Carson's Cellar 

Host Johnny Carson performs comedy routines and chats with various celebrities. It is his somewhat awkward beginnings as a TV personality.

Stars:

Johnny Carson, Red Skelton, John Condon

Cast

Series cast summary:
Johnny Carson	...	Self / ... 2 episodes, 1953-1954
Red Skelton	...	Self 2 episodes, 1953-1954
John Condon	...	Self - Announcer 2 episodes, 1953-1954

Storyline

A family friend intervened and recommended Johnny Carson for a staff announcer job at KNXT-TV in L.A. This opportunity was parlayed into a Sunday afternoon broadcast, budgeted at 25 dollars per show, called Carson's Cellar. Among the Cellar's avid fans was a fellow named Red Skelton, who hired the witty young man as a writer and supporting player on his CBS-TV program. While still writing for Skelton, Cason had a few other on air adventures at KNXT including the five minute 'Carson's Coffee Break'. Carson had invited Red as a guest for several weeks in a row, and Red came, but was never allowed to speak as they always ran out of time. Finally, Skelton tied Johnny up and took over. There used to be a standard practice in the TV industry, for a Non-Speaking talent, anyone who appeared but did not speak. They were paid far less than scale which was mandated for anyone appearing on TV having lines. Johnny convinced ButterNut he could get Red on the show as a regular, however by not ...

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Plot Keywords:

character name in title | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in American Masters: Johnny Carson: King of Late Night (2012)

User Reviews

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 November 1953 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Don Lee Mutual Broadcasting Studios - 1313 North Vine Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

KNXT

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1