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.
We hear Johnny Carson's opening monologue.
Special guest is Barry Goldwater, candidate for the President 1964.
Goldwater talks with Johnny about the Indians of the state of Arizona and about his hobby and avocation - flying.
He is a Major General in the Air Force Reserve. Goldwater talks about being "unemployed" and about his grandchildren, and his Arizona home. He discusses using his ham radio set to transfer personal messages from boys fighting in Viet Nam to their families in the USA. He states that he uses a phone patch which he monitors conversations, relating the calls.
Barry Goldwater discusses his book of photographs which he says will be published by Bennett Cerf and will be out next year.
Goldwater talks to Johnny Carson about political jokes, saying very few politicians get mad at lampoons. Discussing Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Goldwater says listening to Hubert is like looking at "Playboy" magazine with your wife turning the pages.
Barry Goldwater says he's anxious to get back into politics again. "I am too young to retire and too old to go to work!"