SSSSSSS
Boom Bah
by Stucco Steve
 I
love comedy. My family is all amateur comedians. Laughing is a tonic
for the soul. Those that can laugh in times of adversity know a
secret to life that eludes 90% of the population. The day a
person quits smiling and laughing should be the date on that persons’
tombstone, even if they live another 99 years. Laughing goes
a long way to lifting life’s burdens, it lowers blood pressure,
makes you feel good, it’s legal and you can do it at home
or right out in public.
 A
few weeks ago I logged onto one of my usual news websites and read
of the death of Johnny Carson. It didn’t really register until
later in the day. I saw a friend of mine who might be described
as completely unemotional regarding everything. He mentioned that
listening to the news reports had had an emotional impact on even
him. There is a reason for that. 100% of us U.S. expats above 40
years of age can hum the theme show of the Tonight Show. Who among
us can’t vividly recall Ed McMahon’s’ laugh, Johnny’s
monologues, the skits, on air failures, not to mention the incredible
guests.
I
feel as if I grew up with and was educated to a certain degree by
Johnny Carson. His show was an hour and a half long for the first
5 years and was broadcast live. That’s something that will
never happen again. Johnny made us happy and feel good in good times
and bad. His act was too tough to follow, period. Many people mistakenly
think that the longest laugh ever broadcast uninterrupted on TV
was the night Ed Ames was on the show. Ames was an Indian actor
who threw a tomahawk into the crotch of an outlined human on a board.
You can see this segment on The Tonight Show’s website for
free. The longest laugh ever played uninterrupted was a night Johnny
was doing his Karnac The Magnificent skit. Karnac, the mystic
from the east, would receive an envelope from Ed, hold to his head
and would divine the answer to the question enclosed in the envelope.
Johnny
would then rip open the envelope and read the question, which of
course, was the punch line. Ed would be quietly handing the envelopes
to Karnac during the skit. When the last envelope was reached Ed
would announce in a booming voice – “I hold in
my hand, the last envelope.” Of course this cued the audience
to break out in loud applause, as if it was all they could stand.
When the laughter, hooting and hollering subsided Karnac would turn
accusingly to either Ed or the audience and announce – “May
the fleas of a thousand camels move into your shorts,” or
something to that effect. This usually got the biggest laugh and
Karnac would struggle to stay in character.
Anyway
Johnny a.k.a. Karnac The Magnificent got the longest laugh played
uninterrupted on TV. I was watching that night. It wasn’t
real funny at first. However, more and more people began laughing
as the visualization of the joke set in. Then the laughing itself
became contagious. I wasn’t immune. I was busting my gut rolling
around my living room floor. Here it is:
Karnac
receives the envelope from Ed, closes his eyes and holds it to his
forehead. He answers, “SSSSSS boom bah.” He opens the
envelope, reads the question, looks into the camera and says –
“What is the sound made by an exploding sheep?” Two
minutes and ten seconds later they cut to commercials without a
word being said, nothing but laughter. Thank you Mr. Carson for
that memory and the thousands of others like them. You are
one of the classiest guys who ever walked on two feet.
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