The Johnny Carson Show (TV Series) Episode #1.10 (1955) User Reviews

Episode #1.10 of "The Johnny Carson Show" is, like previous episodes, pretty amusing if not completely close to hilarious

[tavm · 5/10 · 9 June 2010]

Today, I've been watching a few episodes of "The Johnny Carson Show" on disc one of a two disc collection from Shout! Factory. The first few had some amusements not to mention a special treat in the initial one of Carson's then-wife Jody and their three sons as little boys. Since so few episodes are listed on IMDb, however, this one-the fourth one listed on the first disc-is the first one I'm reviewing. We start with Johnny doing a monologue on comedians and their trademark traits of which he mentions Jimmy Durante's nose and Jackie Gleason's weight. That not-so-amusing bit gets interrupted by regular Jill Corey coming on stage as she and Carson-after showing that week's TV Guide with him and Jody on the cover-segue into a bit about a couple that lives near an airport trying to watch TV with the planes' noises getting loud during the program but quiet during the commercials! Next, Johnny is Dillinger the psychic who misidentifies one audience member, tells another one sitting next to a pretty young woman that his wife is watching just before he runs, gets that woman to give her number on paper but guesses wrong, correctly ID's another patron as a spy, and mind-meld's a bank teller to give him cash which-through a split screen-gets handed to him right away! Last sketch has Carson going to a travel agency where the man there shows him some slides as he imagines himself in various places but mainly in Paris, France where he encounters a working girl who slaps him, a Brooklyn painter, a German waiter, and a couple of obnoxious middle-aged female tourists who mistake him for a Frenchman! Then as the show ends, Johnny finds out his has some time to fill so he keeps going through the audience saying goodbye. As with previous episodes I've seen, this one has some amusing bits like the first sketch, some not-so ones like that Dillinger piece, and some close to hilarious ones like the entire France skit. Obviously, Mr. Carson hadn't quite reached his peak in comedy during this pre-"Tonight Show" period but it's interesting to watch him as a young man doing anything to get his audience entertained. Especially since his show was only a half-hour with no big guests for him to play off of yet. Okay, I'm going to watch another episode so I should write another review soon...