Product Description

A revealing and incisive account of the King of Late Night at the height of his fame and power, by his lawyer, wingman, fixer, and closest confidantFrom 1962 until 1992, Johnny Carson hosted and permeated the American consciousness. In the 70s and 80s he was the countrys highest-paid entertainer and its most enigmatic. He was notoriously inscrutable, as mercurial (and sometimes cruel) off-camera as he was charming and hilarious onstage. During the apex of his reign, Carsons longtime lawyer and best friend was Henry Bushkin, who now shows us Johnny Carson with a breathtaking clarity and depth that nobody else could.From the moment in 1970 when Carson hired Bushkin (who was just twenty-seven) until the moment eighteen years later when they parted ways, the author witnessed and often took part in a string of escapades that still retain their power to surprise and fascinate us. One of Bushkins first assignments was helping Carson break into a posh Manhattan apartment to gather evidence of his wifes infidelity. More than once, Bushkin helped his client avoid entanglements with the mob. Of course, Carsons adventures werent all so sordid. He hosted Ronald Reagans inaugural concert as a favor to the new president, and he prevented a drunken Dean Martin from appearing onstage that evening. Carson socialized with Frank Sinatra, Jack Lemmon, Jimmy Stewart, Kirk Douglas, and dozens of other boldface names who populate this atmospheric and propulsive chronicle of the King of Late Night and his world.But this memoir isnt just dishy. It is a tautly rendered and remarkably nuanced portrait of Carson, revealing not only how he truly was, but why. Bushkin explains why Carson, a voracious (and very talented) womanizer, felt he always had to be married; why he loathed small talk even as he excelled at it; why he couldnt visit his son in the hospital and wouldnt attend his mothers funeral; and much more. Bushkins account is by turns shocking, poignant, and uproariouswritten with a novelists eye for detail, a screenwriters ear for dialogue, and a knack for comic timing that Carson himself would relish. unveils not only the hidden Carson, but also the raucous, star-studded world he ruled.