Four insiders from "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" will share behind-the-scenes insight into some of Carson's most legendary on-air moments when they present the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's first Johnny Carson Lectureship in October.

Jeff Sotzing, president of Carson Entertainment Group, will be joined by three of the show's former writers -- Anthony DeSena, Andrew Nicholls and Darrell Vickers. The group will show highlights and clips and share stories about Carson's "Tonight Show," which ran from 1962-1992.

UNL's Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film will host the lecture at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 16 in the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, 313 N 13th St. The event is free and open to the public.

The Carson lecture series was created to celebrate the contributions of entertainment icon Carson, a 1949 alumnus of the university. The four men also will participate in undergraduate and graduate classes that day.

"By bringing those who knew or were influenced by Johnny to campus, the community can continue to celebrate Johnny's contributions to the entertainment industry," said Paul Steger, the school's director. "The (lecture) series is also a vehicle ... to gain a deeper understanding of the inner workings of 'The Tonight Show.'"

Sotzing grew up 90 minutes away from New York City, where his uncle, Dick Carson, directed the "Tonight Show" -- and where, in 1962, his uncle Johnny became host. "I sat in the control room watching Johnny and Dick work with some of the greatest talent in America," Sotzing said.

Later, Sotzing's summer job with the show turned into him helping produce the show's live commercials -- such as spots for Alpo, which led to one of the funniest highlights in the show's long history. When sidekick Ed McMahon couldn't persuade a stubborn dog to sample the food, Carson ad-libbed, entering the scene on all fours and pretending to eat out of the bowl. "The sight of Johnny running backstage to eat the Alpo that the dog wouldn't eat was hysterical," he said.

Sotzing was associate producer of the show's anniversary specials and then moved on to other projects with Carson Productions; he won an Emmy as producer of Carson's celebrated May 21, 1992, finale. He owns the company that controls rights to Carson's show.

"One of the most rewarding things I was able to participate in was the creation of the segments used in all the montages seen in the final show," he said. "Needless to say, Uncle John has been a big part of my life."

DeSena, who was a staff writer for Carson's show, has written "Funniest Commercials of the Year" and "World's Funniest Commercials" each of the last three years. He also has been a staff writer for "Late Night with David Letterman" and "Saturday Night Live".

Nicholls and Vickers have been writing comedy together since 1976. From 1986 to 1992, they got four Emmy nods as head writers of Carson's "Tonight Show." In 1994, they created the first sitcom for the WB, "The Parent 'Hood." They have had 27 pilot scripts produced and have created, staffed or contributed to more than 100 TV series.

"Knowing you were helping create a classic was the best part," Nicholls said. "Knowing people would watch that night what you wrote in the morning and (seeing) Johnny's sheer love of whimsy. I've never, in over 150 series and pilots over 30 years, encountered anyone who loved to laugh as much, or who it was so much fun to make laugh (as Johnny Carson)."

In 2004, Carson donated $5.3 million to the University of Nebraska Foundation to support theater and film programs in the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts and to renovate and expand the Temple Building, at 12th and R streets, home to the theater program and where Carson studied radio.

In 2005, following Carson's death, the university received an additional $5 million gift from Carson's estate for endowed support of programs in theatre, film and broadcasting. The university's department of theater arts was renamed the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film in 2005.