TV & VIDEO - Sept. 4, 1987

A New York dentist wants $5 million yanked from Johnny Carson for badmouthing the trade by comparing them to the Gestapo on an April, 1986, “Tonight Show.” In papers filed recently in N.Y. Supreme Court in Manhattan, Dr. Michael Mendelson said Carson hit a nerve when he mentioned a report about fluoride putting dentists out of business, adding, “I haven’t been so happy about a group disbanding since the Gestapo.” Mendelson wrote Carson: “To compare this same group of doctors to a gang of sadistic and bigoted thugs is ludicrous” and demanded a “smirk-free apology.” Carson read the letter on the air, adding “Lighten up, Michael Mendelson, DDS.”