The curtains that hung during the final episode of “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” are up for auction ahead of the late host’s 100th birthday on Oct. 24.
The renowned talk show was helmed by the king of late night, Johnny Carson, from 1962 through May 22, 1992. During its historic three decades on the air, Carson helped audiences get a then-rare glimpse into the lives of society’s biggest stars and singlehandedly guaranteed the success of the late-night genre.
Generations of viewers — a near 17 million average each night — soon started to tune in for Carson himself and the celebrities whose careers he helped boost into stardom.
Carson died of respiratory failure after a battle with emphysema at 79 years old. He would have turned 100 next week, on Oct. 24.
Ahead of the late comedian’s centennial birthday, Heritage Auction is selling the technicolor curtains that fell behind Carson during his final monologue.
That last taping was invite-only so that Carson could say goodbye to the world before an audience of all those he cherished.
“Dressed in a sharp dark-colored double-breasted jacket, white shirt, and sharp red tie, Carson propped himself on a plain stool before two sets of large, instantly recognizable curtains behind him, a dramatic touch of set dressing on an otherwise empty stage.
With the stool as an homage to late-night predecessor Jack Paar set before the bold curtains that had become a staple of his nightly broadcasts, Carson addressed the intimate audience and 50 million viewers that night for his final on-air monologues,” Heritage Auction wrote under the curtain’s description.
“Though of course the final broadcast featured the iconic ‘home base’ living room set where Carson spent countless hours interviewing thousands of guests (estimated over 24,000) over his 30-year career, it was in front of these curtains that the most powerful images of this final broadcast were filmed.”
The curtains include “shimmery” blue, orange, gold, lavender, and peach polyester fabric. There is also a second set of blue and gray curtains featuring “cross-hatch diamond patterns” included as the backdrop, according to the listing.
The donation to the auction house comes from Dr. Stewart Berkowitz’s personal collection. A larger auction of the memorabilia collector’s items includes other enticing pieces from classics like Batman, The Honeymooners, and Gilligan’s Island.
The coveted piece of late-night history is currently going for a starting $5,500 bid.
Sets of the curtains used in other episodes have already been auctioned off. One is included at the National Comedy Center’s “Johnny Carson: The Immersive Experience” exhibit in Jamestown, New York.
