Psychic Spells

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Psychic Spells Biography

Carnac the Magnificent was a recurring comedic role played by Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. One of Carson's most well known characters, Carnac was a "mystic from the east" who could psychically "divine" unseen answers to unknown questions. The character was taken from Steve Allen's essentially identical "Answer Man" segment, which Allen performed during his tenure as The Tonight Show's host in the 1950s.The Carnac character and routine also closely resemble Ernie Kovacs' "Mr. Question Man."
As Carnac, Carson wore a large feathered turban and a cape. The character would emerge from behind the show's curtain accompanied by Indian music, and make his way towards the desk, where he would invariably stumble and lose his balance. On one memorable occasion, which was frequently rebroadcast on anniversary shows, Carson's desk was replaced with a lightweight balsa-wood version. This allowed Carson to trip and smash right through it.
Longtime sidekick Ed McMahon ritualistically and bombastically introduced the Carnac routines. The announcement implied Carnac was responsible for some scandal or disaster currently in the news, as "And now, the great seer, soothsayer, sage and former financial adviser to the Greek government, Carnac the Magnificent." After Carnac entered and stumbled, Ed would continue as follows:
"I hold in my hand the envelopes. As a child of four can plainly see, these envelopes have been hermetically sealed. They've been kept in a #2 mayonnaise jar on Funk and Wagnall's porch since noon today. No one knows the contents of these envelopes, but you, in your borderline divine and mystical way, will ascertain the answers having never before seen the questions."
—Ed McMahon's favorite Carnac the Magnificent punchline
The act involved a variation of the magician's billet reading trick: divining the answer to a question written on a card sealed inside one of the envelopes, announcing it to the audience, then tearing open the envelope to reveal the question. The comedy came from an unexpected question following a seemingly straightforward answer. The resulting jokes often involved puns or wordplay; the answer "The La Brea Tar Pits" was the answer to "What do you have left after eating the La Brea Tar Peaches?", and "9W" was the answer to "Mr. Wagner, do you spell your name with a V?" Jokes would also be topical; for instance, "Over 105 in Los Angeles" (presumably referring to the temperature) instead led to "Under the Reagan plan, how old would you have to be to collect Social Security?"
The segment included several running gags and bits of business. After Carnac said an answer, McMahon would frequently repeat it in a booming voice, to set up a sneer, putdown, or some other comic reaction. Carnac held each envelope to his forehead while "divining" the answer, then tore open the envelope and loudly blew into it before removing the index card with the question. Pretending to psychically concentrate, Carnac periodically asked for "complete silence" from the audience, and McMahon would retort that he often got it.
Audience reaction played a major role in the skit. If a joke (often a very bad pun) generated a negative response, Carnac would give a disapproving look, then cast a comedic "Middle Eastern curse" upon the audience (such as "May your favorite daughter be featured in NFL Films' Sack of the Week.", "May a bloated yak change the temperature of your jacuzzi", "May you walk a mile under a diseased camel," or "May your only son become the goalie on a nude hockey team.") McMahon's closing announcement "I hold in my hand the last envelope" was always met with a loud cheer, prompting one last "curse." In a 2009 interview, former "Tonight Show" head writer and Woody Allen collaborator Marshall Brickman said, "I’ll go to my grave having to apologize for having invented the Carnac Saver."
In recent years, Late Show with David Letterman has referenced the bit, with Paul Shaffer wearing the turban and doing one Carnac-style joke before being interrupted by Letterman. This homage is usually mixed with "Stump the Band," another longtime Carson segment which is sometimes re-used on Letterman's program.
The act is featured in the TV series The Office, where Michael Scott impersonates him in the episode, "The Dundies".

Psychic Spells

Psychic Spells

Psychic Spells

Psychic Spells

Psychic Spells

Psychic Spells

Psychic Spells

Psychic Spells

Psychic Spells

Psychic Spells

Psychic Spells