This segment is courtesy of Carson-Entertainment-Group and Stan Zabka.

This 2" low-band color quad tape (dub) was presented to Stan by NBC in 1964. Stan personally saved this tape along with a black & white kinescope. Now almost 50 years old, it is the oldest surviving color segment from The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Where other 2" quad tapes from this program have generally not been saved, it was only through Stan's efforts that this tape was preserved and transferred.

This Tonight Show segment was presented at an archiving conference several years ago after recovery at DC Video. Now it is posted (with permission) on-line for all to enjoy.

This video clip is direct from the 2" transfer session.

More about DC Video can be seen here:
http://www.dcvideo.com/ and   / dcvideo  

About Johnny Carson:

Born on October 23, 1925, Johnny Carson grew up in Norfolk, Nebraska.
Perhaps Johnny Carson was destined to be the King of Late Night. At 14 he had a magic act called "The Great Carsoni." At 20, as an Ensign serving aboard the USS Pennsylvania, Johnny entertained enlisted men during shows on the ship. While a student at the University of Nebraska, he also worked at a local radio station, KFAB and later at WOW in Omaha, where he wrote comedy and announced commercials.

Deciding that his entertainment future was in California, he landed a job in 1950 as staff announcer for KNXT in Los Angeles, where he soon hosted, "Carson's Cellar." He suspended his on-camera work to write material for Red Skelton's TV program. One night, Skelton ran into a breakaway door and suffered a concussion during rehearsal. Johnny Carson went on in Red Skelton's place, opening with a monologue he had put together while driving to the studio. Jack Benny's said after: "You better watch that Carson kid. The kid is great..."

At 29, Johnny Carson became host of his own network show, "Earn Your Vacation," while also appearing as a substitute host for another up and coming TV personality, Jack Paar, on CBS's "The Morning Show." In 1957, Johnny Carson moved to ABC as host of a new daytime game show, "Who Do You Trust?" where he was teamed with his future "Tonight" announcer, Ed McMahon. In 1958 he was again asked to fill in for Paar, this time on NBC's "The Tonight Show." On October 1, 1962, Groucho Marx introduced Carson to the nation's late-night television audience as the new host of "The Tonight Show" and the rest, as they say, is history!

About Stan Zabka:

In a career twice interrupted by military service, Zabka's compiled a record of achievements and peer awards in many diverse fields of the entertainment industry. Returning from Europe as military news chief of the American Forces Network during the Korean War, he continued his music studies in New York and earned recognition as a composer of memorable theme music for various Pulitzer, Christopher, and Emmy-award winning television specials. He's co-composer with Al D'Artega of "Chimes", the original Tonight Show theme, the marching band version of which later became the signature theme of NBC Network Sports for many years. Possibly his best known popular work is "Christmas Eve In My Home Town" which he co-wrote with Don Upton when they were Pages at NBC.

Zabka's 22 years as Associate Television Director with that network included five years with the Johnny Carson "Tonight Show" and the Perry Como "Kraft Music Hall". He received an Emmy as a Director of the daytime serial, "The Doctors". His credits as an Assistant Director in motion pictures include "Midnight Run" (Robert DeNiro and Charles Grodin), "Bronco Billy" and "Any Which Way You Can" (Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke), "Romancing The Stone" (Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner), "A Change of Seasons" (Anthony Hopkins, Shirley MacLaine and Bo Derek), "Forced Vengeance" (Chuck Norris), "Streets of L.A." (Joanne Woodward), "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" (Helen Hunt), plus, "Love Boat", "The Eddie Capra Mysteries", "Dallas".