TIME: Almanac 1990/1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso/time/010989/01098900.000

Text File | 1990-09-17 | 6KB | 95 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.