MastroNet Spring 2005
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on:
4/14/2005
When Johnny Carson took over The Tonight Show from Jack Parr in 1962, nobody could have imagined that he would rule the late-night airwaves for the next 30 years. Yet The Tonight Show became an American institution—and in large part due to Carson's comic genius. It has been estimated that Johnny interviewed over 20,000 guests in the show's incredible 30-year run. Everyone who was anyone in the world of celebrity clamored for a shot at a few minutes on the Tonight Show couch. And, amazingly, in all that time, during all those interviews, Johnny Carson used very few of his trademark microphones.
With the utmost pride, MastroNet here presents one of these astounding treasures. The offered microphone was used by Carson during the 1970's—the Golden Era of Carson's reign. Guests who occupied the coveted spot next to Johnny in this period included everyone from presidents to the royalty of Hollywood. It is fascinating to look back through Tonight Show photo archives and see this very microphone sitting on Carson's desk while he conversed with the likes of everyone from Ronald Reagan to Bob Hope to Joe Namath. If we were to list all of the celebrities who sat on the other side of this microphone, we would probably run out of catalog space.
Seldom is an item of this magnitude offered with such impeccable provenance. The circa-1960's microphone was manufactured by Shure Brothers, Inc. out of Chicago, Illinois, and is imprinted as such on the underside of the base. The front facing was later endearingly engraved to Carson, "JOHNNY CARSON...THE GREATEST KNIGHT OF THEM ALL IN NIGHTTIME TV JOUSTING," most likely just after Carson's trusty accoutrement was replaced by a newer, more modern incarnation on his high-profile desk. And, what's more, Carson inscribed the microphone base in black Sharpie, "To Harlan, Johnny Carson" (grading "10"). Included is a detailed LOA from a longtime Tonight Show technician who attests to Johnny's use of this very microphone on the show.
To evaluate the full significance of this rarified Hollywood offering, it is important to recognize that authentic Academy Awards have realized half-a-million dollars at auctions over the past decade. And, as emblematic as the Oscar is to films, so too is Johnny Carson's microphone to the great annals of television history. A truly museum-quality piece, this signed microphone embodies the looming legacy of one John William "Johnny" Carson. Although there have been many pretenders to the late-night throne, it was Carson, the Real McCoy, who still reigns supreme. LOA from James Spence & Steve Grad/PSA DNA.
Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show" Autographed Microphone - One of Only a Few Ever Used by Carson on the Show!
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