Tonight Show-clip from the first episode

[4thekidsTV]

Mr.Allen is right This NBC TV late night staple is still on the air.

[Juliaflo]

Sylvester Weaver's stellar creation, next to Susan, that is.  (Yes, we know her as Sigourney, but when The Tonight Show began, she was still called Susan).

[Juliaflo]

Steve Allen-Truly a standard-bearer in the television industry.

[gjames04]

It t was really a variety show with Steve playing the piano, often as a comedy bit, and several live musical spots every night. Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme and Andy Williams were regulars as well as virtually every well know Jazz musician from the early 50's making regular guest appearances.

[gjames04]

To show how TV has changed, on one of the early shows Steve was trying to remember someone and said "what the hell was his name" He then apologized profusely for having used profanity.

[BMassey1987]

@statman06

Oh, its still going on. It's just changed stations and the title is different.

I believe its called "CONAN" now.

[AgujaAzulMD]

@BMassey1987 No, CONAN is a different show... NBC will never cancel The Tonight Show. Like it or not, Jay Leno brings in the ratings. And when he eventually does retire again, Jimmy Fallon will probably take over. And then Leno will probably try to take the show back yet again...

[WSenator1]

I hope somebody could find a certain clip and put it on YT.  When Steve Allen left the Tonight Show to start a similar show on Sunday evenings (opposite Ed Sullivan), one of his guests was Johnny Carson - long before HE took over the Tonight Show. JC did a sketch where he imitated Sullivan, James Garner (of "Maverick," another rival show), and SA playing a card game. I'd love to see that again!

[fromthesidelines]

What you're referring to, '01sircharles', is a 1967 animated promo for "THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON", featuring silent film foootage mixed in as well (NBC staff announcer Bill Wendell provided some of the voices)- all concentrating on the word, "Tonight".

[henryblazer20]

@Teflon65 completely agree. It brings class into a genre that really needs it in the worse possible way! thanks for noticing!

[01sircharles]

One of my earliest memories as a child. My dad was a fan of tonight show and he said he does not remember that. I have never been able to verify it and I don't no who was hosting the show at the time. my guess is Johnny. Anyone else? please, and thanks.

[01sircharles]

when did nbc start advertising" the tonight show"? I'm looking for an animated commercial. it said ,"tonight, tonight ,..... 5 or six times, with a different character, with a different voice, in a different window, in what appeared to be a tall apartment building in N.Y... one was a woman, one was a vampire i think. each REPRESENTING A DIFFERENT NIGHT OF THE WEEK. the last one pulled down the shade and said"not tonight"( representing sunday I think). anybody have this or even remember ?

[thisiszaphodbeeblebr]

Surprisingly Steve Allen was not that well known on this side of the pond. I just love his shows, and fortunately there's lots of clips available to watch! A short retrospective series was shown very late on Channel 4 some years ago, when Steve looked back and introduced his favourite episodes. I recorded a view, but they were never broadcasted again, here.

He just makes it look so easy, and I just love his sense of humour.

Thanks for sharing!

[TheLonersManual]

Man he was so right when he said the show would go on forever. Though I think NBC screwed up by kicking Conan off the Tonight show and bringing Leno back.

Oh well.

[henryblazer20]

Steve Allen would have been an awesome youtube vlogger

[TheLonersManual]

@henryblazer20 haha yeah he would have. If only.

[fromthesidelines]

Sylvester "Pat" Weaver (father of Sigourney), who was NBC's chief executive in 1954, wanted to schedule a late-night series to accompany Dave Garroway's "THE TODAY SHOW" and the recently debuted daytime 'women's magazine', "HOME", with Arlene Francis. Weaver saw Steve's late night show on New York's WNBT/WRCA {WNBC today} during the 1953-'54 season, and decided his kind of show- loose, informal talk/variety- was the kind the network needed. And so, on September 27, 1954, at 11:15pm(et)....

[edwinm1]

would you all just shut the hell up jeezez what the hell is wrong with you people each host had theyre own hook and by the way conan is the best he works with the times just like Allen Parr and Johnny did...& yes even leno...but hes still a bastard for what he did to conan

[WSenator1]

Read somewhere of what Allen, Paar and Carson had in common: born in the Midwest, served in World War II, started on (old-time) radio, did game shows on early TV

[buick1948]

Allen was such a cool guy

[hepcat2009]

For some of us, the Tonight Show died with the Great Carsoni. He, Allen & Paar were all overly intelligent, classy & sophisticated. Leno & Conan are not. They indeed have comic ability but that's it. Conan has been largely successful because his staff writes for today's audience which is largely juvenile and unaware.  The earlier hosts mentioned would have never introduced a masterbating bear (perhaps a bit funny, but very tasteless) on their show.

[Willybigcheese]

conan is intelligent, classy & sophisticated. he just doesn't have to show it all the time

[johnhirt4143]

for me the show died with leno.

[UNDERGROUND2000]

pat weaver is sigourny weavers dad

[Strings1977]

He didn´t know then how right he was. The beginning of television history...

[mr1940s]

How eary he was right the show is still on the air

[mcblah]

how wrong you are....

[AllanR2D2]

Should have retired the show after Johnny Carson retired. Replacing Johnny Carson with Jay Leno & what's his face was like replacing Joe Montana with the uniform washing machine.

[ipmoic]

Still think he was the most talented of all the Tonight Show hosts. He was funny, musical and great with guests. Plus, he had a long and, I believe, happy marriage to Jane Meadows.

[haproductions]

Wow pretty damn funny for 50s. Allen's humor is similar to Conan's.. very sarcastic.

[djbattman]

You mean Letterman and Conan is Similar to the great Steve Allen.... lets give this dead man some respect!

[northberlin]

well lets give the funniest most unpredictable man in the world who's made his show hilarious and interesting since 1982 some respect too

[djbattman]

I am but I just want to let it be known that Steve Allen has been doing it since the 50's!!!

[badtown88]

I agree. Conan has a lot more in common with Allen than he does with Carson, even though Carson was his idol. Conan is the man!

[mannysdaman]

i wonder about people who think conan is funny... i can c liking him bc hes a likeable guy but jay is more hilarious and i dont even care for jay!

[aido2002]

@haproductions Which makes Zucker look all the stupider.

[terryprideaux]

This show is still going strong after 54yrs. Thank you to the best.

Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno and now Conan O'Brien.

[joebradio]

"if this program is successful as the other two (Today and Home), they are going to put on another show called the .. Tomorrow show.. really cool to see this now with the "handover" underway between Jay and Conan.. I think they really starting using the phase "The Tonight show" instead of just "Tonight" when Carson took over, but I could be wrong... has Jay really been on 17 years years.. I feel old

[Haflor]

he reminds a lot of conan.

[Gerkinstock]

The first show was broadcast in June 1953. The show moved to NBC in 1954. Is this from 1953?

[Wheelbrain]

This clip is taken from the first broadcast of The Tonight Show, which aired on September 27, 1954.

[uebergeek]

"This show is going to go on forever." Wow, how'd he know?

[LordEizen]

yeah thats what I was gonna say.. lol

[WSenator1]

@uebergeek - Steve Allen was always a very smart guy. HE JUST KNEW!

[143AC]

Get aload of those watches on Mr.Allen's

wrist. Must have taken a tip from"The Three Stooges"

to tell the time inbetween the segments of"The Tonight

Show!".

[davemock]

"Son of Tonight" must have been the "Tomorrow" show.

[falkie2007]

one of the funniest guys ever on tv

[transylvania50]

This is really cool to see a clip like this, for a moment I felt like I was with an audience fifty years ago. Incredible.

"...this program is gonna go on forever."

I laughed so hard when he said that. Thanks for putting this up.

[davemock]

Thumbs-up. And by the way, the Hudson is still there, in the Theater District.

[rjvonbokern]

Thanks for the clip. This is the beginning of

America's love affair with late night television with one of the most gifted entertainers of the 20th century.