Ten Feet from Greatness

January 25, 2005

Ten Feet from Greatness

In my four+ years of working on the Tonight Show, I never actually saw it "live." My job didn't require me to be on the stage -- so like most of the rest of the staff, I watched it either on a monitor set up backstage or one in the green room.

I had always heard that on a talk show, "the green room" was where celebrities hung out until their turn on the air.

When I got to the Tonight Show, I learned that few celebrities ever set foot in our green room. Most preferred to wait in their dressing rooms until one of the talent coordinators escorted them out to the stage. So the only people who ever actually used the green room were "civilian" guests -- and staff.

A few, however, preferred to hang out backstage. Sammy Davis, Jr. was one of them. Arnold Schwarzenegger was another. I once watched Tommy Smothers do a spot-on impression of Johnny backstage, while the monologue was being performed. And I could hear Jonathan Winters mutter a crazy little monologue of his own, under his breath, as he stood behind me while waiting for his cue to go on.

Each night, after Johnny hit his mark on stage, the stage managers would set up a portable row of seats in front of the monitor. We staffers would then sidle our way from the back of the studio, up to the monitor to see the show. The guests would pass in front of us on their way to the desk.

One night, a frail Bette Davis was booked, and seated in front of the monitor. We all respectfully kept our distance until she was helped onstage. One of the writers quipped, "When I write my memoirs, I think I'll call it 'Ten Feet from Greatness.'" (I apologize to him now for stealing that title for this post, but hey -- only about five people ever read this thing, so he can probably still use it if he wants to.)

Miss Davis was in fine form that evening, feisty and entertaining. There were other guests booked, but she was on a roll. The other guests were bumped. That may have been her last television appearance.

Jan 25, 2005 3:55:50 PM | The Tonight Show