STAR NEIGHBOR REMEMBERED FONDLY IN THE SOUTHLAND.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

BURBANK - America lost a late-night legend in the death of Johnny Carson on Sunday, and ``beautiful downtown Burbank'' lost a bit of its soul.

While poking fun at the sleepy city from his ``Tonight Show'' seat at NBC in Burbank, he put Media City - with no downtown to speak of - on the map before a TV audience of millions.

``He was Burbank,'' declared Brad Hagemyer, 41, of Burbank, on a bench in Burbank Village beneath a ``Downtown Burbank'' banner. ``Johnny Carson was the entertainment icon who gave life to the wonderful phrase 'beautiful downtown Burbank.'

``I'm kind of shocked. He was one of those people you can't imagine going without.''

Across the San Fernando Valley, residents mourned the late-night TV host who chuckled them into dreamland for 30 years.

From the ``Heeere's Johnny!'' intro to the sparkling comedic monologue, from the famous golf swing to chats with stars from Groucho Marx to Bette Midler, Carson never failed to mix the perfect nightcap.

He was witty. He was classy. He was newsy. He was friendly. He was earnest, always drawing the best from each guest. And he always let his audience - who would wait for hours outside NBC's studio to get into his show - in on every joke.

``Oh, my goodness, I had many a chuckle,'' said Alta Neumann, 89, of Sherman Oaks, who grew up 30 miles from Carson's birthplace, Norfolk, Neb. ``You waited up for him ... even if you worked hard during the day and got up during the birds of morning.''

Neumann's daughter, while on a stroll through Burbank Village, called Carson the perfect TV host: funny, accessible, charming and good-looking in a lanky boyish way.

``The world is a gloomier place without him,'' said Nancy Neumann, a retired dancer and TV actress from Studio City. ``When he walked through that curtain, he was all there - the magic began.''

Janice Collins remembered betting that Carson would be the shoo-in replacement for Jack Paar on ``The Tonight Show.''

``He could make my day,'' said Collins, 63, of San Fernando, a former NBC employee who once took her brother to see Carson interview Rita Moreno. ``We'll miss him; he retired too soon.''

Catching Carson at 11:30 p.m. was as much a part of hitting the sack as brushing your teeth, said Darrin Martin.

``He made me laugh,'' said Martin, 45, of Burbank. ``What better way to go to sleep than laughing?

``As with Bob Hope, we're losing all our good ones.''

In other parts of the region, Carson was equally missed.

After hearing of Carson's death, Alfred Olivarez hopped on a train from Sylmar to the Walk of Fame in Hollywood to place a card on Carson's star.

``I learned to watch TV with Johnny,'' said Olivarez, 45. ``He was a good comedian. We'll miss him.''

Paul Fidler of Canoga Park said Carson was the best of all the late-night talk show hosts.

``He was just very poised,'' Fidler said. ``He would be like your neighbor, your brother, somebody who's very relaxed.''

As a ``Tonight Show'' page in Carson's heyday, Mary Ferguson of Valencia worked the audience for several months and remembered the show's cardinal rule: No one heckles Johnny during his monologue.

``I was working in the balcony and somebody yelled at Johnny, so I knew I would have to do something,'' she recalled. ``I went up to him and told him, 'Nobody heckles Mr. Carson. I've got my eye on you and if you do that again, you're out.'''

As a boy, Hagemyer, who grew up in Santa Clarita, said he used to sneak down on the stairway to catch a glimpse of his favorite TV star.

``This is a great loss to the industry - more significant in my life since the death of Elvis,'' he said of Carson's passing. ``What was so enduring about him was the monologues ... he was on top of it.

``It's a shame.''

Staff Writers Alex Dobuzinskis and Carol Rock contributed to this story.

Dana Bartholomew, [phone]

dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Fans of the late-night host have left flowers and signs at Johnny Carson Park in Burbank since his passing.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer