January 14, 2026 • 7 mins
From 1962 to 1992, Johnny Carson defined late-night television as the longtime host of The Tonight Show. Over three decades, hundreds of guests passed through the chair across from him, but only a few appearances became truly legendary.
Two of the most unforgettable belonged to Don Rickles and Ed Ames, whose moments on Carson’s stage are still talked about today. Mark Malkoff, author of Love Johnny Carson: One Obsessive Fan's Journey to Find the Genius Behind the Legend, shares the stories behind these iconic late-night television moments and why they endure in comedy history.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habie and this is our American Stories,
the show where America is the star and the American
people coming to you from the city where the West begins,
Fort Worth, Texas. Johnny Carson Reign Supreme is the host
of The Tonight Show from nineteen sixty two to nineteen
ninety two, after thirty years of guests. Here are two
(00:31):
that have had legendary appearances. Here with the story is
Mark Malcoff, author of In Love with Johnny Carson, Take
It Away.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Mark Don Rickles in nineteen sixty five made as Johnny
Carson's debut, and nobody would put Rickles on television. Johnny
was the first one. People were too nervous to have
somebody insult anybody on TV. It was decided at the
Tonight Show that Don Rickles would not be allowed to
(01:00):
make fun of Johnny, Ed McMahon or anybody president, and
Don said, then, what am I going to possibly do?
So it was decided that Johnny would take two or
three minutes and explain to the audience that this is
a man his humor is making fun of people, but
it's okay, we're allowed to laugh at him. So after
Johnny for two or three minutes would explain to the
(01:21):
audience what was going to happen. It was very revolutionary
to have an insult comic on television. It was decided
that Don Rickles could make his network television debut and
he would make fun of Ed McMahon and make fun
of the band leader Skitch Henderson, and everyone would see
Johnny laughing, and eventually, if Johnny was laughing, the audience
(01:42):
would laugh. And then when the audience laughed, then Don
could make fun of Johnny and see that Johnny was
laughing and it would work. And it did work.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Don Rickles is here tonight. He opens at the Resorts
in Atlantic City tomorrow night, Friday, January thirteenth. Would you
please welcome mister Warmth. Don would.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Funniest monologue I've ever heard. I've heard you many many years.
Tonight was the funniest, So enjoy it.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
What's the worst place you ever worked? I mean when
you were starting.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
No ah, boo here here's your boo anyway, boo is
now the worst place.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
That's an Italian expression for how's the family.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
It took him a couple appearances for the audience really
to understand, and Don Rickles became an icon on the show.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
How long have you been married now? And how does
your wife Barbara put up with you?
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Well?
Speaker 4 (02:42):
I got news. We love each other.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
You know you've been married? Yes, yes, all right, all right,
but you like the way I sent this up for you.
I'll just feed him.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
And you take a snap.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Kids, because I know all your wives, you know, and
now you're very very well. I did, I did.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
They were all friends of mine and they're friends of you.
It was so you've got in court and said you're
gonna take what what?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
One of Johnny's favorite moments, and they would show this
in anniversary shows, was one night Johnny was at the
desk and he noticed that his cigarette box was broken.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Oh what the hell happened to this?
Speaker 4 (03:20):
You know how long I've had this cigarette box on
his desk? You brought that up from New York's. I
brought this from New York?
Speaker 1 (03:25):
What on earth?
Speaker 2 (03:26):
This was in the mid seventies, and Doc Semmerson informed
him that Don Rickles the night before had been on
with guests host Bob Newhart and had broken Johnny's cigarette
box accidentally.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
It happened last night, Oh Don Rickles, I did not
see Don? Did it last night, he's taping across the
hall CPO shark, I get over there?
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Can I get over that?
Speaker 2 (03:48):
And this was I've heard of. But Johnny said in
the middle of the show, let's go across the hall
and ambush Don Rickles.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
I don't give a damn on the Rickles Rickle hold,
stop the taping, stop the taping.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Somebody broke my cigarette box.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
David Letterman made a staple in the eighties of interrupting
news broadcasting television shoke that it had never been done,
and Johnny had arranged with his director Bobby Quinn to
allow enough cable for the cameras to follow him and
John Rickles, who was the king of insul comics, was
flustered for the first time in his life and had
no response.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
They told me, you broke it on the show last night.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Well, I really, and history was made with television and
every year that clip was shown.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
No, I'm sorry about the box.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
I will I will come up with something.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
Well, I hope so, but just keep me on your show.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
You mean so much to me.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
No, please, no, no, don't humble yourself.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Please.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
I want to be with you so much. Don't humble yourself.
And brother, I want something bad? Okay, carry on.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
In the mid sixties, Ed Eames was known for being
on Daniel Boone. He was somebody in the beginning of
the show that would throw a tomahawk, but it was
trick photography. Ed Eames did not know how to throw
a tomahawk, yet it was decided on the tonight show
him and Johnny would throw tomahawks at a wooden cut
out of a cowboy. And Ed Eames came in and said,
(05:22):
I don't think I can do this. I don't know
how to throw a tomahawk. They tried to show him.
He couldn't do it. He couldn't make it stick, and
then they said said hold it this way the opposite way,
and he was able to make it stick. So on
air it was decided that Ediames would throw a tomahawk
first and then Johnny and they would take turn. Ed
Eames throws the tomahawk and it hits the cutout in
(05:44):
the crotch. Right at the time, this was absolutely shocking.
Eddames went home that night and he told his wife
the funniest thing happened, but I know you're not going
to see it tonight because the NBC sensors are never
(06:04):
going to let this show. Johnny told the NBC censors,
this is staying. Johnny and his brilliance held ed Ames back.
Ed Eames was going to go retrieve the Tomahawk, and
he held Ames back and Jack Benny Mode kicked in.
Jack Benny was famous for his pauses. They build up
the laughs with comedy and Johnny for one or two minutes,
(06:25):
just let the laughs build before he started doing his
ad libs, and NBC ended up erasing most of the
first ten years of the Tennant show. But Johnny after
that episode said I want a copy of this, and
he kept it in his desk and that's the only
reason it exists today. Every anniversary show Ed Eames and
the Tamahawk was shown. There were a couple of years
where Johnny thought it was too overexposed and they might
(06:47):
not put it in, and they would get so much
mail from people that were outraged that they wouldn't show it,
so it became an annual tradition. Ed Aames his career
was really overall. That's probably the most famous moment of
his career. He was a singing star, he was a
TV star, but the Tamahawk and Johnny Carson became the
most iconic moment, maybe in the history of the Tonight's Show.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
And a terrific job on the production, editing and storytelling
by our own Greg anglic And a special thanks to
Mark Malkoff, author of In Love with Johnny Carson. One
obsessive fans journey to find the genius behind the legend.
Get the book. Wherever you buy your books, you won't
put it down here on our American Stories. Plea habibe
(07:35):
here again. Our American Stories tries to tell the stories
of America's past and present to Americans, and we want
to hear your stories too. There's some of our favorites.
Send them to us. Go to Ouramerican Stories dot com
and click the your stories tab Again. Please go to
Auramericanstories dot com and click the your Stories tab
This is Lee Habie and this is our American Stories,
the show where America is the star and the American
people coming to you from the city where the West begins,
Fort Worth, Texas. Johnny Carson Reign Supreme is the host
of The Tonight Show from nineteen sixty two to nineteen
ninety two, after thirty years of guests. Here are two
(00:31):
that have had legendary appearances. Here with the story is
Mark Malcoff, author of In Love with Johnny Carson, Take
It Away.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Mark Don Rickles in nineteen sixty five made as Johnny
Carson's debut, and nobody would put Rickles on television. Johnny
was the first one. People were too nervous to have
somebody insult anybody on TV. It was decided at the
Tonight Show that Don Rickles would not be allowed to
(01:00):
make fun of Johnny, Ed McMahon or anybody president, and
Don said, then, what am I going to possibly do?
So it was decided that Johnny would take two or
three minutes and explain to the audience that this is
a man his humor is making fun of people, but
it's okay, we're allowed to laugh at him. So after
Johnny for two or three minutes would explain to the
(01:21):
audience what was going to happen. It was very revolutionary
to have an insult comic on television. It was decided
that Don Rickles could make his network television debut and
he would make fun of Ed McMahon and make fun
of the band leader Skitch Henderson, and everyone would see
Johnny laughing, and eventually, if Johnny was laughing, the audience
(01:42):
would laugh. And then when the audience laughed, then Don
could make fun of Johnny and see that Johnny was
laughing and it would work. And it did work.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Don Rickles is here tonight. He opens at the Resorts
in Atlantic City tomorrow night, Friday, January thirteenth. Would you
please welcome mister Warmth. Don would.
Speaker 4 (02:03):
Funniest monologue I've ever heard. I've heard you many many years.
Tonight was the funniest, So enjoy it.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
What's the worst place you ever worked? I mean when
you were starting.
Speaker 4 (02:18):
No ah, boo here here's your boo anyway, boo is
now the worst place.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
That's an Italian expression for how's the family.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
It took him a couple appearances for the audience really
to understand, and Don Rickles became an icon on the show.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
How long have you been married now? And how does
your wife Barbara put up with you?
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Well?
Speaker 4 (02:42):
I got news. We love each other.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
You know you've been married? Yes, yes, all right, all right,
but you like the way I sent this up for you.
I'll just feed him.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
And you take a snap.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Kids, because I know all your wives, you know, and
now you're very very well. I did, I did.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
They were all friends of mine and they're friends of you.
It was so you've got in court and said you're
gonna take what what?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
One of Johnny's favorite moments, and they would show this
in anniversary shows, was one night Johnny was at the
desk and he noticed that his cigarette box was broken.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Oh what the hell happened to this?
Speaker 4 (03:20):
You know how long I've had this cigarette box on
his desk? You brought that up from New York's. I
brought this from New York?
Speaker 1 (03:25):
What on earth?
Speaker 2 (03:26):
This was in the mid seventies, and Doc Semmerson informed
him that Don Rickles the night before had been on
with guests host Bob Newhart and had broken Johnny's cigarette
box accidentally.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
It happened last night, Oh Don Rickles, I did not
see Don? Did it last night, he's taping across the
hall CPO shark, I get over there?
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Can I get over that?
Speaker 2 (03:48):
And this was I've heard of. But Johnny said in
the middle of the show, let's go across the hall
and ambush Don Rickles.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
I don't give a damn on the Rickles Rickle hold,
stop the taping, stop the taping.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Somebody broke my cigarette box.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
David Letterman made a staple in the eighties of interrupting
news broadcasting television shoke that it had never been done,
and Johnny had arranged with his director Bobby Quinn to
allow enough cable for the cameras to follow him and
John Rickles, who was the king of insul comics, was
flustered for the first time in his life and had
no response.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
They told me, you broke it on the show last night.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Well, I really, and history was made with television and
every year that clip was shown.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
No, I'm sorry about the box.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
I will I will come up with something.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
Well, I hope so, but just keep me on your show.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
You mean so much to me.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
No, please, no, no, don't humble yourself.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
Please.
Speaker 3 (04:54):
I want to be with you so much. Don't humble yourself.
And brother, I want something bad? Okay, carry on.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
In the mid sixties, Ed Eames was known for being
on Daniel Boone. He was somebody in the beginning of
the show that would throw a tomahawk, but it was
trick photography. Ed Eames did not know how to throw
a tomahawk, yet it was decided on the tonight show
him and Johnny would throw tomahawks at a wooden cut
out of a cowboy. And Ed Eames came in and said,
(05:22):
I don't think I can do this. I don't know
how to throw a tomahawk. They tried to show him.
He couldn't do it. He couldn't make it stick, and
then they said said hold it this way the opposite way,
and he was able to make it stick. So on
air it was decided that Ediames would throw a tomahawk
first and then Johnny and they would take turn. Ed
Eames throws the tomahawk and it hits the cutout in
(05:44):
the crotch. Right at the time, this was absolutely shocking.
Eddames went home that night and he told his wife
the funniest thing happened, but I know you're not going
to see it tonight because the NBC sensors are never
(06:04):
going to let this show. Johnny told the NBC censors,
this is staying. Johnny and his brilliance held ed Ames back.
Ed Eames was going to go retrieve the Tomahawk, and
he held Ames back and Jack Benny Mode kicked in.
Jack Benny was famous for his pauses. They build up
the laughs with comedy and Johnny for one or two minutes,
(06:25):
just let the laughs build before he started doing his
ad libs, and NBC ended up erasing most of the
first ten years of the Tennant show. But Johnny after
that episode said I want a copy of this, and
he kept it in his desk and that's the only
reason it exists today. Every anniversary show Ed Eames and
the Tamahawk was shown. There were a couple of years
where Johnny thought it was too overexposed and they might
(06:47):
not put it in, and they would get so much
mail from people that were outraged that they wouldn't show it,
so it became an annual tradition. Ed Aames his career
was really overall. That's probably the most famous moment of
his career. He was a singing star, he was a
TV star, but the Tamahawk and Johnny Carson became the
most iconic moment, maybe in the history of the Tonight's Show.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
And a terrific job on the production, editing and storytelling
by our own Greg anglic And a special thanks to
Mark Malkoff, author of In Love with Johnny Carson. One
obsessive fans journey to find the genius behind the legend.
Get the book. Wherever you buy your books, you won't
put it down here on our American Stories. Plea habibe
(07:35):
here again. Our American Stories tries to tell the stories
of America's past and present to Americans, and we want
to hear your stories too. There's some of our favorites.
Send them to us. Go to Ouramerican Stories dot com
and click the your stories tab Again. Please go to
Auramericanstories dot com and click the your Stories tab
Host
Lee Habeeb
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