In the A&C skit, the keyword is "Who/Hu" because the use of "who" is critical to the ongoing confusion and such a great single word to insert into any question, phrase of comment. "Who's wife?" for example. In this skit, it's the use of "what? Watt?" And it was great to see the return of "Why/Wye", too... I keep waiting for a skit to use "How/Howe". There really aren't too many single words that can be injected into any utterance with so many confusing possibilities. 'Why" and "What" are great ones. "How" should be, too, I'd think. In the A&C skit, try swapping any name for "Who/Hu", though. It doesn't work. In this Johnny skit, "What/Watt" really can't be swapped with other words to create the same 'flow'.
Johnny Carson was undoubtedly the very best late night variety show ever, but since he retired in May of 1992 with two of the funniest people Robin Williams & Bette Midler on the very last show or in other words the farewell show, things were never the same again in late night TV show beside Jay Leno & Letterman which they were O.K & a lot of fun to watch them too. But Carson surely was something else, he was the best of the best in late night show. there will never be another Johnny Carson ever again. RIP Johnny. You are missed very much so.
Johnny was great in this; and kudos should also go to actor Fred Holliday (Grossinger) as Jim Baker for doing an excellent job and keeping a straight face! lol
Never watched Johnny Carson when I was younger, couldn’t watch it in the UK all those years ago, but this is absolute classic comedy at its best, I never cease to laugh at this sketch, pure gold.
What made this comic bit so funny was that the writers did their homework. The people mentioned in this skit were the actual leaders in their real offices. Brilliant.
Swimming with Secretary What at The Y(MCA). Meeting the head of The P.L.O. Nosir Yessir. Getting a phone call from Republic Of China Premier Chung Who. Brilliant writing made better with great comedic timing by Carson as Reagan.
Johnny Carson was well-known to be a Democrat. He would occasionally poke fun at Reagan but he wasn't overbearing like the current talentless, late-night show jerks like Colbert and Kimmel.
I'm a conservative and a huge Reagan fan. This was genuinely funny without being political. I think President Reagan would have laughed as heartily as I did watching it. Johnny Carson was a comic genius!
So glad I'm old enough to remember when late-night hosts could make fun of politicians in a way that everyone could laugh at, and didn't insult or wish death upon half the country.
A brilliant idea by the Tonight Show writers to take an old Abbott and Costello bit and make it into a comedy sketch relevant to that time. Johnny was a great sketch comedian, but did much less of it in the later years of the show. The only sketch character he stayed with throughout his three decades as host was Carnac the Magnificent.
@@shawnmiller4781 No, there is a lesson for YOU: Don't believe inaccurate comments just because you want them to be true. Throughout the years, Carson had nightly jokes about Ford, Carter, Reagan, etc. And it was okay. Unlike today, where people seem to think it's a personal attack against themselves when Fallon or Kimmel make jokes about Trump. Kind of like jokes about Nixon back in the day. Really makes you wonder why people get so emotionally invested in the crooked.
What the complainers won't accept is the majority of today's audience wants and expects political humor. Otherwise the late night shows wouldn't do it. Those who can't handle that fact should just stick with 40 year old clips like this.
Ronald Reagan loved this routine. But then again, Reagan had a great sense of humor! For those people who thought Reagan was a bad president, are the same people who think Biden is doing a good job!
I believe both sucked, except Reagan as governor was a fascist and as president ushered in envangical Christian nationalists to have a say in our country! And I believe Biden is one of the faces of why our country is in the crapper with his horrible decisions in every way. Imagine that, I have no team and think both suck!!!!! So wrong
Couldn't agree more. Half of America wasn't even born when Reagan took office so they have no first hand knowledge of how Reagan's policies helped America.
@@John70965 Ronald Reagan his his whole political career did ZERO to help amerikkka!! Our country is still suffering from all his horrible policies. Easily one of the worst presidents and political figures in amerikkka history!!!
No I think is horrible and was a criminal thug who entire political career helped put amerikkka in the crspper. There is little if anything Reagan did to help our country!!! Imagine that? I believe both suck but Reagan and his 146 I don't knows should have been in prison fir the iran-contra scandal. Then factor in the October surprise how he stoled his victory over carter....
The difference is that Carson isn't "making fun of" Reagan. But, instead, is using Reagan (and other political figures) as the players in the Abbott & Costello/vaudeville classic Who's On First bit. It's only indirectly political, and certainly not bigoted & hateful like today's late night hosts content-mill productions.
@@TheDylandProductions But it was not just this skit. Carson routinely made fun of Reagan, then later on George H.W. Bush AND especially Dan Quayle, on his youth and inexperience, that mirrors what today's late night hosts, say of Mr. Trump, or a George Santos.
Seriously? You think this was to ridicule Reagan? Put your thinking cap on. What other president would this have worked with? He's the one with the Cabinet Member named Watt. And Yasser Arafat was in the news in those days. It was a perfect opportunity for his writers to develop this skit. I love RR. He's my favorite president of the last century. But I'm not at all offended by this clever and hilarious spoof.
@@jazzfan67 Absolutely not. In fact, there are plenty of great Trump jokes imho. (look up Dana Carvey's impression, for instance) To parody a popular figure's speech/mannerisms is not necessarily hateful. Carson did it to Ed Sullivan IN FRONT of Ed Sullivan! It's the "f--- left/right wing candidate" so-called comedians that are hateful and unfunny. And that's all that late night talkshows are nowadays - hating either one side or the other - with no substance. Often pretty bigoted too. (If you agree with "the other side" then "f you and leave") It sucks to be preached and talked down to as a viewer. No wonder people are jumping ship and watching internet content instead. Or old Carson clips! Carson never made fun OF politicians. He made fun WITH politicians. Big difference.
Pure comedy genius. Not like those idiots on today's talk shows on late night... Johnny Carson definitely and always will be the king will be the king of late night
That was one of the funniest bits I ever saw in all those 30 years. Great writing.
A small tribute to Abbott and Costello 😂🎉🎉😅😅😅😊😊
Ger counseling
I'd like to know "who" wrote this skit. It's brilliant.
@@richardjezewski….Yes, their “Who’s on First” baseball routine. Or was it “Who’s on third?” Ha ha.
In the A&C skit, the keyword is "Who/Hu" because the use of "who" is critical to the ongoing confusion and such a great single word to insert into any question, phrase of comment. "Who's wife?" for example. In this skit, it's the use of "what? Watt?" And it was great to see the return of "Why/Wye", too... I keep waiting for a skit to use "How/Howe". There really aren't too many single words that can be injected into any utterance with so many confusing possibilities. 'Why" and "What" are great ones. "How" should be, too, I'd think.
In the A&C skit, try swapping any name for "Who/Hu", though. It doesn't work. In this Johnny skit, "What/Watt" really can't be swapped with other words to create the same 'flow'.
Comedy gold. Miss you Johnny.
Youre lucky to have seen him live, I'm only 26 but I've watched him since I was 18. He is definitely the greatest talk show host ever.
You don't get brilliantly hilarious comedy like that anymore. I miss those days.
Johnny did Reagan very well. Funny as hell!
They we’re friends
Johnny Carson was undoubtedly the very best late night variety show ever, but since he retired in May of 1992 with two of the funniest people Robin Williams & Bette Midler on the very last show or in other words the farewell show, things were never the same again in late night TV show beside Jay Leno & Letterman which they were O.K & a lot of fun to watch them too.
But Carson surely was something else, he was the best of the best in late night show.
there will never be another Johnny Carson ever again.
RIP Johnny.
You are missed very much so.
Yep, one of the best bits Johnny Carson did back in the day. Nobody else has been able to do anything nearly as good as Carson since then.
That was so great! Oh, I miss Johnny Carson!!
Johnny was great in this; and kudos should also go to actor Fred Holliday (Grossinger) as Jim Baker for doing an excellent job and keeping a straight face! lol
Incredible Johnny Carson 🎉😂🎉!!
This skit never fails! A Carson classic 😂😂!
Absolutely brilliant! Carson's impression of Reagan was spot on, and the humor is classic!
I didn't see Carson in that sketch.
He looked a lot like Reagan here.
Johnny was the best! I think I watched every show he made!
Abbott and Costello would be proud
That is brilliant. Excellent, imaginative writing delivered by The One and Only.
His makeup is stupendous, especially for this era of television!
Never watched Johnny Carson when I was younger, couldn’t watch it in the UK all those years ago, but this is absolute classic comedy at its best, I never cease to laugh at this sketch, pure gold.
Brilliant
Back in the day!!😊😊😊
That was awesome! Thank you.
One of the many reasons why Carson was the best and why noone has surpassed him
This skit never gets old.
This was comedy gold.
I never get tired of this show it’s superb
CLASSIC! Never been better or so right on!
So hilarious, I couldn’t stop laughing 😂
How about the copper clapper caper with Johnny and Jack Webb?
Yes, please!
Abbott and Costello. Classic parody.
Best four and a half minutes of Carson’s career!
Classic.
That was the greatest sketch of all time in is his 30 years run
Johnny was also equal opportunity. It didn't matter what political party, he would poke fun. The way it should be.
What made this comic bit so funny was that the writers did their homework. The people mentioned in this skit were the actual leaders in their real offices. Brilliant.
Pure classic. Great writers and the skit was acted out very well. Compare this to today's shows? You can't... and I don't give a damn anyway!
Swimming with Secretary What at The Y(MCA).
Meeting the head of The P.L.O. Nosir Yessir.
Getting a phone call from Republic Of China Premier Chung Who.
Brilliant writing made better with great comedic timing by Carson as Reagan.
And Fred Holliday
Never heard Carson's Reagan impression till now. Solid gold, though found myself thinking about if Rich Little did one of Carson doing Reagan.
Loved Johnny on late nights!!
This classic skit is one more reason why Johnny Carson was & will always be "The King Of Late Night TV."
This is awesome!!! What is the odds all these funny names were around back then!
I remember seeing this first run. It's said President Reagan played it while on a trip on AirForce One.
Well written and well played
YES!!!!!!THANKYOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think that's Mike Rowe playing Jim Baker. Am I wrong ? Classic Johnny. I so miss his show. Glad I grew up as a kid watching it.
Actor Fred Holliday
I understand that this bit had Reagan himself in stitches.🙂
ALMOST equal to “Who’s on First!” But the understatement!!!!!
This only proves that no matter how talented you are, you've got to have good writers.
And they say Johnny Carson didn't poke fun at politicians.
Johnny Carson was well-known to be a Democrat. He would occasionally poke fun at Reagan but he wasn't overbearing like the current talentless, late-night show jerks like Colbert and Kimmel.
This is The Best take-off.
I'm a conservative and a huge Reagan fan. This was genuinely funny without being political. I think President Reagan would have laughed as heartily as I did watching it. Johnny Carson was a comic genius!
Fully agree. Reagan had a tremendous sense of humor and surely had a great laugh when he first saw this sketch.
The BEST!😂😂😂😂😂
“The environment is on their minds.” Still is, thanks Ronnie.
So glad I'm old enough to remember when late-night hosts could make fun of politicians in a way that everyone could laugh at, and didn't insult or wish death upon half the country.
Classic. 😊
And the names lent themselves to this so well. Tell me the person that realized this could be done.
I wonder if Reagan ever saw and commented on this skit. He would have loved it!
Great skit ! 😂
Johnny Carson had more talent than all the current phonies combined
This is gold.😂
I wonder if President Reagan ever saw this skit
He probably couldn’t figure out how to turn on the tv😂
@@whoreshoe That's a really ridiculous and stupid comment.
That's one of the funniest skits they have ever done. And as others have said this is how politics should be done.
Sounds like Rich Little doing Carson doing Regan!!!
This is the best skit he ever did!
Probably better than any Carnac skit.😊
@@kevinmadden1645 Except maybe "Shiss, boom, baa."
I guarantee Reagan loved this!
Classic
Lol that's a classic.
In the day when tv stars had talent.
Gold
This is a great version of Lou Costello & Bud Abbott's skit.
Wow!
My vote for the Only Good Alternative to WHO'S ON FIRST (or the phone... Wye? Becoz? Tamarah).
I miss Johnny Carson!!!!! He was a kid of Nebraska, which I proudly call home!!!!!!! But our Football team SUCKS!!!!!!!
When late night was funny
The current crop of late night comedians need to watch this and learn how to do political comedy without being mean spirited.
#JimmyKimmel
Screw being "mean spirited". They need to watch to learn how to be funny!
lol Ronnie Regan had dementia 😊
😂😂❤
Third base, Third base 😁
Just like whose on first. Abbott & Costello
LMAO !! 🤣
Hilarious
When late night talk shows were funny …..
Great skit, who wrote this one? Pat McCormick maybe?
Fred Holliday is Jim Baker.
It's funnier because the names were actually real people. 😅 I wonder who wrote it.
@jandreid2023 Johnny 'poked fun' at anyone. Everyone was fair game on his Tonight Show.
A brilliant idea by the Tonight Show writers to take an old Abbott and Costello bit and make it into a comedy sketch relevant to that time. Johnny was a great sketch comedian, but did much less of it in the later years of the show. The only sketch character he stayed with throughout his three decades as host was Carnac the Magnificent.
Baker switched jobs with Don Regan when Reagan was, re-elected in 1985.
This is political as Johnny ever got……the way it should be done
There is a lesson for the current late show crowd there
Johnny git far more political but obviously u didn't pay attention
You couldn't be more wrong. Try actually watching the show instead of just clips. His opening monologues were relentlessly political.
@@shawnmiller4781 No, there is a lesson for YOU: Don't believe inaccurate comments just because you want them to be true. Throughout the years, Carson had nightly jokes about Ford, Carter, Reagan, etc. And it was okay. Unlike today, where people seem to think it's a personal attack against themselves when Fallon or Kimmel make jokes about Trump. Kind of like jokes about Nixon back in the day. Really makes you wonder why people get so emotionally invested in the crooked.
What the complainers won't accept is the majority of today's audience wants and expects political humor. Otherwise the late night shows wouldn't do it.
Those who can't handle that fact should just stick with 40 year old clips like this.
🤣
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
When comedy was real
Carson looks more like Howdy Doody than Reagan! HA!!
😂
Reagan sucked but he at least had a spine and sense of humor with stuff like this. The politicians of today are way too serious
The economy was great under Reagan
It was only great for straight rich white men
Ronald Reagan loved this routine. But then again, Reagan had a great sense of humor! For those people who thought Reagan was a bad president, are the same people who think Biden is doing a good job!
Such an ingnorant comment 😞
I believe both sucked, except Reagan as governor was a fascist and as president ushered in envangical Christian nationalists to have a say in our country! And I believe Biden is one of the faces of why our country is in the crapper with his horrible decisions in every way. Imagine that, I have no team and think both suck!!!!! So wrong
Couldn't agree more. Half of America wasn't even born when Reagan took office so they have no first hand knowledge of how Reagan's policies helped America.
@@John70965 Ronald Reagan his his whole political career did ZERO to help amerikkka!! Our country is still suffering from all his horrible policies. Easily one of the worst presidents and political figures in amerikkka history!!!
No I think is horrible and was a criminal thug who entire political career helped put amerikkka in the crspper. There is little if anything Reagan did to help our country!!! Imagine that? I believe both suck but Reagan and his 146 I don't knows should have been in prison fir the iran-contra scandal. Then factor in the October surprise how he stoled his victory over carter....
The modern late night shows are terrible. Johnny was king !
It is not just today's late night talk shows, but Johnny Carson made fun of politicians as well, especially Ronald Reagan!
Johnny and Ronnie were friends.
They even played tennis together.
There was nothing venomous like there is now.
The difference is that Carson isn't "making fun of" Reagan. But, instead, is using Reagan (and other political figures) as the players in the Abbott & Costello/vaudeville classic Who's On First bit.
It's only indirectly political, and certainly not bigoted & hateful like today's late night hosts content-mill productions.
@@TheDylandProductions But it was not just this skit. Carson routinely made fun of Reagan, then later on George H.W. Bush AND especially Dan Quayle, on his youth and inexperience, that mirrors what today's late night hosts, say of Mr. Trump, or a George Santos.
Seriously? You think this was to ridicule Reagan? Put your thinking cap on. What other president would this have worked with? He's the one with the Cabinet Member named Watt. And Yasser Arafat was in the news in those days. It was a perfect opportunity for his writers to develop this skit.
I love RR. He's my favorite president of the last century. But I'm not at all offended by this clever and hilarious spoof.
@@jazzfan67 Absolutely not. In fact, there are plenty of great Trump jokes imho. (look up Dana Carvey's impression, for instance) To parody a popular figure's speech/mannerisms is not necessarily hateful. Carson did it to Ed Sullivan IN FRONT of Ed Sullivan!
It's the "f--- left/right wing candidate" so-called comedians that are hateful and unfunny. And that's all that late night talkshows are nowadays - hating either one side or the other - with no substance. Often pretty bigoted too. (If you agree with "the other side" then "f you and leave") It sucks to be preached and talked down to as a viewer. No wonder people are jumping ship and watching internet content instead. Or old Carson clips!
Carson never made fun OF politicians. He made fun WITH politicians. Big difference.
This is so close to the reality of St. Ronnie the senile that it's not funny!
Great TV - now it is a race for the bottom - why?
Because of wokeness . . .
Pure comedy genius. Not like those idiots on today's talk shows on late night...
Johnny Carson definitely and always will be the king will be the king of late night
Multilayered comedic sketch only comprehensible to those of a certain age or hopelessly nerdy youngsters.
Classic.