long-running late night program, the Tonight Show was the first, and for decades the most-watched, network talk program on television. Since 1954 NBC has aired a number of versions of the show which has, as of the mid-1990s, seen four principle hosts and one consistent format except for a brief diversion in its early days. What started out as a music, comedy and talk program first hosted by Steve Allen became, for a time, a magazine-type program, broadcasting news and entertainment segments from various correspondents located in different cities nationally. That short-lived format, however, lacked the appeal of a comedy-interview show revolving around one dynamic host. From mid-1957 until the present, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson and Jay Leno have all three followed Allen's lead and hosted a show of celebrity interviews, humor and music, each host leading his show with signature style. Late night talk in the first three decades of television was dominated by the Tonight Show, and for the majority of that time by Johnny Carson. However, during the 1980s and early 1990s the late-night landscape began to change as more talk shows took to the air. Change was accelerated by the appeal of David Letterman and a combination of other factors, including inexpensive production, audience interest in celebrity and entertainment gossip, and an overall increased reliance on the talk show as forum for information and debate about the important as well as unimportant issues of the day. The late-night talk genre expanded as network competitors and comrades sought the kind of success that was originally the province of the Tonight Show. Each of the Tonight Show principal hosts brought his own unique talent and title to the program. All of the shows featured an opening monologue, a sidekick or co-host, in-house musicians and cadre of guest hosts.

    When Carson retired Jay Leno was appointed the next principal host of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Leno, a well-known stand-up comedian, brought to the show his own writers and comic style, showcasing it in his opening monologues and banter with guests.

    Changes in Leno's show reflected other major changes in television since its earlier days. By the late 1980s late-night talk had become slightly less a white male domain. Joan Rivers hosted her own talk show for a short time, and popular black comedian Arsenio Hall had his own show which enjoyed a wide following, attracting mostly a young black audience, a segment previously ignored in late night talk. The first leader of Jay Leno's late night studio band was the accomplished black jazz musician Branford Marsalis. The second band leader and Leno sidekick was Kevin Eubanks, also black. A big change for The Tonight Show during Leno's tenure was its first serious competition.

    Starting in the mid- to late-1980s, television talk shows, both daytime and late-night, multiplied in number. The in-studio talk program was inexpensive to produce and audiences were increasingly drawn to the sensationalism and celebrity showcased each day and night on television. Some late-night talk shows--including those hosted by Joan Rivers, Chevy Chase and Pat Sajak on the FOX network--came and went quickly. Arsenio Hall's show was on the air for several years before cancellation. Especially successful in late night was the up-and-coming David Letterman. Late Night with David Letterman started out on NBC, airing immediately after The Tonight Show from 1982 until 1993. Passed over for the host position on The Tonight Show when Leno was chosen for the post, Letterman moved to CBS where his new show ran in direct competition with Leno.

    For the first time The Tonight Show shared the late-night spotlight. The two host/comedians, Leno and Letterman, were polished performers with large audiences. They became, as Carson had been, the gauge by which mainstream entertainment and politics were measured. On both programs comedy was delivered--and guests and issues of day treated--the same way, as gossip and light entertainment. After four decades The Tonight Show was still outlining and defining, even when not at the forefront of, the essence of contemporary televised culture.

    -Katherine Fry

     

    FURTHER READING

    Carter, Bill. The Late Shift: Letterman, Leno, and the Network Battle for the Night. New York: Hyperion, 1994.

    Cox, Stephen. Here's Johnny!: Thirty Years of America's Favorite Late-Night Entertainment. New York: Harmony, 1992.

    De Cordova, Frederick. Johnny Came Lately: An Autobiography. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1988.

    Metz, Robert. The Tonight Show. New York: Playboy, 1980.

    Munson, Wayne. All Talk: The Talkshow in Media Culture. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Temple University Press, 1993.

    Smith, Ronald L. Johnny Carson: An Unauthorized Biography. New York: St. Martin's, 1987.

    Tynan, Kenneth. Show People. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979.

    Barbara Billingsley

    Barbara Billingsley on guesting on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

    01:12

    Al Borden

    Al Borden on working on The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno

    01:08

    Glen Charles

    Glen and Les Charles on the series finale of Cheers

    02:35

    Les Charles

    Glen and Les Charles on the series finale of Cheers

    02:35

    Fred de Cordova

    Fred de Cordova on consulting for The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno

    02:58

    Roger Ebert

    Roger Ebert on Jay Leno being a huge film fan

    02:00

    Kevin Eubanks

    Kevin Eubanks on becoming comfortable with television and working with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno

    02:10

    Kevin Eubanks on first getting a job with Branford Marsalis' Tonight Show band

    14:12

    Kevin Eubanks on being promoted from band member to bandleader on The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno and adjusting to his new role

    35:32

    Kevin Eubanks on Tonight Show musical guests

    13:08

    Kevin Eubanks on the unplugged version of The Tonight Show during the energy crisis in September 2000

    02:23

    Kevin Eubanks on the first Tonight Show back after 9/11

    04:45

    Kevin Eubanks on Jay Leno's 2009 exit from The Tonight Show and move to a 10pm show (The Jay Leno Show)

    03:44

    Kevin Eubanks on Jay Leno's move from The Tonight Show to a 10pm show (The Jay Leno Show)

    06:39

    Kevin Eubanks on Leno's return to The Tonight Show

    08:34

    Kevin Eubanks on deciding to leave The Tonight Show with Jay Leno; on his last night as bandleader and then returning to The Tonight Show as a guest in 2010

    08:52

    Peter Lassally

    Peter Lassally on Jay Leno succeeding Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show; on starting The Late Show with David Letterman

    17:35

    Lucy Lawless

    Lucy Lawless on being injured on the set of The Tonight Show

    01:43

    Warren Littlefield

    Warren Littlefield on The Tonight Show's transition from host Johnny Carson to Jay Leno

    07:09

    Don Ohlmeyer

    Executive Don Ohlmeyer on Jay Leno's work ethic and connection with the audience

    00:52

    Fred Willard

    Fred Willard on appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

    01:29

    Jeff Zucker

    Jeff Zucker on the then-upcoming switch from Jay Leno to Conan O'Brien as host of The Tonight Show and Leno's planned The Jay Leno Show

    04:41

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