“Wait… Did That Bird Just Laugh at Me?” Johnny Carson Walked Onto the Stage in 1976 Expecting Another Smooth Night. Monologue Polished. Tie Straight. Authority Intact. Then Howard Arrived. Howard Was Small. Feathered. Innocent-Looking. And Somehow Equipped With the Timing of a Veteran Stand-up Who’d Been Destroying Rooms Since the Egg. He Didn’t Just Talk. He Laughed at His Own Jokes — Loudly, Shamelessly — Like He Knew Exactly How Hard He Was Landing.
Johnny Carson and the Talking Bird of 1976: A Memorable Laugh Revisiting the heyday of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson has a unique quality. It’s like…