Carson pioneered a new style of late-night hosting—relaxed, improvisatory, risk-averse, and inscrutable.

The legendary Dean Martin, Bob Hope, and George Gobel all appeared on the Johnny Carson Tonight Show in 1969. All of these guests are considered some of the best of their class.

Carson the Magnificent” delivers the famous talk-show host in full while keeping the mystery of what made him tick alive ...

When Don Rickles appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1978, fans knew immediately that they were seeing an instant classic. Rickles is considered one of the best talk show guests in the ...

Johnny Carson remains one of the top modern late-night hosts, and for good reason. As the host of The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992, Carson made a serious dent in pop culture and influenced ...

Johnny Carson used his affable personality and keen gift for comedy to become no less than the King of Late-Night Television ...

No matter who your bedtime TV pal is, you're in good hands, and in the new book "Carson the Magnificent," by Bill Zehme with ...

NPR's Scott Simon interviews Mike Thomas about the new Johnny Carson biography, "Carson the Magnificent," co-written by Bill Zehme.

SIMON: How big was Johnny Carson? Help us understand ... He would reveal himself in bits and pieces during the show, mostly in his monologues or maybe in guest interviews and stuff like that.