In this episode of THE MENTORS RADIO, Host Dan Hesse talks with Howard Smith, who wrote My Friend Johnny, about his friendship with Johnny Carson.
Perhaps no person has received as many tributes and Thank You’s from others in their field than Johnny Carson. A countless number of aspiring comedians over the 30 years Johnny Carson hosted The Tonight Show moved to Los Angeles in the hope of being “discovered” by Johnny, as the exposure and coaching that Johnny provided propelled many successful careers, including David Letterman, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Gary Shandling, Ellen DeGeneres, Joan Rivers, Jim Carrey, Rosanne Barr, Drew Carey and Richard Lewis.
In his book, our guest mentor Howard Smith takes us off the set of The Tonight Show to tell us who Johnny Carson—Howard’s close friend and neighbor of twenty years—truly was, as well as the qualities Howard most admired about Johnny and other famous people, and what he believes made them successful. Howard, now 84, retired when he was 42 because he was told he only had ten years to live, and he believes close friendships and devoting his life to helping others extended his life.
Howard Smith is also the former Chairman of USA Torco Oil Corporation and a former football coach at Oaks Christian High School and at Occidental College, both located near Los Angeles.
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