The show aired on May 7, 1974. Cass died on July 29th of that same year.
We've been watching the old Tonight Show episodes, which have been airing nightly on one of those channels that shows nothing but reruns and sells stuff to old people. I feel a little like a voyeur, peering at these comedians and singers and actors and some regular folks, too, knowing what is going to happen to them in the years to come. If they will marry (or stay married), have children and, in too many cases, when and how they will end their days.
Watching Robin Williams in his prime. Could there be anyone funnier? And Richard Pryor, almost subdued, but hilarious. And now, Gary Shandling. These are the comics of my time, and I struggle not to cry, even as I laugh. They were amazing.
There are times of irony, too.
An actress called Kay Lenz was chatting with Johnny about how her career came first and she had no interest in marrying anyone, etc. I did my Google magic. The show was filmed in 1976. The following year, she married David Cassidy. (And divorced in 1983.)
Then there are the icons of my parents' generation. Jack Lemon. Jackie Gleason. Betty Davis. Shelly Winters. And on and on.
Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way. It's possible other people watch the reruns and turn off the television without a thought. But these folks stay in my head.
Sometimes I imagine my own life flickering away on a screen in my mind. How will it all turn out?
Stay tuned.
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