Who was the very first original host of the tonight show?!
Question: The original host of Tonight was Steve Allen, as noted above. Thanks to his popularity on this program, he was given his own primetime Sunday series, leading him to share Tonight hosting duties with Ernie Kovacs during the 1956–1957 season. While Allen prepared his Sunday comedy-variety show, Kovacs hosted Tonight on Monday and Tuesday nights. Kovacs had his own announcer and bandleader, separate from Allen's.
During the later Steve Allen years, regular audience member Miss Miller became such an integral part, she was forced to join AFTRA, the television/radio performers union. Allen's announcer was Gene Rayburn, who went on to greater fame as host of Match Game.
[edit] Show Changes
After Steve Allen (and Ernie Kovacs) departed Tonight in January 1957, NBC changed the format, renaming the show Tonight! America After Dark and transforming it into a news program hosted first by Jack Lescoulie and then by Al "Jazzbo" Collins. With interviews conducted by Hy Gardner, this new version of the show was not popular and in July 1957, the program became a talk/variety show again and Jack Paar became the new sole host of the show. The show began to be videotaped earlier the same broadcast day on January 12, 1959 (although initially the Thursday night programs were kept live), and was broadcast in color from September 19, 1960 onward.
[edit] Jack Paar
Tonight Starring Jack Paar Bumper ShotOn February 11, 1960, Jack Paar famously walked off his show for a month after NBC censors edited out a segment, taped the night before, about a joke involving a "W.C." (water closet, a polite term for a flush toilet) being confused for a "wayside chapel." As he left his desk, he said, "I am leaving The Tonight Show. There must be a better way of making a living than this." Paar's abrupt departure left his startled announcer, Hugh Downs, to finish the broadcast himself.
Paar returned to the show on March 7, 1960, strolled onstage, struck a pose, and said, "As I was saying before I was interrupted..." After the audience erupted in applause, Paar continued, "When I walked off, I said there must be a better way of making a living. Well I've looked and there isn't."
The W.C. joke that caused the controversy involved an English lady visiting Switzerland. She asked about the location of the "W.C." The Swiss misunderstood her as talking about the Wayside Chapel, and left her a note that said (in part) "the W.C. is situated nine miles from the room that you will occupy... It is capable of holding about 229 people and it is only open on Sunday and Thursday... It may interest you to know that my daughter was married in the W.C. and it was there that she met her husband... I shall be delighted to reserve the best seat for you, if you wish, where you will be seen by everyone."
[edit] Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Title ShotMain article: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Jack Paar left the show in March of 1962, and Johnny Carson was chosen as his successor. For contractual reasons, Carson could not take over as host until October 1, 1962, and the months between Paar and Carson were taken by a series of guest hosts, including Groucho Marx who introduced Carson as the new host on October 1. For all but a few months of its first decade on the air, Carson's "Tonight Show" was based in New York. In May of 1972 the show moved to Burbank, California (although it was announced as coming from nearby Hollywood) for the remainder of his tenure. Announcer Ed McMahon was Carson's sidekick throughout his time with the program.
[edit] Jay Leno
Main article: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Johnny Carson retired on May 22, 1992, and was replaced by current host Jay Leno amid mild controversy. David Letterman not only wanted to move into that earlier timeslot from his late night spot after The Tonight Show, but was considered by Carson and others as the natural successor (despite Leno having been Carson's permanent guest host for several years). In the years following Carson's retirement until his death in 2005, he never appeared as a guest on Leno's Tonight Show. Letterman, having had his heart set on the earlier time slot, eventually left NBC and joined CBS. Late Show with David Letterman, airing in the same slot, has been going head to head against Leno's Tonight Show ever since. Conan O'Brien slid into the late night time slot vacated by Letterman, and has himself, enjoyed success.
Unlike Carson and Paar before him, Leno has been a "full-time" host, maintaining a five-day-a-week schedule and only rarely utilizing guest hosts during the 15-plus years of his tenure.
On September 27, 2004, the 50th anniversary of the show's premiere, NBC announced that Jay Leno will be succeeded by O'Brien in 2009. Leno explained that he did not want to see a repeat of the hard feelings and controversy that occurred following Carson's retirement when he was given the show instead of Letterman. It has also been speculated that NBC asked Leno to do this so that Conan wouldn't accept a more lucrative offer. It was rumored that at the time of the announcement ABC was talking to Conan about possibly replacing Jimmy Kimmel.
Carson died on January 23, 2005. Leno, now the last living host of The Tonight Show, paid tribute to Carson soon after.
It was announced that the Tonight Show will be moving from its studios in Burbank to a new all-digital studio on the Universal Studios backlot, when Conan O'Brien takes over in 2009.
Since the announcement of the 2009 move, Jay Leno has expressed an unwillingness to leave his spot. Sources say he could also move to ABC or FOX to host a new late-night show. NBC would be forced to pay Conan O'Brien about $40 million[2] if he isn't given the Tonight Show in 2009.
Answers: The original host of Tonight was Steve Allen, as noted above. Thanks to his popularity on this program, he was given his own primetime Sunday series, leading him to share Tonight hosting duties with Ernie Kovacs during the 1956–1957 season. While Allen prepared his Sunday comedy-variety show, Kovacs hosted Tonight on Monday and Tuesday nights. Kovacs had his own announcer and bandleader, separate from Allen's.
During the later Steve Allen years, regular audience member Miss Miller became such an integral part, she was forced to join AFTRA, the television/radio performers union. Allen's announcer was Gene Rayburn, who went on to greater fame as host of Match Game.
[edit] Show Changes
After Steve Allen (and Ernie Kovacs) departed Tonight in January 1957, NBC changed the format, renaming the show Tonight! America After Dark and transforming it into a news program hosted first by Jack Lescoulie and then by Al "Jazzbo" Collins. With interviews conducted by Hy Gardner, this new version of the show was not popular and in July 1957, the program became a talk/variety show again and Jack Paar became the new sole host of the show. The show began to be videotaped earlier the same broadcast day on January 12, 1959 (although initially the Thursday night programs were kept live), and was broadcast in color from September 19, 1960 onward.
[edit] Jack Paar
Tonight Starring Jack Paar Bumper ShotOn February 11, 1960, Jack Paar famously walked off his show for a month after NBC censors edited out a segment, taped the night before, about a joke involving a "W.C." (water closet, a polite term for a flush toilet) being confused for a "wayside chapel." As he left his desk, he said, "I am leaving The Tonight Show. There must be a better way of making a living than this." Paar's abrupt departure left his startled announcer, Hugh Downs, to finish the broadcast himself.
Paar returned to the show on March 7, 1960, strolled onstage, struck a pose, and said, "As I was saying before I was interrupted..." After the audience erupted in applause, Paar continued, "When I walked off, I said there must be a better way of making a living. Well I've looked and there isn't."
The W.C. joke that caused the controversy involved an English lady visiting Switzerland. She asked about the location of the "W.C." The Swiss misunderstood her as talking about the Wayside Chapel, and left her a note that said (in part) "the W.C. is situated nine miles from the room that you will occupy... It is capable of holding about 229 people and it is only open on Sunday and Thursday... It may interest you to know that my daughter was married in the W.C. and it was there that she met her husband... I shall be delighted to reserve the best seat for you, if you wish, where you will be seen by everyone."
[edit] Johnny Carson
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Title ShotMain article: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Jack Paar left the show in March of 1962, and Johnny Carson was chosen as his successor. For contractual reasons, Carson could not take over as host until October 1, 1962, and the months between Paar and Carson were taken by a series of guest hosts, including Groucho Marx who introduced Carson as the new host on October 1. For all but a few months of its first decade on the air, Carson's "Tonight Show" was based in New York. In May of 1972 the show moved to Burbank, California (although it was announced as coming from nearby Hollywood) for the remainder of his tenure. Announcer Ed McMahon was Carson's sidekick throughout his time with the program.
[edit] Jay Leno
Main article: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Johnny Carson retired on May 22, 1992, and was replaced by current host Jay Leno amid mild controversy. David Letterman not only wanted to move into that earlier timeslot from his late night spot after The Tonight Show, but was considered by Carson and others as the natural successor (despite Leno having been Carson's permanent guest host for several years). In the years following Carson's retirement until his death in 2005, he never appeared as a guest on Leno's Tonight Show. Letterman, having had his heart set on the earlier time slot, eventually left NBC and joined CBS. Late Show with David Letterman, airing in the same slot, has been going head to head against Leno's Tonight Show ever since. Conan O'Brien slid into the late night time slot vacated by Letterman, and has himself, enjoyed success.
Unlike Carson and Paar before him, Leno has been a "full-time" host, maintaining a five-day-a-week schedule and only rarely utilizing guest hosts during the 15-plus years of his tenure.
On September 27, 2004, the 50th anniversary of the show's premiere, NBC announced that Jay Leno will be succeeded by O'Brien in 2009. Leno explained that he did not want to see a repeat of the hard feelings and controversy that occurred following Carson's retirement when he was given the show instead of Letterman. It has also been speculated that NBC asked Leno to do this so that Conan wouldn't accept a more lucrative offer. It was rumored that at the time of the announcement ABC was talking to Conan about possibly replacing Jimmy Kimmel.
Carson died on January 23, 2005. Leno, now the last living host of The Tonight Show, paid tribute to Carson soon after.
It was announced that the Tonight Show will be moving from its studios in Burbank to a new all-digital studio on the Universal Studios backlot, when Conan O'Brien takes over in 2009.
Since the announcement of the 2009 move, Jay Leno has expressed an unwillingness to leave his spot. Sources say he could also move to ABC or FOX to host a new late-night show. NBC would be forced to pay Conan O'Brien about $40 million[2] if he isn't given the Tonight Show in 2009.
Jack Paar- when I was a kid.
johnny carson
Johnny Carson--about a thousand years ago.
A lot of people will say Jack Parr but it was actually Steve Allen. Jack Parr was later. The Tonight Show went through A lot of changes in the beginning