The Truth Behind Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show

Published on November 16, 2017
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Off To Hollywood

Legend has it, that Carson ran off the Hollywood once he graduated high school. There, as teens do, he got into all sorts of trouble. Word on the street is that when he arrived he even saw a taping of Jack Benny’s radio show. Actually, he later cited that show as heavily influencing his comedy approach. Anyway back to the taping, this occurred right before he apparently got to dance with Marlene Dietrich at the Hollywood Stage Door Canteen. That’s not all, though. Young Johnny got fined $50 after getting arrested for impersonating a midshipman. However this incident has not been confirmed.

Off To Hollywood

Off To Hollywood

Short Navy Career

Post California adventuring, Carson decided to enlist in the Navy. He began training at Columbia University with the V-12 Navy College Training Program before attending Millsaps College in Mississippi. Get this, he was commissioned to serve as a communications officer who would be responsible for decrypting messages. However, due to the bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Carson never went to the combat zone. Believe it or not, they got the news of the bombings while traveling on a ship to the Pacific. Close call!

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Short Navy Career

Short Navy Career