Perry Cross, aged 95, passed away. After hosting 13 episodes of the ABC program “The Jerry Lewis Show,” he left to become the first producer of “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” where he served as a producer.
Cross died on March 9th from kidney cancer at a Los Angeles hospital, according to his son, Larry Cross, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
Jonathan Winters had a prolific career, working on several specials such as “The Garry Moore Show,” “The Soupy Sales Show,” “The Dinah Shore Show,” “The Red Skelton Show,” and “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In.” Additionally, he also worked on “The Jonathan Winters Show” and started producing Ernie Kovacs’ morning weekday show on CBS in 1952.
Following Jack Paar’s departure as host of The Tonight Show in March 1962, the program on NBC was taken over by guest hosts until six months later when Carson assumed the role, with New York and Hollywood being the guiding locations for the show’s production.
In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Ed McMahon and his sidekick, Johnny Carson, spent a few weeks frolicking and testing out the chemistry for their new show called “Who Do You Trust?”. Art Stark, the producer of the popular daytime quiz show on ABC, wanted to be the new host while Carson wanted to be the producer for NBC.
“We had a great time during those days when we were all in good spirits. On a podcast episode of The Carson Cross, Mark Malkoff shared that we laughed, visited various locations, and went out every night.”
During the journey, Carson also created personas such as Aunt Blabby and Carnac the Magnificent. According to Cross, they performed a lively dance number on stage while sporting hula skirts, which happened “after consuming approximately four mai tais.” Additionally, they had the opportunity to enjoy speedboat rides.
Lewis Carson said that he was offered an “enormous” salary to come to Los Angeles to produce a two-night Saturday talk/variety hour show, putting ABC at together. He mentioned that he got the job after stretching along with Carson post-Paar.
“Fuck you,” Cross stated to you. Perry, this one’s for you. The producer lifted a glass to honor at a farewell party arranged by the staff, Cross observed, and Carson was frustrated and furious about his departure. The network declined, but NBC had given him a salary raise, and he didn’t genuinely desire to leave, Cross informed Malkoff.
The 13th installment of The Jerry Lewis Show aired on December 21, 1963 but was canceled after it proved to be a disaster, with all forty episodes planned for the program.
Cross exclaimed, “However, that is now only evident in retrospect,” which infuriated me and made me realize that he was becoming excessively overconfident if I had known what would come later. To be honest, I deeply regretted my decision to leave and have frequently reflected upon it.
Perhaps Cross had a valid point — Stark was selected as the producer of the Tonight Show in March 1963, however, he was let go after four years.
In 1949, Cross initiated his television career as an NBC page at Rockefeller Center, guiding visitors on tours throughout the establishment. He completed his education at Fort Hamilton High School and the University of Rhode Island, and he was the offspring of vaudevillian Alan Cross, who was born in Brooklyn on Feb. 26, 1928.
He stated, “It provided me with an opportunity to engage in conversations with individuals.” “During that period, I harbored aspirations of pursuing a career in comedy. Unfortunately, I lacked suitable venues to refine my jokes. All the supervisors of the tour guides conspired to keep this information concealed from me.”
He said, “We attended school at NBC.” Cross was accepted into a trainee program that provided instruction on the production of television shows afterwards.
In 1956, Kovacs employed him to create his CBS show that aired five days a week. Prior to joining Kovacs, who had recently moved from Philadelphia, he worked at NBC as a production coordinator.
In March 1962, Johnny Carson left The Tonight Show after being asked to keep things afloat until a new host could be found. However, the producer of Paar’s Tonight Show, Jack Paar, did not want Carson to leave and instead offered him a different role as a host.
Cross said, “It was fun, but it was chaotic. The show tonight was never done before, and there were about 50 people. In a hurry, I had to gather a staff in Hollywood.” Cross said, “The following week, we went on air.”
Carson made his way to Dean Jimmy and Francis Arlene Griffin Merv Cummings Robert Linkletter Art Sahl Mort Carter Jack Bishop Joey Marx Groucho Lewis, who were the hosts and guests lined up and organized by Cross.
The producer remembered that he and Cross enjoyed a gin and tonic, before Carson greeted Marx, Mel Brooks, Tony Bennett, Rudy Vallée, and Joan Crawford as his initial guests on October 1, 1962.
Farewell it was, Johnny Once you turned. He had never been disloyal from the beginning, but he doesn’t forgive people for perceiving him that way. There was a certain aloofness about him…He was somewhat reserved. The producer exclaimed, “It surprised him,” and I knocked on his door and entered. We met again in Burbank at The Tonight Show studio after he moved from New York. Carson and Cross later reunited after several years.
In the late 1970s, Cross successfully exited the television industry after creating game shows presented by Bert Parks, broadcasts of the Emmy Awards, and the eccentric recorded segments for Laugh-In. Subsequently, he enjoyed a prosperous career in the field of real estate.
Along with his son, survivors consist of his grandchildren, Kara and Jaime.