Late Show with David Letterman

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 64.12.116.65 (talk) at 02:53, 19 July 2004. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Revision as of 02:53, 19 July 2004 by 64.12.116.65 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

The Late Show with David Letterman is CBS's nightly hour-long comedy variety show, which premiered in 1993 and stars David Letterman. The show is located in the legendary Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway.

Like other talk shows, the show features at least two or three guests each night, usually including a comedian or musical guest.

Letterman had previously been the host of Late Night on NBC. When Letterman moved to CBS and began the Late Show, many of Late Night's long running jokes and gags made the move along with him, much to the dismay of NBC which claimed to own many of them. Letterman got around any potential legal problems by simply renaming a few of them. For example, "Viewer Mail" became the "CBS Mailbag," and Larry "Bud" Melman began to use his real name, Calvert DeForest. Perhaps as a response, Letterman's talk-show idol Johnny Carson, allowed Letterman to use one of his old gags, "Stump The Band," which has become a regular feature on the Late Show.

On September 17, 2001, The Late Show with David Letterman returned to the television airways six days after the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack in the United States. In his opening monologue a very emotional David Letterman said, "We're told that they were zealots fueled by religious fervor... religious fervor... and if you live to be a thousand years old will that make any sense to you? Will that make any goddamn sense?"

Letterman frequently uses crew members and neighboring businesses in his comedy bits, so viewers get to know stage hands and writers almost as well as they do the host. Common contributors include: bandleader Paul Shaffer, Calvert DeForest, announcer Alan Kalter, stage manager Biff Henderson, writer Gerard Mulligan, scenic designer Kathleen Ankers, stage hand Pat Farmer, stage hand Kenny Sheehan, handyman George Clarke, local gift store owners Sirajul Islam and Mujibur Rahman, Rupert Jee (owner of the Hello Deli, which is next door to the Ed Sullivan theater), producer Maria Pope, assistant Stephanie Birkitt, Kiva Kahl the "Grinder Girl," and models Andrea Sande and Nadine Hennelly.

At NBC and then CBS Letterman has taken great delight in making fun of his employer. This includes the long running jokes about the poor quality of General Electric products after they took control of NBC. Similarly Letterman took great delight in attacking Westinghouse who were then in the process of acquiring CBS. The recent recipient of these attacks has been Viacom and CBS President and CEO Les Moonves. On hearing that Moonves had met with Fidel Castro, Letterman asked his audience to "Imagine the lunch, on one side of the table you’ve got an egomaniacal dictator surrounded by sniveling yes-men, and, of course, on the other side of the table you’ve got Fidel Castro."

Classic gags include

Top-Ten List
CBS Mail Bag
Stupid Pet Tricks
Stupid Human Tricks
Dumb Ads
Small Town News
May We See Your Photos, Please?
How Many Men in a Bear Suit (etc.) Will Fit in a Donut Shop (etc.)?
Pat & Kenny Read Oprah Transcripts
Stump The Band
Know Your Current Events
Will It Float?
Is This Anything?
Celebrity X-Ray Challenge
Fun with Rupert (Candid Camera-Style Bit)
George W. Bush Joke That's Not Really a Joke
A Moment With George W. Bush
Dr. Phil's Words of Wisdom

His newest gag is called "Tourist/Not A Tourist", in which someone is brought up on stage and Dave and Paul have to guess whether s/he is a tourist or a NY resident.

External links

Categories: