Late Night Last Century: Jonathan Winters Entertains Johnny Carson as Fictional Politicians

Late Night Last Century is a weekly column highlighting some of the funniest and most unforgettable comedy from late night, talk shows, and variety shows of the 20th century that’s currently streaming on YouTube. Today, we go back to 1976, when Johnny Carson interviewed his pal Jonathan Winters, playing an ex-president, ambitious senator, and concerned voter.

In the beginning, there was Jonathan Winters. His first appearance on The Tonight Show was on May 5, 1955, fewer than eight months after the program began with Steve Allen in the host’s chair. Then came Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, and eventually Jay Leno, all of whom continued to benefit from having Winters seated across the desk.

Few comedians in history are more revered than Winters, who was a master storyteller, improviser, and character-player. Greg Garrison, the variety show veteran and longtime producer of The Dean Martin Show, once said Winters was one of the few performers for whom material was often never written: Martin, being the great straight man that he was, would simply walk out with Winters and go wherever he was taken. 

The comic most often associated with Winters is Robin Williams, who frequently cited him as his idol, or, as he called him after he died in 2013 at the age of 87, “ my Comedy Buddha.” Winters played Mearth, the child of Williams’ character on his sitcom, Mork & Mindy (1978-1982). In 1991, the pair appeared together on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, with Winters coming out dressed as a Union general. “We lost the fort,” he says as he takes a seat.

Of Winters’ 31 appearances with Carson, many, thankfully, are available on YouTube. There is a special warmth to these moments. The pair often talk about their friendship, which began in the early 1950s after Carson was awed by his talent. In a time when such topics were still taboo, Winters was open about his depression and alcoholism. He and Carson, two Midwest boys, would often talk about how they were “off the sauce.” 

To watch Winters is to immediately be drawn to his face. With a flick of his eyes, twist of the tongue, or tilt of the head, Winters could become whoever or whatever he wanted. In one 20-minute (!) appearance with Carson, on May 27, 1976, Winters, plays a pigeon, a childhood neighbor, his son, a friend named Wally, and a tornado—and that’s before they begin a segment where Winters begins to impersonate fake political figures and voters, all of whom have names he presumably has just made up on the spot. 

In the segment, Carson interviews ex-president “Millard Setlinger.” The host asks his guest how he would like to be remembered. Setlinger says he doesn’t even need a tombstone. “I want a parking meter,” he says, “with ‘Just Expired’ on it.” Winters was (and still is), simply, the greatest. Watch the full appearance below.

Will DiGravio is a Brooklyn-based critic and researcher, who first contributed to Paste in 2022. He is an assistant editor at Cineaste, a GALECA member, and since 2019 has hosted The Video Essay Podcast. You can follow and/or unfollow him on Twitter and learn more about him via his website.