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Saturday Day Night UnDead: Andy Kaufman’s Elvis Presley Impression on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, 1977

by Vanderleun on November 2, 2019

Beyond Funny: Pure high-spark-flash-arcing-up-and-over-and-burning-out…way way out comic genius.

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Tom Hyland November 2, 2019, 7:24 PM

“Thank you veddy much.” Kaufman was a brief comedic comet blazing on by and out too soon. Damn. And the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson was bright, beautiful and over too soon. I watched Jimmy Fallon do it only once and I never returned. He was going to interview Jimmy Page but the 4 minute moment arrived at the very end of an excruciating formulaic soul suck I had to sit through until the end. I never watched the Tonight Show again. I heard Fallon has left the building and I don’t know who is sitting there now.

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grace clark November 3, 2019, 9:20 AM

Geez,that was out and out fantastic. Thanks so much!!

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Doug November 3, 2019, 10:24 AM

🎶 🎸 The King, yes the King,
He died in his throne 🚽,
He died on his throne,
In his hooooome! 🏰

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Schill McGuffin November 4, 2019, 10:08 AM

Near as I can tell, Kaufman started, or at least popularized, the whole Elvis impersonation fad (though I suppose Elvis’ death did a lot to fuel it). That’s a pretty enormous cultural impact, when you think about it.

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