Johnny come lately

As audiences gear up for the 79th Annual Academy Awards on ABC on Sunday, it's also time to test out a new host for the marathon telecast.

This year, it's Ellen DeGeneres serving as the quick-witted comedy glue holding the show together in front of a viewing audience of nearly 40 million.

She joins a long and prestigious list of previous hosts like Bob Hope, Steve Martin, Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal and David Letterman.

And, of course, the late great Johnny Carson, who overcame his own personal fears and shyness (about hosting such an important live event) to eventually become one of the Academy's favorite hosts.

According to Joanne Carson, the former host of "The Tonight Show" was always the best man for the job.

"He was funny, quick with his wit and, like the guests on his talk show, he always made sure the focus for the evening was on the presenters and winner, not on himself," Joanne said.

Of course, she should know all about Johnny, considering she was married to him for seven years, from 1963-72.

Last weekend while in LA, I had the honor to spend Sunday evening with the former Joanne Copeland, a one-time airline stewardess who became a New York television personality in the early 1960s and eventually Carson's second wife. (Carson married first wife Jody Wolcott in his home state of Nebraska in 1949, and the couple had three children.)

I met Joanne, 75, while visiting at the beautiful Brentwood home of friend Phyllis Diller, after dinner and just before the two ladies were about to play some gin rummy.

Not only is Joanne curious to see how DeGeneres does with her Oscar-hosting duties, she's also excited about a new DVD project she helped produce showcasing her late husband's early talent.

After her famous divorce from Johnny, (which became popular fodder in fan magazines around the country since the California laws awarded her a half-million in cash and art and $100,000 a year in alimony for life), one of the settlement requests she was granted was all the kinescopes of Johnny's very first efforts on primetime television.

"The Johnny Carson Show," which Carson always considered a failure, debuted on CBS June 30, 1955, as a weekly variety series of sketch comedy and lasted for 39 episodes. But his ex-wife Joanne says she was always fond of the shows and describes them as "an accurate depiction of the man I fell in love with during that time."

"After I was introduced to Johnny by my own father, we would watch some of these old shows at his apartment while we were dating," she said.

"I always thought they were good. Since he didn't care for them, he let me have them. Now, it's time to share them."

Released on DVD this week by Shout Factory and selling for $24.98, Joanne selected 10 of her favorite episodes to showcase.

As for their divorce, Carson publicly acknowledged he was to blame for not devoting enough time to their marriage at a time when he was launching a new career on NBC as Jack Parr's replacement on "The Tonight Show."

"Between the time we divorced and his death, I probably only saw him 10 times total, although we did talk on the telephone a few times," she said.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com or 219.852.4327.

celebBirthdays

Actor-director Peter Fonda is 67. Musician Johnny Winter is 63. Steel guitarist Rusty Young of Poco is 61. Actress Patricia Richardson ("Home Improvement") is 56. Guitarist Brad Whitford of Aerosmith is 55. Singer Howard Jones is 52. Guitarist Michael Wilton of Queensryche is 45. Actress Kristin Davis ("Sex and the City") is 42. Actor Marc Price ("Family Ties") is 39. Bassist Jeff Beres of Sister Hazel is 36. Guitarist-keyboardist Lasse Johansson of The Cardigans is 34. Actress Dakota Fanning ("Charlotte's Web," "I Am Sam") is 13.