TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON, THE {RICHARD PRYOR, THE JUDDS, DR. ROBERT BALLARD} (TV)
Summary
One in this series of late-night talk/variety programs hosted by Johnny Carson. Carson's guests for this program are comedian Richard Pryor, oceanographer Dr. Robert Ballard and musical group The Judds. In his opening monologue, Carson comments on the following topics, among others: the upcoming Super Bowl in Pasadena, known for its "older community"; the extremely high ratings expected for the telecast and NBC's dubious "counterprogramming" plans; a strange accident at the Lion Country Safari; various celebrities' appearances in IRS commercials; the appointment of new White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater; Attorney General Edwin Meese's attempts to eliminate Miranda rights for criminals; and new drug-test policies for airline pilots.
Carson and McMahon chat further about the Super Bowl, with Carson noting that he attended the first-ever event in 1967. They discuss the popularity of gambling on the game's outcomes, offering a list of suggestions of highly specific bets with extremely long odds.
The first guest, Pryor, then joins Carson onstage and discusses the following: his fifth marriage, as revealed at the end of his previous appearance on the show; his active involvement in the birth of his son Steven; his belief that men could not handle the stress and pain of childbirth; his son's early-morning habits; his many "unsuccessful liaisons" with women; his various experiences with lawyers, who understand the stress of divorce only when their own marriages fail; his beloved Ferrari Testarossa and near-fatal speeding adventures; and his recent film "Critical Condition" (1987), from which a clip is shown and which has been a box-office success despite harsh comments from critics.
The Judds perform "Turn It Loose" from their new album "Heartland," and Ballard then takes the stage and discusses the following: the many active volcanoes found on the ocean floor, which outnumber those on land; the Mariana Trench, which with a depth of seven miles is the deepest part of the ocean on Earth; his famous 1985 discovery of the wreck of the R.M.S. Titanic and his recent return to explore the site, from which a video clip is shown; his surprise at the number of artifacts found intact within the ship; popular misconceptions about the collision with the iceberg and the true cause of the 1912 sinking; whether he was concerned about encountering human bodies within the wreck; why the ship should be left "at rest"; his future plans, including a book about the Titanic and excursions in the Mediterranean Sea; and the upcoming National Geographic documentary featuring his footage of the wreck. Includes commercials and promos.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: January 22, 1987 11:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:50:20
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:44293
- GENRE: Talk/Interview
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Comedy; Talk/Interview; Comedy
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1962-1992
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - AT&T telephone services
- TV - Commercials - Fleischmann's margarine
- TV - Commercials - Honda automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Keri skin lotion
- TV - Commercials - Lipton Recipe soup mix
- TV - Commercials - Magnavox appliances
- TV - Commercials - Michelob beers
- TV - Commercials - National Enquirer tabloid
- TV - Commercials - Purina Dog Chow dog food
- TV - Commercials - Red Lobster restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Ruffles potato chips
- TV - Commercials - Sanka decaffinated coffee
- TV - Promos - "Saturday Night Live"
CREDITS
- The NBC Orchestra … Music by
- Doc Severinsen … Conductor
- Johnny Carson … Host
- Ed McMahon … Co-Host
- The Judds … Guest, Performer
- Richard Pryor … Guest
- Robert Ballard … Guest
- Marlin Fitzwater
- Edwin Meese