Tonight Show Guests Who Made It Hard To Look Away… – HT

 

 

 

You are pretty pretty lady. You get tired of people talking about your looks and how stunning you are all the time. I mean it can get to be, you know. I mean I don’t I don’t I mean when people tell me.  Johnny Carson hosted women so stunning it made it hard to look away from the TV.

 These are Tonight Show guests who were so beautiful they made it hard to look away. Ann-Margret. That’s got to cost a fortune to put on a show like that. It was pretty good.  the production values. You don’t know you did couldn’t do that all in one day. All of those things. What did you do that What did you do the swimming scenes now? Could you do that all in  University and they were so nice.

 They wanted to get the water really nice and warm. But the night before they were trying to get it up to 100 degrees they blew all the heaters. So that when we did shoot it on Sunday it was like 50 degrees.  You’re too young to remember the old Esther Williams pictures though. Did you see some of them though? Oh yes I used to pretend uh I was Esther Williams when no one was looking.

 And that’s entertainment. And that’s entertainment that they’re playing around now. They have some scenes in there and you forget that you incredible things. Ann-Margret carries herself like a live performer from the second she appears with energy that makes Johnny’s desk feel too small.  [music]  She gave the audience more than a celebrity interview by turning the appearance into something closer to a show within the Tonight Show.

 Christie Brinkley. Steady folks. How are you? It’s nice to meet you. Ah thank you. You too. You told me before the show I just knocked my head in to say hi that you got lost on the way out here tonight. I was  in the rain somebody says it’s raining. I’ve been out here all day but  It was raining. Every road was a cul-de-sac.

 I was from Venice to I don’t know there were like 10 different Ventura freeways. Christie Brinkley brings stunning energy tied to the supermodel era making her feel like a modern guest on Carson’s classic set. It’s the big seller, right?  such I mean everything  can’t understand it.    Hard to understand.

 That’s a beautiful picture. Now you’ve been on three, right? The last three years? This was uh what year was this? This was 1980. We should you know show these pretty pictures you Now this was in 1979. That was in the Seychelles. That was so  You kind of you kind of have a lock, don’t you, on the covers of Sports Illustrated.

 Now where was that you said now where was this? In the Seychelles Islands. Seychelles Islands. Now Down in the Indian Ocean just a little to the left of Madagascar. Ah Madagascar on the spray. Her smile and composure make the interview feel lighter while Johnny supplies the old school host structure around her creating perfect contrast.

John Cannon. I haven’t even said hello. I said all right. I sure sweetheart now. You want to know something?  Sure now it’s sweetheart.  What do you mean now it’s sweetheart?  Well now that you’re married sure now.    WHY DO YOU THINK THAT I TREATED YOU DIFFERENTLY before I was married?  I came to your dressing room to say hi, how are you as old friends and oh now it’s just hugs and kisses and how are you now that you’re OFF THE SHELF.

   JOHN CANNON’S CARSON CHEMISTRY IS different because the history with Johnny gives the conversation a private spark as she keeps breaking into laughter. It’s interesting because even your introduction to me was much cooler than it usually is, Johnny.    You know what I mean? I did.

That could be true just subconsciously knowing that uh you’re no longer touchable is not THE RIGHT WORD.    THERE WAS NO CHANCE. THERE THERE’S NO CHANCE I probably was thinking back of my mind that you know nice formal introduction. But anyway CONGRAT    YOU DON’T YOU KNOW, JOHNNY.

 THE show’s producers mentioned in interviews Cannon teasing Johnny while keeping the mood elegant showed her beauty reading through the confidence in her laugh as much as through her appearance. Cheryl Ladd. Somebody said to me says do you remember when she was on before? I said Cheryl Ladd hasn’t been on the show before. I said yes she was.

And I was ready to put a good size bet down and then somebody mentioned the name. And I said now I remember that name very well cuz we discussed the problems you were having with the name, right? Now when was it about three four years ago? It was in ’73. 1973. And I came out and I was introduced to Cheryl Stoppelmoor which is my maiden name.

 Cheryl Stoppe  And you said Stoppe Stoppe Stoppe Ladd. Cheryl Stoppe Ladd Stoppe Ladd. And we talked about that and I and I did a song and and it’s been a long time.    Cheryl Ladd’s Carson appearance has the immediate glow of a television star who had become familiar to millions through Angels.

 She carries herself with relaxed sweetness that makes the interview feel light instead of overproduced as her calm presence does the work. Teri Garr. Yes yes.  You are a you are a real trooper for showing up tonight. I didn’t know I walked in the makeup I saw you sitting there with this big thing wrapped around your knee. I took the thing off my knee cuz I would thought I’d hide this from the audience.

But now that you brought it up I guess I won’t be hiding it from the audience.  Well you were limping anyway and your ankle is bandaged. So what clear this up. What happened to you? I fell down a flight of stairs. Just it there’s no good story about it. I just slipped and fell down a flight of stairs.

 But I didn’t want to miss coming here to say goodbye or someone told me you were going to be leaving the show. Is that true? Teri Garr understood how to be funny without surrendering her movie star charm bringing offbeat glamour less posed than classic star appearances. Brooke Shields. As I I’d said before I’m not scared of them and they feel I think they feel comfortable.

 And I mean the animals are wild but I’ve learned to handle them. Yeah. When you say wild what are you talking about? What animals do you get involved with? Well I’ve been working with koalas. I’ve been working with the primates which are the lemurs and langurs and chimps. Now they cry, don’t they? They I guess so. That’s I was going to say that.

We have a pygmy pygmy monkey in our nursery and today it was hungry and it didn’t eat its lunch. So then by the time dinner time came it was starving and it started to cry and I saw little tears. So There was a little tear. You see your pig and your And I stepped on a real rabbit’s foot once and I think it cried. Yes.

Brooke Shields arrives with a camera presence that made her one of the most recognizable young stars carrying herself with calm confidence. She smiles easily, listens closely and answers with enough control to show she understands the spotlight making the moment feel polished without seeming cold. Goldie Hawn. That you’re slinky tonight.

 I knew it.  Really slinky. Do you feel Do you feel slinky when you wear something like that? I mean black. I had a discussion about that today.  Did you really? Yeah because um I didn’t know whether to wear something like this or whether to wear something less.    You can’t wear much less but I mean I mean less provocative.

 Provocative, yeah. Goldie Hawn brings bright almost weightless energy that makes the interview feel softer the second she sits down. All the crazy things you did. I remember you talking about being a go-go dancer. I remember these things you see in case Somebody shows up on the show and I remember all these little You were a go-go dancer in a place called the Peppermint Lounge at one time? That wasn’t the Peppermint Lounge.

 The Peppermint Box. The Peppermint Box. The Peppermint Lounge was very famous New York for a while. Where was the Peppermint Box?  there. Actually I did work at the Peppermint Lounge and for a couple of nights. And but I worked at the Peppermint Box which was I had a go-go agent.  We love Do we Do we want to talk about that? Whatever you don’t have to.

 As Johnny doesn’t have to push hard for laughs because her reactions do half the work. Dolly Parton. I really love you. You really got loyal fans.  Well I think it’s all because of the Johnny Carson Show. You have a great audience and I look forward all the time to doing the show. I’ve been excited for a month cuz people think me and you are great friends and I feel like we are even though I only know you from the panel and you came by the dressing room to say hello I didn’t know you were busy. I didn’t know.

   Just knock on the door and say hi. Here’s this voice coming from somewhere. I can’t talk now. Dolly Parton walks into this segment with the kind of warmth that immediately changes the whole desk as Johnny is usually the one controlling the room. Answer it but since I can save some money this way I’ll answer it on the air.

   It’s from the city officials Carl Hatcher vice mayor the alderman Luther Gilbert a whole bunch of people and Gary Wade the mayor of Sevierville I believe. Sevierville Sevierville, Tennessee I believe. My hometown. This is dear Johnny on behalf of the city of Sevierville Mhm.

 we would like to invite you to join us in celebrating the dedication of the Dolly Parton Parkway. But Dolly makes the appearance feel like she brought her own little stage with her creating an instant shift in energy. Suzanne Somers. Taking oxygen at the same time and    yeah I guess you were working Dom DeLuise’s show, right?  Yes yes that was about the nicest working experience [clears throat] I’ve ever had. He’s a lovely lovely man.

 Yeah I was looking through your book today. You’re quite you write nice nice things. Thank you.  Is this something just recent or that you always wanted to do or I mean the poetry. Well I I did it for the money, you know. That’s nice and honest. That’s nice and honest for a change. No great love I wanted a buck.

   Wouldn’t that be refreshing if they said why’d you make this movie? Suzanne Somers gives Johnny one of those classic Hollywood origin stories that feels almost too neat to be real as the segment has built-in sparkle because she’s telling a story about being discovered right after arriving in Hollywood making instant success sound both thrilling and accidental.

 Jane Fonda.  Ask you something. Last night my son you know you were talking about Zsa Zsa Gabor Yeah I guess everybody’s talking about  My son said you know she was on Johnny Carson show one time. She came there with a cat on her lap and she said to you do you want to pet my And my son said that you said I’d love to if you’d remove that damn cat.

Jane Fonda’s segment stands out because she brings star power with a sharp curious edge as instead of just sitting there as a glamorous movie star she turns the interview back on Johnny and asks him about one of late night’s most famous rumors flipping the power dynamic. Michelle Pfeiffer. Well, I called the guy on the phone and I said, um, this is what I want to do.

 I don’t have any money to go through your school. I don’t have any money to pay for pictures. Um, I don’t want to sign any contracts with you and how do I go about doing this? We did a test shoot and No, no, I didn’t. No.  And, uh, he was really a very nice man. Yeah. Because at the point, you know, I I really look back and I think I’ve been very fortunate because I was very naive and I could have been taken advantage of many, many times.

 can. Yeah. And I think I think it happens a lot.  Tonight may be the first time. Michelle Pfeiffer’s early Carson appearance has the appeal of watching a future major star before the full legend has formed. As she looks young, composed, and slightly new to the machinery of late night television, which gives the moment special charm that comes from witnessing potential rather than established fame.

 While Johnny’s desk can expose nervousness quickly, but Pfeiffer holds herself with a clean, quiet confidence. Susan Sarandon. Yeah, you can’t win either way.  if you read the bad ones, then you start to get depressed, so They stick in your mind those sentences. That’s lovely though. That’s a very adult view of you.

I like  that. Do you get the impression that Albert and I don’t understand the the female person uh too well? Yeah, but I don’t think you should should, you know. I think that’s probably best to just keep you confused and a mystery. I think.  Thanks.    That’s what keeps the world going around.

Susan Sarandon’s Tonight Show interview has a quieter intensity than the more overt glamour entries as she is poised, thoughtful, and relaxed enough that the interview doesn’t feel like a standard promotional stop. While The Atlantic City Connection gives the segment specific film era context anchoring the conversation in actual work rather than [music] manufactured talking points.

Joan Collins. about the men in your life and so forth. I I’m tapped out. I don’t know what to So, I thought maybe to do this a little differently. Just to have a different interview. Okay. Have you ever done an interview in which in which the host wore catcher’s mask? Catcher?  What’s a catcher? This is a catcher’s mask.

 Oh, catcher. How do you SPELL THAT? IT’S MY CATCHER’S  IT DIFFERENT. JUST HOLD IT UP.    Hold it. Don’t Yeah. And we just talk like this for a while. Okay. Joan Collins gives Carson a glamorous segment with a built-in visual hook as the masked interview works. Because Collins understands image so well that she can turn even a strange setup into part of her persona while Johnny gets to play with the mystery and elegance around her without reducing the moment to simple gimmick, showing how veterans

can elevate any concept. Collins carries the whole thing with a theatrical confidence that fits her Dynasty era image perfectly as she knows how to make an entrance feel like a statement rather than just arriving for an interview. Diahann Carroll. And it’s a fun evening cuz she’s a very talented woman.  Yes, she is.

 I haven’t seen you working around much lately. You’re kind of keeping a low profile, aren’t you?  Well, I have been. Actually, I’ve been traveling, staying away from this area a little bit. But, uh, not in this outfit, but I’ve been doing primarily That’s what you call a performing outfit, right?  This is a performing outfit.

 You don’t you don’t have a few friends over for dinner in this outfit.  you have one friend over for dinner. Diahann Carroll’s Carson appearance has a refined quality that makes her feel completely at home under studio lights as she carries herself with stage trained polish. But, there’s also a warmth that keeps the conversation from feeling distant while Johnny’s style works well with her because they share professional respect built on years of entertainment experience.

 What are you most comfortable in? What am I most comfortable  Yeah, when you’re just, uh, sitting around the house or going shopping. Jeans? No. Strange enough, I’m not I don’t like jeans. You’ve always been recognized as being pretty much fashion conscious and you wear clothes, uh, beautifully.

 Yes, I enjoy clothes very, very much. What am I most com- I love bathing suits around the house. Love to just put on my little bikini and run around the house.  Mhm. Excuse me. She can answer with grace while still holding a strong point of view as her beauty comes through in the composure of the voice and the way she treats the interview like a performance without overplaying it, showing decades of experience in front of audiences who demand authenticity.

 Carroll was the kind of guest who could make a simple answer feel elegant as the segment has value because it shows how a stunning Carson guest didn’t need chaos, flirtation, or gimmicks to stand out, proving that poise alone could command attention when backed by genuine talent. She commands the set by being calm, precise, and fully present as every response feels considered but never rehearsed or stiff, showing complete control over her presentation while maintaining spontaneity that makes the conversation feel alive rather than

scripted. Lauren Bacall. Is that That’s the  It’s a bookmark. But, look, I remember this.  paper doll.  Was this Was this not one of the very first Stills, yeah. It’s on the It’s on the spine of the book. Was this from what picture? It was I think it was used  had not or The Big Sleep?  It was using it.

 But, you see it’s on the It’s on the It’s on the back of the Uh, it’s on the, uh, Now, and Valentine had a terrific idea and they made a bookmark out of it. And I just thought it was such fun. It’s the only time that I’ll ever get you between the covers.    Lauren Bacall brings the kind of classic movie star presence that makes the whole room slow down as her segment about marrying Humphrey Bogart has built-in Hollywood weight.

 But, she never makes it feel like a rehearsed museum story while Johnny listens carefully because Bacall is not there to be rushed, showing respect for guests who move at their own pace. Her voice, posture, and dry confidence give the interview a different texture than the faster comic guests around Carson as the stunning part is the authority she carries as if old Hollywood walked onto the modern late night set and refused to hurry, making everyone adjust to her rhythm [music] rather than demanding she match theirs. She can be warm without becoming

overly sentimental while the segment belongs here because Bacall’s glamour isn’t flashy but controlled, lived-in, and impossible to fake, displaying decades of experience carrying yourself as legend while Johnny treats her with deference because Bacall’s legend preceded her by years. She represents a golden age of Hollywood that was already disappearing by the time Carson took over Tonight Show, making her living connection to vanished era as the Bogart stories carry weight because they’re not celebrity gossip but genuine history

from someone who lived through the moment she’s describing. Johnny Carson’s desk became the place where stunning meant more than just beautiful faces because these guests proved that charisma, intelligence, and presence could make an interview unforgettable. From supermodels to stage legends, each woman brought something different, showing that there’s no single way to command a room or captivate an audience.

Which Carson guest do you think was the most stunning? Let us know in the comments and subscribe for more legendary Tonight Show moments.