The AuthorGuy Blog by Larry B. Gildersleeve

 15th January 2025

Hello out there,

Welcome back. I mentioned last week that I’ve begun increasing my reading of non-fiction works, and I have another recommendation that will likely resonate more with readers of “a certain age” like me. By that I mean those for whom The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson was must-see late-night viewing weeknights on the NBC television network. The book is Carson The Magnificent by Bill Zeheme with Mike Thomas.

My undergraduate degree was in broadcast journalism and I worked in both radio and television for the
four years I was at Western Kentucky University. At the time, WKU alum Julian Goodman was president
of NBC at the time Carson’s Tonight Show moved from New York City to Burbank, CA in the late 1960s.
Instead of shipping the studio cameras west, Mr. Goodman saw that they were donated to the
university to begin our broadcasting curriculum. We all thought it was “cool” to be working with
oversized studio cameras with the NBC name and logo emblazoned on them.

I’ve read other books about Carson and The Tonight Show over the years, and I believe the one I’m
recommending is the most insightful into a brilliant but at times troubled television icon.

Until next week … Vaya con Dios

Larry B. Gildersleeve