Is The Daily Show The Real Inheritor Of The Tonight Show Legacy?

Is it possible Stewart and The Daily Show are the real inheritors of Tonight Show legacy and not the Jay Leno Tonight Show?

I am too young (a phrase seldom applicable to me nowadays) to remember Steve Allen’s version of the Tonight Show. I’ve seen clips/airchecks. Always surprising, groundreaking and topical it was a great show. I was thinking about that last night as I watched Jon Stewart.

Is it possible Stewart and The Daily Show are the real inheritors of Tonight Show legacy and not the Jay Leno Tonight Show?

Stewart doesn’t usually have musical guests. It’s not a variety show. However, he does have a cast of regulars and like Allen’s crew they are writer/performers. That’s the most memorable artifact from Allen’s show… Stewart’s too.

Tonight introduced a slew comedic talent of the sixties (Don Knotts, Louis Nye, Bill Dana, Tom Poston and Pat Harrington). The Daily Show does the same thing today (Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Rob Corddry, Ed Helms, Rob Riggle, John Hodgman, Wyatt Cenac).

Is there anyone reading this who watches Stewart and remembers Steve Allen’s Tonight Show? Am I right?

If Maury ran the DNA would Steve Allen be the ‘baby daddy’ for The Daily Show?

4 thoughts on “Is The Daily Show The Real Inheritor Of The Tonight Show Legacy?”

  1. My favorite was Louis Nye and his man on the street stuff that started “Hi Ho, Steverino!” and rapidly went totally nutso from there. You NEVER knew where he was going to go with it, and I suspect Steve was never sure either…

    Loved that show. Tom Poston had the most innocent face at times–I remeber those bits as well.

    It must also be remembered that Steve Allen was a really good serious pianist…

  2. I think they’ve modernized it. The Daily Show is about 1/3 monologue, 1/3 schtick piece, 1/3 guest. (and a moment of Zen.) The guests are more interesting and unpredictable. Also, 1/2 hour is plenty.

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