The Tonight Show

Spoofing Johnny Carson's famous set in the 1983 calendar The Muppets Look at TV.

The Tonight Show is a long-running American late-night talk and variety show airing on NBC, the third longest-running entertainment program in U.S. television history. The show's longest running hosts have been Johnny Carson (1962-1992) and Jay Leno (1992-2009, 2010-2014); other hosts include Steve Allen (1953-1957), Jack Paar (1957-1962) and Conan O'Brien (2009-2010); Jimmy Fallon became the host in February 2014.

The Muppets have a long affiliation with the program, dating back to 1956, when Jim and Jane Henson performed Kermit and Yorick performing "I've Grown Accustomed to Your Face". This was the first of several performances of Henson's variety show pieces, which continued into the late 1960s.

Henson made several appearances in the mid-70s promoting The Muppet Show, performing many of his new characters -- Dr. Teeth appeared on the program twice in 1975, the Swedish Chef in 1976, and Link Hogthrob in 1977. In September 1976, just before the Muppet Show's premiere, Kermit introduced Carson to stand-up comedian Fozzie Bear.

Kermit filled in for Carson as the guest host on April 2, 1979, to promote the release of The Muppet Movie. The program became somewhat of a Muppet special, with other Muppet characters appearing throughout the show to disrupt things as Kermit tried to interview his guests -- Vincent Price, Bernadette Peters, Leo Sayer and veterinarian Dr. Michael Fox. The show was punctuated with several Muppet musical numbers: two Slinky-shaped Muppets danced to "Java", Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem performed "New York State of Mind", Peters sang "Just One Person" with Robin the Frog, Miss Piggy performed a duet of "When I Need You" with Sayer, and Kermit closed the show with a quiet performance of "Bein' Green". Statler and Waldorf appear in the audience to heckle.

The Muppets' appearances on The Tonight Show continued into the 1980s and beyond, including a 1989 appearance to promote The Jim Henson Hour. In the 1990s, host Jay Leno interviewed Kermit and Miss Piggy several times, with the Muppets appearing three times on the show in 1996.

Tonight! (1953–1957)

Steve Allen hosted the program from 1953 to 1957, though his hosting duties were decreased when Allen's new show The Steve Allen Show premiered in 1956. The show originated for local New York City television in its first year, but was picked up nationally by NBC in September 1954. Andy Williams was the resident singer.

Appearances

• October 11, 1956 - Jim and Jane Henson appeared on the show and performed "I've Grown Accustomed to Your Face."

References

• In a 1973 episode of Sesame Street, Big Bird, hosting a show, asks for a music cue from "Skitch," referencing Allen's band-leader Skitch Henderson.

The Jack Paar Show (1957–1962)

Following Allen's departure, the series changed hosts with Jack Paar taking the reins. Though officially still called The Tonight Show, it was also marketed as The Jack Paar Show.

Appearances

• November 1, 1957 - The Muppets appear

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962–1992)

May 24, 1974

July 25, 1975

July 25, 1975

May 24, 1974

September 14, 1976

Kermit guest hosting in 1979

Johnny Carson took over hosting with Ed McMahon as his sidekick. For all but a few months of its first decade on the air, Carson's show was based in New York City. In May 1972 the show moved to Burbank, California, (although it was announced as coming from nearby Hollywood) for the remainder of his tenure.

Kermit the Frog guest hosted the show for Johnny Carson in 1979, while Grover performed "Near and Far" for the first time on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show in the 1969-1970 season.

Appearances

(Note: this list is not all-inclusive, and may be missing appearances believed to be lost, or that occured on shows with guest hosts.)

• September 6, 1965 - Kermit appears, along with Bill Cosby.
• December 31, 1965 - Two sketches were performed. In one a Whatnot continually knocks at someone's door as he gets drunk and sings "Let Me In". Immediately afterward, Kermit performed the "Inchworm" sketch with Big V. This episode was released on the DVD, TONIGHT: 4 Decades of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
• January 13, 1966 - Performed "Money" and "Sclrap Flyapp."
• 1968 - Limbo: The Organized Mind.
• October 29, 1968 - Performed "Beautiful Day."
• September 26, 1969 - Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Don Sahlin, and Danny Seagren perform Glowworm (with Kermit and Big V) and Sclrap Flyap. (This was the tenth Muppet appearance on The Tonight Show.)
• 1970 - Grover performs "Near and Far."
• January 23, 1974 - Jim Henson and Dave Goelz perform Limbo: The Organized Mind; Jim and Kermit are interviewed by Johnny Carson, and Kermit sings "Bein' Green".
• May 24, 1974 - Frank Oz and Jim Henson puppeteer Piggy Lee and Hamilton Pig, who perform "That Old Black Magic", Kermit and Grump perform "Visual Thinking", and Henson discusses his art of Muppetry.
• March 18, 1975 - Dr. Teeth, in his debut, sings "Love Ya to Death"; Jim and Kermit are interviewed to promote The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence. (YouTube)
• July 25, 1975 - Kermit the Frog (in a wig) and Yorick sing "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" and Jim Henson discusses the art of puppetry with the help of Dr. Teeth. Henson explains that he cannot perform Kermit because he has a cold, so Dr. Teeth sings his own rendition of "Bein' Green".
• September 14, 1976 - Jim Henson and Frank Oz perform a live sketch with the Swedish Chef, followed by a short interview with Kermit and Fozzie Bear. Jim Henson talks about his new series, The Muppet Show. He shows a clip of the "Rag Mop" number, with behind the scenes footage showing the puppeteers performing the Raggmopps.
• September 13, 1977 - Kermit sings "Happy Feet". Jim discuss the second season of The Muppet Show, showing a full clip of "Pigs in Space" from episode 209. Carson does a short interview with Link Hogthrob.
• April 2, 1979 - Kermit the Frog guest hosts, with guests Vincent Price, Bernadette Peters, Leo Sayer and veterinarian Dr. Michael Fox.
• July 12, 1984 - Johnny Carson interviews Miss Piggy to promote The Muppets Take Manhattan. A clip is shown from the department store scene with Joan Rivers. Piggy sings "My Funny Valentine" to Carson.
• April 17, 1989 - Jim Henson and Kermit promote The Jim Henson Hour with guest host Jay Leno. A clip of Jacques Roach is shown. Other guests included Loretta Lynn and Tom Brokaw.

Mentions

• December 27, 1972: Buddy Rich sings "Bein' Green".

• November 2, 1979: During a monologue piece about Sweeps Week, Johnny mentions an upcoming episode of The Muppet Show where "Miss Piggy exposes her loins."

References

• In a 1973 episode of Sesame Street, Big Bird hosts a show that opens with an offshoot of Carson's famous theme music.

• Cookie Monster spoofed Johnny Carson with Guy Smiley playing Ed McMahon in a Tonight Show parody shown in the 1974 special Out to Lunch.

• Kermit took the place of Johnny, with Miss Piggy as a guest in the 1982 Hallmark calendar The Muppets Look at TV.

• The Sesame Street video, Learning About Numbers, has a framing story with Big Bird hosting a Tonight Show-esque program.

• Frequent guest host Jay Leno appeared in a Sesame Street skit with Big Bird. When Big Bird learns that his friend "Johnny" is unable to come play, Jay appears to sit-in for Johnny (something he says he loves doing). Leno fills Johnny's chair and the two play "One of These Things." Afterwards Big Bird remarks that "he really was good at sitting-in for Johnny." (Sesamestreet.org)

• Footage from The Tonight Show was edited into the Muppet Babies episode "I Want My Muppet TV!", when Baby Piggy imagines appearing on the show (which she refers to as "The Johnny Carson Show").

• Season 35 of Sesame Street featured two sketches called "Baby Talk", a talk show hosted by Natasha that parodied The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and other late night talk shows.

• A 2008 episode of Sesame Street featured two inserts in which Big Bird presents Snuffy (by saying "Heeeeeeeeere's Snuffy!"), followed by a short riff of "Johnny's Theme".

• A picture of Kermit with Johnny, Ed and an unidentified guest is seen in Kermit's office in The Muppets.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992–2009, 2010–2014)

File:Tonightshow1999.jpg

Miss Piggy and not Jay Lenos knee.

Miss Piggy complains to Jay Leno for not inviting her on The Tonight Show and Leno makes up by having her sit on his office desk. At the end of the show, (as seen in a web-exclusive video) Miss Piggy does not leave until she guest host the show.

Mickey Rourke gets to "touch it."

Johnny Carson retired in May 1992 and was replaced as host by Jay Leno. Branford Marsalis was the original bandleader of the show from 1992 to 1995, Kevin Eubanks was the bandleader for the program from 1995 until 2010; he was replaced by Rickey Minor from 2010 to 2014.

Appearances

• June 21, 1996 - Miss Piggy promotes In the Kitchen with Miss Piggy.
• November 12, 1996 - Kermit the Frog.
• December 31, 1996 - Miss Piggy reports live from the roof of the Mariott Marquis Hotel in Times Square to watch the ball drop.
• 1999 - Kermit the Frog promotes Muppets from Space.
• August 31, 2011 - Miss Piggy in the show's cold open (and online backstage clip), promotes The Muppets, Animal performs with OK Go to promote The Green Album (Clip) (Backstage clip)
• November 4, 2011 - Miss Piggy promotes The Muppets; Mickey Rourke gropes her.

References

• Leno and Eubanks appeared in "The Cameo Show" episode of Muppets Tonight. Leno volunteers to help out on the show, but Bobo turns him down because he doesn't recognize him as someone famous—however, he does recognize Eubanks (of whom he is a big fan).

Mentions

• May 25, 2009 - Leno shows a sequence of clips with Mel Gibson, after which they comment at how young and good-looking they were. "In ten years time we'll be sitting here looking at this going 'hey, we looked real good!' We'll be looking like the hecklers on The Muppet Show or something."

• October 3, 2011 - During "Headlines" Leno shows a newspaper article with a photo of the walk-around versions of Cookie Monster and Elmo checking out a newly renovated men's restroom.

The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien (2009–2010)

Mentions

• September 18, 2009 - Conan shows a clip of Barack Obama's speech with clips of Statler and Waldorf heckling.
• November 5, 2009 - Conan shows guest Jim Carrey a montage of clips from various adaptations of "A Christmas Carol" to show Carrey that his 2009 film is not the first time the Dickens story has been made into a movie. The montage included clips from The Muppet Christmas Carol.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014-present)

Appearances

• March 17, 2014 - Kermit the Frog appears to promote Muppets Most Wanted and gives Jimmy Fallon a specially designed wrench for the Muppet Pipes. Later, he and Fallon sing "Bein' Green" to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day. (YouTube)

• September 11, 2014 - Elmo, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, Oscar the Grouch, Grover, Murray Monster, and Big Bird appear, individually reading tweets with the hashtag #WhenIWasAKid. (YouTube)

• August 14, 2015 - Big Bird (performed by Noel MacNeal) appears in segment for a game called Phone Booth. (YouTube)

March 17, 2014

September 11, 2014

Connections

• Steve Allen, host (1954–1957)
• Jack Paar, host (1957–1962)
• Johnny Carson, host (1962–1992)
• Ed McMahon, announcer (1962–1992)
• Jay Leno, host (1992–2009, 2010–2014)
• Kevin Eubanks, band leader (1995–2009)
• Conan O'Brien, host (2009–2010)
• Andy Richter, announcer (2009–2010)
• Jimmy Fallon, host (2014-present)
• The Roots, band (2014-present)

Video releases

Respond2 Entertainment released Tonight: 4 Decades From The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, a 15 DVD boxed set with the full length December 31, 1965 - Woody Allen, The Muppets episode on October 26, 2010.

External links

• "Unhappy New Year" - transcript of Miss Piggy's New Year's Eve 1996 appearance
• Jim's Red Book entry on Kermit's hosting gig on The Tonight Show