Carnac the Magnificent was a recurring comedic role played by Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. One of Carson's most well known characters, Carnac was a "mystic from the East" who could psychically "divine" unknown answers to unseen questions.
Longtime sidekick Ed McMahon ritualistically and bombastically introduced the Carnac routines. The announcement implied Carnac was responsible for some scandal or disaster currently in the news, as "And now, the great seer, soothsayer, and sage, Carnac the Magnificent." After Carnac entered and stumbled, Ed would continue as follows:
"I hold in my hand the envelopes. As a child of four can plainly see, these envelopes have been hermetically sealed. They've been kept in a #2 mayonnaise jar on Funk and Wagnall's back porch since noon today. No one knows the contents of these envelopes, but you, in your borderline divine and mystical way, will ascertain the answers having never before seen the questions."
"Sis boom bah.'" "Describe the sound made when a sheep explodes."
—Ed McMahon's favorite Carnac the Magnificent punchline
The act involved a variation of the magician's billet reading trick: divining the answer to a question written on a card sealed inside one of the envelopes, announcing it to the audience, then tearing open the envelope to reveal the question. The comedy came from an unexpected question following a seemingly straightforward answer. The resulting jokes often involved puns or wordplay; the answer "The La Brea Tar Pits" was the answer to "What do you have left after eating the La Brea Tar Peaches?", and "9W" was the answer to "Mr. Wagner, do you spell your name with a V?" Jokes would also be topical; for instance, "Over 105 in Los Angeles" (presumably referring to the temperature) instead led to "Under the Reagan plan, how old would you have to be to collect Social Security?"
The segment included several running gags and bits of business. After Carnac said an answer, McMahon would frequently repeat it in a booming voice, to set up a sneer, putdown, or some other comic reaction. Carnac held each envelope to his forehead while "divining" the answer, then tore open the envelope and loudly blew into it before removing the index card with the question. Pretending to psychically concentrate, Carnac periodically asked for "complete silence" from the audience, and McMahon would retort that he often got it.
Audience reaction played a major role in the skit. If a joke (often a very bad pun) generated a negative response, Carnac would give a disapproving look, then cast a comedic "Middle Eastern curse" (dubbed the "Carnac Saver" by head writer Marshall Brickman who created these) upon the audience (such as "May your favorite daughter be featured in NFL Films' Sack of the Week.", "May a bloated yak change the temperature of your jacuzzi", "May you walk a mile under a diseased camel," or "May your only son become the goalie on a nude hockey team.") One of the most memorable audience insults came after the Philadelphia 76ers NBA team swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals to win the 1983 NBA Championship, when Carnac retorted, "May Dr. J slam dunk your cat." McMahon's closing announcement "I hold in my hand the last envelope" was always met with a loud cheer, prompting one last "curse."
This cache is in a small camoed mayonnaise jar, but it is not hidden on the back porch of Funk and Wagnall's. It should be an easy find, though it is in a wooded area. Lots of animal tracks were seen when it was hidden. Parking can be close, but use some stealth if there are workers in the area.