The Tonight Show (1954)
| Tonight Starring Steve Allen | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Presented by | Steve Allen |
| Starring | Skitch Henderson |
| Narrated by | Gene Rayburn |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | Hudson Theatre, New York City |
| Running time | 105 min. |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Picture format | Black-and-white |
| Original release | September 27, 1954 – January 25, 1957 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Broadway Open House |
| Followed by | Tonight! America After Dark |
| Related shows | The Steve Allen Show |
Tonight Starring Steve Allen was a talk show hosted by Steve Allen. It was the first version of what eventually became known as The Tonight Show. Tonight was the first late-night talk show, as well as the first late night television series of any time to achieve long-term success. Allen's run as host of the show lasted for two and a half seasons, beginning in fall 1954 and ending with Allen's departure in January 1957.
During its run it originated from the Hudson Theatre in New York City.
Originally a 40-minute local program airing from 11:20 p.m. to 12 midnight on WNBT New York as The Steve Allen Show, the program was moved to the full NBC network in the Fall of 1954. The first network episode of Tonight aired on September 27, 1954, and ran for 105 minutes instead of the 60-minute duration of modern talk shows (however, the first fifteen minutes were shown on very few stations). The announcer of the show was Gene Rayburn (who would eventually become a top-game show emcee, best known for his 22 years at the helm of the Match Game) and the bandleader was Skitch Henderson. Allen's version of the show originated such talk show staples as an opening monologue, celebrity interviews, audience participation, and comedy bits in which cameras were taken outside the studio, as well as music. The success of the show led to Allen receiving a separate weekly prime time show, which aired on Sunday nights. Allen gave up the Monday and Tuesday shows, with guest hosts taking over for the summer of 1956. Beginning that fall, Ernie Kovacs (who came over from the faltering DuMont Television Network) was the regular Monday and Tuesday host for the 1956–1957 season with his own cast and regulars, including his own announcer (Bill Wendell; who would later work with David Letterman) and bandleader.
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