Johnny Carson

By: Henry Bushkin

Narrated by: Josh Bloomberg

Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

“A close look at how show business power corrupts . . . The dishiest read of the year.”–Janet Maslin, “Ten Favorite Books of the Year,” New York Times

“Here’s Johnny!” Probably everyone in America knows the phrase, whether they watched every episode of The Tonight Show or none because they had to go to bed early on school nights. From 1962 to 1992, Johnny Carson and his Tonight Show dominated the American consciousness.

Henry Bushkin was Carson’s best friend and lawyer during that period, and his book 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 couldn’t visit his son in the hospital and wouldn’t attend his mother’s funeral; and much more. Johnny Carson 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.

“A fascinating book about a complex man.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“Like The Tonight Show, the book has many a merry moment . . . [Johnny Carson] was also one of a kind, and is missed. This book brings a bit of him back.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

A People magazine Top Ten Book of the Year

©2013 Henry Bushkin (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

Great on History of Tv

Grew up watching Johnny Carson as a kid and later an as an adult…best last memories

The Life and Death of johnny Carson, no great loss

Johnny Carson”s death was no great loss to humanity. He showed the truth in the old saying, if you want a friend? Get a dog. He was not a good friend, husband, or father.

Learning that Johnny’s Mom was so awful

I loved Johnny Carson, he made me laugh so much from my teens until he retired!
I enjoyed learning about Carson’s back story, this accounting of his life seemed fair and interesting!
If you watched the Tonight Show and Carson, you will enjoy and be stunned through this entire book!
I highly recommend it!

Carson was amazing

Enjoyed the story and insight regarding Johnny Carson. However, since this is told by his lawyer it is incomplete and one sided. Henry Bushkin, the author, comes across as conceited and disrespectful.

Fascinating Portrait of The King of Late Night

Henry Bushkin’s final betrayal of his client and long time friend is a very revealing portrait of the great artist and his Brutus. Bushkin successfully paints himself as a heartless prick but can’t do the same with Johnny despite his best efforts. Carson was a complicated, emotionally damaged genius who sacrificed much for many and ended up used and betrayed by them all. A tragedy of Shakespearean proportions.

There’s….Johnny !

I grew up a fan of Johnny and will always appreciate his skills as a talk show host….probably the best of all time.

I remember him joking about his personal issues during his monologue and at times mentioning his attorney “Bombastic” Bushkin the author of this tome.

The fact that Johnny would have turned 100 next year in 2025, books about him like this have resurfaced.

Even though not poison penned the authors remembrances could have remained unsaid.

Remember Johnny for his skills…not his flaws.

A very compelling story.

Loved the narration. I was a faithful viewer of the Tonight Show for years. I never realized what a sad, mean spirited person Johnny Carson was.

Fascinating

The story was entertaining, and I really enjoyed the narrator voice. Very seldom do these two meet.

Good story

I enjoyed the story from Henry Buskin’s standpoint, but felt like more could have been included

Funny stories about an icon…and gut punches too.

He also does a nice job of telling a good story and sharing a lot of facts that make it interesting without being controversial. I gained many insights into Johnny Carson and network television during his era.