Before we begin I have another Rick Ludwig's story I wanted to share.

As most of you know, Rick was the vice president of Light Night at NBC

where he worked for 31 years. He was a guest on the podcast, one of the best guests ever. And during one of our long lunches in Los Angeles,

Rick handed me a gift. And he told me the story behind it, which I want to share with you now.

After recently graduating from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio,

Rick had obtained tickets to the Tonight Show through the mail. He was so excited to see Johnny Carson

in person. He flew in September of 1970. He was 22 years old. He flew from Ohio

to New York City just to see the Tonight Show.

Unfortunately, Rick's plane got into New York a few hours late, still Rick pulling a Benjamin Braddock at the end of the graduate raced over

as fast as humanly possible to NBC. By the time Rick had arrived to the 30 Rockefeller

Plaza NBC Lobby the show had ended. The audience had departed. Most individuals would have

walked out of NBC defeated. Not Rick. Rick approached the NBC security desk and explained he flew in from Ohio just to see the tonight show, but his plane landed several hours late.

Rick then asked the security guard if there was

any way he could at least see the Tonight Show set. The guard stared back at Rick

contemplating this strange odd request before telling Rick, sure, go right ahead.

So without any security accompanying him, Rick passed the NBC security desk and hopped

on to an elevator headed to the sixth floor

and before Rick knew it he had walked onto the Carson set in Studio 6b.

Rick told me he was the only one in the studio. Luckily a few lights had

been left on. So Rick for the next 10 or 15 minutes had Carson's New York studio all to

himself.

Rick went around the set to Johnny's desk, the guest seats, the band area, Johnny's

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