I was thinking of him the other day, and how late night tv has evolved into political commentary or boring guests. This guy pushed the limits with fascinating guests. The skits Dan Akyrod did on SNL were great. Tom never hesitated to have controversial guests and ask difficult questions.

Ackroyd was brilliant imitating him on SNL.

Funny. I don’t recall anything memorable about Tom Snyder, except for Ackroyd’s version.

Perhaps I was too young.

As to late night in general, I lament that so many satirical comics have lost their way. Rather than humorously pointing out the folly on either side of the aisle. They now provide their own solution (and thus unwittingly become part of the problem).

Letterman seemed to start that trend in his later years. I enjoyed him much more when he was just a comic.

Late night TV has not been the same since Johnnie Carson retired.

I'm certain that Carson had opinions on stuff that would be offensive to people, but he kept them off the show. His goal seems to have been to make jokes and to make money, so he never made jokes that would drive money away.

quote:

Originally posted by 71 TRUCK:
Late night TV has not been the same since Johnnie Carson retired.

Agreed. He was the last late night host that was actually funny.

quote:

Funny. I don’t recall anything memorable about Tom Snyder, except for Ackroyd’s version.

^^^^^^^^^^^
He would touch taboo topics and have intellectuals on his show. Ayn Rand was one. He was intelligent and asked difficult questions.

I thoroughly enjoyed Snyder's show and interviewing style. He and his staff found interesting people with interesting stories to put on the air, and got a large number of celebrities to sit for interviews who would not go on any other program (Marlon Brando, Ayn Rand, Alfred Hitchcock, and many others).

Tomorrow was innovative network programming. The show aired on NBC after The Tonight Show. Before the Tomorrow show, do you know what aired after The Tonight Show? In larger markets, perhaps an old movie. In smaller markets, the Star Spangled Banner played and then the stations signed off until the next morning, perhaps 5:30 AM local time.

I watched that show on my little 9" B&W TV set. No audience, no music, no band, no slightly inebriated sidekick yelling HiYoooooo! It was two chairs and a table on a set with a black background. Snyder and one guest, sometimes two or more guests, like the night he had the man and wife who claimed to have been abducted by space aliens. The wife sang a song to Snyder which she claimed the aliens taught her. Snyder didn't try too hard to keep a straight face while she sang, while the husband sat and glared at Snyder. And the song flat-out sucked BTW.

I saw the Hitchcock interview (he was actually on the show twice, wasn't he?) I saw Ray Bradbury and Gene Rodenberry appear together- and there was a third author with them I can no longer remember.

I heard a sexual therapist talk about "a man with a two inch penis can satisfy a woman". I mean, racy stuff for the 1970s, especially for an 11 year old kid. I listened to the first coherent and non-hysterical conversation about marijuana I'd ever heard. Huey P. Newton. George Wallace. Lester Maddox. Timothy Leary. Hunter Thompson. Simon Wiesenthal. Dr. Jonas Salk. Madilyn Murray O'hair, who was later kidnapped and murdered. Leo Durocher and on and on.

I loved the show. People can make fun of Tom Snyder all they like, but I pray that all those episodes were archived because they are a veritable goldmine of 1970s American culture.

Snyder was unlike anyone on, before or since.

I wrote away and he sent me an autographed 5 x 7,

it was the first picture frame I ever purchased .

I am surprised to see a whole bunch of him on the Youtube.

He had a thing about electric trains .

youknowwhatImean

I'd watch his re runs in a heartbeat .

Geez I wonder who owns those rights?

Hey Thanks for posting this and your story.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:

I'd watch his re runs in a heartbeat .

Geez I wonder who owns those rights?

I think Carson Productions still owns the rights, at least to the NBC broadcasts. As for the subsequent years on CBS, I’m not sure.

Tom Snyder was great, I'd watch him every chance I got.

We need someone like him now.

Nowadays it's Late Night Hate".

My wife and I generally watched Tom after the Tonight Show. He was brilliant. Now all of these late night shows make me wanna puke. I'd rather watch reruns of Last Man Standing.

I too enjoyed Tom Snyder but I remember he was often a punchline or the butt of jokes. Maybe I'm remembering the SNL satires. He always had interesting guests and he was a good interviewer, plus, he had a great laugh. As for the current crop, I hate to see the clock approaching 11:30 .

Classic laugh! Always watched!

I used to watch the show back in the day before I became polarized, and I just don’t remember his bent. However, I liked him for some reason. If it wasn’t for this thread or no mention of him elsewhere, I would not have thought about the show or him til I die.

with Dennis Franz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brSEeBpk1UM