NBC | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | July 1, 1971 

I was a little kid whose life was about to unravel before his eyes when this aired. Somehow Johnny brought some sense of calm and routine and I survived.

Just listening to Johnny's voice puts me at ease and makes me feel like everything is going to be alright.

Incredibly Doc Severinsen is still alive. 96 years old as of today.

July 1st 1971 was my 8th birthday. I actually remember this one because I went to see a Detroit Tiger baseball game with my parents. A great memory!..Love & miss you mom and dad!

Amazing to think Rodney was still more than a decade away from his career peak.

1971 the networks were still using copper Telco lines for distribution. You can tell by the lower-fidelity audio. It was around 1977 when networks upgraded to inter-station microwave relays which expanded bandwidth and improved audio quality significantly. Not long after they switched to satellite feed distribution.

For those wondering, the first minute or so of commercial time was national and came down the pipe with the rest of the show. The next two or three minutes were allocated for the local affiliate to cut in and place their local spots. The "More To Come" card covered the time so affiliates could come back whenever they needed to and there would still be something for the viewer. I like how we get to hear the band in these affiliate free re-runs!

I'm 68 and grew up watching Johnny Carson. Even remember some shows from when I was a pre-teen. I wish I knew the year it was (but it had to have been early 1970's) when Johnny was doing a Carnac spot he uttered the curse: "May a diseased yak drop its cud in your cuff!" I thought that was a funny line and for the following several months that's all my parents heard out of me whenever I was scolded for something. If anyone has that episode, I'd love to see and hear that again.

This is truly terrific. Thanks for sharing.

Now ya'll know why I was alway sleepy at school. I actually remember this episode. This is Johnny the way I remember him...and the others of course. brilliant

I remember this age of fashion. Wide ties and wide lapels.

The final year in NY before the move to Burbank

Oh my gosh, it was so nice seeing Della on here. A major talent. These were such awesome times. Thank you for sharing!!!!!

The really cool stuff happened when Doc filled in for Ed.

The game at Shea Stadium took 4:19 to finish, including 76 minutes of rain delays. The scheduled start was 2:05 p.m. I think they recorded the Tonight Show around 6 p.m. So Willie Stargell didn't make it. He hit a single and a double, knocked in one run, and caught two fly balls playing left field in the Pirates' 3-0 win.

rodney was still finding himself in 1971. his routine was so so

This is so rare

There are very few of episodes that were saved before mid 1972.

Classy man.....unlike the guys on late nite tv now

thanks for a rare episode of the 1962-1972 era! POPS! DELLA! Chuck , Pittsburgh, PA

that was the most perfect cereal commercial segue, ever!

Heh, 4 minutes in, he finally acknowledges that he’s not getting anywhere with the audience.

I remember my 4 year old self sitting up late with my dad watching johnny carson...

Free Way are a great band !!! And that drummer blew everyone Away !!!. Buddy Rich would have called him a Poseur !!!

It’s so great to hear someone sing a song “straight”and beautifully!!!

New York set was claustrophobic.

In the last joke in his opening set, Johnny mentioned Tudor City. I almost spit out my lunch-that’s where I live #tudorcity

thanks for the upload!!!

I am 70 Never missed a show back then as I recall, he came on at 11:30 (ET) after the local news and then late night with Tom Snyder was at 1:00 (ET)? If I could stay awake. (Tom was cool) LoL I would fall asleep on the couch downstairs.

this is awful🙈🤮

Della Reese, Rodney Dangerfield, Jerzy Kosinski, Freeway, and Willie Stargel

DELLA REESE IS TRULY DELIGHTFUL AND ENTERTAINING, SO I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR HAVING HER ON YOUR SHOW, SHE MADE IT ALOT OF FUN !

I recognize the name and face of Della Reese from various shows growing up, but never saw her this young or heard her sing till I was today years old...

At 00:48:48: The famed Jonathan Winters as Hefty trash bag sanitary engineer Leslie. I still call it “gahr-barge”

1971 and they are talking about organic food starting to take off

Doc’s still around!

Della Reese!!! I will always remember her as the angel Tess from the 90s series "Touched by an Angel". RIP.

10:50 doc really fills in for Ed lol

Kosinski was supposed to be at Sharon Tate's house that fateful night, but was delayed by issues at the airport.

It seems like, in New York, Johnny got tougher audiences than in Burbank.

Where Was Ed?

July 1 1971. Birth of the character Dr. Vinnie Boom Botz!

It always was so amusing the little barbs Johnny would throw when the audience didn't like a joke. He never let up.

@Yester Days==Thanks==Wonder why the camera guys NEVER SHOW THE AUDIENCE as JOHN comes out????

53 years ago.

Dont stop looking at the cue cards of jokes that weren't written by you, Johhny!

Della Reese was as good a singer as anyone ever in the business. Great talent as an actress too on "Touched by an Angel". And a classy lady.

Long hair,bell bottoms, and a Gibson 335 held up high....how 70s geekey can you get😅😅😅😅😅

I read that Della Reese once suffered a brain aneurysm during a taping of The Tonight Show when Richard Dawson was guest host, is that true? Della was definitely touched with an amazing voice.

Thanks for posting this rare gem. I was 2 years old when this aired. I loved the 90 minute episodes. Often the musical guest would do 2 numbers. Interviews would last more than one segment. The 60 minute shows seemed rushed.

The song was originally in a wedding-themed television commercial for Crocker National Bank in California in early 1970, with Paul Williams on vocals. Hal Riney of the San Francisco-based advertising agency Hal Riney & Partners had commissioned the song to help Crocker appeal to young people. The song played over footage of a couple getting married and just starting out. In the song, direct reference to the bank was left out, in part to make the song more marketable. The commercial turned out to be very popular, but it attracted customers in which the bank was not interested: young adult customers with no collateral for loans. The campaign was eventually suspended, and Crocker subsequently franchised it to other banks.

OMG dig that gold lamiae tie!! He was Hip!

It's hard to locate Johnny Carson Tonight shows from New York. Was this a master video tape you obtained from NBC?

These old episodes are fascinating. I was 6. Jim Morrison would be dead 2 days later..

Have ya got “Stump the Band” from Jan 30 1970? I was on it and have the audio, but nbc said the erased all the NY shows. Johnny was the GREATEST!

Weird Della Reese was a guest here and hosting the next night.

i wont eat liver either. i am with Johnny

Not a god era for the writer’s room…

These NY shows seem to be surfacing at a fairly regular pace. I suspect most of the NY shows exist in some format.

I heard most of the NY Tonight Shows were lost. How were these saved?

This is when the show aired from New York. I was 9yo when this episode aired. This makes me really nostalgic.

Wow, 2 days before Jim Morrison died

That bad was loud and very big. Drummer was going crazy, and the singer was the boss but off key.

Seems like bad planning for Stargell. Pirates at Shea for a day game that day then travel that evening to Chicago foe another day game on Friday, not much room for unforeseen events like rain delays.

not sure if the fusion band is called Freeway or New Freeway. I just want to know more about them!

I'm really surprised Doc never came out as gay

I'd rather watch this than all the late night hacks on the air these days. They have no class.

58:26 ha ha

rodney is great here!

In the "Special K" commercial, what are those things stuck to the Mom's face?

And now hey Johnny

Mrs Miller certainly made the rounds. 😅

How did he make it? Not funny at all

5:40 It was a Thursday. The Fourth was Sunday and Monday the 5th was a federal holiday.

I was at BSA camp between Grade school 6th and Jr High 7th . It was warm for NW Indiana back then Camp ToPeNeBee. Camp Tamarack ( Wood Lake ) later that summer 71 in Michigan was far better . Best Years of my life

i guess the game ended too late- willie couldnt make it. still a treat!

Freeway, get a day job.

42:53 what’s on the mom’s face near her ears?

8:02 No, John, that would be on 10/19/53, when Julius LaRosa was let go by Arthur Godfrey.

Where is Willie Stargell? I didn’t see him

Whatever happened to the band Freeway?

26:38 Hey look! Pizza Hut!

Willie Stargell must have got bumped, but Johnny didn't make mention of it.

50:00 Rodney Dangerfield.

Six days before I was born.

Not one of Rodney's better routines. 😢

Guess Willie didn’t make it on

Monologs were never very fonny.

I love how they're talking about how humid it is and then cut to the band leader who's wearing a turtleneck sweater 🤷

One of Johnny’s lesser monologues and that tie has to go!!

Doc filling in for ed

After that monologue, it's no wonder Ed was a no-show.

These episodes do exist.

Some tie.

Jokes?

Rodney 50:46

Beautiful dog with Doc for Alpo...looks like a Wheaton.

0:10

I've always wondered why Doc Severinsen was the substitute announcer and Tommy Newsom would lead the band. You'd think they'd get an NBC staff guy to do the announcing and Doc leading the band per usual.

Holy crap he joked about lynching!