Johnny Carson: King of Late Night [HD]

A Comprehensive Carson Biography That Expertly Balances The Personal With The Professional
The great Johnny Carson is, of course, the perfect subject to be profiled in PBS's long-running "American Masters" series. An intensely private person, perhaps it was fitting and respectful that they waited a full seven years after his death before putting together this pretty comprehensive biography. Carson, to me, was always an extremely complicated and enigmatic man. He was uncomfortable disclosing the personal side of his life, and yet somehow managed to create a TV persona that you welcomed into your home on a nightly basis. He was a comfort, a friend, a routine. He changed the landscape of television talk shows, was (and is) beloved by the industry and the public, but was always wary of revealing his true self. It's a complicated dichotomy, and one that this profile attacks head-on. Having seen so many of the "American Masters" series, this may well be one of my favorites.

"King of Late Night" works on a number of different levels. It spends, obviously, a great deal...

Memories
Those who grew up watching Johnny Carson will enjoy this the most. Its been 20 years since he was last on the air, and it brought back a lot of memories for me from the 80's and early 90's when I was growing up and my parents watched The Tonight Show nearly every night.

Johnny was obviously not a perfect person, but his style of entertainment was so successful, most of us that watched him perform live will always be able to reminisce and realize that somehow the show became an important part of our lives, even if we didn't know it at the time. No matter how bad your day was, you knew you were going to come home, turn on the tv, and laugh. My parents have since passed away, but even something as simple as The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson was a large part of my life growing up, and I found watching this was both sad because its been so long since he was on the air and people like my parents were still around, and it also made me smile because I have so many memories from...

Definitely provides details about Carson I didn't know before but wish show clips were longer
These were the highlights of this one for me:

1. Details of Carson's early life and the experiences that may have motivated him to host a television show. There is evidence his need for approval may have come from a mother whose approval he sought - but never quite felt he received. There is also a fascinating timeline of Carson's first television shows, not all of them successful. He was, of course, in the right place at the right time and able to take advantage of television's first days.

2. Interviews with other comedians as well as those connected to the Tonight Show (Ed McMahon, Doc Severinsen). It was both interesting and touching to hear the admiration and awe from people like Dave Letterman, Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres, and so many others who credited Carson with paving the way for them - as well as being the benchmark for excellence.

3. Clips from the Tonight show as well as other programs featuring Carson. I did wish some of the clips were...

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