Ed McMahon died. At 86, he had a very good run - and a remarkable TV career that spawned several hit series.
Of course, Ed was most famous for laughing at Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. Don't knock it - he was a big part of Johnny's comedy rhythm. There was nothing funnier than an explosive laugh from Ed whenever Johnny made a wisecrack. (Click here for an example - in most browsers, the link should jump right to the 0:55 mark.)
The camaraderie between Johnny and Ed was always evident on-air. I love this clip, but be forewarned that the person who posted it felt the need to put one of the "seven dirty words" in its title - so if you're viewing this at work, be careful. It's a clip of Johnny and Ed clowning around on the Tonight Show set - attempting to film a personal message to a sponsor.
I've written about Ed an alarming number of times on this site. So here, in tribute, is a convenient set of links to those posts...
- Ed's singing career
- Ed's appearance on Celebrity Family Feud
- Ed and Johnny meet Spider-Man
- Jerry Lewis gets mad at a fan (brief mention of Ed; but link to priceless video worth re-visiting)
