Barbara Meltzer, who worked as the assistant to the producer of “The Tonight Show” starring Johnny Carson for 10 years, will share her stories and insights from the legendary late-night talk show at the Pasadena Senior Center on Thursday, Aug. 24.
The event, part of the Center’s Cultural Thursdays series, will have Meltzer talking with Annie Laskey, the Senior Center’s events director. Attendees will learn about the Tonight Show’s production, guests, staff and host during Carson’s 30-year tenure.
Meltzer, who now owns Barbara Meltzer & Associates Public Relations and Marketing, recalls how Johnny Carson is often remembered for his wit and the ability to connect with his guests. But behind the camera, Carson wasn’t as talkative as he was on the show, Meltzer says.
“Johnny was very shy off stage, relatively quiet. But once he got on stage, once the camera turned on, he was very comfortable and he wanted his guests to be comfortable, and he knew what the guests were going to talk about,” she tells Pasadena Now.
She gives a lot of credit to the talent coordinators on the show, who would book talent and discuss with the host what the subject of the conversation would be.
“And so that made him comfortable and also made his guests comfortable,” Meltzer said. “A lot of them were just terrified. I mean, some of the most famous people around were terrified to be on what was then live television. So he knew how to do that. And they were talking about something they wanted to talk about.”
One of the most memorable events she remembers on The Tonight Show was when musician Tiny Tim, whose real name was Herbert B. Khaury and who’s best remembered for his 1968 hit “Tiptoe Through the Tulips,” married Miss Vicki (Victoria Budinger) on The Tonight Show on December 17, 1969, with 40 million people watching.
“He was very odd, very unusual,” Meltzer tells Pasadena Now. “He came on the show one night and he told Johnny he had fallen in love and that he was getting married to a woman named Ms. Vicki. Johnny said, ‘well, why don’t you get married on our show?’ And so he got married on the show. It was a huge hit. Behind the scenes was a little bit unusual because we were planning a wedding. I was doing the invitations, I took care of all the invitations.”
When she appears at the Pasadena Senior Center on Thursday, Meltzer said she expects to be asked to share her experiences on Johnny Carson’s show.
“Some of it will be probably personal: how did I get there, what happened, what happened throughout the years, how did I feel,” Meltzer said. “And then I’m sure that you’ll ask me questions about Johnny, about guests and things like that. Of the 30 years he was on television, I was there for 10.”
In March, Meltzer was named Woman of the Year for the City of West Hollywood, one of 16 remarkable women that U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff named from California’s 30th district.
She began her career in her hometown of New York City, where she worked as an assistant to the producer on the “Tonight” show. Several years later, Meltzer turned her attention to public broadcasting, joining LA’s then-PBS station KCET-TV as Executive-in-Charge of Talent. Much later, Meltzer turned to public relations as an Account Executive for Boonshaft-Lewis & Savitch. After several years with the firm, she launched Barbara Meltzer & Associates Public Relations and Marketing.
In 2007, her active civic engagement led to her appointment as a Commissioner on the Los Angeles County Commission for Older Adults. Barbara’s service to West Hollywood increased in 2013 when she was appointed to the Human Services Commission. She also serves as Vice President of the Friends of the West Hollywood Library Board of Directors.
Thursday’s event will also include a Q&A session, where the audience can ask Meltzer questions about her experience and TV history.
The event will take place at 2 p.m. at the Pasadena Senior Center, located at 85 E. Holly St., in downtown Pasadena.
Registration is required and can be done online at www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org or by phone at (626) 795-4331.
The event is free for Pasadena Senior Center members and $10 for non-members.
