Tonight Starring Jack Paar

Tonight Starring Jack Paar offered a late night chat show where Jack Paar guided conversations with a range of guests, delivered a few jokes, and showcased musical moments, all in a format that helped define the modern talk show. It ran from 1957 through 1962 and aired in the late night slot, making room for longer interviews and more relaxed banter than primetime television allowed. For much of its run the program was taped in Studio 6B inside the RCA Building in New York, a space that would later host Tonight Show episodes with Johnny Carson. The theme music was an instrumental version of Everything's Coming Up Roses, and the closing tune was So Until I See You by Al Lerner.

Produced as part of The Tonight Show franchise, this edition aired from 1957 to 1962 and used Studio 6B in the RCA Building for its broadcasts. It showcased a mix of interviews and musical guests and helped cement Paar's hosting.

No major awards or nominations are documented for this run. While the format proved influential for late-night television, this Paar edition did not attract widely noted accolades on its own, unlike later successors in the franchise outside the United States.

This show helped shape late-night culture by blending relaxed conversations with guest interviews and musical performances. Paar carried a straightforward, inquisitive presence that influenced how hosts would connect with guests. The Studio 6B setting and live format underscored that late-night chats could feel intimate and spontaneous. Its influence extended to how talk show guests are framed and how hosts handle interruptions, a precedent later shows would follow.

Reception at the time framed the program as a solid step in late-night television, balancing humor with meaningful conversations and performances. The show explored themes of conversational ease, celebrity access, and the evolving expectations of a nighttime audience seeking companionship after prime time. The blend of moments created a blueprint future hosts used to balance talk and entertainment.