PBS debuted that documentary about Johnny Carson this week. In case you didn't see it (or can't in your area), I've embedded a window below which, at least for a while, should show you the entire two-hour presentation.
I thought it was generally very good…a bit too fawning in some areas. I think there actually are areas where Carson gets too little credit — his wisdom about how to manage his show, for instance. Or his role model for stand-up comedians of a couple of generations. But there were points in the doc where it got a bit repetitive hearing what he meant to those who advanced their careers on his show. I'm also a bit skeptical about the psychological deductions, especially trying to explain Johnny in terms of his mother. Was this analysis of the Carson psyche a view held by those close to him? Or was it the construction of someone who barely if ever knew or talked with Johnny? It sounded like the latter.
The other thing I'll kvetch about is that documentaries about comedians seem to always cut the clips too tight. It's like they have a piece of video with a straight line set-up and then the funny reply…and they just use the funny reply because, well, we've got a lot to cover and that's the part people laugh at. The video of Johnny's last appearance — the cameo on Letterman's show — would have been so much more meaningful if they'd showed the set-up with Calvert DeForest so you could see what a surprise Johnny's entrance was and that he didn't just walk out onto the stage as a star appearance but as the punch-line to a nicely-constructed joke. In fact, here's the whole clip of that spot with Dave…
They always seem to do this with documentaries about comedians. You get the feeling someone is saying, "This is going on PBS. We can't leave a lot of jokes in!"
But there was a lot in there. I'll probably watch it again this weekend and may write more about it. I may also write something about why I think Ken Tucker misses the whole point of Carson in his Entertainment Weekly review. It isn't that Johnny did this or that better or worse than Steve Allen or other talk show providers. It's that Johnny connected with America in a way that none of the other guys ever did…or probably ever will. Even if we thought they were funnier, they never mattered to us as human beings the way Carson did.
Anyway, here's the special in case you need to watch it here…
