I think Ed was a spokesman for an insurance company at the time. The big selling point was you cannot be turned down for any reason. The blond turned him down for one reason. I liked the wiping of the flop sweat at the end. It even happens to the best of them.
Penn Life...Now I remember lol. Problem was Ed was promoting so many things it just went over every ones head. Did not matter, Johnny was the King of bad joke reponse.
OK everyone here's what the joke means: Ed McMahon used to shill for everything, and one of the things he did commercials for was some insurance company. It's the same thing you see Alex Trebek doing today (it may even be the same company). Anyway in the commercial, Ed would always say "and you can't be turned down for any reason". So in this picture the lady is telling Ed that he CAN be turned down for one reason.
That would be Colonial Penn and yes Alex Trebek was a spokesperson for them as well. Like most, I did not get the joke until you explained it. I think the reason that most people did not get it and that it bombed is that people see the girl and Ed and were anticipating some sexual innuendo in the joke.
Thanks, that's the second time I've watched this and now understand the joke. But it was too sophisticated except for people glued to their TV and up on all the spots. But the gem in all of this is the reaction of Johnny. Never flustered, always the professional. What we have on TV today are rank amateurs. Paid off corporate shill rank amateurs, it that makes them any better.
@@lawrencetaylor4101 actually it's just that joke is dated .if you weren't Alive at that time and watching The Tonight Show you wouldn't get it in 2021
He always had the ability to turn a bombed joke into a joke itself lol Never an awkward moment, just poked fun at the failure and moved on like a professional.
To be fair I was still waiting for the punchline, if that was the punchline then clearly I never understood the joke. But his reaction to bomb was funny.
@@jamespfitz Were you alive and very familiar with the pop culture at that time, 30 years ago? If not, you're not qualified to make that call. Right now it's too old, and out of context to be judged at face value.
The thing is this is actually a funny joke. His reactions were always brilliant when his jokes bombed, but in this case he is genuinely baffled the joke didn't work. His processing of that in front of the audience is more entertaining than the joke could ever be. This clip is like music. What a genius.
He had David Copperfield on and performed a bit with a cup and a coin as close up magic. David watched the trick and said that he knew there would be a coin underneath the cup and lifted it up. He was shocked to find a stack of coins underneath and praised Johnny. He knew the trick, he was watching sitting next to him and Johnny still palmed a whole stack instead of one coin. I wish I could find that clip.
There was one of these bits, maybe not this exact one, where every time they came back from commercial Johnny thanked the LA public library for the pictures
I really understand why Conan looks very Carson-y. Mannerism and their improv was similar, despite Conan's exaggerating bits and always wins with the audiences, while Carson looks more confident but also human if the jokes are bomb. Well, those two are the rare jewels, and also there's Letterman with his own style.
0:10 - My God, the silence from the audience was like the silence of a forgotten tomb. I bet you the writer who wrote this got a severe yelling at my Carson once taping was done.
No, he taps the microphone, because the dead silence from the studio audience makes Johnny think his microphone is broken so he taps it to check. This is a bit he does when jokes bomb on the show, he pretends it is not the bad joke, but it could be a broken microphone. The audience here simply had no idea of the joke.
@@johnking5174ohhhhh now I understand, thank you! I thought there was more to the joke that got cut off somehow, but nope that was it! I guess that goes to show how bad the joke really was 😅
@@CheeseHater-ty1fz I think Ed McMahon used to do a commercial for an insurance company where the tag line was they wouldn't be turned down for any reason. Johnny's writers probably thought the audience would remember this and understand. Boy they didn't, and the silence said it all.
But the joke was still to unspecific. Turned down why? Because of Ed's old age compared to the young lady, because incest is not legal if in real life it was his niece. Or because of what? The joke is poorly constructed, period. But Johnny's reaction was hilarious as always 😂😂
