Guests are Henry Morgan, Jimmy Piersall, Adam Keefe and Woody Allen.             

October 1, 1962 - March 29, 1963

Excerpts from two programs. Jan. 31, 1963 comic & impressionist, Adam Keefe. Feb. 1, 1963 Merv Griffin's guests are Edward Everett Horton, Buddy Hackett and Bobby Breen. Mrs. Miller tells a joke to Merv who also plays the piano. 

NOTE: All but one of the 120 NBC Daytime THE MERV GRIFFIN SHOW broadcasts are NOT know to exist. The one extant...Danny Kaye appearing November 9, 1962.  However, Phil Gries founder of ARCHIVAL TELEVISION AUIDO, INC. is personally responsible for audio taping 35 of these shows direct line on to 1/4" audio tape, historically remaining the only broadcast record.                                                                   

October 1, 1962-May 22, 1992. Johnny Carson, host of NBC's network late-night "Tonight Show" reigned for 30 unprecedented years...five times the combined tenure of Steve Allen, and Jack Paar. Carson was impervious to competition, including efforts to dethrone him by Les Crane, Joey Bishop, Merv Griffin, Dick Cavett, Jack Paar, Pat Sajak, Joan Rivers, and Arsenio Hall. Sadly, very few complete "Tonight Show" broadcasts survive during Johnny Carson's first ten years of broadcasting. Around 1965, through the early 1970's, oldest tapes were first erased systematically by orders from myopic NBC executives, to be recycled for purposes of saving money. Ironically, in many cases, these older master tapes were too brittle, and portended probable drop-outs for re-use after being erased. Subsequently blank after being erased, these older questionable master 2" Quad tapes were either sparingly used or never used again for recording new programming and eventually were discarded. Saving thousands of dollars at the time (wiping master tapes for potential re-use) resulted in losing millions of dollars by NBC in today's marketplace, and more importantly wiping thousands of historic TONIGHT SHOW broadcasts, which contain precious personal anecdotes from political, show business, and sports icons of the past.



Johnny Carson plays "Stump the Band" with the audience. Among the participants is 19 year old aspiring actress Linda Day who would later become actress Linda Day George. Guests are Mickey Rooney and impressionist Adam Keith. Ed McMahon is co-host.                          

Steve Allen's guests are Groucho Marx and stand-up comic impressionist Adam Keefe.                          

Steve Allen's guest is impressionist Adam Keefe.             

September 19, 1963-April 1, 1966. In 1963 Dean hosted a prime-time hour variety series on ABC, which lasted three seasons. Regulars included Karen Morrow, Molly Bee, Chuck McCann, the Chuck Cassey Singers and Rowlf the Muppet, the first of the puppet creations of Jim Henson to be featured on national TV. 

Repeat of April 22, 1965.