Jay’s Goodbye

Posted on 05/30/2009 at 3:27 pm by Bob Cesca

Last night was Jay Leno’s last Tonight Show. It wasn’t the most touching TV goodbye ever, but it was nice. Video here.

Meanwhile, NBC still hasn’t acknowledged on their Tonight Show Experience website that Ernie Kovacs was a host of the show in 1956 and how Steve Allen flagrantly stole most of his bits from Ernie.

kovacs_edie_bed.jpg

Circa 1957, Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams in their Manhattan apartment watching dual “his and her’s” televisions.
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  • http://www.windonwater.net QueenTiye

    Bob – I finally went and looked up this info about Ernie Kovacs. You’ve probably seen this already, but I’m posting it here because I was largely ignorant of the issues:http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2009_04_19.html#016988Pretty interesting stuff. I hope Ernie gets some recognition.QT

  • http://www.windonwater.net QueenTiye

    Bob – I finally went and looked up this info about Ernie Kovacs. You’ve probably seen this already, but I’m posting it here because I was largely ignorant of the issues:http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2009_04_19.html#016988Pretty interesting stuff. I hope Ernie gets some recognition.QT

  • Beauzeaux

    I love Ernie Kovacs. I watched his show and I remember when he died. (Car crash. Santa Monica Blvd I think.)I also watched Steve Allen and they were completely different. Kovacs was much more subversive and strange than the early Allen, but Steve later became quite out-there in his own right.

  • Beauzeaux

    I love Ernie Kovacs. I watched his show and I remember when he died. (Car crash. Santa Monica Blvd I think.)I also watched Steve Allen and they were completely different. Kovacs was much more subversive and strange than the early Allen, but Steve later became quite out-there in his own right.

  • D. C.

    17 years is quite an achievement for Leno, though I must be getting old since it still seems to me that it was just a short while ago that Johnny Carson retired.I can’t say I was ever a huge fan of Leno, but I’ll give him props for going out on a classy note. Too bad his next venture of taking over the 10 pm slot on NBC 5 nights a week is going to crash and burn.

  • D. C.

    17 years is quite an achievement for Leno, though I must be getting old since it still seems to me that it was just a short while ago that Johnny Carson retired.I can’t say I was ever a huge fan of Leno, but I’ll give him props for going out on a classy note. Too bad his next venture of taking over the 10 pm slot on NBC 5 nights a week is going to crash and burn.

  • http://tarackian.deviantart.com J M Goddamn Ashby

    Im a Letterman fan myself. Leno was always too right-leaning for me.

  • http://tarackian.deviantart.com J M Goddamn Ashby

    Im a Letterman fan myself. Leno was always too right-leaning for me.

  • http://arkytek.blogspot.com/ ∇•B=0  Goddamn Silly Ratfaced Git  ∇•D=ρ

    Leno was funny when he spent more itme in Boston. Over the years his humor became far too ‘LA’ for my liking with tons of inside jokes about ‘the business’. Humor that is based on L.A. being the center of the universe becomes tedious quickly.Ernie Kovacs, to this day, is the only artist to fully utilize the potential of Television as an artistic medium. Everyone remembers the Nairobi Trio, but his work using tables at angles with the camera angled to make the table appear level was just sheer genius.”Television, a medium. Because it is neither rare, nor well done.” – Ernie Kovacs

  • http://arkytek.blogspot.com/ ∇•B=0  Goddamn Silly Ratfaced Git  ∇•D=ρ

    Leno was funny when he spent more itme in Boston. Over the years his humor became far too ‘LA’ for my liking with tons of inside jokes about ‘the business’. Humor that is based on L.A. being the center of the universe becomes tedious quickly.Ernie Kovacs, to this day, is the only artist to fully utilize the potential of Television as an artistic medium. Everyone remembers the Nairobi Trio, but his work using tables at angles with the camera angled to make the table appear level was just sheer genius.”Television, a medium. Because it is neither rare, nor well done.” – Ernie Kovacs

  • dontpanic23

    Bob, I thought of you and your quest to bring Kovaks back into history but I’m afraid even Teh Googles are conspiring. My son asked how long Leno had been on as opposed to Carson (who I was always yammering on about) and the first few results on google only listed 4 hosts. I didn’t keep going since I had my answer but I see what you mean.

  • dontpanic23

    Bob, I thought of you and your quest to bring Kovaks back into history but I’m afraid even Teh Googles are conspiring. My son asked how long Leno had been on as opposed to Carson (who I was always yammering on about) and the first few results on google only listed 4 hosts. I didn’t keep going since I had my answer but I see what you mean.

  • eve

    Tonight Show with Leno was boring. I like Letterman. I wish Ferguson was on earlier.

  • eve

    Tonight Show with Leno was boring. I like Letterman. I wish Ferguson was on earlier.

  • dontpanic23

    We DVR Ferguson. My son and I both love that guy. Leno’s OK, Letterman’s better, Ferguson’s the shit.

  • dontpanic23

    We DVR Ferguson. My son and I both love that guy. Leno’s OK, Letterman’s better, Ferguson’s the shit.

  • http://www.kellicooper.com attract wealth

    I think that Conan will do a great job. Afterall, he was already doing it for all those years. Leno is funny but I personally like Conan and his style of humor more.

  • http://www.kellicooper.com attract wealth

    I think that Conan will do a great job. Afterall, he was already doing it for all those years. Leno is funny but I personally like Conan and his style of humor more.

  • ßißiɱiɱi

    How can we miss you if you don’t leave?

  • ßißiɱiɱi

    How can we miss you if you don’t leave?