Carson Releases His ‘Favorite Moments’

Herrrrrrre’s Johnny!

On video, that is.

Johnny Carson comes to home video for the first time on May 27, two years after he retired from the late-night TV wars. The series from Disney’s Buena Vista company is dubbed “Johnny Carson: His Favorite Moments From the Tonight Show” and features three tapes, priced at $15 each. They’re roughly 50 minutes each and are divided by years: “ ‘60s and ‘70s,” “ ‘70s and ‘80s” and “ ‘80s and ‘90s.”

A fourth tape, of Carson’s highly rated final show, will be available only as part of a package with the other three, for $60. The lone behind-the-scenes segment is on this tape. “It’s a look at how the show is put together,” said producer Jeff Sotzing.

This collection is different from the Carson compilations that previously have been syndicated on TV, which featured only sketches from “The Tonight Show.” The home video collection features parts of monologues and guest-star segments--including David Letterman, Robin Williams, Dean Martin and Don Rickles--plus sketches. There is no commentary from Carson, though he does offer assorted insights in the liner notes.

Carson helped choose the final tapes from a batch of footage initially culled by Sotzing from nearly 30 years worth of shows. But that doesn’t mean it was a labor of love for the entertainer.

“He was reluctant to do it,” Sotzing said. “It wasn’t Johnny’s favorite thing. He’s busy with other things and didn’t want to be bothered.”

When selecting the segments, Sotzing said, he and Carson chose what was most entertaining--or, more specifically, what’s funny. “We could have done a montage of all the politicians who’ve appeared on the show, but that wouldn’t have been as entertaining as a look at various comics’ first appearances on the show--like Jay Leno and David Letterman.”

Sotzing and Buena Vista say these are the only “Tonight Show” tapes that will be released. “There won’t be any more,” Sotzing insisted. “It’s not fair to people who buy these tapes to say in six months, ‘Here’s some other stuff we forgot to include.’ There are many ways to assemble the remaining footage in categories--singers, animals, comics--but we don’t want to do that. We don’t want to saturate the market.”

But if the series is a huge hit and there’s a big demand for more tapes, don’t be surprised if Sotzing and Carson are persuaded to return to the editing room and crank out another collection.

Carson won’t be the first late-night host to reach home video. Late next month, GoodTimes premieres its “Late Night With David Letterman” series, with six tapes selling for $20 each.

What’s New on Video:

“The Fugitive” (Warner, $25). Great action/thriller, based on the ‘60s TV series, starring Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble, the target of a relentless manhunt. Wrongly convicted of murdering his wife, he’s searching for the real killer, the mysterious one-armed man. As the U.S. Marshal doggedly pursuing the doctor, Tommy Lee Jones dwarfs the whole cast--even Ford, who’s very good. The famous opening train wreck doesn’t lose its impact on the TV screen.

“Manhattan Murder Mystery” (Columbia TriStar). Woody Allen’s version of the frothy comedy-mysteries that were so popular in the ‘30s and ‘40s. Diane Keaton plays an upscale New Yorker who’s convinced her neighbor killed his wife--an apparent heart attack victim. Playing amateur detective, she involves her reluctant husband (Allen) and his pals (Alan Alda and Anjelica Huston). For Allen fans, a welcome return to the wacky, sophisticated fun of his ‘60s and ‘70s movies.

“King of the Hill” (MCA/Universal). Steven Soderbergh, who did “sex, lies and videotape,” wrote and directed this terrific drama about a resourceful 12-year-old (Jesse Bradford) living in a St. Louis hotel and struggling--mostly alone--during the Depression. One of the best films of last year, it was ignored by audiences--probably because it’s too grim and unsentimental. Watching his vivid struggle isn’t easy.

“Judgment Night” (MCA/Universal). Emilio Estevez and Cuba Gooding Jr. play half of a quartet of macho wanna-bes who witness a murder in a Chicago ghetto and spend a night trying to escape the killer (Denis Leary). Alternately suspenseful and cliched but ultimately neither satisfying nor involving. For young music fans, the inventive rap/metal score is the best thing about the movie.

Upcoming

Just announced: Warner’s “A Perfect World,” starring Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood, is scheduled for May 4; Disney’s “The Three Musketeers,” with Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland, comes out May 11.

Also: “Undercover Blues,” “Gettysburg” and “Bopha!” (Wednesday); “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and “Fatal Instinct” (March 23); “The Joy Luck Club,” “M. Butterfly,” “Dazed and Confused” and “Father Hood” (March 30); “The Age of Innocence,” “Fearless,” “A Bronx Tale” and “The Beverly Hillbillies” (April 6); “Carlito’s Way” and “Malice” (April 13); “Mr. Jones,” “Another Stakeout,” “Flesh and Bone” and “The Saint of Fort Washington” (April 20); “Mrs. Doubtfire” (April 26); “The Remains of the Day” (May 4); “Into the West” (May 11).