The original host of “The Tonight Show,” Steve Allen, returned to guest host the show in 1961. He welcomed “The King of Rock and Roll” to the segment. Recently released from his commitment to the military, Elvis Presley came on stage to perform his hit, “Hound Dog.”
Elvis was excited to return to the stage and return to entertaining. Serving in the army forced Presley to take a break from the limelight, which ironically increased his popularity. His absence made fans excited when he returned, and he ultimately became bigger than ever before. But in this photo, we see peak Elvis.
Joan Crawford
As the third host of "The Tonight Show," Johnny Carson officially took over the interviewing desk on October 1st, 1962. For the next thirty years, Carson welcomed the biggest names in Hollywood. On his very first night, Joan Crawford was honored as his featured guest.
Receiving awards for her role in the psycho-thriller, “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" Joan would still be resentful towards her co-star, Bette Davis, who was nominated for several awards for her performance in the film, while Crawford was not. Their rivalry was so iconic that they even made a miniseries about it! Now that's saying something.
Engelbert Humperdinck
It almost never happens that a singer has three chart-topping hits in a single year, but for Engelbert Humperdinck, 1976 was a year to remember. His three hit songs took over both the United Kingdom's and North America's music charts. He really was the talk of the town around this time.
Humperdinck was nominated for a Grammy and was named the "most played jukebox record of the year." Of course, with fame comes promotion, and Humperdinck made the rounds on the talk shows, including "The Tonight Show" and "The Dean Martin Show." Johnny Carson could not get enough of him!
Errol Flynn
As one of the biggest stars of the 1930s, Flynn was one of Hollywood's biggest stars. In the prime of his career, he was romantically linked with a number of female stars, including Carole Lombard, Lupe Valex, and Marlene Dietrich, to name a few.
The "The Adventures of Robin Hood" actor was no stranger to making promotional appearances on many popular late-night talk shows. This photo was taken when Steve Allen left "The Tonight Show," and Jack Paar was in the middle of his five-year tenure. During this time, a much more diverse range of stars would guest-appear on the show.
Jay Leno
Before he has his own show, David Letterman would occasionally act as a guest host for "The Tonight Show," between 1978-1980. In 1982, Letterman would spread his wings on his own show, "Late Night with David Letterman." Ironically enough, Letterman welcomed future "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno as a guest.
At the time, Leno was a regular on the stand-up comedy circuit, slowly transitioning to a number of minor roles in film and television. As Carson retired in 1992, fans were sure Letterman was next in line to take over "The Tonight Show," yet lo and behold, the role when to Leno, who hosted until 2009!