Blu-ray Review: TV Fans Need to See ‘Johnny Carson: King of Late Night’

CHICAGO – Any list of the most influential and important people in the history of television that doesn’t include Johnny Carson is simply incomplete. He was SUCH a force in the medium, coming into the homes of millions every night. That’s why so many luminaries came out to speak about the man in the excellent “American Masters” documentary “Johnny Carson: King of Late Night,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD.

Blu-ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

Is there anyone else in the world that could bring out such a powerful group of people as David Letterman, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Conan O’Brien, and essentially every other major voice in TV comedy that’s still alive? There’s something about the awe that celebrities have for Carson, an average guy who knew how to turn his everyman qualities into something bigger than life. By blending insightful interviews with clips from the show and home videos from Carson’s past, the creators of “King of Late Night” have given fans a timeless document of a true legend.

American Masters Johnny Carson: King of Late Night
Photo credit: PBS

Synopsis:
Quite possibly the biggest star that television has ever produced Johnny Carson was seen by more people on more occasions than anyone else in American history. Over the course of his 30-year run on The Tonight Show Carson interviewed 23,000 guests in 4,531 episodes. Yet he remained a very private man who rarely gave interviews himself. With unprecedented and unrestricted access to Johnny’s personal and professional archives, the multiple Emmy and Peabody award-winning American Masters series and two-time Emmy-winning filmmaker Peter Jones explore the life and career of one of the most beloved yet enigmatic icons in American entertainment history.

Special Features:
o Behind-the-scenes footage of Kevin Spacey’s voice-over session
o Interview outtakes with Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Shandling, Ray Romano, Drew Carey, and more!

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com