The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson: Ayn Rand (1967)

Source:Dangerous Minds- Objectivist philosopher Ayn Rand, on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, in 1967.

“Many videotapes of Johnny Carson’s 1960s episodes were lost in the fire of NBC’s archives, but at least part of Ayn Rand’s first appearance on The Tonight Show (she was on three times over the years, clearly Carson was a fan) has survived and has been posted on YouTube.

Apparently, Carson snubbed his other guests that evening and kept Rand on for the entire 90 minute show. Topics include raising children, religion, the military draft and the Vietnam War.” 

From Dangerous Minds

“Ayn Rand’s First Appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, 1967” 

Source:Men's Business Association- Objectivist philosopher Ayn Rand, on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson, in 1967.

From Men's Business Journal

Johnny Carson, was accustomed to entertaining people, doing skit comedy, standup comedy and interviewing other entertainers. And I’m not saying that Johnny Carson was an ignorant or uneducated man, the opposite was true and he was interested in politics and current affairs. And made fun of people in this business as part of his act. But he was accustomed to interviewing entertainers, not intellectuals like Ayn Rand. Johnny, was accustomed to interviewing people who entertained others for a living, rather than interviewing people who get paid to educate people about philosophy and history.

So when Johnny interviewed Ayn Rand in 1967 on his show, it was a step up for him and probably something he had to do a serious amount of prep work to prepare for. Like reading Ayn Rand’s books and reading articles about her, checking out any news footage about her as well.

Ayn Rand, wasn’t someone who was very commonly known in Hollywood (To put it mildly) The intellectuals they were familiar with, already held office and were politicians. Rather than people on the outside looking in, perhaps trying to build a counter-movement, which is what Ayn Rand was doing to a certain extent.

So when someone like a Johnny Carson is interviewing someone who some Libertarians perhaps consider the mother of the Libertarian movement in America, instead of interviewing the latest pop or rock star, or hit celebrity and talking about that person’s latest divorce or bout with the law, Johnny was giving his audience and different flavor and something very different to think about on his show. And he was very good at that. 

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