The First Tonight: September 27, 1954

On September 27, 1954, American television changed forever. The launch of The Tonight Show heralded in a new era of late-night entertainment—one built on spontaneity, satire, music, and the unmatched intimacy of live television. Though late-night TV is now a staple of the entertainment landscape, it all began with this modest, unpredictable program on NBC. Over the decades, The Tonight Show has had remarkably few permanent hosts: Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Conan O’Brien (briefly), and Jimmy Fallon. Each brought their own voice and personality, but Allen laid the foundation for the late-night format that still endures.

Before taking the helm of The Tonight Show, Steve Allen was already a rising star in radio and television. Born in 1921, Allen had a background in comedy, writing, and music. He was known for his quick wit, intellectual curiosity, and improvisational skills. His success as a local TV host in Los Angeles and later in a national variety show convinced NBC that he was the right person to lead this experimental venture into late-night programming. His unique blend of brainy humor and musical talent offered something different from the standard network fare.

The First Tonight: September 27, 1954

The very first episode of The Tonight Show aired live from Broadway’s Hudson Theater. NBC’s Studio 6B in Rockefeller Center. Allen opened the show by simply saying, “This is Tonight, and I can’t think of a better name for it.” The format was loose and unscripted from the start, combining interviews, comedy sketches, musical performances, and playful interactions with the studio audience. Bandleader Skitch Henderson and announcer Gene Rayburn joined Allen. The chemistry between the cast and the spontaneity of the content helped define a genre that didn’t quite exist until that night.

Allen’s versatility set a standard that future hosts would echo in various ways. Jack Paar took the show in a more sophisticated and intellectually probing direction—traits Allen shared as a prolific writer, philosopher, and thinker. Johnny Carson brought Midwestern charm and a keen sense of timing, echoing Allen’s blend of accessibility and humor. While Jay Leno focused more on topical monologues and broad appeal, Conan O’Brien’s reverence for show business and irreverent wit felt closer in spirit to Allen’s unpredictable edge. Jimmy Fallon’s musical talent and ease in blending sketches with music is impressive, but even that traces back to Allen’s pioneering use of music and comedy in late night. In many ways, Allen embodied pieces of all the hosts who followed.

Vanishing History

Unfortunately, very few full episodes of Steve Allen’s original Tonight Show exist today. In the 1950s, the concept of archiving television for posterity was not yet a common practice. Most shows aired live and were either never recorded or were taped over to save costs. Only a handful of kinescopes—recordings made by filming a television screen during broadcast—remain.

As a result, much of Allen’s pioneering work in late night survives only in fragments, anecdotes, and its influence on the format. Steve Allen told me he was furious when he learned that NBC had destroyed the tapes and “raised the roof” with them to preserve the few remaining tapes.

Still, the legacy of that first Tonight Show is profound. Steve Allen set the tone for decades of late-night television by showing that it could be smart, spontaneous, and, above all, entertaining. His mix of satire, music, celebrity interviews, and absurdist comedy paved the way for generations of hosts to come. While later hosts like Johnny Carson and Jimmy Fallon may be more familiar to today’s audiences, they’re all building on a foundation laid by Steve Allen’s groundbreaking debut.