In those distant days, ABC and CBS had their offices on Sixth Avenue (now known as Avenue of the Americas), NBC, the peacock network, was then and is now in Rockefeller Center in the heart of the city and Dumont, more late to become Metromedia, it was located almost outside the business district on East 67th Street.
There were no television studios in Los Angeles and all the programming, and all the television stars, lived and worked in New York. That was certainly true for early talk show hosts.
In the early 1950s, CBS hired an Indiana citizen named Herb Shriner. He sat in a chair at a small desk and politely interviewed famous guests. He may have been the first, but he was by no means the last.
The first breakout star in the talk show business was an actor named Jack Paar. Older readers may remember him for his somewhat off-the-cuff style, his witty banter with guests, and his ability to keep his hour-long show flowing, fast, and entertaining.
Paar may have been the “role model” for all who followed him, as the young Steve Allen, multi-talented and always laughing. A prolific songwriter, Steve Allen was also a lot of fun as a talk show host, always laughing out loud along with his guests and also in the silly but often hilarious skits that took place on each show that also featured his legendary “Man In The Street” interviews with Don Knotts, Tom Poston and others.
And then there was Ernie Kovacs. Often referred to as a creative genius and a man ahead of his time, Kovacs, who was married to Edie Adams, had audiences laughing with him as he performed his often outlandish but inspired skits and interviewed his guests. , also. Unfortunately, he died prematurely in a car accident.
The “king of all talk show hosts” followed Steve Allen to NBC. He was, of course, Johnny Carson. There were many who competed with him, many more who followed him, but none have matched his greatness as a talk show host. He had a remarkable ability to connect with his audience, in the studio and at home, which made him immensely popular for some thirty years.
It’s probably fair to say that Carson’s incredible achievement will never be duplicated. He was, and always will be, the greatest talk show host of all time.