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David Letterman 25 years in Late Night TV

1

1069_KIFR

Feb 1st marked David Letterman's 25th year hosting a Late Night Talkshow.

Congratulations to the entire team at The Late Show STARRING David Letterman!!!!
 
Letterman is an Indiana native from Indianapolis. He did plenty of radio in the Hoosier state. He also did some local weather. There are some classic Letterman stories out there. I remember when he left for California. I was a young man who was envious of his willingness to put it all on the line.

Was it Mary Tyler Moore or Carol Burnett that gave him a break on camera?
 
I think it was MTM. Congratulations Dave, Paul, et. al.!
 
Whopperjaw said:
Letterman is an Indiana native from Indianapolis. He did plenty of radio in the Hoosier state. He also did some local weather. There are some classic Letterman stories out there. I remember when he left for California. I was a young man who was envious of his willingness to put it all on the line.

Was it Mary Tyler Moore or Carol Burnett that gave him a break on camera?
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MTM, on her short-lived 1978 variety series.
 
Anyone remember his short-lived NBC late morning show from around 1981 or so? I thought it was a pretty decent show, but he definitely came into his own with "Late Night".
 
The few times I saw it I liked the daytime show, but the one thing I didn't like was how NBC dumped several game shows, especially Hollywood Squares, to make room for it. Dave's show was always better for late night.
 
I was fortunate enough to see Dave in his early days on channel 13 Indianapolis (WLW-I) where he did the weekend weather on the 6:00 newscast. ("Hail the size of canned hams"---my mother was appalled that someone would make a joke like that.) He also hosted "Freeze Dried Movies" late night weekends and what I think was his finest half hour" "Clover Power," a weekly program highlighting the area's 4-H youth. There are also some promos and airchecks of his tenure at WNTS radio, Indianapolis making the rounds occasionally.
I was a very proud Hoosier and fellow Ball State alum when I saw him at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles shortly before one of his first appearances on "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson."
 
All of the above. MTM did give him a break, but he was barely noticed. Carson put him on in the late 70's, that probaby was his biggest break. The daytme talk show was well-reviewed, but not watched. NBC made him a star as the post-Carson show.

I thought the 25th anniversary CBS show was understated (probably the way David wanted it), and Bill Murray was OK, but not great.

The funny thing for me, is the choice to watch David or Jay on any given night. Really depends on my mood. If I want real comedy, funny jokes and a feeling of being on top of what is going on, I choose Jay. But there are nights when I really need Dave...that caustic, somewhat sarcastic sense of humor, and always the chance of the unpredictable...something you won't likely get from Jay. I really don't have a favorite, they both offer a unique show that appeals to me in different ways. Perhaps that is what makes both of them successful.
 
searadiofreak said:
But there are nights when I really need Dave...that caustic, somewhat sarcastic sense of humor, and always the chance of the unpredictable...something you won't likely get from Jay. I really don't have a favorite, they both offer a unique show that appeals to me in different ways. Perhaps that is what makes both of them successful.
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That's exactly why I've always liked him. He's not playing down to the audience, like Lamo does, nor does he feel the need to make the soccer moms laugh. He does comedy without a net and if someone doesn't like it, oh well. I cannot wait until Conan takes over The Tonight Show in two years. While I'm sure the suits at NBC will no doubt have him tone it down a bit, it'll be a hell of alot more funnier than the show that's currently airing at 11:35 on NBC.
 
Congrats on your 25 years Dave!

I, for one, can't wait to see Conan take over the host of the Tonight Show.

If it's between Jay and Dave, its Dave.
If it's between Conan and Dave, its Conan.

I believe that Jay has become very dry and boring (esp. with his fat jokes...Jay, you are not the skinniest man in the world..., and his gay jokes...)

Wednesday, Jay did "Pitch to America," one of my favorites (besides the newspapers.) Which they usually can fit a lot in, in an 8 min period. Well, how it seemed, they are now going back to Jay, and he is giving his two cents, and a stupid joke or something like that, which means less of Pitch to America...another favorite destroyed.

Nothing will top Dave's "Great Moments in Presidential Speeches." Every time that comes on, I have to stop what I'm doing and watch...that part of Dave's show can be extremely hilarious.

My two cents done...Good Day!
 
As a longtime Letterman fan, I will say this about Leno: He's got great writers, and he seems to be live (i.e. same day) more than Dave. With topical comedy, being on top of the latest stories is important. However, Letterman's interviews are more interesting 9 times out of 10, despite him being criticized for this skill back in the day.
 
searadiofreak said:
Really depends on my mood. If I want real comedy, funny jokes and a feeling of being on top of what is going on, I choose Jay. But there are nights when I really need Dave...that caustic, somewhat sarcastic sense of humor, and always the chance of the unpredictable...something you won't likely get from Jay. I really don't have a favorite, they both offer a unique show that appeals to me in different ways. Perhaps that is what makes both of them successful.
Click to expand...

Who's Jay? ;D

Seriously Jay is known as a nice guy and I respect that but funny he's not...but that's just me.

Letterman is on at our house unless it's a rerun then we might check out whatever is on NBC.

I think Dave was better when he was on NBC. He's toned it down a little at CBS. I think it's his way of appealing to the 11:30 audience. late Night on NBC was much more unpredictable. Dave is someone the geeks can look up to because he's one of us!
 
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