Tonight Show, The

Tonight Show, The

▪ American television program
      long-running American television late-night talk show. Airing since 1954 on the National Broadcasting Co (National Broadcasting Co., Inc.). (NBC) network, it is the standard against which others of its genre are judged.

      Except for a brief (and unpopular) switch to a magazine-type news program in 1957, the format of the show has been remarkably consistent throughout its history. In many ways resembling a variety show, The Tonight Show combines a nightly monologue by the host, comedy sketches, musical guests, and celebrity interviews, all permeated by the signature style and persona of the show's host, thus creating a nightly, topical entertainment program with a pop-culture focus. The program has had four principal hosts in its history: Steve Allen (Allen, Steve) (1954–57), Jack Paar (1957–62), Johnny Carson (Carson, Johnny) (1962–92), and Jay Leno (1992– ), as well as numerous guest hosts and sidekicks or co-hosts, the most significant of whom was Ed McMahon, Carson's long-time partner. Each host has brought his own strengths and talents to the show: Allen was known primarily as a gifted comedian with improvisational and musical skills, whereas Paar was praised more for his skills as a conversationalist. Carson brought a completely different tone and style, returning the show to its comic roots, moving it from New York City to Burbank, Calif., and becoming one of the most-beloved figures in American television history during his 30-year tenure as the “king of late night.”

      After Carson's retirement, Leno took over as the host amid some controversy, as David Letterman (Letterman, David) (another well-known comedian, with a late-night show of his own airing on NBC after The Tonight Show) was considered by many (including Carson himself) to be Carson's natural heir. Disappointed at not being chosen, Letterman left NBC for rival network the Columbia Broadcasting Co. (CBS) and received his own late-night show opposite The Tonight Show, called Late Night with David Letterman (1993– ). During a period in which late-night talk shows proliferated (Arsenio Hall, Chevy Chase, Magic Johnson (Johnson, Magic), and others had less-than-successful shows of their own), Letterman proved to be the first serious challenger to the late-night dominance of The Tonight Show. The two programs, quite similar in format, have been locked in a struggle for ratings supremacy ever since.

      The Tonight Show has won multiple Emmy Awards, four of which (1995–97, 1999) were awarded to the show during Leno's tenure. It was also chosen as “Favorite Late Night Show” by readers of TV Guide in 1999 and 2000. Conan O'Brien, host of his own late-night talk show (airing after Leno) on NBC, is scheduled to take over host duties at The Tonight Show in 2009.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno — The Tonight Show The Tonight Show est une émission télévisée américaine diffusée sur le réseau NBC et animée par Conan O Brien depuis 2009. Sa première diffusion remonte à 1954 avec le présentateur Steve Allen. Il fut remplacé en 1957 par Jack… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Tonight Show — The Tonight Show The Tonight Show est une émission télévisée américaine diffusée sur le réseau NBC et animée par Conan O Brien depuis 2009. Sa première diffusion remonte à 1954 avec le présentateur Steve Allen. Il fut remplacé en 1957 par Jack… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • (the) Tonight Show — The Tonight Show [The Tonight Show] a popular US television ↑chat show which has been running since 1954. Johnny Carson presented it for 30 years (1962–92). He was replaced by Jay Leno who has continued the tradition of telling a few jokes before …   Useful english dictionary

  • The Tonight Show with Jay Leno — infobox television show name = The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Laura Bush and current host Jay Leno.] caption = The Tonight Show intertitle. format = Talk show Variety show runtime = 01:02:30 starring = Jay Leno Tonight Show Band Announcer: Edd… …   Wikipedia

  • The Tonight Show — infobox television show name = The Tonight Show caption = First Lady Laura Bush and Jay Leno. rating = TV 14 format = Talk show, Variety show runtime = varies creator = Sylvester L. Weaver Jr. starring = Jay Leno (1992 ndash; present) Johnny… …   Wikipedia

  • The Tonight Show — Jay Leno entrevistando a la que fuera la Primera Dama de EE.UU. Laura Bush en The Tonight Show. The Tonight Show es el late night más duradero de NBC, presentado actualmente por Jay Leno desde los estudios de Universal City, California, Estados… …   Wikipedia Español

  • The Tonight Show — est un talk show américain diffusé depuis 1954, en fin de soirée, sur la chaîne de télévision américaine NBC. C est le plus ancien programme télévisé quotidien de divertissement en cours de diffusion aux États Unis, et la troisième plus ancienne… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Tonight's the Night (TV series) — Tonight s the Night Format Game show Starring John Barrowman Country of origin United Kingdom No. of series 3 No. of episodes 21 …   Wikipedia

  • Tonight's The Night — could refer to one of several things:Musicals* Tonight s the Night , a 1914 musical theatre production. * Tonight s the Night , a 2003 musical written by Ben Elton, featuring the music of Rod Stewart.Films* Tonight s the Night , a 1954 movie… …   Wikipedia

  • The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — infobox television show name = The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson caption = format = Talk show Variety show runtime = 105 minutes (1962 1966) 90 minutes (1967 1980) 60 minutes (1980 1992) creator = Sylvester L. Weaver Jr. starring = Johnny… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”