TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON, THE {TIM CONWAY, ANGIE DICKINSON, ANDREW TOBIAS, GEORGE MILLER} (TV)
Summary
One in this series of late-night talk/variety programs hosted by Johnny Carson. Carson's guests for this program are comedian Tim Conway, actress Angie Dickinson, comedian George Miller and financial writer Andrew Tobias.
In his opening monologue, Carson touches on the following topics, among others: the irony of paying a fee for an NBC studio tour while a spot in the "Tonight Show" audience is free; the first day of autumn, which has little impact in southern California; the arrival of "American Indian Day"; "ultra-conservative" Ronald Reagan's likely presidential run in 1980; the rise in gold prices and decreased value of the dollar; a football-filled Sunday; the forthcoming retirement of comedian Edgar Bergen and "sidekick" Charlie Murphy, the latter of whom may end up in the Smithsonian Institution; and the founding of the very macho John Wayne Boy Scout Camp.
Next, announcer Ed McMahon addresses the debate over nuclear power plants and interviews plant foreman "Wayne Dunlap" about the dangers posed to workers and citizens by the powerful industry. Though Dunlap insists that nuclear power is entirely harmless, his own increasingly bizarre physical state suggests otherwise. Following this skit, Carson comments on "The Honeymooners," voicing his frustration that legendary comedian Jackie Gleason never won an Emmy Award for the series (though he was nominated for Best Actor in a Continuing Performance in 1956), and The NBC Orchestra performs an arrangement of three of the show's popular tunes: "Shangri-La," "You're My Greatest Love" and "Melancholy Serenade."
The first guest, Conway, then joins Carson and chats about the Emmy Award ceremony of the past Sunday, at which Conway's "Carol Burnett Show" pal Harvey Korman presented his second consecutive Supporting Actor prize to "Tim Conroy"; his assumption that his family, along with many other Americans, watched ABC's three-hour "Battlestar Galactica" special instead of the awards broadcast; Carson's own win in the "Special Classification of Outstanding Program Achievement" category; Conway's purposefully long acceptance speech; why most comedians are too eccentric to pursue other careers; a memorable trip to the baseball field with "uninhibited" comedy writer Pat McCormick; his new prison-themed comedy film "They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way" (1978), which he also wrote; an unfortunate misunderstanding with Georgia policemen after venturing out for lunch in his Atlanta State Prison uniform; his experiences with stage fright; his "passel" of six children, none of whom seem interested in a showbiz career; and a story about his Irish father's stubborn insistence on "do-it-yourself" challenges.
Next, Dickinson takes the stage and chats about meeting her favorite celebrities; the press reaction to her previous suggestive comment about her dress style; her new TV movie "Overboard" (1978), filmed on the "laidback," French-speaking island of Tahiti; and her enjoyment of Tahitian culture and many seafood dishes.
Miller then performs a stand-up routine and comments on the various sources of his jokes; the pleasure of an at-home movie channel; his ideas for more creative kidnappings; comics' complicated love lives and encounters with hecklers; and performing in front of famous guests and relatives, including the requisite "family creep." Miller also briefly chats with Carson about the unsettling experiences of "bombing" and dealing with bad audiences, as well as reactions from other comedians.
The final guest, Tobias, author of "The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need" (1978), tells Carson why term life insurance is a better deal than "whole" insurance; the importance of shopping around before deciding upon a plan; why gold is a "terrible" investment for the average person; his past assignment from Esquire in which he was given $10,000 to invest wisely (or not); the risk of "looking dumb" when making financial decisions; avoiding the pitfall of insider trading and other fraudulent activity; tricks for beating inflation; how he narrowly avoided a dangerous "swindle" early in his career, similar to the Home-Stake oil scheme; and using one's common sense in avoiding "too good to be true" deals. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: September 22, 1978 11:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:15:49
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:86698
- GENRE: Talk/Interview
- SUBJECT HEADING: Talk/Interview; Comedy/Variety; Stand-up comedy; Economics; Finance
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1962-1992
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - 7Up soft drinks
- TV - Commercials - Behold furniture polish
- TV - Commercials - Eureka vacuum cleaners
- TV - Commercials - JCPenney MCS series products
- TV - Commercials - McGraw-Edison Speed Queen washing machines
- TV - Commercials - Miracle White laundry detergent
- TV - Commercials - Nestle Souptime instant soup
- TV - Commercials - Peak anti-freeze
- TV - Commercials - Pillsbury Frosting Supreme
- TV - Commercials - Pillsbury Hungry Jack biscuits
- TV - Commercials - Pretty Hands & Feet lotion
- TV - Commercials - Purina High Protein Dog Meal dog food
- TV - Commercials - Rubbermaid storage containers
- TV - Commercials - V8 juices
- TV - Commercials - Weyerhaeuser wall paneling
- TV - Commercials - Wrapples
CREDITS
- NBC Orchestra, The … Music by
- Doc Severinsen … Conductor
- Johnny Carson … Host
- Ed McMahon … Announcer
- George Miller … Guest, Performer
- Tim Conway … Guest
- Angie Dickinson … Guest
- Andrew Tobias … Guest
- Edgar Bergen
- Jackie Gleason
- Harvey Korman
- Pat McCormick
- Ronald Reagan