In 1968, NBC’s “The Tonight Show” was one of the most popular shows on television. Johnny Carson kept millions of Americans up past their bedtime with his wit, charm, and the best array of guests of any talk show on the TV dial.

In February 1968, Carson took a week off and turned over the show to actor and singer Harry Belafonte. Nowadays, the fact that Belafonte was black would be incidental, but in ’68 it was a big deal. Black men didn’t host national TV shows. Carson didn’t give a damn about that. He knew Belafonte would take good care of his show while he was gone.

And, wow, did he.

In February 1968, American forces in Vietnam were reeling from the Tet Offensive. Protests in major cities brought the war and social injustice to America’s doorstep. Lyndon Johnson was facing stiff opposition from his fellow Democrats and wondering if he should even run for reelection (Later, he would decide not to).

Belafonte brought on some guests that spoke directly, or at least attempted to, about these and other issues. Among his guests were Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. Both men would be taken down by assassins within weeks, giving modern viewing of Belafonte’s week on the Tonight Show an almost eerie glow.

It was truly a great moment in television and American history. The Nation‘s Joan Walsh goes into rich detail about it here. Be sure to check it out.