Name: Johnny Carson Gives Dave $1,000,000 | David Letterman
Uploaded: 2025-10-24T15:00:45.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Johnny Carson Gives Dave $1,000,000 | David Letterman' from Letterman on Comedy Buff. Published 2025-10-24. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Johnny Carson Gives Dave $1,000,000 | David Letterman' from Letterman on Comedy Buff. Published 2025-10-24. Transcript available.

You guys sound great.
Thank you.
Well, Mike and the mechanics are great.
And by the way, you know, Vern don't travel.
Yeah, I know.
I heard.
I heard.
Our next guest is one of the members of the cast of the television program over
there.
I have to apologize.
I thought this was the Joe Franklin studio.
I'll tell you why I'm here.
I happen to be in town doing some stuff for the NBC affiliate.
That's right.
And, you know, Ed McMahon, our good friend, could not be here.
But it seems, David, that you are the $1 million winner.
Oh, my God.
I've won a million bucks.
What are the odds that I would win the sweepstakes?
The odds are astronomical.
Well, geez, screw GE then, huh?
It wasn't that nice.
Ed would have been here, but he's in Hawaii with some member of the female
species.
It's hard to keep track of it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We're trying to get the McMahon law passed in California where there's a seven-day
waiting
period before you purchase an engagement ring.
What a tawdry thing to do.
Anyway, how are you doing?
Pretty good.
Now, you actually began things just across the hall, didn't you?
We had 6B.
Yeah.
Now, you're what?
Is this a...
6A.
That would figure.
Yeah.
How many years did you work over there?
Ten years.
We started October 1, 1962, until 1972, and we went to California.
Now, tell people, I know about this, and, of course, you know about it, because,
by the
way, I wish you could have been here about 45 minutes ago.
One of those bad nights?
Well, you know.
It's just the luck of the draw sometimes.
You got it, Jeff.
Ever been to the Hamptons?
But when you took over the Tonight Show, it was different.
It was not an hour.
It was not an hour and a half.
It was what?
One hour and 45 minutes.
Right.
And how long did that go on?
We went on 1115 to one hour and 45 minutes for about two years.
Then we got to an hour and a half, and we did that for almost 17 years.
Yeah.
And what was the situation for a while?
You weren't feeling well the first 15 minutes of the show.
Well, it was, you know, the mindset of the executives sometimes.
Mindset.
Good one, Johnny.
Good one.
I just came from talking with Warren Littlefield, so I'm still trying to come
out of this.
We were down to 12 stations on the first 15 minutes.
Yeah.
And I went at that time to Robert Kintner, who was the president of NBC, and I
said,
Mr. Kintner, I said, my gosh, I've got to come out and do a monologue for 12
stations.
I said, can't we start at 1130?
He says, no, we can't do that.
So the next night, I sat in my dressing room, and I said, God, I feel terrible.
I really, God, I think it's a 15-minute virus.
And I sat, I hate to do that.
I sat in the dressing room the first night, and the second night, they came in
and said,
you better do it.
I said, it hit me again.
And so poor Ed McMahon and Skitch Henderson at the time were out there doing
that first
thing.
I had to keep that up, that terrible sham, for about three weeks.
And finally, they caved in, and we finally went to 1130.
Yeah.
Well, you've been in...
But it took that kind of sneaky type of noise.
Yeah, but you had to do it.
You've been involved in a lot of important format, formation for this network.
I mean, you've carried this network.
I don't think so.
Yeah, I think you have.
We were just here.
We did it.
It's coming to an end, you know, next year.
I've always wanted to be a shepherd.
Is that right?
That's right.
Geez, that's odd.
A shepherd.
I don't know.
Well, it's just one of those things that appeals to me.
You'd get some land in Malibu and just go to work with it?
You'd just go out there and sew a little grain or something.
Nice piece of bottom land and sit there with the missus.
Well, I'd like to see some photos of that.
Well, you will.
You will.
You don't have your home out there anymore, do you?
No, no.
What happened to that house?
Earthquake, got it.
Earthquake, got it.
Just leveled it.
Just got one little block.
I've been through three of those earthquakes.
I take that Hollywood sightseeing bus tour just to see my old homes.
Geez, that's money well spent for you.
Yeah, it is.
Now, when you go there and you talk to the affiliates, what is the mood?
How do people feel about it?
Because television is in a great era of turmoil.
Well, it's like a feeding frenzy.
All the affiliates come there, you know, and they want more time off the
network.
And, of course, we are now working for General Electric.
That's right.
I started working out for Radio Corporation of America.
Now, it's General Electric.
Yeah.
And, you know, a lot of people have said General Electric is not interested in
being in the
entertainment business.
And I said to Bob Wright, I saw the fall schedule and there's nothing to worry
about.
See, I've got to finish up here after you leave.
That's right.
Yeah, I'm going to get out and you're going to be stuck with us.
Yeah, it's easy for you to come in here with the hand grenades and stuff.
I've got to hang around the rest of the night.
And what are you doing?
You don't come to New York much, do you?
No, I actually came in for the affiliates meeting.
Yeah.
I'm going back.
Do you have a big kind of celebrity evening ahead of you?
No, not a thing.
We just walked around New York today.
And what is that like?
Do people just must know?
I ran into Merit Dinkins.
The sign says we'll work for food on the street.
I mean, this city is broke, isn't it?
Broke.
Yeah, it's a little fiscal crisis.
I tried to put the tag on me for some money.
I don't know what happened.
So there is no party.
There is no glamour-filled.
Nothing at all.
And then right back to California?
Yeah.
Yeah, and you go to work?
Yeah.
And any vacations for the summer?
Well, this is actually a vacation.
This was a week vacation.
And you get off pretty frequently, don't you?
Not like you, Johnny.
Well, I'm surprised we didn't have anything after Ted Danson got through with
him.
Ted got all the money.
Yeah.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate you dropping by with the million dollars.
I'm going to run that right down to the bank.
I would cash this immediately if I were you.
I appreciate this.
This is, I think, the second time you've been on the show.
It's always good to see you.
Very nice of you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Johnny Carson, everybody.
Thank you.
Have a nice time.
That was darn nice.
That was darn nice, don't you think?
It was lovely.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Johnny Carson was right here.
Pretty cool, wasn't it?
How did it feel?
Yeah, it was fun.
It was nice.
It was nice.
Better than what?
Man, was it some kind of disparaging run?
Gee, boy.
I think when he retires, I'm retiring.
My thanks to, oh, and I'm sorry to James Carey from In Living Color.
Are you back there, Jim?
I'm sorry.
Hey, yeah, we'll take it up with Carson.
Good night, everybody.
Good night, everybody.
Good night, everybody.