2024 the best of johnny carson review
Price: $16.97
(as of Dec 02, 2024 03:36:09 UTC - Details)
Quite possibly the biggest star that television has ever produced, Johnny Carson was seen by more people on more occasions than anyone else in American history. With unprecedented and unrestricted access to Johnny's personal and professional archives, two-time Emmy-winning filmmaker Peter Jones explores the life and career of one of the most beloved yet enigmatic icons in American entertainment history. Narrated by two-time Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey, "Johnny Carson: King of Late Night" features more than 40 original interviews, including David Letterman, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Jerry Seinfeld and Ray Romano.
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
MPAA rating : PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Product Dimensions : 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.4 ounces
Item model number : 25366233
Media Format : Color, NTSC, Multiple Formats
Run time : 2 hours
Release date : July 17, 2012
Subtitles: : English
Producers : American Masters
Studio : PBS (Direct)
ASIN : B007T40GMW
Number of discs : 1
Reviewer: Nick Zegarac
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Carson still the undisputed pop icon of several generations.
Review: When Johnny Carson bid farewell to The Tonight Show on May 22, 1992 it wasnât simply the marked retirement of a beloved pop icon, but the real end of an era; a spectacular run as the 20th centuryâs most revered, admired, and undeniably, treasured figures in the history of television. Certainly, nothing before or since has come to rival Carsonâs legacy.Watching Johnny Carson â The King of Late Night is like visiting an old friend not seen in far too many years, catching up on the past, living vicariously through the âgood ole daysâ and coming away from the experience with that warm â yet strangely sad â and far-away tear caught in the eye; perhaps in the realization the times have moved on; that what once was, can never be again. Jonesâ documentary has done more than pay homage to Johnny Carson, the man, the entertainer and the legend. It has resurrected a sumptuous memoir (a valentine, actually) to the golden age of Johnny Carsonâs America. Here is a potpourri of moments sure to make us smile; Sotzingâs complicity in the endeavor allowing Jones (and by extension, the rest of us) an unprecedented backstage pass into Johnnyâs world. Perhaps, Carson would have hated this; his penchant for privacy superseding any perceived entertainment value from the exercise. And yet, entertainment is exactly whatâs to be had herein; with a capital âEâ and not just for âeffortâ either.Owing to a bitter and ongoing feud Carson had with NBC for most of their tempestuous alliance (Johnny even threatened to walk off The Tonight Show, buying back the rights to all his archived episodes after NBC admittedly âlostâ several early seasons) The Tonight Show: starring Johnny Carson remains diligently mothballed in an underground vault in Kansas â roughly 3,500 hours, since digitized and made available as an online pay-per-view. What remains fairly perplexing is just how little of The Tonight Show has been released to home video in all these many years since Johnnyâs passing. Only a few heavily truncated offerings, featuring little more than selected sound bytes from Johnnyâs tenure, many poorly mastered at that, have surfaced on DVD, with âTonightâ: Four Decades of The Tonight Show â starring Johnny Carson being the biggest transgressor. Will we ever see The Tonight Show justly anthologized as complete and unedited whole seasons on Blu-ray? Hmmmm.Debatable, since Carson Entertainment Group seems wholly disinterested in the prospect. The various DVDs currently in print are but wan ghost flowers of The Tonight Show in its prime; excising virtually all of Doc Severinsenâs orchestral performances. We also have yet to see any of Bette Davisâ memorable appearances on ANY of these DVD sets. The Vault Series presently being circulated as âcompleteâ episodes are actually slightly altered from their original broadcast length. Hence, the first real competent assessment of Johnny Carsonâs legacy remains this American Masters bio. It too may not be comprehensive â but it is by far the most heartfelt and legitimate attempt to critique, understand, and ultimately celebrate Johnny Carson as the national treasure he so obviously was, is and will always be.Prepare to be royally entertained.PBSâs Blu-ray is presented in 1.78:1 with most of the vintage Carson clips retaining their 1.33:1 framing. The home movie footage, as well as stills are all reframed and the newly instated interview footage is, of course, formatted for widescreen presentation. Arguably, youâre not watching reruns of The Tonight Show for their video quality, and yet there is some remarkable effort put forth herein to bring these vintage materials into line with modern expectations for audio/video clarity. Bottom line: you wonât be disappointed by this disc. While some inevitable image âbandingâ remains the overall BD retains a brightly graphic quality; the older footage looking remarkably clean and free of distracting age-related artifacts. Wow and thank you!The image is both colorful and detailed, revealing â at times â a startling amount of information in clothing, hair, etc. with video noise kept to a bare minimum. Hence, this is Johnny Carson as weâd like to remember him: the undisputed king of late night in a princely presentation on home video. The 2.0 Dolby Digital sound mix is, of course, largely at the mercy of vintage materials. The newly recorded interviews, as well as Kevin Spaceyâs narration are all frontally placed, presumably to keep their fidelity in check with the vintage clips; no jarring jumps from the showâs original mono to stereo surround.Parting thoughts are rather obvious but worth mentioning. While Carson Entertainment continues to sit on a goldmine, the legacy of Johnny Carson comes across loud and clear in Peter Jonesâ exquisite biography. Johnny Carson was more than a late night talk show host. He was a legend in his own time â one that continues to ripen with age and is still primed for the podium. As good as Leno and presently, Jimmy Fallon are, either from a lack of good material or even more astutely observed â the absence of those truly inimitable Hollywood icons who once shared the stage with Johnny - theyâve paled by comparison. It isnât entirely their fault. For Johnny Carson gave aspiring late night television talk show hosts an act virtually impossible to follow. Heeeeeeeereâs (to) Johnny!Bottom line: very highly recommended!
Reviewer: Ironic Today
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Why Was Johnny Carson A Tortured Genius?
Review: * I just finished watching this spectacular PBS American Masters documentary that captures the genius and sometimes bewildering paradox behind America's most popular late-night talk show host (NBC's "The Tonight Show," 1962-1992).* What's wondrous about this slick and even-handed presentation is that all of the major players are featured - from David Letterman to Joan Rivers to Jerry Seinfeld to Jay Leno to Peter Lassally to the late Ed McMahon and Fred de Cordova - all whose lives were changed, for good or for ill - by a man Americans thought they knew - who was also terrifyingly aloof, shy and distant to his closest associates and wives - as well as to his very own children.* The take away I got is that nearly every genius we know on earth - must also have some nebulous insecurity or flaw that somehow acts as a propeller to greatness. The clips, interviews and research footage are perfectly integrated to draw a complete picture of why Carson was #1 - tracing the roots of his shyness and awkwardness to his parents - in particular to his stern and hard-to-please mother.* The irony of this is underlined when after her death at 85, Carson discovered that his mother had kept every single clip and notice of her son's titanic career hidden in a box, withholding her pride from her son. The picture that emerges of Carson is a man who wielded incredible power - but who was not so much a "lonely man" - as much as he was a man who loved "being alone."* This documentary is enriched by many golden interviews, some of them quite emotional, such as, for example, comedian Drew Carey's tearful recollection of his debut on the Tonight Show - and then being shocked - when he was "called over" to sit and chat with Johnny, changing his life forever. It's also jammed with laughs and yet tackles all of the elephants in the room about Carson, including his numerous pet peeves, jealousies, insecurities, marriages and affairs.* In the end, while he had a lot of skeletons in his closet - they in fact enrich - and do not diminish - the comedic genius, joy and American cultural significance of Johnny Carson during the last third of the 20th century.* Put this one in your library and enjoy. It was the best two hours I've spent in a long time.
Reviewer: Tomcat
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Extremely interesting life story of Johnny Carson whom I have enjoyed thoroughly when I lived in the US. I happened to be in the US when the last show was broadcasted. I miss Tonight Show very much but I think Johnny closed it at the right timing. He was the greatest of all the talk show hosts.
Reviewer: Butterblume
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Jeder Johnny Carson Fan wird sich unheimlich über diese DVD freuen. Qualität ist 1A, Ton auch, Die DVD ist nur in English und code 1, also nicht überall abspielbar. Ich habe sie genossen da ich immer die "Tonight Show" in der USA angeschaut habe.