National Comedy Center to Preserve Historic Johnny Carson Archive

From the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, NY:

As the country remembers comedy and late–night legend Johnny Carson on his 95th birthday today, the National Comedy Center — the nation’s official cultural institution dedicated to comedy — and the Elkhorn Valley Museum in Johnny Carson’s hometown of Norfolk, Nebraska have announced that the National Comedy Center will lead preservation of the historic Johnny Carson archives. The rich archive includes screen-used artifacts, wardrobe, creative documents and awards that will be jointly exhibited by the National Comedy Center and the Elkhorn Valley Museum.

The National Comedy Center will oversee the digital preservation and conservation of this historic collection, which chronicles Carson’s early life, career and legendary thirty-year reign as the king of late night television and one of the most beloved personalities in comedy history.

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In 2022, the National Comedy Center will celebrate the 60th anniversary of Johnny Carson’s legendary run as the host of The Tonight Show with a new multi-media exhibit: 30 Years of Late Night Television, 30 Years Later — at the National Comedy Center’s state-of-the-art museum in Jamestown, New York. The exhibit will feature never-before-seen documents and creative papers (including Tonight Show monologues personally annotated by Carson), rare artifacts and wardrobe, and archival video from Carson’s storied television career.

Learn More, Read the Complete Announcement

Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, Awards, Digital Preservation, Journal Articles, News, Preservation