[Georgia Girl 2]

There was only one Johnny Carson. I always at least tried to catch the opening monologue every night before bed. My Mom didn’t like him because there was “ too much innuendo “. 😆

During the 70’s one of my best friend’s sister and her husband lived in Beverly Hills. They bought Jack Jenny’s old house. Their best friends were Johnny Carson, Gene Wilder and Gene Hackman.

My girlfriend used to visit them often and she said Johnny Carson was a tennis fanatic. He would show up all the time in his tennis outfit to play tennis with them on their court. He was vey introverted and hardly spoke. He would just sit and listen to everyone else. Totally different from his on screen persona.

[ChicagoConservative27]

Joan Rivers said after the lights went out for commercial Carson would tap his pencils and say nothing

[1Old Pro]

There was only one Johnny Carson.

As there was only one Rush Limbaugh. Both true innovators and master entertainers, irreplaceable.

[9YearLurker]

Interesting. Especially with his signature golf-swing on his show.

[Zhang Fei]

[My girlfriend used to visit them often and she said Johnny Carson was a tennis fanatic. He would show up all the time in his tennis outfit to play tennis with them on their court. He was vey introverted and hardly spoke. He would just sit and listen to everyone else. Totally different from his on screen persona.]

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That squares with what I’ve read. I suspect the alcoholism related to self-medication to suppress his introverted tendencies so he could do the show day in and day out.

[ealgeone]

A lot of folks like Carson, who are extroverts in a particular setting, are actually introverts.

I imagine the talk show was draining for him as he had to be "on" all the time.