| List of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson episodes | |
|---|---|
| Season 1988 | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 132 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Season chronology | |
The following is a list of episodes of the television series The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson which aired in 1988:
| No. | Original air date | Guest(s) | Musical/entertainment guest(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,767 | January 4, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Lance Burton, Baxter Black | Rita Moreno | |
| 3,768 | January 6, 1988 | Franklyn Ajaye, Jester Hairston | Belinda Carlisle | |
| Motivations to Lose Weight After the Holidays | ||||
| 3,769 | January 7, 1988 | Bette Davis, Martin Short | N/A | |
| Special Calendars | ||||
| 3,770 | January 8, 1988 | Mark & Delia Owens | Robert Goulet | |
| Questions from The Audience | ||||
| 3,771 | January 11, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Dan Aykroyd, Nigel Havers | Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine | |
| Headlines | ||||
| 3,772 | January 13, 1988 | Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Seinfeld | The Chieftains ("Dans Mod Koh A Vaod" and "Full Of Joy") | |
| How Americans Slogans Translate In Foreign Countries | ||||
| 3,773 | January 14, 1988 | Milton Berle, Carol Siskind, Don Yesso | N/A | |
| Public Service Announcements | ||||
| 3,774 | January 15, 1988 | Lisa Jane Persky | Buster Poindexter ("Hot, Hot, Hot", "Somebody Buy Me A Drink") | |
| A videotape of Johnny trying his jokes out on shoe-shine man Floyd Jackson, security guard Eddie Murphy, and commissary worker Wyn Hoonahan while they sit at Floyd's stand. | ||||
| 3,775 | January 18, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Jimmie Walker, Deborah Raffin, Roy Blount, Jr. | N/A | |
| Notes from a Church Bulletin | ||||
| 3,776 | January 20, 1988 | Howard Cosell | Barry Manilow | |
| 3,777 | January 21, 1988 | Jack Lemmon | K.T. Oslin | |
| Mighty Carson Art Players - "Malibu Restaurant" (rerun from Betty White episode) | ||||
| 3,778 | January 22, 1988 | Jim Fowler, Teresa Ganzel, Bob Nelson | N/A | |
| Mighty Carson Art Players - "Tea Time Movie" | ||||
| No. | Original air date | Guest(s) | Musical/entertainment guest(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,779 | February 2, 1988 | Paul Reiser | James Taylor | |
| Emergency backup statistics not used but ready for use at football games by the sports announcers covering them. | ||||
| 3,780 | February 3, 1988 | Betty White, Merritt Heaton | Ray Stevens | |
| Mighty Carson Art Players - "Breakfast at The Rather Household" | ||||
| 3,781 | February 4, 1988 | Sammy Davis, Jr, Jason Bateman | N/A | |
| Johnny's mock eulogy of Luicci the Capuccino Monkey | ||||
| 3,782 | February 5, 1988 | Oprah Winfrey, Sydney Walsh | Daniel Rosen | |
| Backup 'Wheaties' Box Covers | ||||
| 3,783 | February 10, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Sandy Duncan | Randy Travis | |
| Headlines; Kid Inventors | ||||
| 3,784 | February 11, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Tim Reid, Tom Parks, Dr. David Dahl | Jerry Lee Lewis ("Rockin' My Life Away" and "Great Balls of Fire") | |
| 3,785 | February 12, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Brooke Adams, Kevin Meaney, Carl Weathers | Glen Campbell ("I Remember You") | |
| 3,786 | February 16, 1988 | Tim Conway | Jonathan Butler | |
| Diary of Things Johnny Did While He Was Sick | ||||
| 3,787 | February 17, 1988 | Jackie Mason, Joanna Kerns | Kid Creole & The Coconuts ("Dropout", "Curiosity") | |
| USA Today Poll About the Sexes | ||||
| 3,788 | February 18, 1988 | Dudley Moore, Minnie Black | N/A | |
| A Presidential Debate with Questions asked by Johnny. | ||||
| 3,789 | February 19, 1988 | Gene Siskel, Roger Ebert, Bob Saget | Los Lobos ("In America", "La Bamba") | |
| Forgotten Movies From the Past | ||||
| 3,790 | February 23, 1988 | Louie Anderson, Jennifer Tilly | Dionne Warwick | |
| 3,791 | February 24, 1988 | Ritch Shydner, Rita Rudner, Fred Roggin, Darryl Sivad | N/A | |
| Questions From the Audience | ||||
| 3,792 | February 25, 1988 | Burt Reynolds, Teresa Ganzel, Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards | N/A | |
| Mighty Carson Art Players - "Tele-Scam"; Expensive Props | ||||
| 3,793 | February 26, 1988 | Garry Shandling, Allyce Beasley | Donna Theodore | |
| The Wheel of Candidates | ||||
| No. | Original air date | Guest(s) | Musical/entertainment guest(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,794 | March 7, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Super Dave Osborne | Ben Vereen | |
| Headlines | ||||
| No. | Original air date | Guest(s) | Musical/entertainment guest(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,795 | May 11, 1988 | Joe Piscopo, Bill Toone | N/A | |
| 3,796 | May 12, 1988 | Dana Carvey, Joe Garagiola, David Teitelbaum, Jack Saltzberg | N/A | |
| Carnac the Magnificent | ||||
| 3,797 | May 13, 1988 | Fred de Cordova, Bob Hope | k.d. lang | |
| 3,798 | May 18, 1988 | Bill Kirchenbauer, Dr. Terry Gosliner | Billy Vera & The Beaters | |
| Blue Cards | ||||
| 3,799 | May 19, 1988 | Jonathan Winters, Kristin Banerjee | N/A | |
| Audience Questionnaire | ||||
| 3,800 | May 20, 1988 | Sylvester Stallone | N/A | |
| Stump the Band | ||||
| 3,801 | May 25, 1988 | Paul Hogan, David Brenner | Linda Hopkins ("Born on Friday") | |
| Direct Response Commercials, the 'Playette' and the 'Jog'r'. | ||||
| 3,802 | May 26, 1988 | Chevy Chase, Iditarod racer John Suter, Thalassa Cruso | N/A | |
| 3,803 | May 27, 1988 | James Stewart, Fred Roggin | Leonard Waxdeck & The Birdcallers | |
| Johnny provides evidence that Bonzo the famous chimpanzee is really still alive. | ||||
| 3,804 | May 30, 1988 | Garry Shandling (guest host), Elizabeth Perkins, Bob Saget | Jimmy Buffett | |
| 3,805 | May 31, 1988 | Garry Shandling (guest host) | Harry Connick, Jr. | |
| No. | Original air date | Guest(s) | Musical/entertainment guest(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,806 | June 1, 1988 | Garry Shandling (guest host), Paula Poundstone | Natalie Cole | |
| Comparison of Photos between Reagan at the Kremlin and a family at Disneyland. | ||||
| 3,807 | June 2, 1988 | Garry Shandling (guest host), Angie Dickinson, Fritz Coleman, Allyce Beasley | Michael Bolton | |
| 3,808 | June 3, 1988 | Garry Shandling (guest host), Stan Kann, Joanna Kerns, Roy Blount, Jr. | N/A | |
| 3,809 | June 6, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Marilu Henner, Cathy Guisewite | N/A | |
| Headlines | ||||
| 3,810 | June 8, 1988 | David Brinkley | Chuck Berry | |
| 3,811 | June 9, 1988 | Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jerry Seinfeld, Andre Agassi | N/A | |
| Jokes That Are Sent In By Viewers During the Writers Strike | ||||
| 3,812 | June 10, 1988 | Don Yesso | Basia | |
| 3,813 | June 13, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Vincent Price, Dave Barry | N/A | |
| Jay shows a film clip of his adventure with the Blue Angels. | ||||
| 3,814 | June 15, 1988 | James Belushi | Julio Iglesias | |
| Commencement Address to The Audience | ||||
| 3,815 | June 16, 1988 | Bill Cosby, William Ennis | Belinda Carlisle ("Circle in the Sand") | |
| 3,816 | June 17, 1988 | David Steinberg | Andrea Marcovicci | |
| Blue Cards | ||||
| 3,817 | June 20, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Joan Embery, Marsha Warfield, Dr. Joyce Brothers | N/A | |
| Jay reads unusual newspaper clippings. | ||||
| 3,818 | June 22, 1988 | Jay Leno, Raquel Welch, garbage truck driver Ray Anderson | N/A | |
| Johnny comments on the Lakers repeating as NBA champions | ||||
| 3,819 | June 23, 1988 | Magic Johnson, Bruce Willis | Johnny Frigo | |
| Rules of Thumb | ||||
| 3,820 | June 24, 1988 | Dudley Moore, Lottie Hicks | Diane Schuur | |
| Extracurricular Activities from Celebrity's High School Yearbooks | ||||
| 3,821 | June 27, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Dennis Miller, Erma Bombeck | Little Richard | |
| Headlines | ||||
| 3,822 | June 28, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Steve Allen, Super Dave Osborne, Bill Maher | N/A | |
| 3,823 | June 29, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Charles Fleischer, Sydney Walsh, Frank Zappa | N/A | |
| 3,824 | June 30, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Sammy Davis, Jr., Connie Chung | N/A | |
| Stamps by Mail | ||||
| No. | Original air date | Guest(s) | Musical/entertainment guest(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,825 | July 1, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Stepfanie Kramer, Kevin Pollak, Michael Warren | N/A | |
| Jay has a satellite interview with President Reagan. | ||||
| 3,826 | July 18, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Pee Wee Herman, John Cleese, Malcolm Forbes | N/A | |
| Headlines | ||||
| 3,827 | July 20, 1988 | Joe King, Yakov Smirnoff | Buster Poindexter | |
| Photos of Famous Political People with Insertions of What They May Be Saying | ||||
| 3,828 | July 21, 1988 | Arsenio Hall | Hall & Oates ("Missing Each Other", "She's A Monster") | |
| The Tonight Show version of The Democratic Convention (audience members as the delegates) | ||||
| 3,829 | July 22, 1988 | Tom Hanks, Brian Gillis | Michael Davis | |
| 3,830 | July 25, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Jamie Lee Curtis, Louie Anderson | Johnny Mathis | |
| 3,831 | July 27, 1988 | John Larroquette, John Bogosian | Rosemary Clooney | |
| A satellite interview with the 'still alive' Elvis Presley in a cabin in North Dakota. This Elvis is known as Ron Stein. | ||||
| 3,832 | July 28, 1988 | Governor Bill Clinton | Joe Cocker | |
| A film clip of the youngest pilot. | ||||
| 3,833 | July 29, 1988 | Michael Landon, Smokey Tennison | k.d. lang | |
| Celebrity Photos | ||||
| No. | Original air date | Guest(s) | Musical/entertainment guest(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,834 | August 1, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Chuck Norris, Joan Van Ark, Abigail Van Buren | Oak Ridge Boys | |
| 3,835 | August 3, 1988 | Bill Murray, Jeff Cesario | Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg | |
| Psychic Predictions | ||||
| 3,836 | August 4, 1988 | Paul Reiser, Mabel Hines Buck | Robben Ford | |
| 3,837 | August 5, 1988 | Richard Pryor, Richard Jeni | Pete Fountain | |
| Photos of celebrities showing tiny notes on their person supposedly enlarged by 'high resolution cameras'. | ||||
| 3,838 | August 8, 1988 | Garry Shandling (guest host), Phoebe Mills, Ed Begley, Jr., Richard Lewis | Dizzy Gillespie | |
| 3,839 | August 9, 1988 | Garry Shandling (guest host), Sugar Ray Leonard, Bill Maher, Patti D'Arbanville | N/A | |
| 3,840 | August 10, 1988 | Garry Shandling (guest host), Joan Embery, David Steinberg, Catherine O'Hara | Linda Hopkins | |
| 3,841 | August 11, 1988 | Garry Shandling (guest host), Tracey Ullman, Ken Olin, Fred Roggin | Brenda Russell | |
| 3,842 | August 12, 1988 | Garry Shandling (guest host), Kirstie Alley, Mariel Hemingway, Cathy Guisewite Garry Shandling's final episode as guest host. | N/A | |
| The Lobster Boy Letter | ||||
| 3,843 | August 22, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Shirley Jones, Wayne Gretzky Jay Leno becomes permanent guest host as of this episode; no other guest hosts were used between now and the end of the show's run. | B.B. King | |
| Headlines | ||||
| 3,844 | August 24, 1988 | George Carlin, Mark Harmon | N/A | |
| The Tonight Show version of the Republican Convention (audience members as the delegates) | ||||
| 3,845 | August 25, 1988 | Jonathan Winters, Karen Josephson, Sarah Josephson | N/A | |
| Phobias | ||||
| 3,846 | August 29, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Holly Robinson | Dwight Yoakam & Buck Owens | |
| Headlines | ||||
| 3,847 | August 31, 1988 | Kirk Douglas, Ritch Shydner | The Temptations | |
| Examples of Contemporary Slang | ||||
| No. | Original air date | Guest(s) | Musical/entertainment guest(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,848 | September 1, 1988 | Buddy Hackett, Dana Delany | N/A | |
| Albums Sung by Celebrities in The Past | ||||
| 3,849 | September 2, 1988 | Jennifer Tilly | Randy Travis | |
| Comedy Crypt - Some Old Jokes | ||||
| 3,850 | September 5, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Norm Crosby | George Benson | |
| The Tonight Show's Little Big Book of Romantic Phrases | ||||
| 3,851 | September 7, 1988 | Bob Hope, Tim Conway | Joe Williams | |
| Low-Down On The Candidates | ||||
| 3,852 | September 8, 1988 | Martin Short | Johnny Clegg & Savuka | |
| Different Sounds That Give People the Willies | ||||
| 3,853 | September 9, 1988 | Shabana Kazi | Harry Belafonte | |
| International Symbols | ||||
| 3,854 | September 12, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Betty White, Elvira | The Spinners | |
| Newspaper Clippings | ||||
| 3,855 | September 14, 1988 | Jim Fowler | N/A | |
| 3,856 | September 15, 1988 | Bob Uecker, Sigourney Weaver | Reba McEntire | |
| New Fall Shows | ||||
| No. | Original air date | Guest(s) | Musical/entertainment guest(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,857 | October 6, 1988 | David Letterman, Jay Leno, Garry Shandling[1] | N/A | |
| 26th Anniversary Show | ||||
| 3,858 | October 10, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Robert Stack, Franklyn Ajaye | Kenny G | |
| 3,859 | October 12, 1988 | Cody Carr | Ray Charles | |
| A takeoff on the Presidential Debate in which Ed McMahon asks Johnny questions as if Johnny is Quayle or Bentsen. | ||||
| 3,860 | October 13, 1988 | Tommy Lasorda | Jimmy Buffett | |
| 3,861 | October 14, 1988 | Sandy Duncan, Steve Mittleman, Irv Kupcinet | N/A | |
| Personalized License Plates | ||||
| 3,862 | October 17, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Super Dave Osborne, Robert Mitchum | N/A | |
| Headlines | ||||
| 3,863 | October 19, 1988 | Whoopi Goldberg, Kevin Pollak, Alice Chalifoux | N/A | |
| Answers to the Questionnaire passed out to 2nd and 3rd Graders based on the Presidential Election | ||||
| 3,864 | October 20, 1988 | Michael Caine | Eydie Gormé, Steve Lawrence | |
| Blue Cards | ||||
| 3,865 | October 21, 1988 | Orel Hershiser, Floyd Jackson, Susan Sullivan | Lee Ritenour | |
| 3,866 | October 31, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Stepfanie Kramer, Jimmie Walker, Richard Mulligan | N/A | |
| No. | Original air date | Guest(s) | Musical/entertainment guest(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,867 | November 2, 1988 | Christopher Reeve, Melanie Mayron, Jonathan Zachary | N/A | |
| 'If Election Was Held Tomorrow' Quiz; Local Propositions | ||||
| 3,868 | November 3, 1988 | Michael J. Fox, Larry Miller, Harry Lorayne | N/A | |
| Funny Advertising Ads: Johnny and Ed present mash-ups of billboard slogans | ||||
| 3,869 | November 4, 1988 | James Garner, Jeff Cesario, Park Overall | N/A | |
| 'Politicboy' Magazine | ||||
| 3,870 | November 7, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Marilu Henner, Jester Hairston, Vanna White | N/A | |
| Headlines (11/8/88 pre-empted for NBC News election night coverage) | ||||
| 3,871 | November 9, 1988 | Candice Bergen, Steven Wright | Johnny Frigo | |
| As The White House Turns | ||||
| 3,872 | November 10, 1988 | Greg Irwin, Richard Jeni, Gore Vidal | N/A | |
| Blue Cards | ||||
| 3,873 | November 11, 1988 | Paul Reiser, Kitty Carlisle | Oak Ridge Boys | |
| Cultural Customs of The World | ||||
| 3,874 | November 14, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Joan Collins, John Byner | N/A | |
| Newspaper Clippings | ||||
| 3,875 | November 16, 1988 | Harry Anderson, Argus Hamilton, Calvin Trillin | N/A | |
| Messages From Home | ||||
| 3,876 | November 17, 1988 | Bob Newhart, David Horowitz | N/A | |
| Letters from Viewers Who Didn't Want Credit Cards But Got Them Away; Off The Wall Video Tapes On The Market Today | ||||
| 3,877 | November 18, 1988 | Oprah Winfrey | Sheena Easton ("The Lover In Me" and "Follow My Rainbow") | |
| Sketch - "UCLA vs. Stanford Game (with Johnny as a commentator)" | ||||
| 3,878 | November 21, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Tony Danza, Malcolm-Jamal Warner | Andy Williams | |
| Tonight Show's Little Big Book of Romantic Phrases | ||||
| 3,879 | November 23, 1988 | George Burns, Tracey Ullman | Jeff Healey ("See The Light") | |
| School Kids' Answers To a Thanksgiving Questionnaire. | ||||
| 3,880 | November 24, 1988 | Lucy Webb | Willie Nelson | |
| Evening News with Zontar Rather in The Year 2008 | ||||
| 3,881 | November 25, 1988 | Teri Garr, Marsha Warfield | Johnny Clegg & Savuka | |
| Celebrity Perfumes | ||||
| 3,882 | November 28, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Barbara Walters, Joanna Kerns | Stanley Jordan | |
| Jay's High School Reunion | ||||
| 3,883 | November 29, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Mary Tyler Moore, James Earl Jones | Debbie Allen | |
| Actual Notes That Parents Wrote to Schools to Excuse their Children From Class | ||||
| 3,884 | November 30, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Harvey Fierstein, Courteney Cox | K.T. Oslin | |
| Headlines | ||||
| No. | Original air date | Guest(s) | Musical/entertainment guest(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,885 | December 1, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Fred Savage, Joan Van Ark | Los Lobos | |
| 3,886 | December 2, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Larry Miller, Stephen Collins | Phil Collins ("Groovy Kind Of Love" and "Separate Lives") | |
| Games | ||||
| 3,887 | December 5, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Kirk Douglas, Paula Poundstone, Eva Marie Saint | Linda Hopkins | |
| 3,888 | December 7, 1988 | Carl Reiner, Zota Croughan | N/A | |
| Titles For Some Christmas Specials | ||||
| 3,889 | December 8, 1988 | Jonathan Winters | Kenny Loggins ("Footloose", "A Lesson Hard To Learn") | |
| Johnny puts on a Christmas Helmet that was sent in.; Blue Cards | ||||
| 3,890 | December 9, 1988 | Danny DeVito, Richard Benjamin | N/A | |
| Johnny determines whether the audience is on the Naughty or Nice list; Also explains the Santa Ana winds. | ||||
| 3,891 | December 12, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Pee Wee Herman, Ricardo Montalbán, Ritch Shydner | Lou Rawls | |
| 3,892 | December 14, 1988 | Steve Martin, Helen Shaver, Steve Jenne | N/A | |
| Actual Children's Letters to Santa Claus | ||||
| 3,893 | December 15, 1988 | Bob Hope, Jimmy Tingle, Ellen Greene | N/A | |
| Photos of Supposed Relatives of Audience Members and The Strange Things They Have Done | ||||
| 3,894 | December 16, 1988 | Arnold Schwarzenegger | Bette Midler ("Under the Boardwalk" and "I Think It's Gonna Rain Today") | |
| Fred de Cordova wears a moose hat called 'Chris Moose'.; New Products | ||||
| 3,895 | December 26, 1988 | Jay Leno (guest host), Brice Beckham, Joey Bishop, Louie Anderson | Dwight Yoakam | |
| Jay ran into Chuck Norris at a store and saw he bought his wife an electronic automatic dog grooming brush for Xmas. He telephones Mrs. Norris to see if she really liked this Xmas present.; Psychic Predictions for Next Year | ||||
| 3,896 | December 28, 1988 | 'Poppa John' Venturello, Franklyn Ajaye, Catherine Hicks | N/A | |
| Specialized Christmas Cards | ||||
| 3,897 | December 29, 1988 | Haldan Martinson, Jessica Vallot | Cristin Morrison | |
| Stump the Band | ||||
| 3,898 | December 30, 1988 | A. Whitney Brown | Gregory Popovich, Sweet Baby Blues Band | |
| Dictionary Terms | ||||