The Ultimate Johnny Carson Collection - His Favorite Moments from The Tonight Show (Vols. 1-3) (1962-1992)

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Summary: Thanks for the memories.
Review: I found out yesterday that Johnny Carson has passed away. Bummer. He was a great comic and a class act. I got online to purchase the "Ultimate Johnny" Collection. I can't wait for the "Animal-Hijinx" part of this collection. Johnny was just super in "Winging-It" or being creative on the fly, and this he did best with his interactions with the animals that were brought onto his show. God Bless Him. "A Fan".

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Summary: Ultimate Johnny Classics
Review: I purchased the Ultimate Johnny Carson for my husband for Christmas. We watched it and were laughing through the whole thing. It brought back alot of memories. The animals on the show were the best. I would highly recommend this for any Johnny Carson lover. It is most enjoyable and well worth the price, which I thought was very reasonable.

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Summary: Disappointed
Review: I was disappointed with this set. It doesn't give you a sense of what made you love Johnny, really. There is minimal development of the material. A couple of gags would be OK, but gag after gag left me feeling empty. Maybe Johnny is not the right person to toast with snippets; his charm came from watching an entire show, or was built up over months, years. Likewise his skill as an interviewer is lost in the short clips. Had I known, I would have taken on a pass on this purchase. Furthermore,the production is rushed and uncreative.

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Summary: The Ultimate Collection - Johnny Carson
Review: In the previous review the person explained that she did not get the extra tape Animal Hijinks that was advertised on TV. It was noted that she bought the VHS version. I bought the DVD verson and I also did not receive the extra DVD. I was going to purchase it at Best Buys for $62.00 but this seemed like a better deal. Will I be receiving it or do I have to pay the return shipping as this is a gift for my Mother and Animal Hijinks is mostly what she wanted.

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Summary: The Man Behind the Desk
Review: In today's era of David Letterman and Jay Leno, younger generations should remember that Johnny Carson (along with his "Tonight Show" predecessors Jack Paar and Steve Allen) defined the talk-show format which made late-night television an enduring and immensely profitable enterprise. From 1962 to 1992, Carson reigned supreme as a comedian and broadcaster. Unlike Letterman and Leno, Johnny did his homework when it came to nightly conversation. No matter who sat on the couch, he remained an astute and observant host. "The Ultimate Johnny Carson Collection" is an expanded three-DVD set of "Tonight Show" highlights selected by Johnny himself, with the welcome addition of his final two programs. The set also includes the 1982 NBC special "Johnny Goes Home" -- a nostalgic, affectionate look at Carson's return to his hometown of Norfolk, Nebraska. Loaded with extras (and some recently discovered film clips from the early 1960s), the DVD collection provides first-rate material at a reasonable price. If this set leaves you wanting more, the six-DVD "Timeless Moments" series is highly recommended -- allowing viewers to see previously unavailable Carson monologues, interviews and sketches in their entirety.

Rating:
Summary: The Man Behind the Desk
Review: In today's era of David Letterman and Jay Leno, younger generations should remember that Johnny Carson (along with his "Tonight Show" predecessors Jack Paar and Steve Allen) defined the talk-show format which made late-night television an enduring and immensely profitable enterprise. From 1962 to 1992, Carson reigned supreme as a comedian and broadcaster. Unlike Letterman and Leno, Johnny did his homework when it came to nightly conversation. No matter who sat on the couch, he remained an astute and observant host. "The Ultimate Johnny Carson Collection" is an expanded three-DVD set of "Tonight Show" highlights selected by Johnny himself, with the welcome addition of his final two programs. The set also includes the 1982 NBC special "Johnny Goes Home" -- a nostalgic, affectionate look at Carson's return to his hometown of Norfolk, Nebraska. Loaded with extras (and some recently discovered film clips from the early 1960s), the DVD collection provides first-rate material at a reasonable price. If this set leaves you wanting more, the six-DVD "Timeless Moments" series is highly recommended -- allowing viewers to see previously unavailable Carson monologues, interviews and sketches in their entirety.

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Summary: Best (though expensive) Carson Collection available
Review: It is a bit pricey, (I paid $...for this set at the time) $...is better. But a laugh riot. Clearly Jay Leno doesn't even try to fill Johnny's shoes and he tends to rely on two bit humor. Johnny truely got in on the action. He was part of the show. Not just the host. Someone should fired Leno quick. (not that Letterman is any better. He's not. Conan O brien is the only one that even comes close to johnny) It's a wonderful set though. The Animal Hijinks dvd is a bit of a disappointment. Waste of a disk if you ask me. 30 minutes long. The 3 main disks are utterly full and then we get this 30 min disk.

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Summary: More, More, More!
Review: It's great, I've had it since it was released but as I observsed on Leno's tribute show for Johnny on the Monday following his death, there's a lot more in that vault. Just the bit with Johnny, Frank Sinatra and Don Rickles that was shown that night was terrific.

Here's how I see it: Cull throught each of the years that survived on tape, find the best guests and maybe show their entire interview or performance. Going that route, we could be watching "new" Johnny shows for years to come. Also many of those shows were 90 minutes long (before commercials)so the wealth of material has got to be staggering.

Sure, the Ed Ames bit is classic and had to be included in the first set, but we've seen it a million times. Time to dig deeper into the vault, especially now that Johnny's gone. Pop it into your DVD at 11:30 PM and pretend you're back there in the good old days(minus commercials). If you have the $$$, spring for the bigger set, also in the Amazon top ten as I write this.

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Summary: I Can't Believe It's Been Ten Years Since Johnny Left
Review: No matter what happens, Johnny Carson was, is and always will be the greatest late night host ever and one of the most towering figures in television history. David Letterman is terrific, but even he pales next to Carson. It's amazing to think that it's already been ten years since Johnny retired. This DVD collection brings it all back and reminds us all of just how great Carson was. (The Ed Ames tomahawk throwing segment just might be the funniest moment in TV history) The only disappointing thing about this set is that it does not include that much material from the first ten years. It's sad that so much classic material was lost. However, the set has a very comprehensive sample of Carson's funniest moments from over the years and show why Johnny will always be the King of Late Night.

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Summary: "The Best Television We Will Ever Have"
Review: That quote is from Jerry Lewis (and he should know having given us some of the best and worst television and films of all time, but I digress) and its spot on. Along with Saturday Night Live, Johnny Carson pushed the boundaries of television in terms of what topics could be discussed and what could be said in the company of thinking adults. Yet he never aspired to be some eggheaded intelligentsia-only PBS discussion show - he wanted to sit around, talk about what was going on in the world and tell some jokes, a cocktail party of the air if you will. He never set out to shock and offend - he was a visitor in our living rooms and bedrooms after all - but he was no prude either. He was casual, unpretentious and very very funny. ... Not all of Johnny's bits were winners, but that's okay - he could turn disaster into hilarity with a sly look or off-the-cuff remark, and this DVD has moments like that in spades - the Ed Ames incident, the Robin Leach monologue joke, animals gone nuts, all great spontaneous moments. An embarassment of riches is on this set, but alas the video quality is weird - movement on video clips is not fluid like it was mastered with iMovie or something (my ten year old Laserdisc of this set looks much better). Perhaps this was done to make this set playable in other regions I do not know. The extras make the set, from the special "Johnny Comes Home" to the behind the scenes angles. The menus are well designed but sometimes don't work properly. If you don't have this stuff, get it and you won't notice the flaws because you'll be laughing.