Ed McMahon's lucky break

June 23, 10:43 AMSwing and Big Band ExaminerRick Busciglio

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ED MCMAHON

Sad to read today that Ed McMahon, who for nearly 30 years was Johnny Carson's affable sidekick on "The Tonight Show," introducing it with his ringing trademark call, "Heeeere's Johnny!," died on Tuesday in Los Angeles. Mr. McMahon was 86.

I have two connected Ed McMahon stories to share. The first was at a pre-telecast cocktail reception in the Capitol Arena on January 19, 1981. The event was a star-studded pre-inauguration salute to the next  President of the United States, Ronald Reagan. In charge of the entertainment was Frank Sinatra. Frank's list of talent included Johnny Carson, Ethel Merman, Debby Boone, Jimmy Stewart and Charlton Heston. In my role as the senior television advertising executive at McCann-Erickson in New York, I coordinated the contract elements between ABC,  Frank's attorney, Mickey Rudin and the Inauguration committee. As a thank you, my wife Betty and I were invited to the event, and the inauguration the next day. The pre-telecast cocktail reception was populated by the leaders of the new administration and spouses, plus a long list of celebrities and us. Just following the entrance, to the reception, of the members of the Reagan cabinet (they were met with polite applause), the door swung open and in entered Ed McMahon... to a reception worthy of Frank and the bobbysoxers in 1942. A tv announcer impressed the top members of the new administration! The ladies rushed to greet Ed!

Two years later, I was involved in a television project for my client Coca-Cola, with one of the nicest people in the business, Dick Clark, of American Bandstand fame, etc. I told Dick this Washington story of Ed McMahon. Dick smiled and proceeded to tell me of how he had, by chance, changed Ed McMahon's life. Dick was doing the Bandstand program from Philadelphia. It was such a big hit for ABC (they had very few in the 50's) that the network offered him a weekday game show to host. Dick was living in a Pennsylvania apartment complex at the time. One day as he was taking out the trash, he spotted a large man pacing about with a script in hand. Dick said "Hello, you in the business?" The man replied something like this; "Yes, I'm an announcer, but not currently employed. I'am working on the Atlantic City boardwalk between jobs as a vegetable slicer pitchman." Dick, then invited him to audition for the announcer's job on the game show in New York the following week. Of course, Ed McMahon got the job, thanks to a chance meeting while taking out the garbage, with Dick Clark.

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