteria. In either case, the outcome is the same: this disc package sets a high standard for transfers to DVD of series this old.
Audio
The audio here is quite clean and clear. There are not any faults to really speak of; it is a clean presentation, without distractions for the most part. In a few of the sequences from the early years, there may be some hissing that you can detect, but it will blend right in with the age of the material. Since most everything about the show is driven by dialogue (and laughter), there is really no need for fancy multi-channel effects. Doc Severinsen and the NBC Orchestra sound awesome just this way, and while I wish we could have heard more from them AND the show's long list of musical guests, what IS in there sounds terrific. The straightforwardness of the soundtrack is appreciated even more when you play this in the bedroom, with the lights down, and recreate the original late night television experience.
There aren't a huge number of supplements included on this set, but what's in there really counts. Here's a rundown of the extras (descriptions are a mixture of marketing materials and of the reviewer's observations):
"The Johnny Carson Story" – a documentary, not seen often, which shows the journey that Carson took from his start as a childhood magician to The King of Late Night.
"Danger Johnny" - Hilarious location footage from the 1960's of Carson participating in various sporting events; featuring Mickey Mantel, NY Jets, Thunderbirds, STP race car, sky diving, track & field - produced specially for this DVD collection.
"Backstage Studio 1" - all new Behind the Scenes footage, taking you to sights in the wings that usually are only seen by the staff, the guests, the band, or by Johnny and Ed. Glimpse the infamous rubber chicken, how the cue cards are set up, Carson's desk, and the NBC Orchestra's pension fund!
"ISO Cams" - isolated camera angles from "The Final Show": when one of the three cameras was on the main action, the other two were still recording. Ever wondered what they observe? Wonder no more.
"History of the Show", "Awards and Honors" – Various bits of trivia about the show and it's legacy.
"Scripts and Notes" – Interview questions (including Carson's own notes in some places) for six guest appearances: Sammy Davis Jr., Madonna, Magic Johnson, Mel Brooks, Art Garfunkel, and "Crosby, Stills, & Nash". Also script rundowns of the 9/3/87 show with Lauren Becall (just as an example of a usual program) and of the Final Show from 5/22/92 (which is on Disc 3).
Summary
This collection of DVDs is nothing less than a fitting tribute to a television icon. A memorable look at a memorable show, featuring a memorable man: the king of late night television.
There is almost certainly much more material available in Carson's salt-mine vaults than can possibly be presented here. After all, 30 years of comedy 3 to 5 nights a week creates an awful lot of humor and wit. In fact, that's not all there is, because there is a new release available on DVD: "The Tonight Show: Return to Studio One, 3/6/69", a lost episode rediscovered rather recently in the hands of the Armed Forces Television Network, and now available through Amazon. Also there are DVDs available exclusively through the Carson Club: "Tonight Show Memories", "Johnny's Animal Hijinks", "Tonight Show Comedians Vol. 1", "Tonight Show Comedians Vol. 2", and the six program discs in the "Carson Club" series itself.
I don't mean to serve as a "plug" for Carson's complete catalog of DVDs here. I am trying to convey my utter enthusiasm for The Ultimate Carson Collection, and that it makes me want more of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. If the folks at the Carson Club fail to send me review copies of the other discs, then I know what I'm asking for this holiday season!
In the meantime, I'll be overjoyed to watch this compilation again and again. It has a high repeat-viewing factor, making it well worth the asking price. No matter your age, you'll enjoy watching Johnny Carson on The Ultimate Carson Collection DVDs, which I cannot recommend more highly. If you didn't watch his show when it first aired, then you wanted to stay up past your bedtime so you could watch his show. OR you were conceived while your parents had the show on in the background. In any case, we all owe lots to Johnny. And he'll reward us on this assemblage of DVDs, by giving us a belly full of laughs. Join Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon, and Doc Severinsen for the best late-night show there ever was. Or possibly will be.
