TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON, THE {IRV BENSON, VALERIE HARPER, JANIS IAN, CHARLES NELSON REILLY, ASHLEY MONTAGU} (TV)
Summary
One in this series of late-night talk/variety programs hosted by Johnny Carson. Carson's guests for this program are actress Valerie Harper, actor/comedian Charles Nelson Reilly, singer Janis Ian, and anthropologist Ashley Montagu.
In his opening monologue, Carson touches on the following topics, among others: Doc Severinsen's interesting encounter with "the king of the hobos"; residents' great relief at rain in southern California after an eight-month drought; the arrival of Chinese New Year; Governor George McGovern's struggle to raise campaign finances; Edmund Muskie's blunt comments about Hubert Humphrey's political chances; and a recent dinner at which Carson was seated next to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
Comedian Irv Benson then wanders onto the set and exchanges banter with Carson, complaining about his troubles with his wife and reacting to the host's apparent "mental telepathy." Next, Harper takes the stage and meets Carson for the first time, explaining that she recently sent him a "fan note." The two discuss their high school experiences; her time as a cheerleader; moving many times with her family after her birth in New York; reconnecting with old school pals who recognized her on TV; her early interest in ballet, followed by theater; her similarities to her popular character Rhoda Morgenstern; learning how to handle good and bad reviews; working with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" co-star Cloris Leachman; and her marriage to actor Richard Schaal, who has a supporting role on Leachman's spin-off series "Phyllis."
Next, Reilly laments his troubles with his single-engine boat; his recent sea trip to Redondo Beach; taking maritime lessons to appreciate the dangers of the sea; his direction of the one-woman play "The Belle of Amherst," starring Julie Harris as Emily Dickinson; and a funny story about the disastrous opening night of his directorial debut, "Private Lives."
Ian performs "I Would Like to Dance" from her new album "Aftertones," followed by Roberta Flack's "Jesse." Finally, Montagu discusses the "wonderful job" of dermatology; why human skin is a complex organ that serves as the body's external nervous system; the medical inaccuracy of the famous "Goldfinger" (1964) scene in which Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton) is murdered via full-body paint; the dangers of smoking and why most "intelligent people" avoid the habit; the social and psychological aspects of cigarette use; how unborn children can be harmed by both parents' alcohol and tobacco usage; why physical contact, starting with nursing, is essential to developing healthy relational behavior; why baby bottles and formula are inadequate substitutes for breast milk; and why some cultures are naturally more tactile than others. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: February 4, 1976 11:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:16:34
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:82053
- GENRE: Talk/Interview
- SUBJECT HEADING: Talk/Interview; Comedy/Variety; Music
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1962-1992
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Certs breath mints
- TV - Commercials - Diet Rite soft drinks
- TV - Commercials - Excedrin pain reliever
- TV - Commercials - Heinz ketchup
- TV - Commercials - Kellogg's Raisin Bran cereal
- TV - Commercials - Kleenex tissues
- TV - Commercials - Kraft Cool Whip whipped topping
- TV - Commercials - Kraft Cracker Barrel brand cheese
- TV - Commercials - L'Eggs Sheer Energy stockings
- TV - Commercials - Lipton Cup-a-Soup
- TV - Commercials - Oil of Olay moisturizer
- TV - Commercials - Pillsbury Crescent dinner rolls
- TV - Commercials - StarKist tuna fish
- TV - Commercials - United Airlines
- TV - Commercials - Windex glass cleaner
- TV - Promos - "Bob Hope Desert Classic"
- TV - Promos - "Emergency!"
- TV - Promos - "Tomorrow"
- TV - Promos - ABC College Basketball
CREDITS
- NBC Orchestra, The … Music by
- Tommy Newsom … Conductor
- Johnny Carson … Host
- Doc Severinsen … Announcer
- Irv Benson … Performer
- Janis Ian … Guest, Performer
- Valerie Harper … Guest
- Charles Nelson Reilly … Guest
- Ashley Montagu … Guest
- Emily Dickinson
- Shirley Eaton
- Julie Harris
- Hubert Humphrey
- Henry Kissinger
- Cloris Leachman
- George McGovern
- Edmund Muskie
- Richard Schaal