[9] Commissioned an ensign late in the war, Carson was assigned to the USS Pennsylvania in the Pacific, serving as a communications officer in charge of decoding encrypted messages.

[11] Taking advantage of educational opportunities from the Navy, Carson attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he joined the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and continued performing magic (then paid $25 per appearance).

Originating in 1954 with host Steve Allen, Tonight was somewhat experimental at the time, as the only previous network late-night program was NBC's Broadway Open House (1950–51), which starred Jerry Lester and Dagmar.

Guest hosts included Bishop, Marx, Merv Griffin, Art Linkletter, Arlene Francis, Bob Cummings, Jerry Lewis, Donald O'Connor and others.

The program began videotaping in advance during the Jack Paar days, although during the 1970s NBC fed the live taping from Burbank to New York via satellite for editing (see below).

He negotiated a three-year deal to remain with the show in May 1980, reducing the program's length from ninety to sixty minutes while decreasing his workload from four to three nights each week.

Although Carson's work schedule became more abbreviated, The Tonight Show remained so successful that his compensation from NBC continued to rise; by the mid-1970s, he had become the highest-paid personality on television, earning about $4 million a year ($18,686,000 today), not including nightclub appearances and his other businesses.

[3] He also declined director Martin Scorsese's offer to co-star with Robert De Niro in the 1983 film The King of Comedy, with the role of a TV talk-show host then going to Jerry Lewis.

[26][27]: 8:10  According to Adam Higginbotham's November 7, 2014, article in The New York Times: The result was a legendary immolation, in which Geller offered up flustered excuses to his host as his abilities failed him again and again.

In 1976, NBC used the Satcom 2 satellite to achieve this, feeding the live taping (which started around 5:30 pm local time) directly to New York, where it would be edited prior to the late-night broadcast.

During the slots for commercial breaks, the audio and picture feed would continue, capturing at times risqué language and other events that would be edited out before transmission.

[36] Guests on the broadcast included Groucho Marx, George Burns, Telly Savalas, Milton Berle, Red Buttons, Don Adams, and Steve Allen.

In 1980, Carson backed out of a deal to acquire the Aladdin Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, and a competing group led by Wayne Newton bought the property.

According to lawyer Henry Bushkin, Carson became annoyed that he was portrayed in the media as having "lost" the deal and reacted by telling jokes on his show about Newton.

Carson pleaded no contest to the charges and, in October 1982, received a sentence of three years probation, was fined $603, and was required to attend a driver's education alcohol program.

[citation needed] Perry Mason actor Raymond Burr became angry over Carson's continuing jokes about his weight, and he appeared on The Tonight Show only twice, in 1968 and 1976.

[40] On July 2, 1969, Carson launched an on-air attack on The New York Times after his nightly monologue, assailing the newspaper for an article saying that he was the highest-paid performer on television, earning $75,000 (equivalent to $623,140 in 2023) a week.

Viewers believed the story and panic buying and hoarding ensued across the United States as consumers emptied stores,[44] causing a real shortage that lasted for weeks.

On that cue, the real Carson emerged from behind the curtain (as Letterman's band played "Johnny's Theme"), an appearance that prompted a 90-second standing ovation from the audience.

[57][58] Letterman would then use these jokes in the monologue of his show, which Carson got "a big kick out of", according to Worldwide Pants Inc. senior vice president Peter Lassally, who formerly produced both men's programs.

[62] Comedians who credit Carson as an influence include David Letterman,[63] Jay Leno,[64] Conan O'Brien,[65] Dennis Miller,[66] Bill Maher,[67] Joan Rivers,[68] Larry Wilmore,[69] Ray Romano, Don Rickles, Bob Newhart, Angie Dickinson, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Dick Cavett, Norm Macdonald, David Steinberg, Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, Garry Shandling, Steve Martin, Ray Combs, Arsenio Hall, Craig Ferguson, Orson Bean, and Jimmy Fallon.

"[3] He normally refused to discuss politics, social controversies, his childhood, and his private life with interviewers, and offered a list of written answers to journalists who wanted to ask him questions.

Municipal Court Judge David Kidney ordered Carson to attend a driver's education alcohol program and restricted his license for 90 days to trips to and from work and those classes.

"[75] As an adult, Carson was not a regular churchgoer, although during his childhood he was raised as a Methodist and during high school attended Christian Endeavor meetings at the local church.

In August 2010, his charitable foundation reported receiving $156 million (equivalent to $243,369,569 in 2023) from a personal trust established by the entertainer years before his 2005 death, thus becoming by far the largest Hollywood charity.

[93] Carson was an amateur drummer and was shown on a 1979 segment of 60 Minutes practicing at home on a drum set given to him by his close friend Buddy Rich, who was the jazz musician with the most appearances on The Tonight Show.

[95] On March 19, 1999, Carson suffered a severe heart attack at his home in Malibu, California, and was hospitalized in nearby Santa Monica, where he underwent quadruple-bypass surgery.

[103][104] Numerous tributes were paid to Carson upon his death, including a statement by then-President George W. Bush, all recognizing the deep and enduring affection held for him.

[106] Doc Severinsen ended the Letterman show that night by conducting and playing, along with Tommy Newsom and Ed Shaughnessy, one of Carson's two favorite songs, "Here's That Rainy Day" (the other was "I'll Be Seeing You").

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno also paid tribute to Carson with guests Ed McMahon, Bob Newhart, Don Rickles, Drew Carey, and k.d.