Here's Johnny!: My Memories of Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show, and 46 Years of Friendship

Ed McMahon

Oct 2005 · HarperChristian + ORM

About this ebook

Here's Johnny is like sitting with Ed and Johnny over lunch:

The last time I saw Johnny, about a year before he died, we had chicken, a couple of glasses of red wine, and then we just sat there and reminisced, going back and forth the way we did on the show. We talked about our kids, and our careers and the state of America, just two lucky guys who loved each other and the good luck of our careers.

Ed McMahon is the only person who was with Johnny Carson, even before The Tonight Show, when they both first appeared on Who Do You Trust. Now, with Johnny's blessing before he died, McMahon can finally share all the stories that only he knows. From the sofa at Johnny's right, to backstage, to their personal relationship - McMahon will provide a real view of the man who was so careful to only show one side of himself to the public. Brilliant in front of the camera, but shy in person, Carson seldom gave interviews. Only McMahon can tell the stories and provide the insights into the personality that made Johnny Carson more of a friend we invited into our home than a television star.

This entertaining tribute will feature over 200 pictures, many never before published, from both McMahon's and Carson's private archives.

Ratings and reviews

Absolutely one of the Best, Most Entertaining books I have read. Two men of many talents.

I miss Johnny Carson. Ed did a great job of bringing some of the magic back to memory.

About the author

Ed McMahon was born in Detroit, Michigan on March 6, 1923. He received a bachelor's degree in speech and drama from Catholic University of America in 1949. He served as a fighter pilot in the United States Marine Corps in World War II and the Korean War. He got his start on television playing a circus clown on the 1950-51 variety series Big Top. In 1958, he joined Who Do You Trust?, where he met Johnny Carson. When Carson was asked to replace Jack Paar on the Tonight Show, McMahon became his announcer and they worked together until Carson retired in 1992. He also hosted Star Search, the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon with Jerry Lewis, and TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes with Dick Clark. He also appeared in several movies including The Incident (1967), Fun with Dick and Jane (1977), Full Moon High (1981), Butterfly (1982), Just Write (1997), and Bewitched (2005). In 1998, he wrote his autobiography, For Laughing Out Loud: My Life and Good Times. He died on June 23, 2009 at the age of 86.