Inventing Late Night: Steve Allen And the Original Tonight Show

by Ben Alba

"If you have ever turned on the TV after the 11 o''clock news and laughed, you owe Steve Allen a debt of gratitude." That''s how Entertainment Weekly described Steve Allen''s enormous contribution to American popular culture in a tribute to the legendary entertainer after his death on October 30, 2000. Steve Allen created the Tonight show — America''s longest running entertainment show and most successful late-night TV show. In so doing he led the way for other American Johnny Carson, Jack Paar, David Letterman, and Jay Leno. The formula we all now take for granted did not exist before the desk, the opening monologue, breezy chats with celebrities, wacky stunts, comedy sketches, cameras roaming down the hall and outside the theater, off-the-cuff interviews with passers-by, and ad-lib banter with the studio audience. It''s all great fun and it''s all due to the incredibly witty, incurably silly, musically gifted, and ever-likeable Steve Allen.Based on exclusive interviews, Ben Alba has produced this wonderful history of the first Tonight show, complete with terrific photos from the show and revealing insights from over 30 entertainment legends who knew and worked with Steve Allen — including Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Jonathan Winters, Don Knotts, Louis Nye, Tom Poston, Bill Dana, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, Andy Williams, Tim Conway, the Smothers Brothers, Diahann Carroll, Eartha Kitt, Bill Dana, and Doc Severinsen. In addition, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Bill Maher, Bob Costas, and other TV veterans reflect on Allen''s contributions.Starting with Allen''s early career in radio, Alba shows how the young radio talent developed many of the elements that would soon light up late-night television. He then highlights Allen''s many innovations that made the Tonight show so appealing and the single-guest and single theme shows, road shows and live segments from across the country, Broadway shows visiting Tonight, creating a forum for jazz artistry and a groundbreaking showcase for African-American talent, musical tributes, and the use of the studio audience as a comedy goldmine.Alba has created an invaluable, entertaining, and revealing behind-the-scenes look at the birth of an American television institution and its brilliant inventor, whose influence continues to make America stay awake and laugh —night after night.

Genres: Biography, Humor, Nonfiction

369 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 2005

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If you have ever turned on the tv after the 11:00 news and laughed, you owe Steve Allen a debt of gratitude". He created the first late night talk show which was entirely different from anything that was being shown on late night, or for that matter, on any program. It was sheer madness.

Allen was a talented man.....musician, writer, comedian.....who had success locally on radio and early television in NYC. The NBC network approached him to go national with a late night program and the rest is history.

Allen and a couple of writers of his comedic ilk, wrote the show. But "wrote" is the wrong word since there was not much of a script. They came up with an outline, ideas for skits, a few lines, and Allen and his sidekicks were left to ad lib their way through the program. It became a huge success and the viewers never knew what to expect.

They kept several skits/characters throughout the years......The Answer Man, The Man on the Street, audience participation. Sportscaster Bill Allen. musical numbers by Allen and Skitch Henderson, the orchestra leader and singers Edy Gorme, Steve Lawrence, and Andy Williams. Even one of the writers, Bill Dana, often appeared as a character named Jose Jimeniz.

The greeting "Heigh Ho, Steverino" as used by Louis Nye in the Man on the Street continuing skit, slipped into public conversation and that skit made stars out of the participants...........Louis Nye (the "wannabe" lady's man), Don Knotts (as the jumpy, nervous man) and Tom Poston ( who could never remember his name). It was ad libbing at it's best.

Sadly, most of the programs are no longer available as it appears that they were not taped. It is also sad to note that Johnny Carson used many of the skits but would not give Allen credit, although David Letterman always did.

I loved this book and the talent of Steve Allen. I watched this program as a child and have never forgotten it.

Note If you want to see Allen totally lose it, go to Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aESyu...

[Dottie]

Steve Allen is one of a few men who in my opinion would qualify for the label Renaissance Man in our modern age. The man was funny, witty, highly intelligent, wrote music, books and on and on. Looking forward to this one.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subject deserved better writing. Enjoyed it anyway.

[Bardfilm · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very entertaining book about a very important entertainer. It's mostly very readable, but it does tend to repeat multiple anecdotes in different sections. Still, it tells a story that needed to be told in a compelling and interesting manner.

[Gary Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just revisited this book from a few years ago and enjoyed it a lot.

[Lawrence Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

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"A must book If you have ever watched Steve Allen or any of the late night talk show hosts since

[Corey Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

A refreshing reminder that everything new is old again, if you squint hard enough. Decades before Dave, Jay, Stephen and all the Jimmys, Steve Allen was innovating all the bits, talk show tropes and stunts that Americans love to tuck themselves to bed with. Allen was so intimidatingly smart, talented and prolific, and his influence so pervasive that it's hard to even conceive how inventive and fun his Tonight, and all this later variety shows were. Do you enjoy Jimmy Kimmel's "Mean Tweets"? Well, Allen was reading angry letters to the editor in the mid '50s. In fact so much of Steverino's act was "borrowed" most infamously by Johnny Carson, that in later years the avuncular Allen sometimes seemed a little hammy and overly eager for credit in his later years, when he was ubiquitous on panel and chat shows. Unsurprisingly, with that big brain and quick wit, Steve could also be a bit mercurial, leading him to earlier exits from shows and networks, which may have slightly dented his legacy.
Since most of these original Tonight broadcasts were lost to time, its fun to read descriptions of them and even a just a dash of backstage drama, though author Alba often displays more enthusiasm than skill, and the writing tends to be clunkier than the ever charming Steve Allen
deserved

[False · Rating 3 out of 5]

A history of the Tonight Show and it's creator Steve Allen. Most of this material I was aware of. Still, it was good to go back to remember more about it's creator and the power the show carried during it's time. Many couldn't understand why Allen left when he did, at the peak of his success. Unfortunately, most of the footage from this show was destroyed when the network was cleaning out their warehouses--something Steve Allen never got over.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone knows how much David Letterman (the good, Late Night NBC Letterman) owes to Steve Allen and his various late night talk shows but I was surprised to learn how much Johnny Carson took (stole) from Allen and who, unlike Letterman and Leno, never really acknowledged his debt.

[Steven Spector · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relive the early days of television and one who played a pivotal role in its development. What permeates the book other than stories of Steve the inventor and Steve the risk taker is Steve the really kind and helpful man. Wonderfully written and easily readable.

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want to know why Leno is neither original nor funny? Read this book.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tribute to Steve Allen. If you remember him or want to, it's an interesting accolade.

[Sandi Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned things about The Tonight Show that I never would have guessed.