Carson – the best at what he did. Enigmatic off camera, from what I understand, but absolutely brilliant on camera. His easy interview style and ability to let his guests be the focus stands in contrast to so many pretenders to his late night throne. His jokes and skits, even the ones that flopped, made you feel like you were "in" on the jokes. I don't remember all of his tenure, but I remember over half of it and can still quote from long ago evenings. Example – Doc Severinson wearing a loud jacket with flowers on it. Johnny: "That's some jacket Doc. Put some fertilizer on it and it might bloom". Doc: "We could dip it in your monologue". Johnny: "I'll suggest that to the new band leader". Spontaneous? Probably not. Hilarious? Absolutely! As fun and nostalgic as it is to see current superstars early in their careers as Johnny gave them their first big break, it is even more of a treat to see so many legendary stars, many still in their heyday. Bob Hope, Lucy, Dean Martin, etc. Like Johnny, they are gone now. And like Johnny, they don't make'm that way any more. Sad, but thank God for DVD and video.

I haven't seen the movie itself but I understand it's an overall view of JC's 30 years on the show. I lived in FLA one year and watched it sometimes during the week. What I saw was funny, smart and bright. I always liked the "monologue" and I wonder who actually started that tradition, or was it JC himself? And the big guy on the settee-McMann? what exactly was his function? I was sorry to see JC finish his run and thought he could have lasted at least another 5-10 years. He was a brilliant host - the best ever. When he paid tribute to his late son, it was very poignant and reserved.God bless Johnny Carson.

Dorothy "Stratten" is said to be on this collection of tapes. I have the whole set and did not see her. Her name is spelled as "Stratton" on the Johnny web site-this is wrong. If I'm wrong please let me know. I was really looking forward to seeing her in some form on one of the collection tapes. Although I didn't get to see her I still enjoyed the whole collection. I grew up with Johnny and will miss him very much.

As great as Steve Allen and Jack Paar were, Carson took the ball, reshaped it, and sent it in for a shot heard round the world. There is a reason he hosted the show for 30 years, 4 times longer than his 2 predacessors behind him. He was brilliant at making anyone seem interesting. Steve could do it, and so could Jack (though not as well from what I've seen), but Johnny really had a grasp of finding the way to question people to fit their response style. He really was the first true King of Late Night. If others say it's Paar or Allen, then I say Carson became Emporer!The skits were done cheaply, but they were so much fun, you laughed with them, not at them.Originally, the Carson's show was 90 minutes, and it was trimmed to 60 in the early 80's since he felt he could not keep the level up like he had in the past, which made the way for David Letterman. Thank You Johnny!