Product Details

• Actors: Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon, Lisa Frantz, Letha Hadady, Christopher Jackson
• Directors: Frederick De Cordova
• Writers: Allyn Warner, Andrew Nicholls, Bob Keane, Darrell Vickers, George Tricker
• Format: NTSC
• Number of tapes: 4
• VHS Release Date: June 25, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (119 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000068WS6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #180,432 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

213 of 229 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What's There Is Great, But There Should Be A Lot More, August 18, 2004

By 

K. Palmer (Illinois) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ultimate Johnny Carson Collection - His Favorite Moments From The Tonight Show (Vols. 1-3) (1962-1992) (DVD)

I himmed and hawed about purchasing the Carson DVD package. I always loved Johnny's anniversary shows where he would break out old clips from over the years along with the highlights of the year just ended. So the package seemed intringing, but I decided to rent first. Good decision.

It is not that the content of the shows is terrible. Far from it. It's just woefully short on material to justify the rather steep pricetag of a 3 disc set. Understanding that a lot of the tapes from the early years were destroyed years ago, there still had to be over 20 years of material to put together several more hours. Instead, there is a "Best of the 60s/70s", "Best of the 70s/80s" and "Best of the 80s/90s" segment, each about 45 minutes each. Many of the classics are here (the Ed Ames hatchet throw, George Gobel's brown shoes joke, the marmoset using Johnny's head as a restroom, Jimmy Stewart's poem about his dog Bo, even a very funny intro of future president Clinton), but there had to be more. There were no Floyd R. Turbo (who I consider the first right wing militant) bits nor was my favorite Carnac the Magnificent moment included (the answer is Sis-Boom-Bah, the question: What sound does an exploding sheep make). The latter omission is interesting because I seem to recall Carson saying at one time that that bit garned the biggest laugh in the show's history.

There's also Carson's last shows, which I actually already have on tape, so other than a better picture, it doesn't do it for me. There's also a show from 1982 when Johnny went back home to Nebraska to visit old hangouts and friends that was interesting.

In summary, some great moments, but there should have been more!

83 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still the King!, June 21, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ultimate Johnny Carson Collection - His Favorite Moments From The Tonight Show (Vols. 1-3) (1962-1992) (DVD)

As one of the millions that sorely miss the wit and wisdom of Johnny Carson, I was especially pleased to receive this "best of" DVD collection. The three DVD's feature the best moments from the show - divided by decade - from the 60's through the 90's, and also include the complete second-to-last show (with Bette Midler and Robin Williams) and the final show, along with a documentary on Johnny I had never seen before. The remastering quality is great. There is a fun little short film called "Danger Johnny", and one of the most interesting things about the DVD's are the ISO CAMS, that allow you to pick the camera angles to view some of the programs. You can even view scenes from Johnny's perspective. The menu options are terrific, and the packaging very deluxe. If you are a fan of classic television, this is a great addition to your library - and I plan to send them as gifts to family members I know miss Johnny too.

74 of 80 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Can't Believe It's Been Ten Years Since Johnny Left, January 9, 2003

By 

Michael K. Beusch (San Mateo, California United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Ultimate Johnny Carson Collection - His Favorite Moments From The Tonight Show (Vols. 1-3) (1962-1992) (DVD)

No matter what happens, Johnny Carson was, is and always will be the greatest late night host ever and one of the most towering figures in television history. David Letterman is terrific, but even he pales next to Carson. It's amazing to think that it's already been ten years since Johnny retired. This DVD collection brings it all back and reminds us all of just how great Carson was. (The Ed Ames tomahawk throwing segment just might be the funniest moment in TV history) The only disappointing thing about this set is that it does not include that much material from the first ten years. It's sad that so much classic material was lost. However, the set has a very comprehensive sample of Carson's funniest moments from over the years and show why Johnny will always be the King of Late Night.