Well, I think it was kinda cool that the public gave Carson the privacy he
craved in the 12 years since he retired, with a few exceptions.

I watched the special tribute Jay Leno had last Monday - and Ed McMahon said
something revealing: He said, "He was shy around 10 people; not 10 million".

Someone else on the show (Bob Newhart?) said he'd stay in his dressing room
until showtime to keep his privacy then go out the curtain and make 10
million people laugh.

They showed some of the funny clips and it seems like just yesterday.

Until the late 50s I grew up in Studio City and I always thought it kind of
cool that if one saw a celebrity in the supermarket to ignore them. We used
to see James Garner in the Hughs Supermarket On Ventura and Goodland Ave on
a regular basis - the Warner Brothers studios were just a few miles away. He
must have been filming Maverick.

There was a hot dog stand ("Dog & Pup: ?) on Ventura in Sherman Oaks that he
(Carson)  was supposed to regularly stop before going to NBC and doing the
Tonight Show.

It's been said before but he really was the gold standard with late night
TV. Won't be another like him.

Bill

****************************************************************************
*********************

The year was around 1999, maybe 2000.

A Saturday morning and I was off to the local Ralphs grocery store in Van
Nuys/Sherman Oaks neighborhood. As I walked thru the door I saw this white
haired guy standing in the checkout line with his groceries in his hands.

Yep, it was none other than Johnny Carson himself!

Apparently, I was the only one in the place who recognized him. Not even
the girl at the checkout register knew who he was.

Now, I am wishing I had said a big "Hello" or a "Hereeeeeee's Johnny!" to
him.

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