Johnny Carson remains the undisputed King of Late Night, but perhaps we should tack on another title: history teacher.
"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: The Vault Series," previously available online and now being distributed on DVD by Time Life, is packaged as a die-hard collector's item with complete episodes and vintage commercials.
As a tribute, it's a raspberry. The dozen episodes I watched from the 1970s are not nearly as polished, witty or groundbreaking as our memories would like to believe.
As a time capsule, it's pure gold. Few documentaries better capture the spirit and shortcomings of an era where the wardrobe had more of a voice than minorities and women.
In a revealing clip from 1977, Carson asks comedian Richard Pryor whether he feels a particular responsibility toward "the blacks" going to see his upcoming film, "Greased Lightning."
"The blacks?" says an incredulous Pryor, who gets his revenge later, mugging and giggling through Carson's attempts to interview consumer reporter David Horowitz.
At least Pryor got an invite. The collection includes 36 full episodes, but only six of the guests are people of color, including heavyweight champ Joe Frazier, whose charm in 1972 had not yet been dimmed by Muhammad Ali. The only black female is stuntwoman Peaches Jones, who, unfortunately, is not around to kick Ed McMahon in the windpipe when he lustily announces that his boss will welcome a lady who owns a filling station.
There are plenty of other female guests whose primary purpose seems to be to goose male hormones. Joanna Cassidy laments how she felt like an ugly duckling growing up, causing the rest of the male panel, including Carl Reiner, to trip over their wagging tongues, insisting she's a knockout. Lynda Carter provides a fascinating insight into how she struggled financially, despite "Wonder Woman," but Carson is much more interested in her (non-)experiences on the casting couch.
