This is the first Tonight Show program of the Jack Paar era that is minus Paar, whose last show was 29 March 1962. ABC-TV would not let Johnny Carson out of his contract with that network until its expiration in October 1962.
Various guest hosts substituted until Carson took over the series. Hugh Downs remained with the program through summer 1962, then departed. Paar's band leader and close friend, Jose Melis, left at the same time as Paar did.