Late Show With David Letterman - General Discussion

[jjj]

And most of that stuff is probably already up on eBay (what did you all think it was for people's OWN memories?)

 

  Yes, I am that idealistic!

 

  (The NPR little segment also said Dave's desk was carefully bubble-wrapped, "for Letterman or posterity".)

Edited May 22, 2015 by jjj

[Grommet]

I don't think a summer of reruns at 11:30 will adversely affect Colbert's show.  My late-night viewing (recording, really) has been Dave and Jon Stewart only for ages, but I'll watch Colbert whenever he starts (Trevor Noah, on the other hand - no). 

 

I've got the Foo Fighters song and the Late Show theme song playing in my head way too much.

 

Gary E, I mistakenly went back to Page 1 of this thread and saw your post about Regis once playing Pea Boy.  When he was going through the audience the other night on his way off, I wished he had a basket of peas to toss around.

[LJonEarth]

I've got the Foo Fighters song and the Late Show theme song playing in my head way too much.

 

Just when I thought it was gone, I fired up Pandora and guess what played. Madness!

[Lone Wolf]

Browse all 537 frames of the rapid-fire 'Late Show' highlight reel at your own pace

https://www.facebook.com/adam.nedeff/media_set?set=a.10153848803898102.1073741832.608003101&type=1

Late Show With David Letterman wrapped up Wednesday night with a genius finale and an incredible rapid-fire highlight reel soundtracked by the Foo Fighters' "Everlong." Letterman's 33-year late-night tenure was presented in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it fashion, with many fans overlooking must-see moments while wiping away tears.

Thankfully, one Letterman superfan on Facebook has painstakingly broken down the five-plus minute montage into 537 individual frames, with many of the photos sporting details of when and why each image was spotlighted.

Adam Nedeff is responsible for taking that final greatest hits barrage and transforming it into a manageable Facebook slideshow, from Larry "Bud" Melman's ghoulish Late Night intro in 1982 to the fireworks exploding off the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theatre.

So many classic Letterman moments – reduced to split-second glimpses in the montage – are given the proper treatment, like Howard Stern's cross-dressing appearance in 1995, the Late Night Monkey Cam and American Splendor creator Harvey Pekar's memorable visit. (The breakdown of the montage also confirms our suspicions that the "Will It Float?" sketch was criminally forgotten.)

Also featured in greater detail in the slideshow: A memorial segment that featured Joan Rivers, Paul Newman, Johnny Carson, Robin Williams, Lou Reed and Warren Zevon; Letterman announcing the birth of his son Harry to the crowd; Warren Beatty shilling Big Ass Pork products and sportscaster Marv Albert dancing with a giant squirrel.

Late Show With David Letterman wrapped up Wednesday night with a genius finale and an incredible rapid-fire highlight reel soundtracked by the Foo Fighters' "Everlong." Letterman's 33-year late-night tenure was presented in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it fashion, with many fans overlooking must-see moments while wiping away tears.

Thankfully, one Letterman superfan on Facebook has painstakingly broken down the five-plus minute montage into 537 individual frames, with many of the photos sporting details of when and why each image was spotlighted.

Adam Nedeff is responsible for taking that final greatest hits barrage and transforming it into a manageable Facebook slideshow, from Larry "Bud" Melman's ghoulish Late Night intro in 1982 to the fireworks exploding off the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theatre.

So many classic Letterman moments – reduced to split-second glimpses in the montage – are given the proper treatment, like Howard Stern's cross-dressing appearance in 1995, the Late Night Monkey Cam and American Splendor creator Harvey Pekar's memorable visit. (The breakdown of the montage also confirms our suspicions that the "Will It Float?" sketch was criminally forgotten.)

Also featured in greater detail in the slideshow: A memorial segment that featured Joan Rivers, Paul Newman, Johnny Carson, Robin Williams, Lou Reed and Warren Zevon; Letterman announcing the birth of his son Harry to the crowd; Warren Beatty shilling Big Ass Pork products and sportscaster Marv Albert dancing with a giant squirrel.

[jjj]

Thankfully, one Letterman superfan on Facebook has painstakingly broken down the five-plus minute montage into 537 individual frames, with many of the photos sporting details of when and why each image was spotlighted.

Wow, I will take a while to really enjoy these.  For now, my random favorite shot from the first few:  Julia Child at the cooking station, with the perfect omelet pan, unsalted butter poised to melt, crystal wine glasses in two shapes, cloth napkins, and -- a six-pack of beer in the middle of it all.  (This would be the clue if we were playing:  "PBS? or Letterman?")

[LJonEarth]

I was listening to an unrelated podcast. One of the hosts works for CBS late night. He said Thursday morning, people saw the desk in the dumpster too. I really hope that was joke, but he never let up.

[alynch]

In case anyone was still curious, Barbara Gaines confirmed on Twitter that the closing montage song was played live.

 

The desk wasn't thrown in the dumpster. This article shows it in bubble wrap being loaded into a moving truck. It's reportedly heading to the Smithsonian. It's possible people saw a desk in the dumpster, from one of the offices or something.

Edited May 23, 2015 by alynch

[carrier76]

Whatever happened between Dave and Richard Simmons?

[stonehaven]

One other thing I will miss about Dave...and I am going through withdrawl is the "guy who looks like a" jokes...

I can never see John McCain the same way after his "John Mccain looks like a guy who waters his lawn in his bathrobe"...

"Mitt Romney looks like the guy that shakes your hand really hard and won't let go"...

 

I would love it if someone would compile all these on a website so I can pull them out at random..it'll make next year's election a lot easier to deal with.

[Balboa]

Whatever happened between Dave and Richard Simmons?

According to this article, Simmons stopped appearing because Letterman was too mean.

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/s/richard-simmons-dishes-on-david-letterman.html

Saw in another article that Richard has become a recluse and hasn't left his house in over a year.

[jjj]

I think there were likely two sides to the reasons why Richard Simmons did not appear//was not invited back to Letterman.  I'm sure Dave was mean to him, but I really got the sense that Dave did not enjoy Simmons' schtick.  Dave liked to be in control of the schtick. 

[opus]

Whatever happened between Dave and Richard Simmons?

I believe a fire extinguisher and turkey outfit was involved.

Edited May 24, 2015 by GaryE

[dcalley]

Browse all 537 frames of the rapid-fire 'Late Show' highlight reel at your own pace

https://www.facebook.com/adam.nedeff/media_set?set=a.10153848803898102.1073741832.608003101&type=1

 

Sadly, I can't see this. (I don't have a Facebook account.)

[opus]

Sadly, I can't see this. (I don't have a Facebook account.)

I logged in and linked. What do you see?https://m.facebook.com/adam.nedeff/albums/10153848803898102/?_rdr

[LJonEarth]

I logged in and linked. What do you see?https://m.facebook.com/adam.nedeff/albums/10153848803898102/?_rdr

Facebook makes you log in to see someone's content. Hopefully, someone else will do something similar off Facebook.

[dcalley]

I logged in and linked. What do you see?https://m.facebook.com/adam.nedeff/albums/10153848803898102/?_rdr

The mobile site saying "You must log in first." I think the post must not be public. The first link took me to Adam Nedeff's main page. I was just able to get to the post through this link, though, found through the comments at the AV Club story here.

[ebk57]

The mobile site saying "You must log in first." I think the post must not be public. The first link took me to Adam Nedeff's main page. I was just able to get to the post through this link, though, found through the comments at the AV Club story here.

 

Thank you!  I was hoping to be able to see this without being on FB!!

[Lone Wolf]

I had to log in on a friend's account. Not being on FB myself, it took me a while to figure out the problemo.

Glad you guys found a workaround.

Me? I discovered Dave during his daytime show between classes when I was an undergrad (I remember watching the actual show that included that clip that they showed of the confetti catching fire from the sparklers). From there, it was Carson followed by Dave for the rest of my college years.

As the years passed I gradually started tuning in or recorded more sporadically, or watching clips online. I've been DVR'ing since he announced his retirement. I'm already missing him. I'll probably check out Colbert, but he'll have some big shoes to fill.

[jjj]

Oh, yes, the confetti clip!  I think it was one of the New York Times articles that said one of the staff on that show had tried and tried to get film of that, but never could find it.  So it was a compound surprise in the finale!

[dcalley]

Oh, yes, the confetti clip!  I think it was one of the New York Times articles that said one of the staff on that show had tried and tried to get film of that, but never could find it.  So it was a compound surprise in the finale!

That was Merrill, who was only able to look on youtube.

[Kromm]

Lord. On that same Time article page they've got that totally crazy Kaufman clip from the morning show.  It's like the very definition of Kaufman's performance art/anti-comedy mode, and due to it being on that little seen show, not as well known as his Late Nite & SNL stuff:

 

And that English to English dubbed Late Nite?  Wow.  I saw a ton of the early Late Nites, but never this one before.  Crazy crazy crazy high concept stuff nobody else ever thought of or dared:

 

[BW Manilowe]

Random musings:

-We know the Foos don't have an ego problem, as evidenced by their 10 seconds of camera time.

- I could complain about the lack of Regis in the top 10 for say, Julia Looie, but since she had the line of the night I'll have to let it go

- Don't be too sad this weekend. Remember, Dave will be living it up at the Indy 500.

-Last night was supposed to be a celebration. As he referenced at the end ("Save it for my funeral") next time David Letterman tributes are major news is going to be a lot more depressing.

I know very well Dave's an Indy Car Team Owner--heck, his team's got 1 win under its belt--& that this is 500 weekend (I'm watching it as I write this, & I'm from NE Indiana as it is; so, yeah, inescapable... Just like basketball season here). But, for some reason, I couldn't figure out why he ended the show on Wednesday night, & didn't finish out the week. I didn't connect it to him being at Indy (I did think maybe Harry was getting out of school for the year already, & the family was going on vacation, probably somewhere warm/tropical). Then I saw him being interviewed on ABC's pre-race coverage awhile ago, & the Wednesday farewell & the 500 connection finally clicked in my head. DUH me!

[nowandlater]

Random musings:

 

-We know the Foos don't have an ego problem, as evidenced by their 10 seconds of camera time.

 

- I could complain about the lack of Regis in the top 10 for say, Julia Looie, but since she had the line of the night I'll have to let it go

 

- Don't be too sad this weekend. Remember, Dave will be living it up at the Indy 500.

 

-Last night was supposed to be a celebration. As he referenced at the end ("Save it for my funeral") next time David Letterman tributes are major news is going to be a lot more depressing.

 

Not to be too cynical, but the Foo Fighters just got a lot of exposure for a song from 1997 -- that's when this year's high school graduates were born. I'm not saying they were watching, but I'm sure the song was introduced to a whole new audience last week.

 

Also, yes Dave is having a good time today.

 

 

Edited May 24, 2015 by nowandlater

[LJonEarth]

Not to be too cynical, but the Foo Fighters just got a lot of exposure for a song from 1997 -- that's when this year's high school graduates were born. I'm not saying they were watching, but I'm sure the song was introduced to a whole new audience last week.

 

Yeah, but don't count them short. The twenty-year olds in my office just got back from a road trip to one of their shows. Their last single was prominently featured  during the last college football season. They keep themselves out there. Plus the HBO show.

 

I wonder what the cutoff is for the average age of the last of the Letterman fans. The fans I know are all 30, like I am, although I know of one in his 20s, but he's a comic.

[jjj]

Thanks so much for posting that interview -- it was also fascinating to see how quickly Harry and Regina just melted out of camera range as soon as they saw the interviewer heading for Dave.  Was that the same friend of Harry who was in the audience Wednesday?  Glad Harry has a chance to bring friends to these events. 

 

Dave or a guest had mentioned this past week that he would be at the Indy 500, so that's when it clicked for me that he was finishing in order to get to Indiana. 

[BW Manilowe]

Thanks so much for posting that interview -- it was also fascinating to see how quickly Harry and Regina just melted out of camera range as soon as they saw the interviewer heading for Dave. Was that the same friend of Harry who was in the audience Wednesday? Glad Harry has a chance to bring friends to these events.

Dave or a guest had mentioned this past week that he would be at the Indy 500, so that's when it clicked for me that he was finishing in order to get to Indiana.

I'm glad Harry seems to get to bring friends (I guess the other kids looking at the car are friends of his; doesn't Dave have a sister, or something? If he does, they could be Harry's cousins--just saying) to events like this too. It would definitely be cool for the other kid(s); especially if they're not "kids of privilege", like Harry could be considered, for whom access to events like this is a regular thing. But, by the same token, I hope he doesn't end up with a bunch of "false friends", who only like him/hang around with him trying to get invited to tag along with Harry & the Lettermans to special events like this (it happens).

Edited May 24, 2015 by BW Manilowe

[opus]

I still can't get over the fact that a 27 year old Paul Schaffer briefly dated a 16 year old Valerie Bertinelli.

[jjj]

I still can't get over the fact that a 27 year old Paul Schaffer briefly dated a 16 year old Valerie Bertinelli.

Wow, I had no idea!  Someday I need to read his autobiography.  I heard him interviewed when it came out, and loved the bits I heard then. 

[opus]

Wow, I had no idea! Someday I need to read his autobiography. I heard him interviewed when it came out, and loved the bits I heard then.

I actually came across it in her memoir. They talked about it on the old NBC show:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kl-OmE83N4

Edit-starts at the 3:40 mark if you're in a hurry.

Edited May 26, 2015 by GaryE

[Gigi43]

Yeah, but don't count them short. The twenty-year olds in my office just got back from a road trip to one of their shows. Their last single was prominently featured during the last college football season. They keep themselves out there. Plus the HBO show.

I wonder what the cutoff is for the average age of the last of the Letterman fans. The fans I know are all 30, like I am, although I know of one in his 20s, but he's a comic.

I'm 27. A lot of my friends aren't big talk show watchers in general but the ones that do are Dave fans (I refuse to use "were"!) But, I'm a New Yorker, and I imagine especially vs. Leno that might make a big difference. I'd love to know the demo breakdown, actually. I know people who watch Fallon, but never really knew a regular Leno viewer (maybe they avoided me...)

I'm cynical by nature but I don't think at this point in the long career of the Foo Fighters they did it just for exposure. Hard core Dave fans have already seen them many times on the show and people who just tuned into the finale have probably heard of them from various projects in their long career. The HBO show wasn't even plugged, was it? I think they were there just to be whatever part of the finale Dave wanted them to be. And that alone makes me a fan (but Learn to Fly is my fave song, sorry, Everlong you're special in a different way.)

Edited May 26, 2015 by Gigi43

[stonehaven]

Does anyone recall the Top Ten Tom Selleck did a long time ago...it was him walking up to people saying weird things..it was quite funny...and then I read some tabloidy article that ran a month later saying he was drunk and friends were worried because he was wandering around Manhattan inthe daylight saying weird things...

I tried Google and You Tube but to no avail..Did I imagine it?

[Suby]

Thank you everyone for all the great articles, clips.

 

I am so sad

I am so screwed

I am so old. 

 

 

[HelenBaby]

I'm glad Harry seems to get to bring friends (I guess the other kids looking at the car are friends of his; doesn't Dave have a sister, or something? If he does, they could be Harry's cousins--just saying) to events like this too. It would definitely be cool for the other kid(s); especially if they're not "kids of privilege", like Harry could be considered, for whom access to events like this is a regular thing. But, by the same token, I hope he doesn't end up with a bunch of "false friends", who only like him/hang around with him trying to get invited to tag along with Harry & the Lettermans to special events like this (it happens).

Yeah I think one of the kids was Tommy, his buddy from the show. Dave does have two sisters but since Dave was 56 when he was born those could be his sisters' grand children.

[nowandlater]

Yeah I think one of the kids was Tommy, his buddy from the show. Dave does have two sisters but since Dave was 56 when he was born those could be his sisters' grand children.

 

Bill Scheft on his blog wrote that Dave's nurse during his heart surgery, Donna Reilly Roboto, was sitting next to Regina and Harry.

 

So I'm assuming Harry's pal Tommy Roboto is related to her.

 

http://billscheft.tumblr.com/post/119788329888/final-show-diary-of-stuff-noteworthy-only-to-me

[jjj]

The final episode showed up in "On Demand" under CBS in my Comcast package.  It is there for another week or so?  First time I have seen anything of Dave's in "On Demand".  It says "60 minutes", which was just about the actual timing of the show minus commercials.

 

Aw, I had not realized that Dave's former nurse was there -- there was another woman in Regina's age range with the group on the Indy 500 video, so if Tommy was there (I also thought that was him), that may have been his mother again. 

[Kromm]

Bill Scheft on his blog wrote that Dave's nurse during his heart surgery, Donna Reilly Roboto, was sitting next to Regina and Harry.

 

So I'm assuming Harry's pal Tommy Roboto is related to her.

 

http://billscheft.tumblr.com/post/119788329888/final-show-diary-of-stuff-noteworthy-only-to-me

I am amazed any real person has the surname "Roboto".  It almost sounds like an early days Letterman joke.

[opus]

I am amazed any real person has the surname "Roboto".  It almost sounds like an early days Letterman joke.

Or a Styx song.

[Kromm]

Or a Styx song.

I didn't want to go with the obvious.

 

Letterman, not really a "Styx" type, I could see using the name more generically as a slam.  Conan would be the Late Nite host to actually use it as a Styx tribute.

[opus]

I didn't want to go with the obvious.

 

Letterman, not really a "Styx" type, I could see using the name more generically as a slam.  Conan would be the Late Nite host to actually use it as a Styx tribute.

Domo arigato.

[Grommet]

Does anyone recall the Top Ten Tom Selleck did a long time ago...it was him walking up to people saying weird things..it was quite funny...and then I read some tabloidy article that ran a month later saying he was drunk and friends were worried because he was wandering around Manhattan inthe daylight saying weird things...

I tried Google and You Tube but to no avail..Did I imagine it?

You did not imagine it.  The bit was funny, but not as funny as the tabloid's response. I'm pretty sure Tom Selleck came back on to talk about it.  Selleck was always a good guest and had a good sense of humor.

[DollEyes]

 The Letterman finale not only lived up to the hype, it was pitch perfect. It was just the right blend of funny & sweet. Jay Leno may have been more popular than Dave, but IMO, he's not better. Like I say, "Just because a billion people go to McDonald's, that doesn't mean the food's gourmet.' The final "Top 10" list was hilarious, with Chris Rock & Julia Louis-Dreyfus' jokes among the best. I expected Jay Leno to pull a Kanye on Bill Murray and was relieved when that didn't happen. Letterman's classic comedy bits not only revealed his comic genius, they showed different facets of his personality. The sketches with kids showed Dave's rapport with children while the science experiments showed his fascination with science. Then there were the Stupid Pet/Human tricks, which showed his curiosity about animals and human nature. The segments with Dave's mom just showed his love for her.

 

  As for the Taco Bell skit, that's just Dave's being crazy, which is why it's a classic. One of Dave's best qualities is that despite his sometimes grouchy exterior, there's genuine sweetness, modesty and humility underneath. One of my favorite memories of Dave was his interview with Dan Rather post 9/11. At the time Rather had covered it virtually non-stop and by the time of the interview he was so exhausted that at one point during the interview he burst into tears. When Rather apologized for his response, Dave told him that he had nothing to apologize for and that he understood Rather's reaction because Rather is, to quote Letterman, "a human being, for Christ's sake," which was very classy on Dave's part. Other classy moments included Dave's introducing the heart surgeons who saved his life on his first show back from his surgery, showing Harry's baby picture when he was first born, his apologizing to Regina for the sex scandal and his tributes to the writers, the band and especially his family in this episode.

 

  The final musical montage featuring highlights from Dave's shows on NBC and this show to "Everlong" was flawless, proving that Dave's impact on comedy, TV and the world will never be forgotten, nor should they be. Thanks, Dave.

Edited June 1, 2015 by DollEyes

[camussie]

But, for some reason, I couldn't figure out why he ended the show on Wednesday night, & didn't finish out the week. 

 

 

Indy was probably one reason but I would guess the main reason is that Wednesday May 20 was the end of May sweeps and CBS wanted Dave's last show to be within sweeps.  

[nowandlater]

Indy was probably one reason but I would guess the main reason is that Wednesday May 20 was the end of May sweeps and CBS wanted Dave's last show to be within sweeps.  

 

The last day of May sweeps and of the 2014-15 TV season.

 

I believe I read somewhere that Worldwide Pants' contract was up after that episode, which is why CBS couldn't use his reruns.

 

Here's the odd thing, though: Johnny Carson and Jay Leno also both signed off in the month of May when the 20th fell on Wednesday.

 

I'm presuming that May sweeps ended May 20, 1992 and May 20, 2009 when Carson and Leno respectively sign off, because sweeps usually end before Memorial Day (May 25).

 

Yet Carson signed off on Friday, May 22, 1992.

 

And Leno signed off on Friday, May 29, 2009.

[LJonEarth]

This poll answers my question about the fandom demographic breakdown. 30ish to 40ish does seem to be the peek, but the rest of the results are a bit surprising.

[Grommet]

Interesting poll. Dave's appeal was broader than I thought.

[SanDiegoInExile]

A few tidbits:

 

CBS no longer has the rights. Explains why the CBS website no longer has any video and web links are deader than dead.

http://www.vulture.com/2015/06/why-lettermans-late-show-isnt-on-youtube.html

http://www.buzzfeed.com/scottybryan/all-of-david-lettermans-late-show-videos-have-m#.myY9lG6B51

 

Dorothy had a recent stroke, but is healthy.

http://www.indianapolismonthly.com/arts-culture/exclusive-post-retirement-interview-david-letterman/

(Fifth Q+A)

[karenc3]

SanDiegoInExile:

 

Glad Dorothy's ok.   

 

About CBS not having the rights, that is probably why the shows aren't repeating over the summer.   

[Kromm]

I suppose Dave had a lot of leverage when he started the show, because CBS fished such big bait to get him.  Remember, they fully expected him to have a decent chance of beating The Tonight Show, and even later when he mostly didn't still had to be happy with the deal overall.

 

So Pants has all the rights.  Which means the show will show up on some other platform sooner or later.  We probably just have to wait, because if it wasn't already negotiated before this, then they're doing so now. Or maybe they intend to go the home video/stream-by-permission route first.

 

One hopes they wind up on a free platform (or at least one where they're bundled with the basic service), but I guess we just need to wait and see.

[Milburn Stone]

So Pants has all the rights.  Which means the show will show up on some other platform sooner or later. 

 

I wonder how well it will play. I yield to no one in my affection for the show, but it always surprises me how not well these nightly talk show episodes hold up over time. There is something very temporal about them, very short-shelf-life. That is the way they are designed, and why they work so well (when they do) night after night. They were never meant for the time capsule.

[Kromm]

I wonder how well it will play. I yield to no one in my affection for the show, but it always surprises me how not well these nightly talk show episodes hold up over time. There is something very temporal about them, very short-shelf-life. That is the way they are designed, and why they work so well (when they do) night after night. They were never meant for the time capsule.

People do apparently buy full episodes from http://johnnycarson.com

 

But I do wonder why.  Because I kind of agree.

 

What does persist are particular skits and segments. Individual ones. And if they ever seem dated, they become, in our minds, treasured cultural artifacts. Nostalgia in a can.  Full episodes tend to bore us if presented as the same, but individual bits don't push that envelope and we can love them.

 

So while individual episode sales puzzle the hell out of me (and episode collections too), what doesn't are "best of" collections that cherrypick skit by skit, interview by interview, etc.  So maybe that's the road forward you could tolerate (although again, I bet there will be takers for full episodes as well, as strange as that seems).

 

The loss at this point are individual skits on YouTube and other legal streaming sites.  But if you look at the examples of Johnny Carson's Tonight show, and also Monty Python, Kids in the Hall, and others, they all eventually started dedicated channels for their own release of clips. And I suppose Pants will do that eventually too (if not on YouTube, maybe on Hulu).

And if you think about it, Dave's shows are more aligned with releasing bits and pieces than Carson's shows ever were.  Carson's skits were ultimately far worse than his interviews and most don't stand up all that well.  Dave's skits maybe stand up even better, although in his own way his interviews were often great too.

 

And it's the new model overall.  Nobody's EVER going to want to see a Jimmy Fallon interview after it's aired--especially not years later.  Heck, they're hard enough to watch the first time. But his skits will live for a long time, and be collected, and Fallon and his team darn well know this (which is why they're highlighted online almost exclusively compared to interviews).