The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (TV Series) Robin Williams, Bob Hope, Tony Bennett (1987) User Reviews

When comedy could be funny and irreverent...

[AlsExGal · 10/10 · 24 June 2021]

... and did not sound like something out of the Soviet Union - party approved, designed by a committee, taking no chances.

I remember this show, and the portions with Robin Williams are on youtube. Williams' mouth and mind run a mile a minute as he makes fun of the Pope, Michael Jackson, and Yasser Arafat among other things. There is a clip of "Good Morning Vietnam" which was probably the very first movie to really utilize all of Williams' skills and was just being released at the time. Johnny Carson doesn't even have much of a chance to get into the act or ask any questions. He is too busy laughing. This show really does a good job of showcasing Robin Williams' genius.

I miss Williams a great deal. It's a shame his life ended so young. But I don't think he would have enjoyed trying to be funny in today's climate where everybody is offended at everything.

1988 - I was there!

[joanne-90264 · 10/10 · 21 July 2023]

We were in CA and were able to see this taping live. We were at universal studios on a Monday and were ready to grab tickets and head off to the Tonight Show but realized those were the days when Johnny took Mondays off. So we took the long bus trip back to see it live on Tuesday and boy did that pay off! We were in the second or third tier, so it was easier to watch the monitors than the stage, but what we did see, was Robin Williams zip back and forth in his frenetic style across the full stage so the cameras couldn't keep up! And then Tony Bennett came on! Amazing!!! To see both Robin Williams, and Tony Bennett live at the same time!

Later we saw Good Morning Viêt Nam and Three Men and a Baby which were both playing on Hollywood Blvd. It was all so iconic!

We could not have planned that whole trip any better if we had spent months figuring it out. And to this day, more than 30 years later, he still has vivid as the day I saw them.