While Johnny, Ed McMahon, and Tommy Newsom (Doc's stand in to lead the band) are no longer with us, Doc Severinson is still alive. But considering that Johnny's last show was in May 1992, many of the guests I have seen to date have also passed away. So far, I have seen, in no particular order, appearances by George Carlin, Burt Reynolds, Milton Berle, Richard Pryor, Joan Rivers, Gary Shandling, David Brenner, Dom Rickles, Bob Saget, Flip Wilson and a few more I am sure I am forgetting.
I have also seen the first appearance on the Tonight Show by Jay Leno (I kept waiting for Johnny to say, who knows, one day he might host this show), Eddie Murphy, Ellen Degeneres, Jerry Seinfield, and a number of other comics to whom Johnny gave "a shot" but did not achieve the status of the few named above. Obviously, as the years progressed, Johnny took his responsibility to lend a hand to aspiring comics seriously, knowing that one appearance on his show could skyrocket their careers.
Johnny also did some wonderful skits, both alone and with other stars. He often impersonated presidents, his favorite being Ronald Reagan. In addition to poking fun at Reagan, Johnny did a comical skit where he was being interviewed as George Washington. In the skit, he was asked how his polls were going, to which he responded that he hadn't received his newspaper yet, upon which there was a knock on the door, and a young man entered with a newspaper. When asked how he was today, the young man, named Ronnie, replied "Well", which was a word that Reagan often used to begin a sentence. The joke, of course, was that Reagan was a young man when George Washington was president. Carson often made fun of Reagan's age.
I published a post in September of last year in which I posited that current president Joe Biden may one day be compared to Ronald Reagan, especially in the area of too old to be president. The post compared the two in terms of economic data, most areas in which Biden compares very favorably with Reagan. Here is a link to that post.
So, why ...and Death as part of this post's title? Well, as I say in the paragraph above which begins with "While Johnny..." many of the guests I am seeing on these shows have died, especially on those shows aired in the 1970's and early 1980's. In fact, not to sound too morbid, I quickly got into the habit of googling the guests, not just to confirm my expectation that they were dead, but to see when, in relation to the date of the show I was watching. Often there was a decade or more between the appearance and passing, which was not a surprise considering most of the guests were on the show precisely because they were at the top of their profession, and in their 30's and early 40's. Still, many didn't survive to see their 80th birthday.
And then there is Freddie Prinze who made his first appearance at the tender age of 19, already having made a mark on TV and in nightclubs. Prinze was very funny, and Carson seemed impressed by both his comic material and very young age. To be honest, the brief interview seemed to reveal a young man who knew who he was and how unique his situation was, to be so young and on the verge of great success. Sadly, within three years he was dead, by his own hand.
I have been exercising in our basement more frequently this year. In addition to Carson reruns, I more often watch Friends reruns. While I never really watched Friends in its heydey, that doesn't mean I didn't fantasize about Rachel and Monica, or Monica and Phoebe, or Phoebe and Rachel. Sadly, now when I watch while pedaling, I think about Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the show.
Since his death late last year, much has been revealed about Perry, his drug use and abuse, his failed relationships, his loyal friends, his unhappiness with his life. If even half of what has been disclosed is true, Perry's fame and money were never able to fill what must have been a very large hole in his life.
Freddie Prinze and Matthew Perry, along with the endless list of famous and/or rich people who took their lives either directly or indirectly, present such a powerful lesson about what really matters in life.
Sometimes I feel sad for the people who seem focused only on accumulating great wealth, on thousands of daily clicks, on achieving even 15 minutes of fame. Of course, I sometimes also think about a post which might go viral. But if we are to learn anything from the sad stories of the rich and famous who die, just as we will in some (hopefully) not to near future, it has to be that money and fame, riches and possessions, do not accompany us when we pass to whatever realm we might envision.
And, whether we will be remembered by millions who may have seen us on the Tonight Show, or just those in our immediate circles of family and friends, those memories will be far more intense, far more intimate, far more real, when based on kind words, compassion, smiles, and comfort.
To Death... and Living. And all the wonderful times with family and friends in between.
Here are two other posts I created on the topic of Death.. and Living.
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