As the world readies for a new Late Night talk show host, here's a little history lesson on Jimmy Fallon's new set, which also housed Jack Paar's (and Johnny Carson's) Tonight Show. In the video below, circa 1984, Paar gives David Letterman a tour of his old studio, where Letterman's Late Night desk also sat. One door inside of a dressing room that remained locked for 20 years is opened to reveal some masterfully adorned pipes, a tribute from Jim Henson and the Muppets to Paar. Fallon confirms that the pipes are still there, and says "We're preserving it and putting it behind plexi."
Incidentally, Paar made television history in the very same studio when he quit the show on-air after NBC censored a joke from the previous night's broadcast. Perhaps Fallon will inherit some of his moxie.
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That's right! I had a great book on Jim Henson's work and one of the first pages was a spread of the closet. It's amazing and really a piece of not only Henson history, but American broadcast history. I just assumed it didn't exist anymore. Maybe it's just me, but I find this fascinating.
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