Johnny Carson Author: Henry Bushkin | Language: English | ISBN:
B00CICPU4O | Format: EPUB
Johnny Carson Description
A revealing and incisive account of the King of Late Night at the height of his fame and power, by his lawyer, wingman, fixer, and closest confidant
From 1962 until 1992, Johnny Carson hosted The Tonight Show and permeated the American consciousness. In the ’70s and ’80s he was the country’s highest-paid entertainer and its most enigmatic. He was notoriously inscrutable, as mercurial (and sometimes cruel) off-camera as he was charming and hilarious onstage. During the apex of his reign, Carson’s longtime lawyer and best friend was Henry Bushkin, who now shows us Johnny Carson with a breathtaking clarity and depth that nobody else could.
From the moment in 1970 when Carson hired Bushkin (who was just twenty-seven) until the moment eighteen years later when they parted ways, the author witnessed and often took part in a string of escapades that still retain their power to surprise and fascinate us. One of Bushkin’s first assignments was helping Carson break into a posh Manhattan apartment to gather evidence of his wife’s infidelity. More than once, Bushkin helped his client avoid entanglements with the mob. Of course, Carson’s adventures weren’t all so sordid. He hosted Ronald Reagan’s inaugural concert as a favor to the new president, and he prevented a drunken Dean Martin from appearing onstage that evening. Carson socialized with Frank Sinatra, Jack Lemmon, Jimmy Stewart, Kirk Douglas, and dozens of other boldface names who populate this atmospheric and propulsive chronicle of the King of Late Night and his world.
But this memoir isn’t just dishy. It is a tautly rendered and remarkably nuanced portrait of Carson, revealing not only how he truly was, but why. Bushkin explains why Carson, a voracious (and very talented) womanizer, felt he always had to be married; why he loathed small talk even as he excelled at it; why he couldn’t visit his son in the hospital and wouldn’t attend his mother’s funeral; and much more. Bushkin’s account is by turns shocking, poignant, and uproarious — written with a novelist’s eye for detail, a screenwriter’s ear for dialogue, and a knack for comic timing that Carson himself would relish. Johnny Carson unveils not only the hidden Carson, but also the raucous, star-studded world he ruled.
- File Size: 15127 KB
- Print Length: 304 pages
- Publisher: Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (October 15, 2013)
- Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00CICPU4O
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,961 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #1
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Humor & Entertainment > Humor > Comedy - #3
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Humor & Entertainment > Television - #4
in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Television
- #1
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Humor & Entertainment > Humor > Comedy - #3
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Humor & Entertainment > Television - #4
in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Television
Henry Bushkin, Johnny Carson's long time lawyer, confident and friend, has written a superb tome of Johnny's professional and personal life during the time when Johnny was on top. Much of Johnny's personal life is not really well known, and Bushkin gives us keen insight into this man who can best be described as a loner.
Bushkin was in his first job as a lawyer in New York City, when he was introduced to Johnny Carson . Johnny was a man of little trust, and he needed someone to help him out. He liked Bushkin, they hit it off and Bushkin entered the most important part of his life. He found Johnny's business life was a mess. Those around him were taking advantage, and Johnny was losing more money than he was taking in. At this point in his life Johnny wanted to divorce his second wife, Joanne, he needed evidence she was having an affair, and they found it. Johnny, himself, was a womanizer of great renown, and with every marriage he continued with his affairs. Bushkin was helpful to Johnny, advised him towards lucrative business affairs, and made life easier. Bushkin took care of many aspects of Johnny's life, personal and business. Bushkin also became well known and financially secure even though he was at Johnny's beck and call.
What we learn about are the negotiations with NBC in all contracts, the move from NYC to Los Angeles, the new homes, the tennis games, the European vacations to take in the London and Pais tennis tournaments, the fun times, the down times. Johnny's four wives, his three sons who never really had a relationship with their father, Johnny's acerbic mother, who never had a positive comment for anyone or anything. An inside look into the man who was Johnny Carson. Johnny was a caring and giving man, but if you crossed him, you never heard from him again.
And I loved Johnny Carson. Perhaps like any aging baby boomer, or anyone from most any generation , we think what we had was the best. When it comes to late night TV hacks, er hosts, I think they all fall far below Johnny Carson. The documentary that came out a bit back Johnny Carson: King of Late Night [HD] was terrific and only increased my appetite for more. Sadly there aren't any really good books about the King of Late night that I could find. One author , Bill Zehme , that they interview on the documentary has allegedly written a book that has been delayed for years and I hear could be the basis for a movie, but it is odd that the "biographer" on the excellent documentary has yet to publish same? I do find it interesting that for a guy as huge as Johnny was the dearth of literary material about his life and years at the top of the entertainment industry is remarkable and only ads to the enigma that continues to be Johnny Carson.
Well.. when I was offered the early read of this book I jumped at the opportunity, not because it was a book about Carson but I recognized the author's name , Henry Bushkin. You can't have watched the Tonight Show and not remembered Johnny talking about his lawyer "Bombastic Bushkin".... so I was thinking just maybe a real book by a real insider. I should also add at this point that I'm not looking for "dirt" on Johnny, just something, anything , beyond the stage of the Tonight Show.
This was easily the quickest 300 pages I've ever turned, one sitting, and I'm sad it wasn't longer. Bushkin does dish some serious dirt at times but he doesn't do it in a mean spirited way.
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