A Man Who Lived Up to His Nickname: "American Masters: Johnny Carson - The King of Late Night"

Oh no... not a PBS show!

:)

The Story:

From the American Masters series, this is a look at the life and career of the Johnny Carson, the King of Late Night.

This documentary chronicles Carson's life as a boy in Nebraska who came to love magic, and then realized that he loved getting laughs when he performed on stage.  From there, the idea to entertain was locked into his mind, and the rest is history.

They take a look at all of the shows Carson wrote or hosted leading up to his getting the gig of the Tonight Show.

Comedians recount their tales of how honored they were to get their start on the Tonight Show, and how it propelled them to bigger careers than they ever dreamed of.

Included are Letterman, Leno, Seinfeld, Joan Rivers and with perhaps the most touching story, Drew Carey who cannot help but choke up when he relays the story of his appearance with Carson.

Archival interviews with Ed McMahon and others who had passed help fill in the gaps of this very private man, who was perhaps also the most public man ever, coming into our homes every night for 30 years.

Also, his second wife is very forthcoming with a lot of information, and helps fill in the personal details of Johnny's life, but never in a mean/salacious way.

Highly recommended if you grew up watching any bit of Carson during his 30 year tenure or want to see what we used to enjoy before Leno took over...

Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade:  A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  Enjoyable, but I think I would prefer a greatest hits of the Tonight Show instead.