Posted on 06/23/2009 7:33:29 AM PDT by xtinct
Lowell native Ed McMahon, the legendary "H-e-e-e-e-re’s Johnny" pitchman, has died following a long battle with cancer.
McMahon, 86, died shortly after midnight at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center surrounded by his wife, Pam, and other family members, his publicist, Howard Bragman, told the Associated Press today.
McMahon became a star on the "Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson where the duo had a historic run from 1962 to 1992. He played Carson’s foil for decades, setting up jokes and skits and suppressing his trademark laughter through it all.
(Excerpt) Read more at bostonherald.com ...
McMahon was a Corsair pilot during WWII. He started pilot training in 1943. His unit would have been sent to the Pacific for the invasion of Japan but their orders were changed when atomic bombs were dropped.
Well, I guess that makes it OK, then.
Ed McMahon was in the Marines and Johnny Carson served in the Navy.
Great picture. RIP Mr. McMahon
(picture of my father on my profile, same pose!)
Rest in peace Ed. I hope you and Johnny are together again. Maybe Jack Paar is getting ready to retire to greater challenges in Heaven?
My mistake on Carson: I'm not showing that he had any service.
All info is from James WIse and Anne Rehill, "Stars in the Corps" (Annapolis, Naval Institute Press, 1999).
Yeah, see post just below. That’s what happens when you do stuff from memory.
nevermind, I don’t have it on my profile, duh.
Ed McMahon was also a national Vice-President for MDA (Muscular Dystrophy Association). He co-anchored the MDA telethon with Jerry Lewis since 1968. Thank you Ed for you many years of hard work and devotion from the rest of us MDA volunteers.
Do you have specifics on Carson? I looked in “Stars in Blue” and there was no entry for him in the index, so I assumed he didn’t serve.
Johnny Carson, or The Tonight Show, would not have been as good without him.
Prayers for his family.
Awards:
American Theater Medal
Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
The king of late-night TV for over three decades, Johnny Carson was born in Corning, Iowa, on October 23, 1925. He was working as a theater usher when World War II began. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on June 8, 1943, as an apprentice seaman enrolled in the V-5 program, which trained Navy and Marine pilots.
He hoped to train as a pilot, but was sent instead to Columbia University for midshipman training. He performed magic for classmates on the side.
Commissioned an ensign late in the war, Carson was assigned to the USS Pennsylvania, a battleship on station in the Pacific. He was en route to the combat zone aboard a troopship when the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought the war to a close.
The Pennsylvania was torpedoed on August 12, 1945 and Carson reported for duty on the 14th — the last day of the war. Although he arrived too late for combat, he got a firsthand education in the consequences of war. The damaged warship sailed to Guam for repairs, and as the newest and most junior officer, Carson was assigned to supervise the removal of 20 dead sailors.
He later served as a communications officer in charge of decoding encrypted messages. He recalls that the high point of his military career was performing a magic trick for Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal.
http://navymemorial.ibelong.com/site/John-William-Carson
I go back beyond Steve Allen.
My opinion is that Paar couldn't touch the shoes of Johnny and Ed.
And this show was a predecessor to Star Search
Round and round she goes and where she stops nobody knows.
I bet that was a line on another occassion, as both would work well in that situation.
It was on my profile, but so small I didn’t see it! Now it’s a larger version.
(my brain was so good back in the day!)
Nor can any of the replacements, most of all Letterman.
I had the pleasure of taking part in a forum that he was leading and the emcee at. It was with old TV personalities and industry people and had the chance to meet and ask him some questions.
This was only a few years ago...so sad to see him go. That injury to his neck really did him in. RIP ED...hi-ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
We can not forget his tireless work for MDA. The Jerry Lewis Telethon will never be the same. Lewis has to be shattered over losing one of his best friends this morning.
Nice - that’s way ahead of my time though!
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