Johnny Carson Dies



I never thought much of him as a comedian or as an interviewer (Cavett was a better interviewer, and even though I know him only from archive material, Steve Allen always struck me as funnier), but he did launch a lot of great comedians. That is the best that can be said for him.

Like Ed Sullivan, Carson managed to change television by dint of his sheer longevity, building and solidifying the modern celebrity chat-show genre. He packaged celebrity, which in the old days thrived on distance and awe, as something accessible and comfortable that fit in a living room. Without Carson, no Regis and Kelly, no Letterman, no Leno, no Arsenio, no Larry King Live nor Mike Douglas. And, certainly, no John Cleese "Mel Badphin Show" sketch. It takes a kind of genius to do that--not a kind that I like very much, but a kind nonetheless.

Pace, Mr. Carson. I'm sorry you're dead.

Posted: Sun - January 23, 2005 at 01:01 PM        

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