Carson Productions

 

As part of Johnny Carson’s landmark 1980 contract, Carson Productions was established. Its primary productions were “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” from 1980-1992 and “Late Night with David Letterman” from 1982-1993. Johnny’s contract gave him ownership of his show and the show that followed his, which was David Letterman’s program. With this contract, Johnny also received more money, more time off and the show was trimmed from 90 minutes to 60 minutes. Johnny had considered retiring or going to another network. NBC knew they had to pull out all the stops to keep him since his program was a cash cow for the peacock network.

Not every Carson Productions project was a hit. One successful show was “Amen” (1986-1991), starring Sherman Hemsley, best known for playing George Jefferson. A successful film they produced was “The Big Chill” (1983). From 1984-1993, Carson Productions co-produced along with Dick Clark Productions “TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes.” This show starred Ed McMahon and Dick Clark and Johnny appeared on the show as the victim of a practical joke.

Other productions included a miniseries starring Rock Hudson and Suzanne Pleshette called “The Star Maker” (1981). “Lewis & Clark” only lasted one season and premiered in 1981. “Cassie & Co.” starred Angie Dickinson but only lasted one season. “Teachers Only” went on the air in 1982 and lasted two seasons.

In the years since Johnny’s retirement and death, the company has been changed to Carson Entertainment. Its main goal is to preserve Johnny’s legacy and license clips from "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."

*Some information from Wikipedia.