Robin Morgan, child actor, poet and feminist. "Walked off live."

A few weeks before [son] Blake's birth, I do "The Tonight Show," at that time still aired live. The staff promises not to raise "my past," but to treat seriously issues of the present. While on air, citing statistics on employment and education discrimination, I glance at a monitor and see that I'm really doing a voice-over, while clips from the network film morgue are being run: little Dagmar eating that eternal cookie, Alice arguing with the Cheshire cat. Mortified, I interrupt myself and call it. Carson puts on his quizzical, raised-eyebrows, whywhatssamater look. Big laugh from the audience. I explain courteously but firmly that I agreed to do the show in order to publicize issues that affect women's lives, and that his staff had sworn not to trivialize that by focusing on my having once been a kid actor. He manages to turn my indignation into a joke. This is no-win. I rise, politely wish him good evening, and walk off -- off camera, off stage. There is panic behind me as I leave the stage door. Nobody walks off "The Tonight Show," live, on air. (New York, 1969)

From "Saturday's Child: A Memoir," by Robin Morgan (New York: W.W. Norton, 2001)

Sammy Davis Jr., singer, actor and dancer. My wife's name.

I was on the Johnny Carson show and I mentioned "my wife Altovise ..."

He gave me a look. "Anchovies?"

"Get outta here, John. Alto-vise ... it means high view." (Los Angeles, early 1970s)

From "Why Me?" By Sammy Davis Jr. with Jane and Burt Boyar (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1989)

Jim Brown, football player. Gift of a girl

I went on ["The Tonight Show"]. Johnny and I started discussing younger women, the dating of them, a subject we both knew a little about. A few weeks later I was at The Candy Store, everyone said, Jim, Johnny Carson was looking for you. I received a few more messages saying Johnny needed to speak with me. I figured it must be important, finally got through to him. He was calling me about a girl. A freak. Johnny wanted to turn me on to her. I met her, she was wonderful, a wonderful freak. That was my gift from Johnny. (Los Angeles, early 1970s)

From "Out of Bounds," by Jim Brown with Steve Delsohn (Zebra Books/Kensington Publishing, 1989)

B.B. King, blues musician. "Time to warm up to you."

"The Tonight Show" ... I'd been bumped a couple of times because of overbooking. I didn't get mad; I figured it's just showbiz. I finally got on when Flip Wilson was substituting for Johnny Carson. Later Johnny had me on himself. At first, though, he didn't invite me over to the couch after I'd played. Friends wanted to know why he didn't talk to me. Well, maybe he didn't have anything to talk to me about. Was I angry? No, I was happy to get a national shot at selling my songs. I also saw Johnny as the kind of guy who needs time to warm up to you. After a year or two, he did invite me over to the couch and, from then on, we had nice chats. I liked Johnny's wit, and I appreciated that he had me on the show twenty-seven times. (Los Angeles, early 1970s)

From "Blues All Around Me: The Autobiography of B.B. King," by B.B. King with David Ritz (Avon, 1996)

Joe Garagiola, baseball player and broadcaster. "Naturally funny man."

"The Tonight Show" is Johnny Carson, the Babe Ruth of talk show hosts. Just like people always ask me "What's Barbara Walters like?" once I did "The Tonight Show," I'd always hear, "What's Johnny Carson like?"

I know him only from the show. We've been in makeup at the same time, and we've talked after the show, but we've never gone out for a couple of beers or anything like that. Yet I feel if I called him and told him I was in trouble, he'd help me. Sitting on the couch talking with him, you always feel he's listening, not trying to think up a funny line and waiting to drop it in. He wants the show to look good. And don't let the cue cards fool you. Johnny Carson is a naturally funny man. He thinks funny but doesn't mind letting the other guy get the laugh. He loves to laugh and to make people laugh, and he has great timing. If I'd had his timing while using a bat, I'd still be playing. To be able to do what he does, you have to be a big talent. (early 1970s)

From "It's Anybody's Ballgame," by Joe Garagiola (Contemporary Books, 1988)

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