The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (12-06-1973) 

Hope everyone enjoyed the show

I miss the peacock. I miss Johnny and Ed, but happy 96th birthday Doc.

Sammy coming out like dynamite, reminding us all to be solid. God bless Sammy, wherever you are.

Thank you for preserving this with the commercials!!!

What a voice Sammy has! That was terrific! Boy, I miss those type entertainers. They would really light up Vegas when they appeared. Sammy was the ultimate entertainer. He just could make people feel great. I miss him. I saw him in Miami and he was great. Sammy, Dean, Frank, they’re all gone! You youngsters don’t know what you’re missing.

Probably the best of all of Sammy Davis Jr.s' Tonight Show appearances. Wow!

50 years ago unbelievable

I read that the day after this, Freddie got contacted by NBC to do his own show. Johnny had that kind of influence.

Wow,I even remember some of these commercials.This was 1 and a half years after high school.I watched Johnny every night.

Had just turned 15 at this time. Rarely missed a show.

Rlinks, thank you for posting this gem. Doc Severinsen just turned 96 this week!

Diane Keaton-a truly beautiful multi talented versatile stage/movie and television performer-successfully entertained millions of fans for over forty five years.

This recording is a great chance to hear a lot of the Tonight Show Band. Some local affiliates weren't able to sell every slot of commercial time, and when they had a slot open, the show would play--the video would be the "More to Come" card, but the audio would be the band playing the interstitial music. On this recording of the Tonight Show, there's a lot of unsold commercial time when you can hear the band playing, I grew up in a large suburban area, so I rarely if ever got to hear the music played during commercials, so I loved getting a chance to hear that. Sammy Davis is great, he sings a couple songs, but then he does an improv medley with the band that's marvelous, he sings Tie a Yellow Ribbon with this hip beat, and a couple other numbers, & does a wonderful dance bit, it's great. Plus jazz drummer Louis Bellson is sitting in with The Band and there's a segment when Johnny turns it over to the band & they play a Bellson arrangement, with solo space for Louis. This is the break out show for Freddie Prince, his first time on Natl TV, and he just slays, so of course Johnny invites him over. Erma Bombeck is a no show, it seems like something happened, bc Johnny turned the show over to the band during the usual writer spot. He said they ran outta time, but Johnny would usually cut the band number rather than a guest, so I think Erma had to go for some reason.

Erma Bombeck was bumped. Freddie Prinze did something you will never see today: an ethnic comedy routine.

This has to be in the top five all time best episodes of the Tonight Show.

1:13:25 yes, come over and sit down, Freddie! The moment every young comic savored: the coronation from King John of Burbank. And check out the band number later on featuring many musicians who’d stay with Doc to the end of Carson’s tenure.

Doc's band sure could play!!! 😮

I was working midnights then,so this will be my first chance to view this.

Saw Freddie Prinze at our local fair a few months before he died. He did a pretty good stand up.

"The show back in New York" was one of the last episodes of 'Jack Paar Tonight!'.

Another consequence of this episode is that Freddie Prinze went on to open for Sammy Davis on tour in 1975. i almost got tickets to see them in Cincinnati.

You will never ever hear anyone work the music and sing like Sammy! Thanks to you, I have. I will revisit!

Thank you so much for posting this. Sammy was always amazing. 💙💙

I miss the days when talk shows didn't have a divisive political agenda.

1:26:05 and again at 1:27:36--A pretty Henry Mancini piece, "Brass on Ivory," which was the title cut of a Mancini-Doc Severinsen album released in 1972.

This will stream in HD 1080

This is a real TREAT! Thanks so much for this! 😊😊😊😊😊😊

The chemistry between Johnny and Diane Keaton was a lot like the chemistry between Terri Garr and Letterman a decade after this.

Did you notice it wasn’t trashing his political foes, but making fun of the times he was a part of. Back when late night TV was an escape from reality, not an an indoctrination of trashing people you hate.

FANTASTIC! - Thank you!

I went to the HS Freddie Prinze went to, the old PA (High School of Performing Arts) on W 46th St. in Manhattan. We used to hear stories about Freddie all the time. When he did this show, he had recently graduated in June of that year, 1973. Tragic end for him alas, may he RIP.

What Baby Boomer didn't watch and love the great Johnny Carson?! I found it interesting that Sammy Davis Jr. used race as his first example of what people would ingest Hallucinogens to escape. Anyway, like most Boomers, I wish I could go back in time and do it all over again knowing what I do now! The '70s was a great time to be a kid. (EDIT: 1:21:30. It's James Earl Jones announcing for SuperScope Stereo!)

My 3rd birthday! Wish I could go back in time! If only I could I would cause my parents were alive and life was great! I'd like to sit back and my life like I watch movies! Love the guests on this episode!

Great upload! Thanks!

Amazing footage

Thanks for sharing. How did you find this episode with original commercials?? Do you have more 1973 episodes from October, November or December???

At alpine valley in East troy wi in the early 70s , Sammy wrote a check to the waitress in the same amount as the whole crew because she served his table when another waiter refused ! !NOW THAT'S A CLASSY MAN GOD BLESS SAMMY DAVIS JR.AND THE RAT PACK ! ! BIESS JOHNNY CARSON AND ED AND DOC AND OF COARSE TOMMY NEWSOME THOSE WERE THE DAYS ! !❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

At 6:20, Tom Harmon doing the commercial. He's the father of actor Mark Harmon (NCIS).

What a voice Mr Davis had

Louie Bellson's solo blew away anything Buddy Rich ever did !!!😂

What a treat to see this show!

52:10 Bonnie Herman sings for United Airlines. The voice-over on this United commercial is, of course, provided by the great Burgess Meredith. Bonnie Herman was a legendary session singer based out of Chicago.

Need more episodes with Sammy I'm sure over the years Johnny must of had the 3 of them on Dean Sammy and Frank

Thanks! Love the lack of efiting, the extra music.

Diane Keaton is lovely, charming and funny!

WE❤LOVE ❤YOUR ❤CHANNEL 😊

I had some of those pants! I was styling!

I started watching Johnny in Sept. '74 when I started high school and had double sessions. My bus came at 10:45 so it enabled me to watch the whole show that ended at 1:00 a.m.

Freddy Prinze. 6 floor run up. Went right over everyone's head.

And you have the old commercials Right On!

Is this one of the lost episodes that nbc failed to preserve?

Great video johnny is hilarious 😂😂😂 Thank you

He was ready but not ready for all that came with it. Dead in less than four years.

The pants commercial got me. I think I repressed that fashion statement from my memory. My eyes hurt now.

Blanking out the AUDIO HEAVEN FORBID WE HEAR the words from Ed """its the TONIGHT SHOW with JOHNNY CARSON""" it might start another EARTHQUAKE TREMOUR!!!! I understand COPYRIGHTS but we viewers can still SEE JOHNS APPEARENCE and HEAR JOHNS VOICE and SEE HIS PHYSICAL PRESENCE as HE was recorded LIVE some years back!!!! Welcome to what we percieve in the years of 1985 tru 2024 as keep your EYES ON THOSE DOLLARS$$$$$$$

And yet Johnny had to apologize near the end of this episode for Erma Bombeck not appearing because "we ran a little long." A 90-minute, early-'70s "Tonight Show" and yet a guest was still "cut for time".

Ed made an entire career out of laughing at Carsons jokes.

Diane Keaton appears to be stoned here.🥴🤪

Amazing guys went out in public in those Jaymar pants. How fashions change.

@1:20:31 I've no idea what note doc hit, but it was stratospheric!

SD Jr was on fire!

1:21:30 James Earl Jones is the voice of the cartoon tuba.

great laughs

She acts like a character. Her cat also thinks so.

So before Carson Productions, there was Tonight Show Company, Inc.

I don’t remember the band performances going on that long when returning from commercials. I think those were edited down for broadcast.

Diane *does* have that Teri Garr 'ditz-factor' :)

I didn't know Julianne Moore was interviewed by Johnny Carson back then.

I’m trying to understand how a very staid 60’s man and frequent Carson viewer would respond to Sammy’s 70’s beatbox jig.

A legend. America's taste for so long

if this was unedited, explain the blank part of the opening at the beginning.

wow. sammy davis jr. wow.

24:36 - OOPS! :)

Those were the days...

24:45 - Interesting! *NO* applause when going to commercial! (?)

Ya Freddie was very likeable. Dianne is very quirky, similar to Terri Garr and Meg Ryan.

Good Days

13:17 - No, I wouldn't be caught DEAD wearing these!

Diane Keaton was delightful. A good singer, too. RIP Sammy, the world's greatest entertainer. Freddie - who'd a thunk it within 3 years he'd be dead of an over-dose of bullets to the head. He seemed so up-beat and positive but in reality was meloncholy and depressed, on drugs, couldn't handle fame, being just a kid.

Wow! United Airlines was introducing in-flight... radio!? 😂😂😂

Great episode! this was LA not New York

1:14:41 - I see what they did here! A 'shuffled-around' version of "Happy Birthday" to avoid royalties! :)

To the owner of this channel....how did you obtain this show on video? Was it from dvds?

Good days.

Freddy Prinze was only 19 at the time .

Do you have the show when Suzanne Somers was bow saw in half by Blackstone the magician

Mr.bojangles danced

Super talents. Not like the garbage on late night since Leno left.

Milk House...It actually hurts to watch these clips...human pain though😂

Anyone commenting Freddie is unfunny, how funny were you at 19? Johnny is not even funnier. No offense...it's just Freddie's humor was funny for the time it was presented. He was new...a minority young funny person and good looking and charming.

Diane was high.

She acts just like Annie Hall here.

“siphoning gas”……oil embargo reference (Yom Kippur war). USA economy took a nosedive with skyrocketing gas prices and rationing at gas stations.

👌!

It's Freddie Prinze.

I think Johnny being ill gave this show a special loopiness that is eternally endearing

That painting of Johnny behind the band doesn't look like him😅

Diane Keaton went to Santa Ana High School.

I think Johnny was trying to hold off the grey monster. His hair looks so dyed here.

You often see different hosts or people doing bits with music playing and the people will wave theirr arm, like to cut it of, and they miss by a few bits or even more, but NEVER with Johnny and Doc. Always linstant. Timing is everything. Isn't it Doc?