Toulon, Illinois Farmer on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. August 1987.

huh anyway the moment you'll meet this gentleman I want to mention too tomorrow night on NBC at 9:30 this is hard to believe that David Letterman is celebrating six years already on the air and he's gonna do respect dave is doing a sixth anniversary show tomorrow I think they did it taped it at Radio City Music Hall it's on at 9:30 p.m. I guess that would be Eastern and West Coast and in the Midwest I guess they buried that what time what time would it be the Midwest 8:30 8:30 okay so congratulations Dave Rowan we have our sixth anniversary we were 12 19 years ago yes my first guest tonight holds the record um as far as we know nobody's challenging yet of being the oldest active farmer in the state of Illinois I would think it would be the oldest active farmer almost anywhere and we thought you'd like to meet him he is in the town of Toulon would you welcome please Merritt Heaton after heating it's a pleasure to have you here thank you you look remarkable are you really 97 that's what to tell that's what I go by what you look great must be must be the must be the climate in Illinois well it could be did I pronounce the town right he's a tool on to us too long Illinois hmm that's the only city to United States to that name oh I didn't know that either yes yeah uh-huh no somebody told me when we first invited you to the show you you didn't want to come on no really no why not well I'm scared to death well you should you you shouldn't be scared you've been through 10 or 12 World Wars I'm innocent well I'm kind of getting composed well just just relax here yes and you're back sitting sitting on the front porch and we're talking Oh nobody's what I asked yeah thank you what made you change your mind to come on the show well I tell you a lot of the friends know Johnny Carson uh-huh they said if I had a chance to get on Johnny Carson show I'd be on so so I reconsidered maybe their dad good judgment well good I hope so you would you could you catch our show very often Oh Cal Cajon we say no but you can be honest yeah well I'm honest with you yeah I'm I go to bed early yeah you see how many times would you think you'd seen the show this show yeah hold on through the years that it'd be hard to say yeah I don't think I'd better press this I'm here anyways now if somebody mentions you uh your your local coffee shop there's at oh well there's where the farmers culture gate congregate every farmer has a picked up you know no sound for breakfast sure yes we're those aren't the local coffee oh I'll tell you everything I mean politically huh yeah you can hear all sides of it yeah what's the what's the tenor of things out there huh what do they think about this a little bit draggy a little bit draggy here who do you put it right you know agriculture honey in the dumps yeah sure is it yes sir I never lived on a farm myself I grew up in Nebraska but my uncle had a farm and sorry I know a little bit about farm life oh that's great and things are kind of tough right now yeah well I've been under 197 years you still actively work on the farm yes I honestly do what yeah I I'm not far out from the last harvest we had about 90 days uh-huh yeah what kind of a typical day would you have well what time would you get up in the bowl you don't have to rush yeah you got no hurry oh well you get up maybe five 3600m about five yeah about five you prepare your machinery get ready to go to field you do your work out there and you still go out and yeah I I run the tractor hauling in the grain unloading the grain I guess yes are you still the boss of the farm oh I let my son do the boss and I do what he says really yeah how was your son oh he 78 your son is 78 and shoot somebody you said you've got three other children - yeah how old are they well one one fell in about 75 yeah 78-75 yeah well next to it is 70 yeah go down to 65 yeah yeah do they work on the farm no Oh what is it with kids these days why did the the younger ones decide not to work on the farm well well tell you a lot of excitement in the city back 50 years 60 there wasn't any problem then yeah everybody stayed pretty much on the family farm did yeah they did yeah it's no it's different you've got to go to the city they're not room on the farm yeah but you're but your oldest son yes they all that's good yes sir is he gonna hope to pass a law it's a family farm y'all it's great that's what we operate a family farm yeah what's been the biggest change since you were a young man on the farm oh well I'd say electricity ah we thought maybe you're gonna say the wheel before my time well people forget electricity I mean I remember going to my grandparents home where they didn't have they had the kerosene lamps exactly ating around all the time maybe had a few candles around absolutely yes so used to go out there with the team horses oh yes oh yes yeah you still use horses at all uh no no well Andrew Niccol is your horses riders pleasure horses uh-huh I don't have any pleasure horses but you neighbor do so they're up and down the line yeah yeah so electricity was the big oh yes yeah I mean power power it's what provided it yeah you had pop water your lice off right daddy maybe a lectric kitchen yeah in the home the light yeah so that is great yeah but outside lights then yeah nothing to it I know you seem in such great health do you think it has to do with being raised and and working all of your life a suit from a young man well I think they just put me together right you ever have a little drink or something - very seldom yeah very seldom but just maybe occasionally well it has to be put occasionally yeah like a holiday or something well oh yeah you have to be social shook up yeah sure social nah you were you were married I understand for for many years yes sir 62 for years 64 years and your uh your wife passed away some years ago yeah that's room yes now somebody said now I I don't want to get personal so if this is a true personal question would you Oh will you just stop me yeah go ahead somebody uh somebody said you have a lady friend that you occasionally visit here on California oh gosh I miss her more than occasionally well since they got electric power I suppose everything so she how'd you meet her well I tell you you know about the senior citizens set up sure do well I I go out to lunch I go out to luncheon here she have up seven stoop here mmm-hmm boy was she at all yeah she a younger woman attack she got a knock about her that she got a entertains people and sees they know where they are yeah she you go out dancing or something oh no I don't dance much yeah but you know the things you go on son well I say what we're gonna have to gonna take it we'll take a little break here and we're gonna do a commercial well we'll come back and we'll talk some more okay well alright you're on I Jenna okay we are back this is a if you just join us we are talking to mr. Merritt Heaton from too long Illinois too lon Illinois 97 years old yeah you mentioned you were married for 64 years now yes sir I have not had the best track record at marriage you might be the man to ask what is the secret of staying married for 64 years really yeah I haven't been that fortunate well oh well what is it what does it take to get along with somebody for 64 years well I guess you got a give and take a little I've got given I didn't have that deal to go through yes so we give and take a little yeah consider that your other ideas is different from your soul give and take a little and what a compromise very the hatchet yeah and get along yeah I think you're probably right somebody wants to never go to bed mad well you got it better you better settle it for you go to bed yeah yeah good a good argument yeah yes now this um this lady that you're seeing out here in California um she is a she's go get her she's a go-getter is he a young girl of course she's probably a young girl a very bad not many 97 year old ladies made up with me Cheyenne none of these ladies I think my age you can't keep up with me y'all you also like I gotta lay down low yeah yeah so I Luna so now you go out sightseeing when you're out yes yeah well do you drive I Drive when I'm home but this little lady now she's got a car oh she does and she accommodates me ah now you've seen a lot of changes especially in women I mean women are treated completely differently today than they were when you were growing up on land yeah equal rights under that and all that yes well what's been the biggest change do you think the independence of women or no guys oh mighty when I was a kid guys tickled to see a girl's ankle that was pretty rare really yeah we'd stand around town there may be money day ladies have to come along raise up the skirt a little we'd see the ankle what would that do when you saw do prepare you for the next deal for the next few yeah so a woman's ankle was exciting you bet it was yeah what do you think now what do you think what have you been to the beach lately and seeing what the girls wear on the beach do they wear what they hardly you're right they hardly wear any throwers have you seen the bikinis nowadays well I haven't seen last one I guess yeah well they're just a little well there's quite a bit to be imagined yeah you think it's more fun to imagine something than to see it all yeah that's that takes to glamour away yeah a man but a little more than an ankle is also good oh boy yes well how is this friendship develops I said look I got in the street not to want to get personal but that you also see somebody back in Illinois well yes that's kind of a mutual agreement why see yes so do you go out of town um you see this lady yeah and when you're back in Illinois the other one yeah what do they know about each other they do now I don't know what what I'm going to get into whether you like oh well so what so you still work the farm every day I think that's fascinating yes I that's it that's a good pastime yeah it sure is it keeps you healthy yeah and who is the first president you ever voted for Oh was it McKinley if I don't know what Megan I don't know what their politics wasn't too hot them days yeah yeah I remember I remember we had rural rural free delivery that's right in the country right they brought your mail well that was something new I was out in the yard with my dad and the mailman come along had no telephones or nothing he hollered my dad and he says McKinley has been shot told him my dad that was news that goes on better yes many years ago yes and I remember that as a kid there with my dad yeah but there's in the newspaper yeah so your free delivery yeah now you're gonna stay out in California for a while or do you have to go back to oh oh this a serious relationship with this lady from Cal it's hard to say is yeah is it developing yeah come along pretty good yeah would marriage ever enter the picture well I don't know there's a lot of possibilities there I took just more yeah so well you're a very very nice man and it's a pleasure to meet you well I thank you for changing your mind and coming on the show did you enjoy it oh gee yes I want to thank you gentlemen all these people thank you greatly well we thank you and we hope you have a safe trip back home in many more years that's my kind of guy that's it that inspiration yeah nice man night one Devon and sharp as all can be his ladyfriend 75 he says she's only 75 have you dating a young chick he's only 75 you'll be right back race tea with after that would you come in we thought like you might like to meet the young lady tell me so I know he didn't tell you so you're the young lady in his life right what's your name piggy Taylor how are you I'm fine thank you you know I went the very first date I had in high school was a girl by the name of Peggy Taylor my hand oh well I was like raid school wonderful wonderful how long have you known each other Oh about three months yeah and how often you see each other Bobby the date but every day we have lunch together yeah no have you been back to Illinois oh I my former husband's parents lived there and I guess it's every year for about 20 years yeah but not in the northern part heat is in the northern part of State I want to tell you I've never met anybody at his age is abundant was he difficult to keep up with well I have to hurry hard to keep up with yeah she's gone well you look like you compliment each other very much well great nice person it's nice to see ya it's nice of you to see both to have this relationship but you at your age in life thank you I think so too thanks for being here yes yeah oh yeah thank you Mike you see Amara night with Sammy Davis jr. thanks for being with it coming up left sub-tree vixen saundra on two to seven better known as okay this is Dave on Late Night with David Letterman Plus Harry Shearer and tomorrow morning on today presidential candidate Richard Gephardt and Peggy Lee

Channel: Tom Talbert

Views: 1,592,292

Rating: 4.7604423 out of 5

Keywords: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (TV Program), Oldest active farmer, Toulon, Illinois, Talk Show (TV Genre)

Id: 1t8-x3uOSqY

Length: 16min 49sec (1009 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 14 2014

Reddit Comments

[u/[deleted]]

Thank you for this. That was wonderful.