The Sun Sets on Johnny’s Last ‘Tonight’

In an emotional farewell, comedian Johnny Carson on Friday night wound up his 30-year reign on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” with a final broadcast before an invited audience made up primarily of his staff, crew, their families and friends.

As the show drew to a close, and with his wife, Alex, and two grown sons, Chris and Cory, in the audience, the 66-year-old Carson, his voice cracking, said simply to viewers: “I bid you a very heartfelt good night.”

Shortly before, he appeared near tears when a montage of behind-the-scenes shots of “The Tonight Show” ended with a lingering look at the desk and couch where he has held forth as the king of late-night television.

Pointing out early in the show that members of his family were on hand, also including his brother, sister and “a sprinkling of nephews and nieces,” he addressed a remark to his sons:

“I realize that being an offspring of someone who is constantly in the public eye is not easy. So, guys, I want you to know that I love you. I hope that your old man has not caused you too much discomfort.”

Then, speaking of his late son Rick, a photographer who died last year in an auto accident at age 39, he added:

“It would have been a perfect evening if their brother Rick would have been here with us, but I guess life does what it is supposed to do.”

The final TV image of Carson’s farewell broadcast was a shot of a sunset taken by Rick. Shortly after Rick died, the comedian paid quiet tribute to his son on “The Tonight Show” with a showing of his photographic work.

Looking dapper in a dark blazer, gray slacks and red tie and pocket handkerchief, Carson sat on a stool for much of the show, which he purposely kept low-key for the most part. There were no celebrity guests.

Only his longtime sidekick, Ed McMahon, and his bandleader, Doc Severinsen, shared the stage for brief expressions of mutual admiration with Carson. Clips from the show’s past comprised much of the hour.

“Ed has been a rock for 30 years. We’re good friends. You can’t fake that on television,” Carson said.

“It’s been a joy,” McMahon replied, and the two men shook hands.

The much-admired “Tonight” band seemed to be in soaring form--it, too, is leaving, along with Severinsen and McMahon--and Carson said that anyone who thinks the band is not hip “doesn’t know the meaning of the word hip. Young and hip are not synonymous.”

“The guys and I want to thank you for giving us a place to play our music,” Severinsen said.

“We’ll stay in touch,” Carson said.

On Monday, “The Tonight Show” will be taken over by Jay Leno, Carson’s guest host since 1987. The new band will be a smaller group led by jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis.

But there was no passing of the baton on Friday night. Carson never mentioned Leno or, in fact, anything about the changing of the guard.

Carson arrived at the NBC studios in Burbank for his finale around his usual time--shortly before 3 p.m., driving in alone from his home in Malibu in his white Corvette.

He was greeted in the NBC parking lot by about 50 network employees who applauded him, as did a small crowd of onlookers as he drove onto the company grounds from Bob Hope Drive.

Although the comedian is known for his privacy, an NBC spokeswoman said a party was planned at his home after the show for his staff, crew and their families.

With NBC reportedly quadrupling the price for Carson’s commercials in his final weeks--up to $200,000 a spot--the ratings have also mounted dramatically as his goodby neared. Thursday night, he attracted an astonishing 42% of the viewing audience in the composite ratings for 25 major cities.

The Thursday show, which featured brilliant performances by guests Robin Williams and Bette Midler, was the talk of the Hollywood community on Friday morning. Midler, whom Carson joined in an emotional and show-stopping duet of “Here’s That Rainy Day,” was the final guest of his three-decade run on “Tonight.”

Carson’s very first guest, when he took over “Tonight” on Oct. 1, 1962, was Groucho Marx.

Show business paid homage to Carson as he wound up his reign. Arsenio Hall, Carson’s most serious competitor in late-night TV, gave a bow to the comedian by running repeat broadcasts all week. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences unveiled a life-size statue of Carson on its Hall of Fame Plaza in North Hollywood on Friday morning, although the comedian did not attend.

In the competing world of cable TV, the Comedy Central network saluted Carson’s finale by leading up to it with seven hours of programs devoted to either him or “Tonight,” and then went dark as the farewell broadcast began, encouraging its viewers to tune in the comedy legend.

As Carson began his monologue, a man in the audience shouted: “We love you!” The comedian smiled and, instead of a stock put-down, replied: “I love you too.” Of his tenure, he said: “I would like to do the whole thing over again.”

Remaining true to form, he took a final shot at General Electric, the tightfisted owner of NBC: “The greatest accolade I think I received, GE named me ‘Employee of the Month.’ And God knows, that was a dream come true.”

Before the show, hundreds of people gathered at NBC’s entrance in hopes of getting standby tickets for the finale. Among them were Dorothy Pemberton, 34, and her sister, Diana, 30, both of Downey, who said they had slept on the sidewalk for two nights just to get the tickets.

Brian Walsh, 27, of Phoenix, another standby, said: “Carson is a class act. There’s never going to be another like him.”

Inside, a little later, Carson was drawing near the end of his “Tonight Show” career. Addressing the audience, he said: “I have enjoyed every minute of it.”