Talk Pioneer Jack Paar Dies at 85

Late-night talk pioneer Jack Paar, who hosted The Tonight Show, died Jan. 27 at his Greenwich, Conn. home as the result of a long illness. He was 85.

Paar stepped onto the stage of The Tonight Show in July 1957, taking over from Steve Allen. With him, he brought a format change; Allen's Tonight Show was a variety program, Paar's a talk show.

Paar pioneered the talk format, sitting down with guests and broadcasting the casual, often hilarious, conversations. It wasn't long before Paar became wildly popular with viewers, and his catch phrase, "I kid you not," entered the national vernacular.

Paar was born in Canton, Ohio, in 1918, and left school at 16 to take a job as a radio announcer. He found success on various stations as a comedic disc jockey.

During World War II, he entertained troops stationed in the South Pacific as a standup comedian. He went on to serve as a temporary replacement for Jack Benny and Arthur Godfrey on the radio. His entertainment career also consisted of stints as a B-movie actor and a daytime TV personality.