James Stewart: A Wonderful Life (1987) (TV)

A retrospective on the life and career of actor James Stewart with the star himself and hosted by his longtime personal friend Johnny Carson. With clips from many of the films of Mr. Stewart and interviews with some of the people that worked with him during his long, long career. One of the last of the good guys from old Hollywood, there was a time when Jimmy was everywhere. Talk shows, holiday specials, gala events, TV and film, Jimmy Stewart was always a pleasant addition. Stoic, calm and quieting, let's hope his humanity lives on through his efforts.

This is episode number 309 of "The Great Performances" anthology series.

James Stewart: A Wonderful Life (1987) (TV)
Host: Johnny Carson

Great Television Moments: What We Watched (1993) (TV)

February 06, 1993|SUSAN KING | TIMES STAFF WRITER

Putting together "Great Television Moments: What We Watched" was a daunting task for its producers.

"My big concern is this show will go on and people will look at it and go, 'Well, that was just two hours of clips,' " said producer-director-co-writer Michael Hirsh, who also produced the 1991 CBS retrospective "Memories of MASH."

"They should only know what goes into doing this."

Candice Bergen hosts the two-hour special on ABC tonight. The program is divided into six categories. Marlo Thomas looks at comedies from the past and present. Malcolm-Jamal Warner introduces great moments of laughter and variety. Louis Gossett Jr. recalls life-cycle events and memorable musical moments. Richard Chamberlain looks at miniseries. James Woods focuses on dramas and movies of the week. Barbara Walters looks back at news events.

Though the program was made under the auspices of New York's Museum of Television & Radio, the producers could only use the museum's archives for research purposes. That made for a long process to get the material to use for a clip: They had to find a usable copy and then track down the copyright owner in order to obtain the rights. Then they had to clear it with everyone in the clip.

Some rights owners wouldn't allow clips to be used. "Fred Astaire's widow would not allow us to use one foot of Fred Astaire," said co-executive producer Allan Burns, one of the creators of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." "Johnny Carson didn't really want to open up everything to us because he is going to do some specials of his own. So he gave us limited access, as did Carol Burnett, because Carol was doing her own (retrospective) show."

Noticeably missing from Barbara Walters' segment is footage of the late NBC newscaster Chet Huntley. Originally, Hirsh wanted to use clips with Huntley announcing the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. According to Hirsh, Huntley's widow "wouldn't let us use him unless we paid exorbitantly. I said we can't pay because . . . we are not paying anybody."

There are very few moments from the 1950s, save for clips of the dramas "Marty" and "Requiem for a Heavyweight," and such comedies as "I Love Lucy" and "Your Show of Shows."

"We didn't think people would sit still for them today," Burns said. "What you try to do is give (the audience) a flavor of it. Some of them, honestly--I don't want to name the ones, but certain of those shows from those days just seem very dated."

"One thing we realized is that an awful lot of the audience wasn't around to see the '50s television," said co-executive producer Grant Tinker, former head of MTM and chairman of NBC. "While it may be interesting to some of us who were, we didn't want to turn off a whole part of the audience with too much of that. We mostly wanted to present stuff the bulk of the audience has some ability to remember."

The program, Tinker said, isn't just nostalgia. "It is a little celebratory in that we didn't go for awful television, but better television," he said. "The medium is not always that good, so it is kind of fun to concentrate on the good things."

Hirsh said he tried to give the audience "moments they remember but haven't seen all the time. What we have is the very first moment on 'Gunsmoke.' People may not remember it, but the moment will trigger a lot of thoughts about the show. On the other hand, there are some moments you can't avoid. We have a scene from the 'All in the Family' pilot that set the tone for the series."

Great Television Moments: What We Watched (1993) (TV)

Host: Candice Bergen

Jay Leno's Family Comedy Hour (1987) (TV)

Reminiscent of a "Tonight Show" test-drive for Jay including JC himself. Corny opening scene with Johnny passive-aggressively putting Jay in his proper place. It's supposed to be funny lest we forget the power of Mr. Carson; nothing was light or frivolous. IMHO he was setting the groundwork or foundation of an enterprise that was inevitably passing from one hand to another. And whomever got Johnny's scraps was going to more than earn them. After the opening credits we're introduced to the lovely cast including the late Bea Arthur, whom only recently passed as did the legendary Barbara Billingsley. On the day Mrs. B. passed we had dinner at "Billingsley's", their family-owned restaurant here in Los Angeles. RIP to both of these great ladies and also to one of my personal favorites; John Hancock. He was large, he was black and he was usually in charge. A great character actor, RIP big guy.

If you can forgive a little corniness there are some funny skits, unlike the live chit chat. The writing for the live segments is a fail but the skits are genuinely funny. Some of them at least. Worthy viewing.

Jay Leno's Family Comedy Hour (1987) (TV)

Cast: Bea Arthur, Corbin Bernsen, Barbara Billingsley, Brian Bonsall, Chao Li Chi, Don DeFore, Richard Dysart, John Hancock, Florence Henderson, Jay Leno, Roger Nolan, Susan Ruttan

Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The - 21st Anniversary Special (1983) (TV)

Yet another in the long line of great anniversary shows, Johnny could do no wrong!

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson - 21st Anniversary Special (1983) (TV)

Cast: Doc Severinsen, Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson

Johnny Carson Presents the Tonight Show Comedians (1984) (TV)

Fun show with archival footage of favored comedy moments. Features 3 young comedians; Bill Cosby, Steve Martin, and Joan Rivers.

Johnny Carson Presents the Tonight Show Comedians (1984) (TV)
Host: Johnny Carson

Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The - 18th Anniversary Special (1980) (TV)

Another in the long line of great anniversary shows, Johnny could do no wrong!

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson - 18th Anniversary Special (1980) (TV)

Cast: Doc Severinsen, Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson

Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The - 26th Anniversary Special (1988) (TV)

How do you follow a classic like the 25th Anniversary show? With a 26th of course! Tons of fun without the black ties this time.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson - 26th Anniversary Special (1988) (TV)
Cast: Doc Severinsen, Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson

Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The - Final Show (1992) (TV)

This is it, the final live show from the 22nd of May, 1992. No guests, (Bette Midler had sung her goodbye the night before as the last official guest) just friends and coworkers and one very somber, heartfelt "Goodnight". Complete with a local news (KNBC-4) retrospective and Johnny driving away in his Corvette for the final time from the same Burbank studios.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson - Final Show (1992) (TV)
Cast: Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon, Doc Severinsen

It's Howdy Doody Time: A 40-Year Celebration (1987) (TV)

A birthday salute to the popular TV puppet, Howdy Doody, with clips from old shows, celebrity guests, and cast updates.

It's Howdy Doody Time: A 40-Year Celebration (1987) (TV)
Cast: Buffalo Bob Smith, Paul Reubens, Gary Coleman, Monty Hall, Milton Berle, Johnny Carson

NBC 60th Anniversary Celebration (1986) (TV)

Over the top goodness, cheesy and contrived. Almost everyone is here and best of all..., Nell Carter performs.

NBC 60th Anniversary Celebration (1986) (TV)
Cast: Debbie Allen, Steve Allen, Fran Allison, Harry Anderson, Bea Arthur, Gene Barry, Milton Berle, Tempestt Bledsoe, Tom Brokaw, Pierce Brosnan, Raymond Burr, Red Buttons, Sid Caesar, Macdonald Carey, Johnny Carson, Nell Carter, John Chancellor, Connie Chung, Dick Clark, Robert Conrad, Robert Culp, Ted Danson, Don DeFore, Angie Dickinson, Micky Dolenz, Hugh Downs, Barbara Eden, Ralph Edwards, Nanette Fabray, Kim Fields, Michael J. Fox, Arlene Francis, Soleil Moon Frye, Estelle Getty, Marla Gibbs, Melissa Gilbert, George Gobel, Lorne Greene, Bryant Gumbel, Deidre Hall, Valerie Harper, Julie Harris, David Hasselhoff, Ed Herlihy, Bob Hope, Don Johnson, Davy Jones, Perry King, Jack Klugman, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Michael Landon, Hope Lange, Sabrina Le Beauf, Jerry Lester, Shari Lewis, Hal Linden, Norman Lloyd, Shelley Long, Gloria Loring, Peter Marshall, Dick Martin, Rue McClanahan, Ed McMahon, Mitch Miller, The Monkees, Michael Nesmith, Edwin Newman, Donald O'Connor, Merlin Olsen, Jack Paar, Patti Page, Bert Parks, Jane Pauley, George Peppard, Rhea Perlman, Sarah Purcell, Charlotte Rae, John Ratzenberger, Gene Rayburn, Martha Raye, Carl Reiner, Alfonso Ribeiro, Joan Rivers, Doris Roberts, Dan Rowan, Pat Sajak, Rick Schroder, Doc Severinsen, Paul Shaffer, Dinah Shore, Bob Smith, Robert Stack, Craig Stevens, Mary Stuart, Philip Michael Thomas, Peter Tork, Daniel J. Travanti, Robert Vaughn, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Betty White, Jonathan Winters, Jane Wyatt, Robert Young

Tonight Show, The: Starring Guest Host Joan Rivers (1962) (TV series) 1962-1992

History's greatest television show had guest hosts on a regular basis. Some of the great names in entertainment took their shot at the big desk but one of the best, IMHO, was Joan Rivers. Her episodes were a little more manic, a little more show biz.

One highlight was the introduction of Oprah to America. Watching Joan push up her glasses as she stares at the card, "Oprah, let me make sure I'm saying this right, Win-FREE". At this point she was merely the host of AM Chicago, just enough juice to get a third booking on a late night talk show with a guest host! Things have changed now. And when Joan blows Bronson Pinchot's name on the night before his appearance and then spends way too much time apologizing the following night. Then they BOTH go into a terribly homophobic dialogue, really nasty and certainly insulting to some. Still cringe-worthy years later! Gut-punch funny.

AVAILABLE EPISODES

Guest Host - Joan Rivers

Lillian Gish, Marilu Henner, Neil Simon

1984

Guest Host - Joan Rivers

Lucy, Betty, Morgan, Sandy

3 December 1984

Guest Host - Joan Rivers

Gary Coleman, Cher, Louie Anderson, Lisa Eilbacher

1985

Guest Host - Joan Rivers

Diahann Carroll, Erma Bombeck, Bronson Pinchot

1985

Guest Host - Joan Rivers

Lynda Carter, Grace Jones, Danny Sullivan

1985

Guest Host - Joan Rivers

Selma Diamond, Oprah Winfrey, Howie Mandel

13 September 1985

The Tonight Show: Starring Johnny Carson (1962) TV series 1962-1992
Guest Host: Joan Rivers

Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The - 25th Anniversary Special (1987) (TV)

All the anniversary shows were special but this one was special enough for black ties. Great guest list (think about the irony of Leno and Letterman on the same show) with very special moments from a few folks that haven't been with us for quite some time.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson - 25th Anniversary Special (1987) (TV)

Cast: Doc Severinsen, Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson