Global InformationCarnac the Magnificent information
Carnac the Magnificent was a recurring comedic role played by Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. One of Carson's most well-known characters, Carnac was a "mystic from the East" who could psychically "divine" unknown answers to unseen questions.
The character was introduced in 1964.[1] As Carnac, Carson wore a large feathered turban and a cape. The character would emerge from behind the show's curtain accompanied by Indian music, and make his way towards the desk, where he would invariably stumble on the step in front of the desk and lose his balance. On two occasions which were frequently shown on anniversary specials, Carson's desk was replaced with a lightweight balsa-wood version; this allowed Carson to trip and smash through it. In the first instance, the replica desk looked like the ornate desk from the early to mid 1970's, while a second instance of the stunt was performed with a replica of the late 1970's plain desk.
The character was taken from Steve Allen's essentially identical "Answer Man" segment, which Allen performed during his tenure as host of The Tonight Show in the 1950s.[2] As Allen acknowledged in his book The Question Man, this bit had been created in Kansas City in 1951 by Bob Arbogast and used on The Tom Poston Show in New York where it eventually ended up on The Steve Allen Show, much to the surprise of both Arbogast and Allen. The Carnac character and routine also closely resemble Ernie Kovacs' "Mr. Question Man".[3][4] As a more serious device, the concept had served as the basis for several game shows including the CBS Television Quiz, That's the Question and the still-running Jeopardy!, which aired on NBC for much of Carson's run on Tonight.
Kreskin has claimed in various of interviews that he was the inspiration for Carnac after falling on an episode of The Tonight Show.[5][6][7]
- ^ Rothman, Seymour (May 17, 1992). "So Long, Johnny!". Toledo Blade. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
- ^ Edgerton, Gary R. (2009). The Columbia History of Television. Columbia University Press. p. 172. ISBN 9780231121651. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
- ^ Pack, Lindsy E. (2004). Newcomb, Horace (ed.). Encyclopedia of Television. CRC Press. p. 816. ISBN 9781579584115. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
- ^ Nachman, Gerald (2004). Seriously Funny: The Rebel Comedians of the 1950s and 1960s. New York, NY: Pantheon Books (published 2003). p. 169. ISBN 9780375410307. OCLC 50339527.
- ^ "The Amazing Kreskin". October 8, 2014.
- ^ "The Amazing Kreskin Biography".
- ^ "Kreskin's Amazing Experiences #6 - Carnac the Magnificent". YouTube.