September 27, 1954 - January 25, 1957. This evenings telecast is the final TONIGHT! show starring Steve Allen. A farewell party is staged. All the regular singers are featured in musical numbers and Steve uses some of the 'gimmicks which found great popularity on show during the 2 1/2 years on air, including the big salami, and goo goo dolls. Steve speaks briefly to some of the men on the new "Tonight" show which starts next week. They include Jack Lescoulie, Earl Wilson, Hy Gardner, & Bob Considine. 

The basic format of The Tonight! Show was established during Allen's tenure: an opening monologue, a segment involving the studio audience (through interviews or games such as "Stump the Band"), and a simple set (a desk and chair for the host, a couch for the guests), all trademarks of the Allen era. Allen inaugurated the out-of-town broadcast (the first one was done from Miami), the one guest show (Carl Sandburg was the first solo guest), and the one topic show (entire programs devoted to such subjects as narcotics, civil rights, and black music). Allen also established the practice of paying his guests only "scale," the minimum fee required by union-network contract (this practice led to a highly publicized  feud between Steve Allen and Ed Sullivan and later between Jack Paar and Ed Sullivan, as Sullivan paid top dollar for his guests). Though Allen's Tonight! show closely resembled the shows of his successors, Jack Paar and Johnny Carson, it was more a musical show; Allen himself was an accomplished musician and composer (he wrote his theme, "This Could Be The Start of Something Big"), and he employed a nucleus of musical regulars on his show. In addition to announcer – sidekick Gene Rayburn, the show featured singers Steve Lawrence (who was only seventeen when he began singing on Allen's local show), Eydie Gormé (who subsequently married Steve Lawrence), Andy Williams (who later hosted several series of his own), and Pat Marshall (who was succeeded by Pat Kirby).  Skitch Henderson led the Orchestra.                                                    

September 27, 1954 - January 25, 1957. This evenings telecast is the final TONIGHT! show starring Steve Allen. A farewell party is staged. All the regular singers are featured in musical numbers and Steve uses some of the 'gimmicks which found great popularity on show during the 2 1/2 years on air, including the big salami, and goo goo dolls. Steve speaks briefly to some of the men on the new "Tonight" show which starts next week. They include Jack Lescoulie, Earl Wilson, Hy Gardner, & Bob Considine. 

The basic format of The Tonight! Show was established during Allen's tenure: an opening monologue, a segment involving the studio audience (through interviews or games such as "Stump the Band"), and a simple set (a desk and chair for the host, a couch for the guests), all trademarks of the Allen era. Allen inaugurated the out-of-town broadcast (the first one was done from Miami), the one guest show (Carl Sandburg was the first solo guest), and the one topic show (entire programs devoted to such subjects as narcotics, civil rights, and black music). Allen also established the practice of paying his guests only "scale," the minimum fee required by union-network contract (this practice led to a highly publicized  feud between Steve Allen and Ed Sullivan and later between Jack Paar and Ed Sullivan, as Sullivan paid top dollar for his guests). Though Allen's Tonight! show closely resembled the shows of his successors, Jack Paar and Johnny Carson, it was more a musical show; Allen himself was an accomplished musician and composer (he wrote his theme, "This Could Be The Start of Something Big"), and he employed a nucleus of musical regulars on his show. In addition to announcer – sidekick Gene Rayburn, the show featured singers Steve Lawrence (who was only seventeen when he began singing on Allen's local show), Eydie Gormé (who subsequently married Steve Lawrence), Andy Williams (who later hosted several series of his own), and Pat Marshall (who was succeeded by Pat Kirby).  Skitch Henderson led the Orchestra.      

Duplicate of #6967. Farewell Party. After two and one half years, Steve Allen hosts his final Tonight Show. 

Andy Williams sings a new song, "Butterfly." Tonight Show stage hands behind the scenes bid farewell to Steve.                                                                 

Frank Sinatra and Peter Lawford star-studded gala and party fundraiser staged at the national Armory in Washington DC on the night before JFK's formal inauguration.                                       

October 28th, 1950- September 15th, 1964 (CBS)
September 25th,1964-September 10th, 1965 (NBC)    

Jack Benny's half-hour show mixed variety and situation comedy with a company of regulars: Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, announcer Don Wilson, Dennis Day, Mel Blanc, and Mary Livingston.   

Jack's guest is Peter Lawford.
                                                                                   

July 30, 1967-September 26, 1969. 

A panel of three celebrities were featured each week on this daytime NBC game show, hosted by Larry Blyden. Only a few shows from this series survive in any broadcast format.
COMPLETE with commercials including one 60 second promotional by Chet Huntley reminding viewers to tune in to the Republican Convention to be televised on NBC for the first time in color. 

Guest panelists: Rita Moreno, Peter Lawford, and Barbara McNair. Subject on film: Roddy McDowall.             

September 12th, 1967-May 27th, 1969. 

In 1967, Jerry Lewis returned to network television with this one-hour variety show. It proved to be more successful than his original effort on ABC in 1963.        

October 1, 1962-May 22, 1992. Johnny Carson, host of NBC's network late-night "Tonight Show" reigned for 30 unprecedented years...five times the combined tenure of Steve Allen, and Jack Paar. Carson was impervious to competition, including efforts to dethrone him by Les Crane, Joey Bishop, Merv Griffin, Dick Cavett, Jack Paar, Pat Sajak, Joan Rivers, and Arsenio Hall. Sadly, very few complete "Tonight Show" broadcasts survive during Johnny Carson's first ten years of broadcasting. Around 1965, through the early 1970's, oldest tapes were first erased systematically by orders from myopic NBC executives, to be recycled for purposes of saving money. Ironically, in many cases, these older master tapes were too brittle, and portended probable drop-outs for re-use after being erased. Subsequently blank after being erased, these older questionable master 2" Quad tapes were either sparingly used or never used again for recording new programming and eventually were discarded. Saving thousands of dollars at the time (wiping master tapes for potential re-use) resulted in losing millions of dollars by NBC in today's marketplace, and more importantly wiping thousands of historic TONIGHT SHOW broadcasts, which contain precious personal anecdotes from political, show business, and sports icons of the past.
  
  

Guest Host: Peter Lawford. 

                                                                                                                           

Celebrities gather to honor Sammy Davis, Jr. on this Frair's Roast.

Guest Roastmaster: Carroll O'Connor.             

July 15, 1972-August 12, 1972. Five-week summer variety hour showcasing the singing and dancing talents of Ken Berry. Other regulars included Teri Garr, Billy Van, Laura Lacey, Don Lane, Steve Martin and the New Seekers.             

September 13, 1973-December 27, 1973. This was the final broadcast of the series. Thursday-night variety hour, hosted by Sammy Davis Jr. Mickey Rooney was featured in most of the shows.             

Phyllis Diller's 102nd birthday party.    

Host: Peter Lawford.                                  

Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50 year history. Written and directed by Jack Haley Jr.     

Premiere.        

This quiz show was re-titled The $20,000 Pyramid from The $10,000 Pyramid beginning on January 19th, 1976 and was hosted by Dick Clark. 

Host: Dick Clark.                                                                                                                                                                                      

A retrospective on the career of actor Gregory Peck by his friends and colleagues. Interviews with Celeste Holm, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Vincent Price, Lee Remick, Joan Collins, and Sheilah Graham.

Host: Peter Lawford.           

An All-Star tribute to actress Elizabeth Taylor, who is honoured by Variety Clubs International. 

Host: Elizabeth Taylor.              

The career of Gregory Peck is profiled.

Host: Peter Lawford