In fact, if the strike continues for a few more months, Leno might someday be mentioned in the same breath as Jack Paar, Johnny Carson and even David Lettermen. The current host of NBC's "Tonight Show" could even one day be remembered as more than just Carson's successor.
If you watched Leno's return to the late night wars last Wednesday, you probably already know where I'm going with this. If not, bear with me.
Without writers to feed him lines, Leno wrote his own monologue, which he said he then ran past his wife for approval. While I'm not certain whether Leno writing a monologue was a violation of the writers guild rules and regulations (Leno is a member), I am certain that the result was entertaining.
Some of the lines were typical Leno barbs. For instance, "This strike has already cost Hollywood $500 million. Or, to Paul McCartney, a divorce." Or, "The strike is especially hard on NBC. Did you know there are actually more people picketing NBC than watching it?"
Leno typically has had better monologues than his current competition, if only because he fires off so many one-liners over such an extended period of time that he inevitably has a higher "hits" score. Wednesday, though, he seemed more comfortable and more heartfelt with his delivery. His "hits" percentage also was higher, due in part to his elevated enthusiasm. The man had to work at his profession last week, and he was clearly savoring the fruits of his labor.
It's been said that if Leno did 60 minutes of standup, "The Tonight Show" might again be in the running for an Emmy. Right now, only Lettermen will be running up to the stage. That's because once Leno's monologue is over, so is his show. Simply put, Leno doesn't know how to interact with the parade of people who stop by his couch. He doesn't even try. Mostly, he either lobs softball question or lets the guests jabber on with "stories" obviously handed to them by their press agents.
That would never have happened back in the day.
I was too young to watch Jack Paar (save for the occasional non-school night), but I recall my mother and her sisters talking about the show often. It was never about the jokes - I'm not certain Paar even did much in the way of monologues. Rather, my mother and aunts would talk about Paar's conversations with Genevieve, Cliff Arquette, Alexander King, Buddy Hackett or one of his many other semi-regulars. On any given night, some or all of that diverse group would share a couch with political figures - including John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon - authors and playwrights, with the likes of Hermione Gingold and Hans Conried sometimes joining in. More often than not, the guests had nothing in common, but Paar somehow turned it into a dinner party without the food - a 90-minute gabfest that ran the gamut of subjects, all of them interesting. Some provoked laughter, some tears - and Paar was not above sobbing on occasion. Even if the host sometimes was over the top, his array of guests kept bringing viewers back.
Like most other things in the distant past, Paar's show was probably not as good as I recall, but it certainly was thought-provoking on several levels. If Paar didn't make you think, he at least made you listen, whether he was praising a book, blasting a dictator (Batista) or just telling an impromptu story about his family.
Carson came along in 1962 and changed everything - and yet it was somehow still the same. The monologue became a focal point and the guests more Hollywood variety, but "The Tonight Show" was what it had always been, a showcase for a solid interviewer. Both Paar and Carson excelled at putting guests at ease. The difference, of course, was that if Paar's sessions were dinner party, Carson's were frat party.
Leno's doesn't offer much of a party at all. Last Wednesday, at least, the host finally offered up some hors d'oeuvres. His interview with Presidential nominee Mike Huckabee wasn't startling or revealing. But it was a real conversation. Without cue cards or cheat sheets, Leno had to ask real questions. He had to work at it. And for the most part, he succeeded. It was the first time in months I made it through a Leno interview without falling asleep - or even regetting that I did.
It's unlikely during the strike that Leno will have the usual parade of stars stop by to promote their movies. Actors aren't much interested in crossing writer picket lines - they're all too aware of who butters their bread.
That's good news for the viewer. Instead of actors bearing movie clips and prepared quips, perhaps we'll be treated to guests who actually have something to say.
And maybe, just maybe, there'll be a host who knows the right questions to ask.