TIME: Almanac 1993/TIME Almanac 1993.iso/time/010989/01098900.000

Text File | 1992-09-23 | 5.5 KB | 108 lines

                                                                                VIDEO, Page 74

And Now, Nice-Guy Talk Hosts


Two smiling hopefuls are the latest to challenge Carson

By Richard Zoglin


    Morton Downey Jr. has turned foul temper into a TV style.
Geraldo Rivera continues to test the bounds of tawdry
sensationalism. Phil, Oprah and Sally Jessy race to outdo one
another in pursuit of the odd, the aberrant and the kinky. But
something even more bizarre and audacious is about to appear on
the talk-show scene. Make way for . . . the nice guys.

    Well, at least they seem nice so far. Pat Sajak is the
low-key, dryly sardonic host of TV's most popular game show,
Wheel of Fortune. Starting next Monday, he will appear, bereft
of Vanna White and those fabulous prizes, as host of the Pat
Sajak Show, CBS's first late-night talk program in 17 years.
Arsenio Hall, who co-starred with Eddie Murphy in the movie
Coming to America, made his own TV splash as Joan Rivers'
boyishly enthusiastic replacement on the Fox network's  Late
Show. This week he will rejoin the late-night fray on a
permanent basis as host of the Arsenio Hall Show, syndicated on
135 stations.

    Sajak and Hall will compete against each other in many
cities, but their main target is that unyielding edifice of late
night, the Tonight show, starring Johnny Carson. The mission
might seem suicidal. A gaggle of talk hosts, from Joey Bishop
to Alan Thicke, have emerged over the years to challenge Carson,
only to slink away in failure. But Sajak and Hall have one
potential advantage: they could simply outlast Carson. After 26
years behind the desk, the NBC veteran may be nearing
retirement, though neither he nor NBC will comment on whether
he expects to continue beyond September. Even with substitute
host Jay Leno in place as heir apparent, the post-Carson field
is wide open.

    Sajak and Hall are avoiding at least one mistake made by
their predecessors: trying to be too different. Thicke  of the
Night attempted an offbeat mix of comedy and talk but misfired
badly. Rivers brought a more abrasive edge and some attempts at
wacky stunts to the format but failed to catch on. Only Late
Night with David Letterman, with its hip, self-parodying pose,
has succeeded in cutting a new path. Letterman's influence will
be evident in both shows: each, for example, plans to take the
camera outside the studio occasionally. But mostly the newcomers
are following the old-fashioned approach: a band, a couch and
an easygoing, plain-folks appeal. Not since the heyday of Merv
Griffin and Mike Douglas have talk shows been so user friendly.

    On paper at least, Sajak, 42, has the right credentials.
While growing up in Chicago, he used to sneak out of bed to
watch Jack Paar and decided that doing a talk show "would be a
fun way to earn a living." He became a radio disk jockey, TV
weatherman and local talk-show host; then in 1981 he replaced
Chuck Woolery on Wheel of Fortune. Part of the show's success
can be traced to his laid-back, let's-not-take-this-seriously
attitude. Indeed, Sajak has trouble taking even himself
seriously. "No matter how charming and delightful I am," he
says, "I knew that people tuned in ((to Wheel of Fortune)) to
see the game, not me. Still, 40 million viewers know my name and
may look in out of curiosity -- just to see what this clown can
do."

    Many already know what Hall can do. His 13-week stint on
the Late Show was a ratings success and ended only because Fox
had previously committed itself to the Wilton North Report (yet
another late-night failure).  A Cleveland native, Hall started
his show-biz career as a stand-up comic and became host of the
TV series Solid Gold. But he claims he has wanted to do a talk
show since age twelve: he calls Carson his "idol" and, like
Johnny, was a child magician. When Paramount TV initially
offered him his own show, Hall was reluctant, but he had a
vision as a guest with Carson. "During a commercial, he and I
were comparing coin tricks," he says, "and I realized that it
was my mission in life to do a talk show. I really want to be
the Johnny Carson of the '90s."

    The question is what kind of Johnny Carson the '90s will
want. Hall, 29, attracts a relatively young audience and says
he will have a "melting pot" of guests: "You'll see (rap
singer) L.L. Cool J and (country star) Reba McEntire meeting
each other." Sajak, who appeals to an older crowd, will have
Barry Goldwater and Vanna White on one upcoming program, and
hopes his show's 90-minute length will allow time for more than
the usual plug-happy celebrities. "I've always admired Paar's
knack of finding witty, interesting conversationalists from the
ranks of character actors, politicians and authors," he says.
A worthy goal -- maybe too worthy for the glitzy, competitive
late-night arena.

    Both programs are starting with healthy numbers. Sajak is
being picked up by 90% of CBS affiliates, more than carry the
network's current offerings. Hall's show also will reach 90% of
the country with its lineup of independent stations.  But
producers and network executives are busily trying to lower
expectations. "It's foolish to think you can knock off an
institution like Carson just because you arrive on the scene,"
says CBS vice president Michael Brockman. Asserts Lucie Salhany,
president of Paramount's domestic television division:  "We're
not out to get anybody. There's room for us all." Can this be
the beginning of a kinder, gentler late night? Stay tuned.