The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (12-06-1973)

Hope everyone enjoyed the show

Sammy coming out like dynamite, reminding us all to be solid. God bless Sammy, wherever you are.

Thank you for preserving this with the commercials!!!

What a voice Sammy has! That was terrific! Boy, I miss those type entertainers. They would really light up Vegas when they appeared. Sammy was the ultimate entertainer. He just could make people feel great. I miss him. I saw him in Miami and he was great. Sammy, Dean, Frank, they’re all gone! You youngsters don’t know what you’re missing.

I read that the day after this, Freddie got contacted by NBC to do his own show. Johnny had that kind of influence.

Probably the best of all of Sammy Davis Jr.s' Tonight Show appearances. Wow!

I miss the peacock. I miss Johnny and Ed, but happy 96th birthday Doc.

Rlinks, thank you for posting this gem. Doc Severinsen just turned 96 this week!

Wow,I even remember some of these commercials.This was 1 and a half years after high school.I watched Johnny every night.

This recording is a great chance to hear a lot of the Tonight Show Band. Some local affiliates weren't able to sell every slot of commercial time, and when they had a slot open, the show would play--the video would be the "More to Come" card, but the audio would be the band playing the interstitial music. On this recording of the Tonight Show, there's a lot of unsold commercial time when you can hear the band playing, I grew up in a large suburban area, so I rarely if ever got to hear the music played during commercials, so I loved getting a chance to hear that.  Sammy Davis is great, he sings a couple songs, but then he does an improv medley with the band that's marvelous, he sings Tie a Yellow Ribbon with this hip beat, and a couple other numbers, & does a wonderful dance bit, it's great. Plus jazz drummer Louis Bellson is sitting in with The Band and there's a segment when Johnny turns it over to the band & they play a Bellson arrangement, with solo space for Louis.  This is the break out show for Freddie Prince, his first time on Natl TV, and he just slays, so of course Johnny invites him over. Erma Bombeck is a no show, it seems like something happened, bc Johnny turned the show over to the band during the usual writer spot. He said they ran outta time, but Johnny would usually cut the band number rather than a guest, so I think Erma had to go for some reason.

50 years ago unbelievable

This has to be in the top five all time best episodes of the Tonight Show.

Diane Keaton-a truly beautiful multi talented versatile stage/movie and television performer-successfully entertained millions of fans for over forty five years.

Erma Bombeck was bumped. Freddie Prinze did something you will never see today: an ethnic comedy routine.

"The show back in New York" was one of the last episodes of 'Jack Paar Tonight!'.

Saw Freddie Prinze at our local fair a few months before he died. He did a pretty good stand up.

I miss the days when talk shows didn't have a divisive political agenda.

Thank you so much for posting this. Sammy was always amazing. 💙💙

Another consequence of this episode is that Freddie Prinze went on to open for Sammy Davis on tour in 1975. i almost got tickets to see them in Cincinnati.

You will never ever hear anyone work the music and sing like Sammy! Thanks to you, I have. I will revisit!