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Johnny Carson is the subject of a tell-all book by “Tonight Show” executive producer Fred De Cordova--but unlike those written by former Reagan Administration officials, De Cordova’s book has nothing but praise for the talk show cynosure. However, the book, “Johnny Come Lately,” doesn’t pull punches when it comes to talking about others. De Cordova on one-time guest host Joan Rivers: “When she was Johnny’s sub she was a good change of pace. She did well in the ratings, but there was heavy mail against her. Also--and this is self-serving--when she worked on our show she was under strict control. We really fought her on jokes. She said they went over in her nightclub act, but we’d tell her she was playing to Johnny’s audience.” The title to the book was picked by De Cordova’s wife, Janet, because the association with Carson came late in De Cordova’s career, when he was already 60. De Cordova directed 50 movies before coming moving into television--the most notable being “Bedtime for Bonzo,” which starred Ronald Reagan and a chimpanzee.