The Tonight Show
From TV Wiki
| The Tonight Show | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Talk/Variety Show |
| Running time | 105 minutes (1954-1956) 75 minutes (1956-1957) 105 minutes (1957-1966) 90 minutes (1966-1980) 60 minutes (1980-present) |
| Creator(s) | Pat Weaver |
| Starring | Steve Allen (1954-1957) Jack Paar (1957-1962) Johnny Carson (1962-1992) Jay Leno (1992-present) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original run | September 27, 1954–present |
The Tonight Show is the longest running late night talk show in history. It currently airs on the NBC network at 11:35pm and is hosted by comedien Jay Leno. It's current official title is "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno". Until 1992, the show was titled "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson" where the late Johnny Carson hosted the show for 30 years. Until 1962, the show was titled "Tonight!" and was hosted by most notably Steve Allen and Jack Paar. After Jack Paar left, the show was renamed "The Tonight Show" which it remains to this day. During it's entire run, the show has had four major host changes, as well as numerous name, format, time slot and running time changes.
Contents |
[edit] Cast History
[edit] Sept 27, 1954-Jan 25,1957
Tonight! (a.k.a. Steve Allen's Tonight Show)
- Steve Allen - Host
- Ernie Kovacs - Host (Mondays & Tuesdays) (Oct 1, 1956-Jan 22, 1957)
- Gene Rayburn - Announcer & Sidekick
- Skitch Henderson - Bandleader
[edit] Jan 28, 1957-July 26, 1957
Tonight! America After Dark
- Jack Lescoulie - Host (Jan 28, 1957-June 7, 1957)
- Al Collins - Host (June 10, 1957-July 26, 1957)
[edit] July 29, 1957-March 30, 1962
Tonight! starring Jack Paar (a.k.a. The Jack Paar Show, The Jack Paar Tonight Show)
- Jack Paar - Host
- Hugh Downs - Announcer
- Jose Melis - Bandleader
[edit] April 2, 1962-Sept 28, 1962
The Tonight Show
- Various hosts
[edit] Oct 1, 1962-May 22, 1992
The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson
- Johnny Carson - Host
- Ed McMahon - Announcer and Sidekick
- Skitch Henderson - Bandleader (1962-1966)
- Milton DeLugg - Bandleader (1966-1967)
- Doc Severson - Bandleader (1967-1992)
[edit] May 25, 1992-present
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
- Jay Leno - Host
- Edd Hall - Announcer (1992-2004)
- Branford Marsalis - Bandleader (1992-1995)
- Kevin Eubanks - Bandleader (1995-present)
- John Melendez - Announcer (2004-present)
[edit] Timeslot & Runtime History
All Times Eastern
[edit] Sep 27, 1954-Oct 5, 1956
(105 minutes)
- Mon-Fri 11:15pm-1:00am
[edit] Oct 8, 1956-Jan 4, 1957
(75 minutes)
- Mon-Fri 11:15pm-12:30am
[edit] Jan 7, 1957-Dec 30, 1966
(105 minutes)
- Mon-Fri 11:15pm-1:00am
- Sat or Sun 11:15pm-1:00am (repeats)
[edit] Jan 2, 1967-Sep 5, 1980
(90 minutes)
- Mon-Fri 11:30pm-1:00am
- Sat or Sun 11:30pm-1:00am (repeats) (untill Sep 26, 1975)
[edit] Sep 8, 1980-Aug 30, 1991
(60 minutes)
- Mon-Fri 11:30pm-12:30am
[edit] Sep 2, 1991-present
(62 minutes)
- Mon-Fri 11:35pm-12:37am
[edit] Setting
Until 1972 the show originated from New York City. The show moved to Burbank, CA, but was billed to be from Hollywood until Johnny Carson's retirement in 1992.
