Product Details

• Actors: Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon, Bob Hope, Joan Rivers, Jay Leno
• Directors: Frederick De Cordova
• Writers: Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Allyn Warner, Bob Keane, George Tricker
• Format: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (PCM Stereo)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Carson Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: November 7, 2006
• Run Time: 240 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000HXDQN8
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,343 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #53 in Movies & TV > DVD > TV Talk Shows
• For more information about "The Best of Carson, Volume 1" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Any fan of Johnny Carson will certainly have their own idea of what constitutes his best stuff. With over 30 years of material from the king of late-night TV to cull through, any collection is bound to be missing something. Whether or not your favorite moments are to be found in the almost four hours of Carson classics in this first volume of The Best of Carson is open to question, but either way there’s plenty here to remind you of what made Johnny so popular. Each disc features highlights of guest visits, comic skits, and unexpected moments (most of the selections in this volume are from the 1980s). Disc one features highlights with guests like Steve Martin and "Super Dave" Osborne, as well as Carson characters like "Aunt Blabby" and "Carnac the Magnificent," along with other memorable moments. The most intriguing piece by far is the famous "Return to Studio One" episode from 1969, where Bob Hope and Dean Martin stole the show with their unannounced appearances (the episode was apparently lost for years and accidentally found in a vault at the Armed Forces Television Network). Disc two features appearances by animal handler Jim Fowler, the Peking Acrobats, and Garry Shandling in addition to "Tonight Show Memories," a 30-minute retrospective of the show’s history. Disc three features Ellen DeGeneres, Rodney Dangerfield, Don Rickles, and more comic skits, including one that imagines what The Tonight Show would be like if NBC were to be bought by the Japanese. The bonus feature on disc three is a photo gallery featuring shots of early guests. What is missing here is one of the most important aspects of Carson’s legacy: the launching of many future stars’ careers on his show. There’s no late-night debut here of Jay Leno, David Letterman, or Jerry Seinfeld for example. But despite that, there’s still enough material here to give fans plenty of classic Carson entertainment.--Daniel Vancini

Product Description

Studio: Respond2 Entertainment Release Date: 01/08/2007

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Collection Is Fine... If You Don't Already Own It!, November 7, 2006

By 

MGoldie "Video Game, Comic Book, DVD Collector!" (Near Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Best of Carson, Volume 1 (DVD)

Buyer Beware! I am not reviewing the level of the content, as it is pure Johnny Carson as this best. You can't go wrong with Carson... unless you already own the same material in a different package. This item would deserve five stars if not for the way it is being marketed.

The front proudly boasts "Includes Never Before Seen Footage." So I ordered this being a huge Carson fan. How disappointed was I to find out that INSIDE it quietly tells you that the material is "Previously Available Only To Carson Club Members." Meaning if you own the Classic Carson Club 12 DVD series that was released in the 90s, or the mega box set sold here called "Heeere's Johnny! The Special Collector's Edition (The Ultimate Carson Collection / Timeless Moments from the Tonight Show / Animal Hijinks)" that also contained them... Then this material is NOT NEW. It is merely 4 hours of the highlights of that 12 volume series of DVDs. So save your money if you own the Classic Carson Club DVDs. You already have all this stuff! If you don't I highly recommend it, I just wish I knew first before I opened it. I called and Amazon said I can get a full refund despite having opened the DVDs, so back they go. I just wish this was more accurately advertised as what it really is!

So if you don't have this material in another form... 5 stars.
If you do.... 1 star.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Great Johnny, November 7, 2006

By 

Lemon - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Best of Carson, Volume 1 (DVD)

As the other reviewer mentioned - don't buy this set if you already own the full Carson Club DVD set - but if you don't this is a wonderful look back into the King of Latenight. The 3 discs span 30 years of Johnny - and include many great guests, Johnny's characters, and monologues. The "Lost Episode" featuring a suprise visit by Bob Hope, Dean Martin, and George Gobel is particularly great. If you want to own the perfect Carson library - buy The Ultimate Collection first, this collection second, and I would add both Carson Comic's DVDs and Carson Country to get a great overview of the best talk show in history.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This could have fit on one DVD, December 6, 2006

By 

Volpsych (Knoxville, TN United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Best of Carson, Volume 1 (DVD)

Johnny was the best, and any material from his show will always be greatly appreciated. The material on these DVD's may have been duplicated on the 12-disc set (which I have not completely watched), but not on the Ultimate Johnny Carson Collection (which I have watched repeatedly).

HOWEVER, my biggest gripe is how distressingly short these discs are. They claim a run-time of four hours, but that apparently includes the 30 minute "best of" featurette and the "Return to Studio One" show; the actual clips run just over two hours, spread out over 3 discs. When I sit down to watch a DVD and it's over in 45 minutes (or less!), I feel ripped off.

I love Johnny and look forward to seeing more of him on DVD. I just hope the production company doesn't continue packaging little material in multiple sets to raise the prices. Instead, future sets should use the Ultimate Collection as their model; that was a FANTASTIC set.