Burbank mayor makes plea to NBC: Leave 'The Tonight Show' here!

By Greg Braxton

March 21, 2013 12 AM PT

It’s no joke: The mayor of Burbank wants ‘The Tonight Show’ to remain in the area formerly known as “Beautiful Downtown Burbank.”

Burbank Mayor Dave Golonski said he is drafting a letter to NBC executives asking them to reconsider the plans to move “The Tonight Show” from Burbank to New York.

“We would be extremely disappointed if the plans to move ‘The Tonight Show’ go through,” Golonski said by phone. “We would like it to remain in Burbank and the region.”

PHOTOS: Classic ‘Tonight Show’ moments

Former “Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson jokingly christenend the headquarters of the show as “beautiful downtown Burbank” when the late-night series moved from New York to California in 1972. Carson along with NBC shows such as “Laugh-In” also made fun of Burbank.

The city became so associated with the show that Carson once interviewed all 11 candidates for Burbank mayor on national TV.

“ ‘The Tonight Show’ has been an iconic part of Burbank as well as the entire region,” said Golonski. “So many people have a connection to Johnny Carson and Jay Leno. They’ve grown up with the evolution of Burbank and ‘The Tonight Show.’ It’s a show that really represented the city of Burbank, and the West Coast.”

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