Maybe he sticks to the 60s swinger shtick rather than turning introspective and intellectual. Maybe 'What's New Pussycat?' gets an extra polish, or when they have trouble on the set of 'Casino Royale' he takes over with Sellers to get things in order. The movie still isn't a hit, but it manages to recoup expenses and he is heralded by the bosses as a cool head under pressure. This gets him a gig as host of the Late Late show after Carson in the mid-70s. Then he changes networks to host opposite Carson in the 80s. Even as a 60s swinger he always was a bit intellectual, so he becomes "the smart man's Carson." When Johnny retires on schedule, he becomes the last of the old guard, the most popular man on television, and probably the most popular comedian in America.