This page uses content from the Ed McMahon biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

Ed McMahon, christened Edward Peter Leo McMahon, Jr. (born March 6, 1923 in Detroit, Michigan) is most famous for his work on television as Johnny Carson's announcer on the Tonight Show. He later also became well-known as the presenter of American Family Publishers sweepstakes (not to be confused with Publishers Clearing House) who arrives unannounced at the homes of winners. He subsequently made a series of Neighborhood Watch Public Service Announcements reprising that role in parody.

He also hosted the long-running syndicated talent show Star Search, cohosted the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, emceed the game shows Snap Judgment, Concentration and Who Dunnit?, and performed in numerous television commercials, most notably for Budweiser.

In the 1970s and 1980s, he anchored the team of NBC personalities covering the network's coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

McMahon has appeared in several films, including The Incident (1967), Fun With Dick and Jane (1977), Full Moon High (1981) and Butterfly (1982), and, lastly, in a brief bit in the film version of the old TV series Bewitched (2005), which starred Nicole Kidman.

Early Years

McMahon was raised in Lowell, Massachusetts and attended Boston College and The Catholic University of America, majoring in speech and drama. At The Catholic University of America he joined the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1949.

McMahon had begun his 'showbiz' career as a bingo caller in Maine, when he was fifteen. He worked as a carnival barker for three years as a teenager, and put himself through college as a pitchman for vegetable slicers on the Atlantic City boardwalk.

He got his first broadcasting job at WLLH AM radio station in Lowell, and began his television career in Philadelphia.

Military Service

During World War II he was trained as a Marine fighter pilot, and also served as a flight instructor and test pilot. He was discharged in 1946, remaining in the reserves.Scott Baron. G.I. Jobs Online. Accessed 2006-10-10

After college, McMahon continued his military career in 1952 and was sent to Korea in February 1953. He flew unarmed OY-1 Birddogs on 85 tactical air control and artillery spotting missions. He remained in the Marine reserves, retiring with the rank of Colonel in 1983, and was then commissioned as Brigadier General in the California Air National Guard.

Several of his ancestors, including the Marquis d'Equilly, also had long and distinguished military careers. Patrice MacMahon, duc de Magenta was a Marshall of armies in France, serving under Napoleon III, and later President. McMahon once asserted to Johnny Carson that the salad dressing known as mayonnaise was originally named Macmahonnaise in honor of this ancestor, referring to him as the Compte de MacMahon.M.L. Shettle, Jr., Ed McMahon: Marine Corps Aviator, California State Military Museum In his autobiography, McMahon said that it was his father who told him of this relationship, and he went on to suggest that he was not certain of the truth of the story.For Laughing Out Loud, by David Fisher and Ed McMahon

McMahon served on the boards of The Marine Corps Scholarship Fund, the Horatio Alger Association, and St. Jude's Ranch for Children, located in Boulder City, Nevada. He was named honorary chairman of the National Marine Corps Aviation Museum to be built at Cherry Point, North Carolina. He also was President of the Catholic University Alumni Association for four years.

Here's Johnny

Ed McMahon and Johnny Carson first worked together as announcer and host on the Manhattan daytime gameshow Who Do You Trust? (1957-62). McMahon and Carson left to do The Tonight Show in 1962.

For more than 30 years, he introduced the Tonight Show with a drawn-out "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Johnny!" His booming voice and constant laughter earned him the nickname the Human Laugh Track.

As part of the introductory patter to The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, McMahon would state his name out loud, pronouncing it as Ed "Mc MAH yon", but neither his long-time cohort Johnny Carson nor seemingly anyone else who interviewed him ever seemed to pick up on that subtlety, usually referring to him as Ed "Mc MAN".

The extroverted McMahon made a good counter to the notoriously shy Carson. Nonetheless, McMahon once told an interviewer that after his many decades as an emcee, he would still get "butterflies" in the stomach every time he would walk onto a stage.

He said that instead of letting that nervousness defeat him, he would use it as "energy" for his role as emcee.

Life After Carson

For many years, McMahon hosted the TV talent show Star Search.

In 1986, "Weird Al" Yankovic wrote a tribute song titled Here's Johnny

In the 1990s, McMahon was reputed to be worth in excess of $200 million in real estate holdings (particularly in Malibu) and real estate partnerships, although his net worth declined somewhat due to several divorce settlements.

From 1997 to 1998 he appeared in the situation comedy, The Tom Show, starring Tom Arnold.

In 2004, he became the announcer and co-host of Alf's Hit Talk Show on TV Land.

Recently, McMahon sued and won a substantial lawsuit related to toxic mold that overtook his home and ruined his priceless memorabilia collection.

He recently authored a memoir Here's Johnny! : My Memories of Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show, and 46 Years of Friendship.

McMahon currently hosts Lifestyles Live, a weekend talk program aired on the USA Radio Network.

See also

• Lucky Bob, a cartoon character who frequently quotes McMahon

Notes

Books

• Here's Johnny! My Memories of Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show, and 46 Years of Friendship (Berkley Publishing Group - Penguin Group (USA, Inc.), 2005).

Links

• Ed McMahon's Lifestyles Live radio show

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify the biographical information on this page under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation.