History of Late Night TV

Joey Bishop's show aired on ABC from 1967-1969. It was on from 11:30 pm-1 am, competing against Johnny Carson on NBC and Merv Griffin's short-lived late night show on CBS. He was able to attract top guests such as Don Rickles, Rodney Dangerfield, Buddy Hackett, Richard Pryor, George Burns and more. The show originated from Hollywood, which was unique back then since most late night shows were in New York. His show was a springboard for his sidekick, Regis Philbin, who had a big career ahead of him. This was the first real network exposure for Regis. Bishop was a member of the group of superstars known as the "Rat Pack". Other members included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford. Regis had poor reviews from TV critics and walked off the show at one point. In 2011, he said it was actually a publicity stunt dreamed up by Joey Bishop. The last show was December 26, 1969. Bishop left after the monologue and Regis had to finish the show. This was one of many shows that tried unsuccessfully to dethrone the ratings juggernaut, Johnny Carson on NBC. After the time slot was vacated, it was taken over by Dick Cavett.