More than one poet has tried to capture all of America in a single work.But how would it be if the works of many poets were stitched together into a sampler portrait of America? That's what tonight's program has done, drawing on such writers as Edgar Allan Poe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, e.e.Cummings and Allen Ginsberg. The major work of the evening is Robert Frost's "Death Of The Hired Man," with Peggy Wood as Mary, Alexander Scourby as Silas and James Whitmore, the show's narrator, as Warren. "The People Yes," by Carl Sandburg,is also heard.                                       

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.
  
  

Guests: John Denver, George Segal, James Whitmore, Jennifer O'Neill.

NOTE: This specific TONIGHT SHOW may only contain an opening monologue by Johnny Carson. 
Other content, as listed, will have to be monitored and confirmed upon your order request. 
                                                                                    

Musical and comedy salute to the glory and vitality of the American spirit.                      

Musical and comedy salute to the glory and vitality of the American spirit.  

Duplicate of # 7830.                                  

October 21st, 1974- 1980. 

Ninety-minute talk show in most markets hosted by Dinah Shore. The show was seen during the daytime in most cities. In 1979 the show was retitled "Dinah and Friends" and had a co-host.




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Portrait of Will Rogers with James Whitmore as Will Rogers.         

   In 1865, after President Lincoln's assassination Ford's 
Theater in Washington D.C. closed for 103 years. It reopened in 1968 with an all-star television gala. Tonight, another gala marks the 10th anniversary of its rebirth.

  The scheduled highlights presented in this special are excerpts from plays produced at Ford's, featuring the stars who appeared in them...one-man shows with James Whitmore as Will Rogers and Vincent Price as Oscar Wilde; Billy Dee Williams as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in "I Have a Dream"; Patti LuPone, Mary Joan Negro and Mary Lou Rosato in Chekhov's "Three Sisters"; Linda Hopkins, singing "A Good Man's Hard to Find," in "Bessie and Me"; and the cast of "Oh Coward!"-Roderick Cook, Jamie Ross and Barbara Cason-singing "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" and "Don't Put Your Daughter on the Stage, Mrs. Worthington."

   Lorne Green is the host; Alexis Smith, John Houseman and Henry Fonda are scheduled to introduce the segments.