**Marilyn Maye at 54 Below Through November 6**
Early in Marilyn Maye’s latest show at 54 Below, she introduces “Here’s That Rainy Day” with an intriguing tidbit: this classic torch song by Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen was the all-time favorite of the legendary late-night talk show host Johnny Carson.
Despite it being nearly 50 years since she performed the song for Carson on *The Tonight Show*, Maye still expresses surprise that America’s most celebrated comedian would pick such a melancholy, even heartbreaking tune—beginning with the famous line about saving “leftover dreams”—as his favorite.
Maye, who recently returned from participating in a celebration of Carson’s centennial at his alma mater, the University of Nebraska, shared a charming story about Carson’s pre-show visits. “He would pop into the makeup room and say, ‘Marilyn, are you going to sing “Rainy Day?”’ And I’d reply, ‘Well Johnny, I’ve already done it three times on the show.’ He’d say, ‘That’s fine. You can do it as many times as you want.’”
While many singers talk about their hit records, Marilyn Maye—tragically under-recorded for a vocalist of her stature—measures her success by the support she earned from the three major *Tonight Show* hosts: Steve Allen, Jack Paar, and especially Johnny Carson. She reports having appeared on the program 76 times, and during the show, she presents a circa 1976 clip of Carson introducing her, mentioning that it was already her 60th appearance.
At one point in the performance, Maye apologizes for forgetting the words to a certain song—not even one on her setlist—and quips, “You’ll forgive me because I’m 79.” The audience quickly catches the joke: she’s actually 97.
Surprisingly, Maye has been working more frequently and harder than ever in recent years. Many in the audience have seen her so often they could almost sing her familiar medleys alongside her. Yet in recent seasons, she has made a point to include more unfamiliar material—songs not exactly new, but ones she hasn’t performed in a long time. Given her age, she has an impressively vast repertoire to choose from.
This current show aligns with the Carson centennial theme. It includes only a few traditional songbook standards, notably “Rainy Day” mashed up with “Stormy Weather” and her sweet, intimate closer, “That’s All.” Most of the material, however, comes from the 1970s—many numbers that she actually performed on *The Tonight Show* itself.
One highlight was a “new” medley—or at least one I hadn’t heard before—centered on “time” songs, featuring Carole King’s “It’s Gonna Take Some Time.” Maye has a remarkable gift for taking seemingly unrelated tunes and weaving them into cohesive medleys. For example, she combined the Russian gypsy-styled hit “Those Were the Days” with the disco anthem “I Will Survive,” transforming the latter from a well-worn cliché into a genuinely emotional ode.
She also took two seemingly incompatible songs—“By Myself,” about resigned solitude, and “Being Alive,” a passionate plea for connection at all costs—and fused them into a coherent, meaningful statement.
Maye closed the evening with vintage autumnal songs including “Autumn in New York,” “Autumn Leaves,” and “When October Goes,” before concluding with “That’s All.”
Far from being overly melancholy or strictly seasonal, the show was filled with humor, mostly delivered through Maye’s spontaneous, perfectly timed quips. Imagine if George Burns and Gracie Allen were merged into a single performer—that’s the kind of warmth and wit she exudes.
One can only imagine how delighted the University of Nebraska must have been to welcome a longtime *Tonight Show* veteran so close in age to Johnny Carson himself—yet incredibly spry and vibrant.
All of this serves as a bittersweet reminder that the tradition Carson perfected is under threat—not only because many current comics and hosts face backlash for speaking truth to power, but also because the late-night talk show format itself is becoming an increasingly unprofitable medium that may soon vanish.
In fact, Marilyn Maye herself will likely outlive the format. Thank God we have her to remind us to save those leftover dreams.
https://www.nysun.com/article/at-54-below-marilyn-maye-celebrates-her-time-on-the-tonight-show-with-johnny-carson
