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...
The King of Late Night shown "warts and all" - Funny moments as well as the "demons" in his life.
My fellow Amazon reviewer, K Harris, has already done a fine detailed review of this two-hour documentary which aired earlier this year on PBS' American Masters series, so I won't repeat much of what he has already written but I hope to add some info re: the Standard DVD release of the film.
I have to admit that I was not a REGULAR viewer of Carson's Tonight Show but certainly watched it a few times each year. And I have seen all the "Specials" where they replay classic moments like the Ed Ames' tomahawk sequence or what was probably the funniest answer to a Carnac the Magnificent question. (Both of those moments are repeated here, along with some - such as the one night that Ed McMahon showed up drunk. - that I didn't remember.
There's a nice balance of "funny" and "serious" in the film and so don't expect to laugh all the way through. Carson had many personal "demons" (his relationship with his mother - and his four wives - are just a few). But...
Heeere's Johnny!
A marvelous insight into this great entertainer. Nobody has replaced him. Much of his personal life is revealed along with wonderful clips from the Tonight show. Truly a must see.
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