TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON, THE {JIMMY CONNORS, DAVID STEINBERG, JACK VALENTI, DIONNE WARWICK} (TV)
Summary
One in this series of late-night talk/variety programs hosted by Johnny Carson. Carson's guests for this program are tennis star Jimmy Connors, singer Dionne Warwick, comedian David Steinberg, and political aide and Motion Picture Association of America President Jack Valenti.
In his opening monologue, Carson touches on the following topics, among others: the arrival of Friday the 13th and the popularity of superstitions; Valentine's Day ideas; the presidential candidates' reports of their personal wealth, including Milton Shapp's impressive funds and Sargent Shriver's money troubles; Russian Olympic athlete Galina Kulakova's loss of her cross-country skiing bronze medal, owing to her use of a nasal spray containing ephedrine; and the discovery of Abraham Lincoln's alleged "last effects."
Carson then ventures into the audience for a round of "Stump the Band" and is baffled when, in contrast to the game's usual proceedings, announcer Ed McMahon actually knows one of the songs, "I Used to Work in Chicago."
The first guest, Connors, then joins Carson and discusses his recent weight loss; why he has reformed his hotheaded ways after being branded "the bad boy of tennis"; his recent foot injury; his and Carson's friendships with Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg; learning tennis at the age of three; his longtime rivalry with his brother; his choice to drop out of college to pursue professional sports; why he likely does not have the patience to coach others, and what he might charge were he to take up teaching; advice for Carson about his on-court temper, with reference to the book "The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance" by W. Timothy Gallwey; his personal life and short-lived engagement to fellow tennis star Chris Evert; and why he is perhaps not quite ready for fatherhood.
Next, Warwick performs "His House and Me" from her new record "Track of the Cat," and she briefly chats with Carson about her astrologically based decision to drop the "E" from the end of her surname; and why she loves singing even more now that she is "older and crazier." Warwick also performs "Once You Hit the Road."
Steinberg then joins Carson and chats about the reopening of the famous Playboy Club; his past experience performing alongside Warwick and The Constellations; early advice to change his "too Jewish" stage name; the strange qualities of Beverly Hills, including outlandish tales in the entertainment news, known as "the trades"; why President Gerald Ford is generally too boring to prompt amusing jokes; and Los Angeles' strange "cults," including the self-awareness course known as est (Erhard Seminars Training).
Finally, Valenti takes the stage and comments on his new book, "A Very Human President," which focuses on Lyndon B. Johnson, under whom Valenti served as a special assistant; his dislike of "squalid and odious" rumor-mongering about famous figures; the book as an honest "behind-the-scenes" look into the White House, based solely on his own notes and memories; Johnson's "dominating" qualities, with comparisons to Connors; his aggressive and perfectionist nature; his sense of humor and talent for mimicry; comparisons to the mythic figure of Achilles in how Johnson tried to "do too much"; his commitment to helping "the powerless"; his tense relationship with the Kennedy family, particularly Bobby; and how he will likely be remembered in history. Includes commercials and promos.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: February 13, 1976 11:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:24:34
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:82059
- GENRE: Talk/Interview
- SUBJECT HEADING: Talk/Interview; Comedy/Variety; Music; African-American Collection - Music
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1962-1992
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - "Barry Lyndon" motion picture
- TV - Commercials - Banquet pot pies
- TV - Commercials - Bufferin painkillers
- TV - Commercials - Diet Rite soft drinks
- TV - Commercials - Florida orange juice
- TV - Commercials - General Mills breakfast squares
- TV - Commercials - Golden Griddle maple syrup
- TV - Commercials - Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Kleenex tissues
- TV - Commercials - Mrs. Smith's apple pies
- TV - Commercials - RC Cola soft drinks
- TV - Commercials - Revlon Natural Wonder makeup
- TV - Commercials - Stove Top stuffing
- TV - Commercials - United Airlines
- TV - Promos - "McMillan and Wife"
- TV - Promos - "The Midnight Special"
- TV - Promos - World Championship Tennis Challenge Cup
CREDITS
- Fred de Cordova … Producer
- Peter Lassally … Associate Producer
- Dick Manley … Commercial Producer
- Bobby Quinn … Director
- Hal Goodman … Writer
- Larry Klein … Writer
- Raymond Siller … Writer
- Norman Liebman … Writer
- Pat McCormick … Writer
- Sid Green … Writer
- NBC Orchestra, The … Music by
- Doc Severinsen … Conductor
- Johnny Carson … Host
- Ed McMahon … Announcer
- Jimmy Connors … Guest
- Dionne Warwick … Guest
- David Steinberg … Guest
- Jack Valenti … Guest
- Chris Evert
- Constellations, The
- Gerald Ford
- W. Timothy Gallwey
- Hank Greenberg
- Lyndon B. Johnson
- Robert F. Kennedy
- Galina Kulakova
- Milton Shapp
- Sargent Shriver