When Johnny Carson ruled as king of late-night TV, Ed McMahon was the prince of second bananas.

McMahon's great talent as Carson's "Tonight Show" sidekick was reacting to his every joke, every double-take and every skit as if he'd never heard or seen anything funnier.

His implausibly hearty laugh buoyed Carson even when his comedy fell flat, which could happen to the best of talk show hosts, and encouraged the audience to believe they were always at the right party.

Viewers wanted to do what Ed was doing: sit next to Johnny and be his good buddy, at least for an hour or so.

Each night brought the familiar, booming introduction, rooted in McMahon's days as an eager young hawker at carnivals and state fairs.

"And now h-e-e-e-e-e-ere's Johnny!" McMahon shouted out in his rich announcer's voice, followed by a slight but unmistakable bow toward Carson.