MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY
5/11

Howard Stern
Don Rickles

DaveCon 2015

I was there!!
5/12

Adam Sandler
Bill Clinton




5/13

Julia Roberts
Paul Shaffer


Ryan Adams

5/14

George Clooney



Tom Waits

5/15

Oprah Winfrey
Norm Macdonald




5/18

Tom Hanks



Eddie Vedder


5/19

Bill Murray



Bob Dylan


5/20

surprises!

memorable
highlights!

the final TTL

and more!


Thanks
for  33
wonderful
 years.






Enjoy
every
sandwich,
 Dave.




GUESTS UPDATED 5/15/15 @ 1309 CT


Only some bottom-row links still work.


A FEW WORDS FROM DDY – 2023
    CBS REPORTEDLY HOPING LETTERMAN WILL RETURN

  • Dec. 24, 2023: I know nothing about newsbreak.com, but they published a report today that the success of Dave's appearance with Colbert in November is a sign that he'd do well in a return to late night TV. Oops! They're about to give away the marquee!

    ALAN KALTER'S CELEBRITY INTERVIEWS: 2005-10

  • Dec. 23, 2023: Christmas has come early. Don "The Donz" Giller, who needs no introduction, has miracled together 1.5 dozen episodes of the heartwarming (and ever-so-naughty) Alan Kalter's Celebrity Interview. (YouTube link) Be forewarned that Alan works blue in these segments, and several of them are rated PG-75. My, oh my, I loved Alan's indiscretions on LSDL. Watch closely, won't you?

    DAVE, PAUL, GAINES AND DARLENE LOVE

  • Dec. 19, 2023: It's a very special "Barbara Gaines Show," because Darlene Love is in the house. Darlene did "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" for 28 years on LNDL and LSDL. (Barbara Gaines Show YouTube link) Then there's Paul's discussion of his Cher impression of "O Holy Night." (video link)

    Be sure to watch this, because Darlene and Paul reprise "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)." I loved this tradition so much. It was the Letterman shows' greatest tradition (even better than the tough guy beating up Alan Kalter)!

    Finally, if you'd like to go back in time for a number of Darlene's performances, visit my Video Archives, and scroll down the alphabetical list to Darlene Love.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: 102nd EPISODE COMPILATION

  • Dec. 15, 2023: I've been very distracted since Part 1 came out. I've just discovered Part 3, and will watch it very soon. Here's the link. I know it will be great. Thanks so much to TV's Don Giller! This blockbuster compilation (2 hrs. 13 min.) focuses on the CBS years, 1993 to 2015. It has the impressive subtitle, "Inside Stories of David Letterman's Late Night and Late Show, as Told by the Writers, Producers and Musicians Who Guested on The Letterman Podcast." This is an exceptional effort... no surprise... by the one and only Don Giller. I'll close for now by reporting that this compilation features 30 guest interviews. I can't wait to see it! Oops. I forgot to put in the link!

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: 101st EPISODE COMPILATION

  • Dec. 12, 2023: I've been very distracted since Part 1 came out. I've just discovered Part 2, and will watch it very soon. Here's the link. I know it will be great. Thanks so much to TV's Don Giller! This compilation is subtitled, "The Transition from NBC to CBS."

    DAVE'S AUTOGRAPHED JACKET GIVEAWAY

  • Dec. 13, 2023: It's another action-packed episode of The Barbara Gaines Show. (YouTube link) There's been an ongoing raffle for a piece of the Late Show marquee, to benefit Habitat for Humanity. Visit giveawaydave.com to contribute.

    Well, now... if you win... you not only get some marquee action, you get your very own 2011 Late Show letter jacket. (I have that jacket - a gift from a Late Show producer who shall not be named - and I love it! It's the warmest thing I've ever owned.)

    C. PAUL TILSON-SHAFFER TALKS ABOUT HIS SPECTACLES

  • Dec. 11, 2023: I've often wondered how many pairs of glasses there are in Paul's collection. The answer no doubt falls closer to the hundreds than dozens. Anyway, it's sure more interesting than collecting stamps. Here's Facebook video, with Paul's thoughts on the matter.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: 100th EPISODE COMPILATION

  • Dec. 9, 2023: You have to see this: the first of four videos... kind of a best of "The Letterman Podcast," with Mike Chisholm. It's focused on the LNDL years. This masterpiece was produced and edited by TV's Don Giller. Huge thanks, of course, to Mike Chisholm, who cooked up and hosted the interviews in the first place.

    I must confess that I've just seen the first hour, and I'm typing this while watching. (It's 4:30 A.M. I'll come back soon and fill in the gaps.) Anyway, Mike's guests you'll see include Robert "Morty" Morton, Jeff "Flunky" Martin, Gerard Mulligan, Fred Graver, Steve Young, Craig Thomas, Daniel Kellison, Tom Ruprecht. This compilation is full of anecdotes about guests, and really interesting stories about how various segments and running gags developed. Don't miss this! And... there are three more parts, yet to come! Thanks so much, TV's Don Giller! You truly are The Donz.

    DAVID LETTERMAN VISITS WITH LARRY KING

  • Nov. 26, 2023: A gent on the Cleveland Live Music YouTube channel has posted (three years ago, actually) Larry King's approx. 45-minute audio interview of TV Boy in January 1990. (YouTube link) He's promoting the 8th anniversary show of LNDL, and it's classic Dave from that era. Don't miss it. Hey! Have a look at the right-side navigation column on this YouTube site. There are numerous other interesting interviews from back in the day.

    GUESS THE THANKSGIVING 2023 PIE

  • Nov. 23, 2023: Today's episode of The Barbara Gaines Show begins with random discussion, with TV's David Letterman, Gaines and Mary Barclay. Then there's a brief segment with a young boy who tells Dave about visiting an upholstery farm. Priceless. Our hosts turn to Dorothy's Thanksgiving pie guesses. Dave brags about Dorothy's amazing pies, definitely including the crusts. Then it's time for pie guessing. (YouTube link)

    TV's DAVID LETTERMAN RETURNS TO THE ED

  • Nov. 20, 2023: David M. Letterman was a guest on Stephen Colbert's show tonight. Here are some clips. I'll be looking for a full video of the encounter. Thanks, of course, to Mike Chisholm for this.
      • Dave's entrance
      • Dave talks about Green Day and The National / sits at Stephen's desk
      • Mike Chisholm livestreams the show (56 min.) ← Don't miss this!
      • Stephen reads his own Top Ten list (4/22/14)
      • Being a talk show host is a strange job.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: DAN FLAHERTY

  • Nov. 19, 2023: Mike Chisholm's guest, Dan Flaherty, is the first camera operator to appear. Tonight's episode runs 1:48. Dan has all kinds of information about the how and why of behind-the-scenes activity and practices. And... his stories bring back lots of fun memories of segments and one-time events. (YouTube link)

    DAVE'S HAVING A RETURN VISIT TO THE LATE SHOW

  • Nov. 17, 2023: Deadline.com has reported that TV's David Letterman will visit Stephen Colbert in the Ed Sullivan Theater on Monday, Nov. 20. Air time is 11:35 P EST. (Facebook link)

    THE BARBARA GAINES SHOW: MARQUEE EPISODE

  • Nov. 15, 2023: It's the latest edition of The Barbara Gaines Show, starring TV's Barbara Gaines, David M. Letterman, and Mary Barclay.

    The topic is the interplanetary raffle for one of the pieces of the Late Show with David Letterman marquee. (www.giveawaydave.com) Scroll down to Nov. 9 on this page, if you'd like to see the original announcement. Now... as you might expect, Mr. Letterman disrupts the promotion by warning us that displaying the sizable marquee on one's home is likely to result in a citation for some kind of zoning violation, or homeowners' association transgression. (Well... Rupert Jee sure never registered any complaints about virtually living under the thing, while on Broadway.) Then TV Boy further distracts the telecast by asserting that Mary Barclay is an offspring of Barbara Gaines. Is he a master of promotion, or what? Regardless of all this... my compliments to Barbara and Mary for their considerable patience with the King of Late Night's antics. (Facebook video link)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: ADAM UNGER

  • Nov. 13, 2023: Adam Unger was Warren Zevon's "guy." From my episode logs, it appears that Warren appeared on LNDL 8 times, and on LSDL 30 times... and this doesn't include mentions of Warren over the years, and tributes to him after he died. Mike Chisholm, our host, chose to post this podcast live, while recording for later viewing. It runs 02:47!

    Adam began helping compile historical documentation of Warren Zevon's work. He put great effort into it, and turned out volumes of information on Warren. Even his early work was so impressive that he was invited to continue with similar projects. Warren Zevon - over about 27 years on Letterman shows - became a good friend of Dave and his staff. This is demonstrated... among other ways... by the fact that Warren sat in for Paul Shaffer a number of times, when Paul was under the weather, or there were Jewish holidays. OK... here's your Facebook video link. Finally, remember to Enjoy Every Sandwich.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: TIM KENNEDY

  • Nov. 10, 2023: Tim Kennedy was with LSDL from 1995-2015. He had been the technical director for the CBS Evening News, when Dan Rather was doing it. After LSDL, he worked for Colbert's show for four years. This podcast runs 01:23. Thanks to 20 years with Letterman shows, Tim has all manner of stories for us. My episode logs show: 1. Tim recognized in 9/12/05 [2424] for - along with others - winning an Emmy for technical work. 2. And, on that episode, Tim put away the Late Show bear. 3. On 7/12/10 [3338], Tim got another shout out for his technical directing Emmy nomination. 4. Guess what! On 7/23/12 [3706], we learned that Tim was nominated again. [How about this? As I was watching the podcast, I was searching for Tim in my episode logs. Just as I was typing, Mike started talking to Tim about a shelf full of Emmy awards in the background!.] 5. A couple of times in 2014, Tim was seen in an episode of "Backstage Photo Club."

    I salute Tim Kennedy for his long-time contributions to LSDL, and for being an excellent guest on the podcast. Finally, I continue to be amazed at the encyclopedic knowledge Mike Chisholm has of the Letterman shows. Not only that... he's doing an outstanding job of communicating whatever he's reporting or discussing. / Here's the YouTube link!

    WILL LEE HAS JUST RELEASED AN ALBUM.

  • Nov. 9, 2023: I just learned about this. Here it is, on YouTube. To get it via another source, here you go.

    WIN THE RAFFLE FOR THE LATE SHOW MARQUEE

  • Nov. 9, 2023: The Hollywood Reporter has posted a notice about a raffle to benefit Habitat for Humanity. The grand prize is the beloved Late Show marquee. (photo by DDY, June 2008) Actually, it may be that what you'd win is one of the end pieces of the marquee.

    To enter, visit this link. Any donation of $10 or more gets you one entry into the contest. To view the announcement video (with Dave and Paul), visit the LETTERMAN channel on YouTube.

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: DENCY NELSON

  • Nov. 7, 2023: Dency Nelson had a few roles on Dave's shows: cue cards on the morning show in 1980, a talent researcher for LNDL in 1982, and a stage manager with Biff. He has all kinds of fun memories. Be sure to click on this! Oh... there's a little bit of &%$#@Ƨ�, so fast-forward through the Andy Kaufman / Jerry Lawler segment, if you wish. Thanks much to Dency for a very enjoyable look back!

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: AMY CHERIN HUMES

  • Nov. 3, 2023: Amy Humes started as a page in the early 1990s, then was a stage manager, and an assistant to Jerry Foley, early in his time as the director of LSDL. Mike Chisholm has been telling us that a lot of his best podcasts have been with individuals who aren't the most well-known Letterman staff, but who have all kinds of inside info and stories about interactions with guests, etc. Amy has nonstop stories about how things worked, etc. I definitely recommend this podcast. It runs almost 1½ hours! (YouTube link)

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: WILL LEE

  • Oct. 31, 2023: At long last, thanks to THE LETTERMAN CHANNEL, we get to hear from the great Will Lee! Don't let another day go by without watching this. (YouTube link) Will was with both Letterman late night shows for the full 33 years, on bass guitar. (Of course, he's an excellent singer, too.) He could tell stories for days on end about the countless musical guests he played with, and memorable moments on the shows. Be sure to have a look at the first link above, which lists the amazing variety of musical performances and recordings he's been part of. He's been involved with over 2,000 albums! I watched him on Dave's shows for 33 years, and must admit that I didn't have any idea how many different artists he's worked with.

    When I met Will, some years ago, and told him that I was from Manhattan, Kansas, I got a surprised look from him. That's because his dad, Dr. William Franklin Lee III, was at that time the leader of the International Association for Jazz Education, and I knew that Will had been to my home town to visit his parents.

    On November 30, 1985, in the Late Night years, the band (at that time, The World's Most Dangerous Band) produced an epic video, Dress Cool. (Thanks, Don Giller.) A whole lot of work went into producing this... music, special effects, costumes and editing. Merrill Markoe directed it. It's tremendous! / Hey! The aforementioned Don Giller has a fun, 15-minute video, World's Most Dangerous Band Comedy Segments on Letterman, 1987.

    These days, Will is keeping busy with his Beatles tribute band, The Fab Faux. (They have two shows scheduled in November 2023.)


    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: SUE HUM

  • Oct. 27, 2023: Costume Designer Sue Hum joined Mike Chisholm for an hour, to tell us all about how she brought together the annual Halloween Costumes segment. My logs show this going back to 1983. There's no point for me to write much about this awesome podcast, because Sue gives countless details about how this beloved tradition came together. Here's the YouTube podcast link. Also, here a link to 21 years' worth of Halloween Costumes, from DDY's Late Show Fan Page.

    ALAN KALTER HIGHLIGHTS COLLECTION, 1995 - 2015

  • Oct. 25, 2023: Wake the kids. Phone the neighbors! TV's Don Giller posted this extravaganza on Halloween 2021. It's 2 hrs. 50 min. of fun, featuring Alan, and it's time to watch it again. Thanks, Don! (YouTube link)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: STEVE MAZAN

  • Oct. 23, 2023: Steve Mazan (pronounced MayZAHN) is a stand-up comedian and Emmy Award winner. Back in 2011, he faced a serious health concern. A documentary, Dying to Do Letterman, was produced. A dream of his came true, and Steve got to do stand-up on episode 9/04/09 [3177]. So... the documentary is not just about having that dream, but fulfilling it. (YouTube link) This interview runs 01:56!

    Comedians who really had an impact on Steve included Sam Kinison and Andy Kaufman.

    MORTY'S FIRST DAY AS LNDL PRODUCER

  • Oct. 22, 2023: This is fun. Morty kind of gets baptized by fire, compliments of Dave, as he's the new producer. I didn't start keeping episode logs until 1985 - and they were very minimal at first - so I don't have a date for this. Anyway, it's fun. (video link)

    PAUL'S STILL OUT THERE, GETTIN' IT DONE

  • Oct. 18, 2023: Paul Shaffer, who needs no introduction in these parts, was on keyboard duty for The Kelly Clarkson Show recently, on NBC. (video link) They performed Patti LaBelle's New Attitude.

    Kelly appeared on LSDL on 5/06/03 [1977], 5/08/07 [2749] and 7/13/09 [3148]. By the way... if you can imagine this... Paul was wearing designer spectacles.

    WAHOO! MIKE McINTEE'S STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS

  • Oct. 17, 2023: This is awesome! The LETTERMAN CHANNEL has just posted a blockbuster Staff Favorite Moments video, narrated by Wahoo Mike McIntee. Mike was tremendous to all of us at the annual DaveCons. He's referred to here as Production Coordinator, but in the latest credits roll for the show, he was an Associate Producer. Mike was with LSDL from 1994 to 2015.

    A huge contribution to the Letterman experience was his online recap after each episode, the Wahoo Gazette. The name came, no doubt, from LSDL calling Wahoo, Nebraska the home office. In April 1996, there was a competition between Grand Rapids, Michigan and Wahoo, Nebraska to be designated as the latest Home Office. On May 3, 1996, Dave proclaimed that Wahoo won. Anyway, sadly, this fun publication did not survive the end of the Late Show, as it was on cbs.com. Anyway, Part 2... After every episode, Mike posted his Wahoo Gazette, Don Giller added all manner of details to his Super Secret Internet Database, and I wrote my episode log. It was great fun comparing what I wrote about the show to Mike's gazette, especially since he had inside knowledge that I didn't have as a civilian.

    Mike gives us the back stories on how segments that included him came together. He played a police officer now and then, and a ticket scalper. He stood in for Alan Kalter as announcer. He helped dump about 20 gallons of gravy on Dave at his desk. He was the pope. And his fans called him Wahoo Mike. Don't miss his stories: (YouTube link)

    RUPERT JEE'S RETIREMENT EVENT: VIDEO!

  • Oct. 10, 2023: I have no idea why Dave wasn't at the retirement whoopteedo, but earlier today, Dave posted a video to the Letterman channel on YouTube. It's 41-action packed minutes! Comments from Dave quickly transitioned to video of the retirement event festivities. (YouTube link)

    RUPERT JEE AND MAY THANK LETTERMAN STAFF

  • Oct. 10, 2023: Mike Chisholm of The Letterman Podcast was asked by Rupert Jee to pass on his gratitude for the retirement party in the Ed Sullivan Theater on October 6. Here's Rupert's message:

    "Dear Late Show Family,

    We send our heartfelt thanks to Dave for his gracious and generous kindness; to you, Walter, Nancy & the LS gang for your impeccable planning and HARD WORK. The celebration ws a memorable goodbye, and more so, a sentimental reunion of the Letterman Family.

    Walter, thanks for your great MC - hosting. The warm and funny speeches from Tom, Kathy, Mike, Chris and Tanya touched us all.

    We were so pleased by the video presentations from Jill, Donick, Jon, Steve and, of course, the great Mr. Letterman!

    And Matt, it meant so much to us that you came from London, even though a Rupert Jee T-shirt was a meager compensation. Loving thanks go to all who traveled long distance to be with us.

    Paul, we cannot thank you enough for the support, on & off camera, you have given us through the years. Your musical performance, enhanced by the Vegas-style dancers, livened our celebration all the more!

    How lucky we were to be among the sharpest minds and hardest workers of the entertainment industry of our Country! Thank you all for honoring us, giving us a journey that dreams are made of!

    Our love goes out to all of you!

    Always,
    Rupert and May
    Hello Deli NY"

    CHRIS ELLIOTT IS PAUL SHAFFER

  • Oct. 8, 2023: The LETTERMAN channel reportedly got a request for this gem. We can't have enough of Chris Elliott portraying C. Paul Tilson-Shaffer. From LNDL 3/25/87, here you go. (Paul was back moments after the performance, and said he was OK with it.)

    RUPERT'S RETIREMENT PARTY

  • Oct. 6, 2023: Bob Borden has posted a picture with Rupert at his retirement party. The location is the Ed Sullivan Theater, of all places! (Hello Deli is part of that building.) I can't imagine going to NYC without visiting Hello Deli. I certainly thank Rupert for his hospitality and friendship at our annual DaveCons, and wish him and May all the best. (Facebook link)

    Here we have Rupert briefly addressing attendees at his Hello Deli retirement event in the Ed Sullivan Theater on Oct. 6. Thanks to Marilyn Sargent for this. (video)

    My Late Show episode logs' first record of Rupert dates back to episode 16, as Dave was meeting his neighbors:

    9/20/93 [16]: more visits to neighbors around Broadway / A heretofore unknown deli owner named Rupert Jee comes in and gets a standing ovation.

    Here's video from May 19, 2015, of Rupert's last appearance on the Late Show... one day before the final episode. Thanks to the LETTERMAN channel for this.


    TV's Rupert Jee with TV's Bob Borden

    DAVE'S MEAN BOSS (CHARLETON HESTON)

  • Oct. 5, 2023: Seriously... who better to lay the Ten Commandments on Dave than Moses... a.k.a. Ben Hur... a.k.a. the president of the National Rifle Association? Charlton's admonitions aired on 9/06/95, and are a production of the Letterman Channel. (YouTube link)

    DAVE ON STRIKE FORCE FIVE

  • Oct. 2, 2023: I'd never heard of strikeforcefive. It's a podcast comprised of talk show hosts. There's Dave, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver. A topic on this podcast is Dorothy Mengering. (Oct. 2 - partial clip) (Top 10 List by Celebrity Mothers) (Top Ten Pieces of Advice I Gave My Celebrity Child, presented onstage by mothers: Lance Armstrong - Linda, Stefan Marbury - Mabel, Liv Tyler - Bebe Buell, Avril Lavigne - Judy, Jimmy Fallon - Gloria, Carson Daly - Patty, Tyra Banks - Carolyn, Julia Roberts - Gerard Mulligan as Betty Lou, Beyonce Knowles - Tina, David Letterman - Dorothy)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: JOANNA JORDAN

  • Sep. 29, 2023: Mike Chisholm's guest is the leader of Central Talent Booking, Joanna Jordan. Robert Morton hired her in November 1995. Her title, at least at first, was Talent Executive. At some point, her title was Talent Consultant. Regardless of those details, the important piece is that Joanna brought all manner of inside details and stories. Something fascinating is her specific stories about competing shows (Letterman vs. Leno) trying to snag ratings gems from the other show. Leno's show tried hard to get Jack Hanna to come over to the dark side, but failed. Another who was gold on Letterman was Julia Roberts. Then there was booking Norm Macdonald on the day he was fired by SNL. Joanna said, "We could never get enough of Norm."

    Joanna talked about being able to foretell the future, and booking an Emmy or Oscar winner in advance, someone from the Super Bowl championship team, a Grammy winner, etc. Human interest stories were big. Oh... guess who had to inform a booked guest that they needed to be rescheduled, in favor of someone who was the hot topic of the day.

    This episode runs 1.5 hours. Thanks much to Joanna and Mike for collaborating on an exceptional podcast! (YouTube link) (centraltalentbooking.com)

    ISAAC ASIMOV PREDICTS THE FUTURE

  • Sep. 26, 2023: I have to admit, while I saw almost every episode of the 33 years of Letterman on late night, I never saw an episode from the morning show. I know I would have enjoyed Isaac Asimov's Vision of the Future, which aired on 10/21/80. When in college, majoring in science education, I read several of Asimov's books. Here's a 13-minute video of Dr. Asimov.

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: ANTON FIG

  • Sep. 26, 2023: This - from the Letterman Channel - is awesome. One of our heroes, TV's Anton Fig, has 16 minutes of clips and stories from his days on LNDL and LSDL. My logs show that we first saw Anton when he sat in on 3/16/86. His first official night as the drummer on LNDL was 5/05/86. On 4/30/87, Anton presented the Top Ten Least-Used Hyphenated Words. On 6/20/89, Anton and Ringo Starr had a cold open. On 8/15/90, we were treated to the premiere of "Anton Fig's Expiration Date Guess." (Milk) Now, an epic performance was on LNDL on 1/08/88, when Anton bit the head off a canary. I have that one in my Video Archives. Anton really enjoyed playing with Miles Davis, James Brown, Pete Townshend, Warren Zevon, the Foo Fighters, and Bruce Springsteen on the final LSDL. Be sure to watch Anton's entire "Staff Favorite Moments." (YouTube link)

    THE LETTERMAN CHANNEL: THE WRITERS' STRIKE

  • Sep. 25, 2023: Happy autumn, everyone. I very much enjoyed the Peace Through Dramatization Players, but I must admit that I forgot that the beloved recurring segment traced back to LNDL (8/09/88). This action-packed episode, "Dave Explains the Writers' Strike," features Marie O'Donnell as Mom, and Jeff "Flunky" Martin as Dad. Finally, TV's Calvert "Larry Bud" DeForest-Melman delivers an unforgettable performance as the Phantom of the Grand Ole Opry or whatever. (YouTube link)

    THE LETTERMAN CHANNEL: WGA STRIKE FUN FACTS

  • Sep. 22, 2023: Hi. I'm sorry I'm behind on these links. I'm determined to catch up. / From LSDL 1/04/08 [2844]: Dave announces that he's probably getting shaved in Monday's episode. He cautions Barbara Gaines that he doesn't want a similar outcome as last time (July 5, 1988, I believe), when he looked like he'd been in a knife fight. It seems he wants a trim before the close work starts. "It's the same thing they do with sheep," Dave says. / Guess what? The al-Qaida writers are on strike, too. / OK... here we have Dave's Fun Facts: WGA Strike Edition (YouTube link) (Dave's comments video)

    DAVE'S GENEROSITY DURING THE 2007 WRITERS' STRIKE

  • Sep. 19, 2023: This is kind of a big deal. For example, the Emmys have been delayed from September to January. In 2007, Worldwide Pants Incorporated announced that non-writer staff would continue to be paid. I know that Dave was always good to his staff. Check out the Rolling Stone link for details. Also, here's video from LSDL 11-01-07 [2840].

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: THE DONZ!!

  • Sep. 15, 2023: My pal, the legendary Don Giller, began the podcast by informing host Mike Chisholm, "I'm going to ignore all your questions!" He did bring Show and Tell: It's a Rubik's Cube. It has various Dave pictures and Late Night with David Letterman references, logos, etc., which in March of 1982, TV Boy demolished on-air with a hammer. Next, Don produced a watch commemorating the 1,000th Late Night with David Letterman. Don has a trophy from the 10th annual Jay Thomas Holiday Quarterback Challenge. He has a Late Night letter jacket. In fact, he shows several, including the Thank You and Good Night jacket from 2015. (YouTube link)

    Don and Mike got into a lengthy discussion of how The Donz acquired tape of obscure happenings. Donz interacted often with Shecky (Rick Scheckman). (Here's a video tribute to him.) We sadly lost Shecky on March 10, 2023. Then Don told lots of stories about what he went through to acquire video of 4,000+ CBS episodes. Shecky was a helpful source of some, as he was the Film Coordinator for LSDL.

    Donz 28 minutes in: "I don't know if you want to get into this, but what do I care?" he he! Don brought up interesting facts from LNDL in the 80s, and variations in the shows' usual patterns along the way. For example, some specials ran 90 minutes. (Donz worried aloud during this stretch that there would be lots of yawns. Nope. I was wide awake, eating Planters® peanuts.) Then he talked about getting dubs of episodes from Shecky, early on.

    Then there was the 1/16/91 LNDL episode, which never aired, as the Gulf War had just begun. My episode logs from that week state that the 1/17/91 episode was never taped. Wendy Wasserstein, Danny Aielo, and Linda Evangelista were the scheduled guests. The 1/18/91 show began, but after three minutes, NBC cut to Tom Brokaw, with Gulf War updates. It was later aired on 1/25/91. Another interesting topic was outtakes from episodes.

    Don revealed that he's compiling a complete set of Rupert's appearances on LNDL. That comes to 446 episodes! Don's up to about 100 so far. What a project! My episode log for 9/20/93 [16] says: "more visits to neighbors around Broadway / A heretofore unknown deli owner named Rupert Jee comes in and gets a standing ovation."

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: JEFF STILSON

  • Sep. 12, 2023: Jeff Stilson was a writer for LSDL from 1993 to 1995. Before that he did stand-up on LNDL, on 5/09/89, 8/02/90, 10/16/91, 12/22/92 and 5/11/93. On LSDL, Jeff appeared in "Staff Nightmares" (2/22/94), and did stand-up on 4/27/01 and 1/22/10. On 6/09/94, Jeff was "Phil, the CBS Page Who Just Doesn't Get It." Jeff talked about Dave and Richard Simmons doing a remote. Something I appreciated was Jeff declaring that Hal Gurnee "was the greatest late night television director of all time." (He's right!) (YouTube link)

    THE LETTERMAN CHANNEL: PAUL & DAVE ON SUMMER

  • Aug. 31, 2023: It's our pals, Dave and Paul, talking about summer activities. Paul has pool parties with Demi Lovato and others, he says. Next weekend, he's doing a fundraiser with Jeff Barry. Wikipedia says of Jeff (who's now 85):
    "Among the most successful songs that he has co-written in his career are Do Wah Diddy Diddy, Da Doo Ron Ron, Then He Kissed Me, Be My Baby, Chapel of Love, and River Deep - Mountain High (all written with his then-wife Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector), Leader of the Pack (written with Greenwich and Shadow Morton), Sugar, Sugar (written with Andy Kim), and Without Us (written with Tom Scott).
    And, as we've known for some time, Victoria Lily Shaffer is involved in pet rescue. Visit Victoria Shaffer's Pup Culture.

    Finally, TV Boy claims that he's going to sing a couple of songs in an upcoming Taylor Swift concert. I'm not buying it! As we know, sometimes Dave likes to make up stories.

    Here's your YouTube link.

    THE LETTERMAN CHANNEL: ANDY KAUFMAN

  • August 27, 2023: Here's a visit from Andy on Dave's morning show, 10/15/80. His grooming and personal hygiene are substandard, and he has a nagging cough. He's definitely off in la la land, but has enough presence of mind to enter the audience in hopes of a little cash. Thankfully, Andy would survive long enough to receive a prearranged sucker punch from Jerry Lawler on Late Night, on 7/28/82. Back to 1980... a page or production assistant escorts Andy out of the room, and thus ended his guest segment. (YouTube video)

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: THE SKIT THAT BOMBED

  • August 18, 2023: LNDL writers James Downey and Andy Breckman give us the back story on the segment they've entitled "The Skit That Bombed." (This Favorite Moments was posted on 6/28/22, by the way.) (YouTube link) The segment involved Dave holding for the camera a series of poster board cards with black and white photos. Dave would recite the hopefully-funny story the writers made up for each photo. It's a fun look back at Dave, 40 years ago, on 8/17/83. By the way, a very nice part of this episode was a look at make-up goddess Candy Carell, beginning at 09:09.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: JOSH ROBERT THOMPSON

  • Aug. 16, 2023: I was extremely busy with work on May 30, and totally missed the posting of this episode. I'm now plugging it here. Josh was involved with Craig Ferguson's version of The Late Late Show, and a definite claim to fame is playing Craig's robot skeleton sidekick, Geoff Peterson. (Wikipedia) (YouTube link) This extravaganza runs 2.5 hours!

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: THE PAUL SHAFFER BOBBLEHEAD

  • Aug. 15, 2023: The great Will Lee has commissioned a bobblehead to honor TV's Paul Shaffer. He found a company that does them, and sent pictures of Paul to use in the process. In a special five-minute podcast, we'll see the unboxing. Don't miss the latest episode from Underpants Productions. (YouTube video)

    MUJIBUR & SIRAJUL's COAST TO COAST TOUR

  • Aug. 3, 2023: The proprietors of K&L's Rockamerica souvenir store, Mujibur Rahman and Sirajul Islam, were dispatched by Dave to tour America, from Niagara Falls to the Golden Gate Bridge.

    The westward tour began on June 10, 1994, and they were welcomed home at the Ed Sullivan Theater on July 18. Their stops along the way didn't all make sense geographically. In order of air dates, they checked in from Niagara Falls, St. Louis, Mt. Rushmore, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Montana, New Orleans, Washington D.C., the Grand Canyon, San Francisco / Golden Gate and had their grand return on July 18. Here are a few highlights from the LETTERMAN channel... posted today. (YouTube link)

    LETTERMAN FANS MOURN THE PASSING OF PEE WEE HERMAN

  • July 30, 2023: I'm sad to report the loss of Paul Reubens, a fun Letterman guest, and a unique comic actor. (New York Post) Here's a link to Don Giller's Pee Wee Herman Complete Collection on Letterman.

    From the LETTERMAN channel, here are:
    Pee Wee Herman Gets Extremely Close to Dave (5-17-83)
    Pee Wee Herman Takes Dave for a Drive in the Country (7/05/83)
    Pee Wee Herman and Dave's Haunted Mansion (10-31-83)
    Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure' Gets Big Reviews (7-30-85)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: TIGE RODGERS

  • July 28, 2023: There's a school of thought that, "The interns have all the great stories." Mike Chisholm had an hour and 11 minutes with Tige Rodgers, who began as an intern. Tige reported that at first he was disappointed when he was assigned to the mail room at first. Well, it turns out that the mail room interns get to run all over the theater delivering mail, and therefore he interacted with pretty much everyone on staff. I haven't finished watching the podcast yet, but I can report that Tige is a great story teller, and he has a bunch of fun stories to tell. Tige told Mike that he was a "fan boy," but the mail room intern had to pretend that he wasn't a fan boy. Don't miss this!

    DAVE SURPRISES SHOPPERS IN IOWA BY BAGGING GROCERIES

  • July 21, 2023: Our favorite co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing was in Des Moines for the Hy-Vee Indy Car race, so he stopped by a Hy-Vee store, and bagged groceries. TV Boy knows a thing or two about racing and supermarkets. He grew up in Broad Ripple, 12 miles from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In the 1960s, he bagged groceries at the Atlas Supermarket. Here's the story. And... here's YouTube video!

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: MATT ROBERTS

  • July 21, 2023: Wake the kids... phone the neighbors. Head writer Matt Roberts is in the house! Mike Chisholm is delighted to welcome him, along with TV's Don Giller, for 2 hrs. and 52 min.

    Matt began as an intern in the summer of '92. After college, he felt he should apply for a position at the big show, so he moved to NYC with about $2,000. He applied to work in the mail room, at about the time when the big show was headed to CBS. (episode 1: 8/30/93... but you knew that) Matt had just turned down a low-paying retail job when the phone rang, and LSDL offered him a ticket office job.

    After the ticket office, Matt held positions as talent researcher, segment producer, producer, writer, supervising producer, executive producer and head writer! OK... this episode was just posted this morning, and I haven't seen all of it, so I'll add to this introduction after seeing all of it. Here's the YouTube link!

    WILL LEE ANNOUNCES A NEW WEB SITE!

  • July 14, 2023: Our bassist hero, Will Lee, announced today that he's rolled out a newly-updated web site, www.willlee.com. He said,
    "I'm super psyched & proud of my new webpage. It's the product of many talented (and patient) people, and it's chock full of new features: Gorgeous graphics, music, videos, updated discography, info and more! You can even sign up for the newsletter there!"

    His e-mail announcement mentioned a recording session with Paul Shaffer and others in early August, and gigs in NYC, Japan and Germany. Unfortunately, the links are about two feet long, but watch for them on his site. Finally, don't forget The Fab Faux, Will's Beatles tribute band, who will be back together in November.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: MATT LARKIN

  • June 30, 2023: Matt Larkin was a Letterman fan in his teenage years. He journeyed to NYC, hoping to sign on as an intern. He worked in audience coordination, which means he was a page. He got to meet numerous celebrities along the way. So... here's your link to ~1.75 hours of YouTube fun. Remember to march yourself over to hello-deli.com to grab a bunch of Letterman shirts, etc.

    THE LATE SHIFT

  • June 28, 2023: Bill Carter, author of the 1995 book The Late Shift: Letterman, Leno, and the Network Battle for the Night, posted today that he had noticed a vendor of his excellent book was about to lower the price. I don't know if he meant Amazon, or what, but here's a link to some good prices for it.

    SHOUT OUT TO THE GREAT DON GILLER: 200,000,000 VIEWS!

  • June 26, 2023: Within recent hours, Letterman Superfan Don "The Donz" Giller passed a milestone, now with 200 million views of his Letterman video channel on YouTube!

    Don has all of the 6,028 shows recorded from Letterman's runs on NBC and CBS, and saved as digital videos. Having digital copies has made it practical for him to produce compilation videos. These include appearances by specific guests, popular segments such as Viewer Mail, Alan Kalter highlights, Tony Mendez highlights: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7), Dave Talks to Kids, Biff Henderson's interruptions, Hit by Cabs collection, Hal Gurnee's Network Time Killers, a Rick Sheckman memorial collection, a Julia Child collection, and New Catch Phrases. AND... Don has a huge database with all the details of every single Letterman show! Thanks so much, Don.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST, WITH CANDACE CHISHOLM

  • June 23, 2023: Mike Chisholm is recently back from Rick Scheckman's memorial, Sheckfest, in NYC. While there, he visited with a number of our heroes, including Paul and Will, Steve Young. He went out for steak with none ofher than Rupert Jee. Guess what! Mike got to go to Don Giller's place! (Yes, I've had that amazing privilege.) This is surprising... Mike saw the Ed Sullivan Theater for the first time on this trip. This has been an Underpants production. (YouTube link)

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: CHRIS SCHUKEI

  • June 20, 2023: Chris Schukei was the music coordinator for a number of years, and he has an awesome collection of stories. Most of them involved Paul and the CBSO. This is a must-see 16 minutes of stories on the LETTERMAN Channel. I'll be delighted if he comes back to give us more! (YouTube video)

    THE DONZ ON ALEX BENNETT'S RAMBLE PODCAST

  • June 23, 2023: My friend, Don "The Donz" Giller, was a guest on Alex Bennett's podcast this week. (YouTube link) Alex begins with basic questions about Don's complete videotape collection of Letterman shows (which, over the years, have been digitized).

    Something I definitely found interesting was a discussion on the rights to distribute Letterman shows. CBS took down all the Letterman content from cbs.com after the show ended on May 20, 2015. Of course, Worldwide Pants actually owns the rights to the shows from the Late Show years.

    Alex asked Don if he preferred the LNDL or LSDL years. Don gave the nod to the NBC years, when the show was more "high school with money," as Dave called his shows.

    I was excited, thinking Don's guest appearance would last all 1 hr. 25 min. of the episode, but his segment was 27 minutes. There seems to be an agreement to continue their visit later on, and I'm sure it will be interesting!

    LENO ON LETTERMAN

  • June 19, 2023: This is really interesting. (YouTube link) Jay Leno is with Neal Brennan, on The Blocks Podcast, discussing Johnny's and Dave's quest for the Tonight Show. Jay was very complimentary about Dave's work. I felt he was being very frank about their relationship. He said Dave makes him laugh as much as anyone. He said his success was "hinged" to Dave. He really enjoyed making Dave laugh. He said "If Letterman ever wanted anything, I'd be there." Ha! I didn't know until today that Dave appeared on Neal's podcast on Dec. 8, 2022!

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: JAMES HENDERSON III

  • June 16, 2023: James J. "Biff" Henderson was with Dave's late night shows for 33 years, in addition to the morning show. Mike Chisholm's latest podcast guest is his son, James III. (Who knew that Biff is a Vietnam vet?) It's a very enjoyable hour. Be sure to drop by soon. I hope Mike is also able to interview Biff one of these days! (YouTube link)

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: HAROLD LARKIN

  • June 13, 2023: This just in from the LETTERMAN channel: Harold Larkin was the head carpenter for LSDL from 1995 to the final show in 2015. He contributed by setting up the theater and equipment for stunts, as well as having the starring role in segments.

    He tells us about the dive from the top of the Ed Sullivan Theater into a pool on Broadway. Harold and Co. set up an impossibly difficult motorcycle obstacle course on Broadway, with ramps, busses, a tiger cage, etc. They never even pretended to do it. Harold and Co. helped celebrities fly around the stage, including Richard Simmons (as Cupid), and Bill Murray. They reinforced the marquee so Paul McCartney and his band wouldn't collapse it. (That appearance attracted a multitude of people.) A recurring gag was for Harold to have a mishap that resulted in him bleeding out from his jugular veins (although the gushing blood was more like a fire hose). Then there was the gag when Harold sat buck nekked on every audience seat. (Thanks to Jerry Foley and Co. for the large blue dot over Harold's junk.)

    Harold really enjoyed the annual Christmas time visit from Jay Thomas, with his Lone Ranger story, and Darlene Love, with "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)." It was a highlight to be able to meet Darlene. (For me, it was my favorite show of the year, for sure.) (YouTube link)

    UNABOMBER STUFF

  • June 12, 2023: The Letterman Channel has a compilation of Top Tens from the LSDL years about The Unabomber. I just read that he kicked the bucket in prison, two days ago. Anyway, watch this Top Ten compilation, or else!

    DAVE HANGS OUT WITH JOHN MELLENCAMP

  • June 9, 2023: Dave begins by claiming that "Trumpy" is in a federal pententiary in Kansas, which, of course, would be Leavenworth. (It's two counties south of Denton, where I grew up.) I don't think I need to explain that Dave's just making stuff up. Donald may end up in Leavenworth, but I don't believe he's there now.

    Dave very much enjoyed John Mellencamp's show, earlier this week. They're both from Indiana. Oh... then Mr. Wise Guy claims his parents saved their money when he was a boy, so that in the summer, Dave could go to Melon Camp. (YouTube link)

    LETTERMAN'S SWITCH TO CBS: SPIKE FERESTEN

  • June 9, 2023: Here's a clip from Cars & Comedy / Late Night Playset. Spike Feresten, a Letterman writer, recalls the uncertainty and happenings as the drama over who would replace Johnny Carson played out. Here's the link to the full video on YouTube from Late Night Playset.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: JILL BAYOR

  • June 9, 2023: No... not the aspirin! Check the spelling. Jill signed on with LNDL in its early years, as an intern. She was 19. Having done one year of college, she realized that what she really wanted to do at that early stage of her adult life was to work with the Letterman show. She called frequently for six months. Her persistence paid off. She was selected as an unpaid assistant to Dave, and she was around him "all the time." She wanted to be a TV writer. Guess what! She got to write intros for Bill Wendell. Jill has all kinds of stories about experiences and incidents related to her job. She occasionally took calls from Johnny Carson. Later, Jill moved to SNL.

    I send my sincere thanks and admiration to both Mike Chisholm and Jill Bayor for this fascinating and fun 1.75 hours. Jill is very upbeat, is a great story teller and she's had so many experiences with classic shows like LNDL and SNL. (YouTube link)

    JOHN MELLENCAMP WITH TV BOY (TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL)

  • June 8, 2023: TV's David Letterman showed up for this hour-long interview of John with a newly-shaved head. Apparently that's due to Harry recently finishing his school year. (YouTube link) Unfortunately, the people who produced this didn't provide microphones for the gents, so you'll hear their voices, as though from afar. (You get used to it after a while.) The course of the interview is fairly random. You get to see what John is like. About 60 minutes into the 63-minute interview, Dave asked John if there's anything he'd like to cover. John kind of mumbled something, and that was the end of it.

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: MATT ROBERTS

  • June 6, 2023: Matt Roberts went from intern to executive producer and head writer. Working for the Letterman shows was always his goal. He was attracted by nonsense like The Thrill Cam and The Dancing Waters. He reminds of Chris Elliott's antics. Then there was time 4/05/96 [569] when Marshall Sylver hypnotized him.

    Matt helped create The Weekend Late Show, with Bruce and Linda, with ran from October 2011 to 2013. (It was intentionally bad.)

    Nathan Lane was a favorite guest. After a long wait, they booked Bill Clinton. Speaking of presidents... Matt recalls the final LSDL, when several U.S. presidents said, "Our long national nightmare is over." (YouTube link)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: MIKE CHISHOLM ON BROADWAY

  • June 4, 2023: Mike is in New York today, strolling down Broadway on Facebook live. He has a long, unexpected visit with May Chin in Hello Deli, on all manner of topics.

    ROCKET MAN: THE EVERY-ORNERY DON RICKLES

  • June 2, 2023: Thanks to Henry Hanks for reminding us of this 10-minute compilation. The LETTERMAN channel put it together. (video) The last LSDL episode I was in the audience for was the last DaveCon, on May 11, 2015. Dave's guests included Don Rickles and Howard Stern. Boy howdy, was that ever fun!

    DAVE AND MARY, LIVE FROM TRUMP TOWER

  • May 31, 2023: Mary Barclay's the host of this action-packed episode from the Letterman channel, and Walter Kim's the videographer. It's action-packed, because there's Indy 500 footage. Mary and Dave were protected from falling off (or being blown off) the Trump Tower by chicken wire. (Donald Trump was a guest on 6/02/14 [4037], when I was in the audience for DaveCon 2014). Here's your YouTube link.

    When I'd visit NYC for DaveCon, which was near 53rd St., I always stayed at the Best Western President Hotel (later The Galivant), on 48th St. Once per visit, I'd walk up 5th Avenue to around 59th St., to the Apple Store, so I'd go by the Trump Tower, between 56th and 57th Streets. Trump Tower is 664 feet tall, which is more than two city blocks high! It reportedly cost $300,000,000. As TV's Paul Shaffer would say, "I've got that on me!"

    TINA TURNER MEMORIES

  • May 28, 2023: This gem from the Letterman channel is from LNDL on 5/31/84. To begin Tina's guest segment, Dave gives Tina a brand new Tuna Turner®. (YouTube link) And... here's a musical performance by Tina, "I Don't Wanna Fight," from 4/30/93. (YouTube link) We lost Tina on May 24. She was 83. RIP to a legend.

    WILL LEE GOT A LETTER FROM SIR PAUL McCARTNEY

  • May 27, 2023: Will recently sang one of Paul's songs at Carnegie Hall. And, of course, Will is with The Fab Faux, a Beatles tribute band. So... Paul sent Will fan mail. Here's the story on Facebook.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: BARBARA GAINES' URPFEST

  • May 24, 2023: Why is TV's David Letterman wearing a stocking cap on the 24th of May? Anyway, Barbara Gaines journeyed to Amsterdam last week. She visited an impressive restaurant there. Something didn't set well with her, and she urped. (She said she has the axid reflux.) Dave immediately diagnosed Barbara's disorder as gastroparesis. (It's when your tummy doesn't contract normally, your grub doesn't move through your digestive tract, and you regurgitate.) Maybe's he's onto something. Regardless, Gaines tossed her cookies very neatly and discretely.

    A while later, she was out and about, and she felt the urge to urp again. Barbara really let 'er rip this time. Her wife, Aari Ludvigsen, photographed the evidence, and we get to see pictures. The glop was green! (YouTube link)

    AT LAST! WALTER KIM GIVES US HIS FAVORITE MOMENTS

  • May 23, 2023: Walter Kim worked for Letterman shows from 1993 to 2015. I'm especially happy to see this, because Walter and Jay Johnson produced the Tony Mendez Show episodes, when I was in NYC for the annual DaveCon. (YouTube link)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: ROB STOVER

  • May 23, 2023: Mike Chisholm's guest is fellow Canadian Rob Stover, an LSDL fan who was in The Ed on 5/20/15, for the last taping. Ha! Rob's wearing a Dick Assmania t-shirt! This podcast runs an hour and 26 minutes! Rob has a bunch of interesting bits and pieces to tell about being in the audience for the final show. I highly recommend this! (YouTube link)

    PAUL SHAFFER INITIALLY TURNED DOWN DAVE

  • May 22, 2023: Can you imagine Letterman in late night without Paul Shaffer? I can't. Here's a real interesting piece of history, with info that I don't remember reading elsewhere, including the fact that Paul originally turned down the offer. Ultimately, Paul clearly found happiness with Dave for 33 years, and he banked millions of $$$. Paul says he very much appreciated being allowed to do whatever he wanted on the show. (msn.com story)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: ROBERT MORTON

  • May 19, 2023: Mike Chisholm's been pestering Robert "Morty" Morton to be on the podcast, and here he is! Morty was a producer for Dave's shows for quite a while, and fairly often, he ended up on camera. The first time on camera I have for him in my episode logs is 8/12/87, for a segment entitled list of differences between Barry Sand and Robert Morton. Morty has all kinds of stories about Dave and Tom Snyder. He has stories about John Gotti, too! (Wikipedia link) (YouTube link)

    By the way... this video treasure ended abruptly. That's because there's a part two, coming soon, so stay tuned for more awesome stories from Morty. (YouTube link)

    OK... here we go! On May 26, we got Part 2. It's an hour and 21 minutes! There are all kinds of topics. Morty revealed that he got fired from LSDL. Something I really enjoyed is when Mike started naming well-known staff, and Morty commented. Merrill Markoe: genius, the heart and soul of the operation, the creator of the show and its sensibility / Steve O'Donnell: another genius, a great writer, carried the torch, a lovely guy, creator of the Top Ten / Pete Fatovich: the funniest guy you'll ever meet, a joy to be with / Chris Elliott: a natural, started as an intern, always delivered, his pieces on the show were my favorites / Madeline Smithberg: a force of nature, found the most obscure things and milking the comedy from them / Rick Scheckman: an enigma, everybody's pal, a photographic mind / Barbara Gaines: heart and soul of the operation, a good woman / Don Giller: (not safe for work)

    Mike concluded by asking Morty for his suggestions on guests for My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. 1. Steve Martin 2. Dr. Fauci 3. a great director   • • •   After signing off with Morty, Mike reported that he, Morty and Don Giller visited privately for another 1.5 hours!

  • STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: JILL GOODWIN

  • May 16, 2023: Jill Goodwin had a few roles with LSDL: intern, receptionist, assistant to Jude Brennan & Barbara Gaines, a writers' assistant, and finally, a writer for the final five years of the show. She reminded us that for a time, Johnny Carson faxed monologue jokes to Dave. I especially enjoyed this bit of "found comedy," when the Lt. Governor of Iowa, while giving a press conference about swine flu, coughed incessantly! And... she thought up some wacky entrances for Bill Murray's visits. Watch closely, won't you? (YouTube link)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: JONATHAN GREEN

  • May 12, 2023: Jonathan Green wrote for LSDL from 2001 - 2004. After that, he wrote for the final season of The Office. This extravaganza runs 1.75 hours, so pack a lunch! This is a very upbeat, interesting visit. Jonathan was involved with Dr. Phil's Words of Wisdom, so he got the "privilege" of watching Dr. Phil every day, to harvest those gems. (YouTube link) Mike Chisholm's much-appreciated podcast is sponsored by hello-deli.com.

    DAVE REMEMBERS BRUCE McCALL

  • May 10, 2023: This is related to the May 7 entry below. Bruce McCall passed away on May 5. Dave, who co-wrote This Land Was Built for You and Me (But Mostly Me): Billionaires in the Wild with Bruce, has several minutes' worth of memories about him. I found it interesting that Dave, who I've long known has an excellent vocabulary, referred to Bruce as taciturn. (adjective: reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little) As I watched videos of Bruce's appearances with Dave the other day, I noticed that while he was known for cranking out funny, satirical books, he never once cracked a smile during his interviews. I wonder how Bruce would respond, if questioned about his stern demeanor, but I don't think he'd deny it. (YouTube link)

    FAVORITE MOMENTS: CARTER BAYS AND CRAIG THOMAS

  • May 9, 2023: Don't miss this!! Carter Bays and Craig Thomas wrote for LSDL in the late 1990s / early 2000s. Craig was a major player in the genius idea of Pat and Kenny Read Oprah Transcripts. I hadn't thought about the fact that Pat always played Oprah, and Kenny played her guest, as they read the transcripts. Carter and Craig were involved in the segments with General Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon. (Buzz was promoted to Brigadier General a few days ago.) Just before Carter and Craig left the show, they cooked up the idea of Will It Float?. They recognized how much the late, great Alan Kalter could bring to the show. They were in charge of CBS Mailbag for a few years. (YouTube link)

    BRUCE McCALL'S ZANY AFTERNOONS

  • May 7, 2023: This look at the past from the LETTERMAN channel is from 12/22/82... the first season of LNDL. Bruce McCall brought a bunch of off-the-wall paintings, which are included in his book Zany Afternoons (only $118.13, from Amazon). Some of Bruce's art is dark-themed, some ironic and some is plain weird. I don't remember this interview. Bruce is a total straight man, even though his work is wacky and funny. He didn't crack a smile once during the interview. Hey! We got a Berkshire Place commercial from Bill Wendell! Here's your YouTube link.

    My logs don't show Bruce being seen again for 19 years... until 10/15/01 [1691], when he came on to plug a fairly similar book, The Last Dream-O-Rama, about cars that were never built. He came back on 3/16/04 [2139], to plug All Meat Looks Like South America. On 11/21/08 [3023], he re-emerged to plug Marveltown. After a near-five-year hiatus, Bruce came by for 11/04/13 [3932], to help plug the new picture book he wrote with Dave, This Land Was Built for You and Me (But Mostly Me): Billionaires in the Wild.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: CARTER BAYS

  • May 5, 2023: I just learned about this, and haven't seen all of it. Still, I wanted to get the word out. And, as you'll see above, Carter has just done a Staff Favorite Moments podcast for the LETTERMAN channel. See May 9 above! (YouTube link)

    DAVE REACTS TO WARREN ZEVON'S
    ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME SNUB

  • May, 3, 2023: The latest on the LETTERMAN Channel has TV's David Letterman visiting with Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay. We know Dave has campaigned for his late friend, Warren Zevon, to be added to the Hall of Fame. For some reason, Dave can't shut up about Brian Teta (a really swell guy) being the new producer of this channel. (YouTube link) The LETTERMAN Channel isn't sponsored by hello-deli.com, but go there, anyway. I command you! (You'll be glad you did.)

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: PAT FARMER

  • May 2, 2023: It was always great to have Pat Farmer, the show's prop master, on an episode. He was in on the "dumping stuff off the roof of the Ed" stunts. My episode logs show 38 installments of "Pat and Kenny Read Oprah Transcripts," which were always fun. Here's Pat's video. (YouTube link)

    THE FIRST HALL GURNEE'S NETWORK TIME KILLERS

  • May 2, 2023: Thanks to the LETTERMAN channel for this, from 6/28/88, so obviously on LNDL. This was the first new episode after 16 weeks of reruns, because of the legendary writers' strike. We got to see Hal's new shirt, and Pete Fatovich played his accordion. I got in my episode logs, and found 40 episodes of Time Killers. They were awesome! I then checked my LSDL episode logs, and only found two Time Killers... in early 2008. By the way, the first one in 2008 was in the first episode in two months, because of another writers' strike! (YouTube link)

    THE BEST AND FUNNIEST OF WARREN ZEVON

  • Apr. 26, 2023: Here's a nice story, posted by vulture.com, by Devon Ivie. A whole lot of this offering is in David Letterman's own words. We already knew that Dave was a huge fan of Warren. A quick check of my LNDL and LSDL episode logs shows Warren appearing on 78 episodes. I definitely recommend having a look at this story.

    LETTERMAN/SNYDER PRESS CONFERENCE:
    THE LATE LATE SHOW

  • Apr. 27, 2023: Tonight is the end the CBS's Late Late Show programs. To tie the ribbons on that, The Donz has miracled this video onto YouTube: a press conference with Tom Snyder, whose new show will follow TV Boy on weekday evenings. This event ran 46 minutes, on August 9, 1994. Watch closely, won't you?

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: JAY JOHNSON

  • Apr. 25, 2023: I loved this latest video from the LETTERMAN channel! I got to hang around with Jay a few times at the annual DaveCons, as he and Walter Kim would plan and record us for an edition of The Tony Mendez Show.

    Jay began in the LNDL days... first as an intern. He was a talent researcher, and we knew him best (along with Walter Kim) as a Creative Director, Digital Media. So... Jay worked with lots of memorable remote segments. Jay mentioned a classic, which had civilians pick a new catch phrase for Dave. Remember "They pelted us with rocks and garbage?" (1984) How about, "I'm a sweet little cupcake, baked by the devil." (5/11/89) Hey! Visit my Letterman Catch Phrases web page! In 1985, Today did a live broadcast outside, at Rockefeller Plaza, which Dave interrupted with a bullhorn. Jay got to be on the show dozens of times. One was a "How Many Guys in Bunny Suits?" episode. The Late Show's presence on cbs.com (with extra material) was one of the first of its kind. (That's where I appeared in the Tony Mendez Show.)

    Jay was involved with Live on Letterman. It was a concert series, and its episodes appeared on cbs.com in mid-evening. Taylor Swift was one of the musicians who was seen in an evening mini concert, before her Late Show episode appearance, later that evening.

    Then there was the historic concert, 7/15/09 [3150], with Paul McCartney performing on the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater. Since the Beatles had their United States debut on the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theater, this had special meaning. Paul, earlier in the day, was seen looking at hallway photos of The Beatles. Anyway, Paul attracted a huge crowd on Broadway for his marquee concert. (YouTube link)

    THE 1st ANNIVERSARY LETTERMAN PODCAST: PAUL SHAFFER

  • Apr. 21, 2023: Mike Chisholm's big secret is out. His first anniversary Letterman Podcast guest is Paul Allen Wood Shaffer... a.k.a. C. Paul Tilson-Shaffer... a.k.a. Babbitt, Order of Canada honoree, and (as you well know), the 33-year Letterman sidekick and musical director. (YouTube link) (Wikipedia) You'll get to enjoy an hour and 34 minutes of Paul, visiting with Mike about many, many aspects of his days with the show. Mike and Paul talked about his wardrobe and glasses, Andy Kauffman, Elton John, his WMDB and CBSO sidekicks, artists who sat in with the band, and Barry Manilow. They talked about being a live show on tape. Recently, Paul and Co. (as the WMDB) were the house band on Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show.

    Paul told about something that became a fascinating tradition (but not until the LSDL days): playing on guests with a song that was - in some way - connected to the guest, even though the connection was sometimes fairly obscure. Mike asked Paul about adding horns to the CBSO on LSDL. Paul was apprehensive about this, as rock and roll doesn't generally include any horns. Don Giller, a musician by training, had some specific questions about some songs heard on the show, auditions for the band, etc. Mike asked Paul for a favorite rock song played on the show. The answer: A Whiter Shade of Pale. That one's amazing, in my opinion! Mike asked Paul about the late, great Warren Zevon, who sat in for Paul for a few episodes in October 2000. Don't forget to visit hello-deli.com.

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: DONICK CARY

  • Apr. 18, 2023: Donick Cary first was an intern for LNDL in 1989, and ultimately was head writer for both shows, from 1991 to 1996. He has about 18 minutes' worth of fun memories. The first segments presented are "Just Bulbs" and "Just Shades," (12/07/83). As an intern, Donick was working for $0, but he got cast in segments now and then. He was involved with the "Viewer Mail" that had Dave's hair completely covered with mashed potatoes. On 2/04/93, for "Biff Henderson's House of Rock and Rap," Donick went upstairs to SNL and pitched an appearance by Mick Jagger. (Ha! Biff was holding the prop upside down.) Donick enjoyed found comedy, like "Dave's Record Collection." He came up with "Dave's Video Collection." Donick came up with "Late Night Pea Boy." (3/18/93 and a few more times that spring) / Something Donick really enjoyed was involving Dave lookalikes. Then there was Dick Assman! He showed up a few times in summer 1995, resulting in Dick Assmania! Something that Donick really enjoyed was "Moe, the Meat-Slicing Man." So... there's 18 minutes of good stuff. Don't miss it.

    BACK HOME AGAIN IN INDIANA

  • Apr. 18, 2023: Ball State has posted a detailed report on TV Boy returning to Muncie, to be part of a documentary, Clear Reception, on May 1. (link) The documentary is related to Dave's support of their arts programs, and certainly for their broadcast media programs. It was no accident that the university named a building for their major donor. It's clear that the university greatly appreciates Dave's support over the years.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST 059: MARK MALKOFF

  • Apr. 14, 2023: It's anniversary week for the Letterman Podcast, as it premiered on April 20, 2022. Here's a Facebook link I placed on this fan page on exactly 4/20/22.

    I've plugged a lot of Paul Leslie's podcasts that are related to Letterman, and guess what... Paul interviewed Mr. Mark Malkoff on his Episode #172, on 11/12/18. I suggest going over to paulleslie.com and choosing your source for Paul's interview with Mark. Next... here's Mark's Wikipedia page.

    Alright, let's get to the YouTube link for Mike Chisholm's 1.5-hour visit with Mark Malkoff! Also, don't forget to visit hello-deli.com, as Rupert Jee sponsors Mike's podcasts.

    Mark has worked with The Carson Podcast, and he played a part in helping Mike get The Letterman Podcast into existence. Mark enjoys wacky stunts: He has 95 keys to cities, he raced across NYC on a tricycle, he spent a solid month on a jet, he visited 171 Starbucks® in a day, and he watched 252 Netflix movies in a month. So there! Oh... he got kicked out of an Apple store, for bringing in a goat.

    Finally... I just found this link, in the lefthand navigation column of this very page. It's an epic-length trip report, written by Mike Chisholm, for the April 20, 2015 episode.

    DAVE'S WARDROBE MALFUNCTION

  • Apr. 12, 2023: First, happy birthday (#76) to TV's David Letterman. Second, are we going to find out what he's doing wearing those mirror sunglasses. OK... here we go. Last night, Dave and Regina went to a premiere - as far as I can tell - at the Museum of Modern Art. (I can't find a word about the premiere on the Internet.) (The MOMA is on 53rd St., roughly 2½ blocks from the Ed Sullivan Theater.) The place was filled with A-listers. There was a screening of a film about some people named Tomkins. Anyway, Dave tells about a scandalous wardrobe malfunction at the museum. Our hero accidentally tucked his jacket into his pants, after a trip to the men's room. So... the owner of Worldwide Pants Incorporated had a pants malfunction! (YouTube link)

    COLLEEN BOYLE ON HER CLASSIC LATE NIGHT SURPRISE

  • Apr. 11, 2023: The date was 8/07/86, and the occasion was that evening's Late Night with David Letterman. Colleen Boyle had sent Dave a letter about wearing his Adidas® high-top basketball shoes on the show. It resulted in a legendary response. Here's my video of the Viewer Mail segment. Dave took a crew to Colleen's family home in Hicksville, Long Island, only to find her away at the time, but the crew staked out the place. Eventually her brother, Neil, showed up. He took Dave and crew up to Colleen's room, then directed them to the Sears® store where she worked. The stunned Colleen responded with nervous giggles, and she was even more embarrassed when Dave told her about his visit to her room. Then they went to lunch. The family was in the audience for the Viewer Mail episode.

    Now, 36+ years later, Colleen is hosting a LETTERMAN channel episode, Colleen Boyle Looks Back at Her Classic "Late Night" Surprise.

    As I rewatched this, I'm thinking that I should have written a Viewer Mail about Dave's gigantic 1980s glasses. I'd forgotten how many wore those extra-large plastic glasses in that era. Finally (and I had forgotten this), on the May 1, 2015 episode of LSDL, Colleen showed up unannounced in the audience, and managed to get in a pre-show question on Dave's shoes. A bit later, someone on staff realized that it was our old friend, Colleen, asking the question, and they showed her in the audience. So... how about that?!

    HELLO DELI BIDS FAREWELL, SAYS RUPERT JEE

  • Apr. 8, 2023: Our good friend Rupert Jee was a very significant part of the Letterman experience, because of his hospitality to visitors, and countless appearances in Late Show segments. Rupert is the last person I talked to in New York, on my final Letterman show trip from Manhattan, as I headed to LaGuardia for the flight home. Angela Barbuti, of the New York Post, has published a very nice profile and photo gallery. Here's the link.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: GLYNN BORDERS

  • Apr. 7, 2023: Mike Chisholm's latest guest is Glynn Borders, who worked with special effects on Dave's shows for a long time. (YouTube link) Glynn made it snow when Darlene Love sang Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home). That's just one of countless adventures, spanning 30 years. Get a snack. This podcast runs over 1½ hours!

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: MONKEY BUSINESS

  • Apr. 5, 2023: This legendary segment aired on LNDL on 8/26/87. Rena Smaha brought the two little varmints. They were supposed to have a tea party onstage, but there was one mishap after another. I remember this so well! It's one of my Top 10 Letterman segments ever... eight minutes of monkeyshines. The female monkey (wearing a fancy tea party dress) tried to swat and scare Dave several times. He egged her on by acting afraid of her.

    Other good stuff in this episode included: What's Hal Wearing?, Top Ten Things Overheard in a G. E. Research Lab, the Thrill Cam® loops around and comes in from the back, a call to the Brazilian Coffee House about the Pan Am Game loss, Sean Young, Dave playing horse with a Brazilian waiter, and Jerry Seinfeld. (YouTube link)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST IS NOMINATED FOR A WEBBY

  • Apr. 4, 2023: We got word today that one of our two favorite podcasts is nominated. Here's the webbyawards.com link. It took several minutes, but I finally found the link for voting. It's listed as Letterman YouTube Channel. Well, there doesn't seem to be a special URL for the podcast you want to vote for, but the catetory is Variety. The link in the previous sentence will take you to the general area. Next, you'll need to sign in and establish a password in order to vote. (Look for a black box near the top of the page, marked SIGN IN.)

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: LEE ELLENBERG

  • Apr. 4, 2023: Lee started at LSDL as a page in 1994. He worked in the ticket department for a couple of years, then became a writer in 2000. I highly recommend this offering from the LETTERMAN channel.

    • Lee's first memory is a classic... the Colleen Boyle incident on LNDL, on 8/07/86. I have the video, right here. Colleen wrote a viewer mail to Dave about shoes. He and a video crew visited her house, and her brother led them to her room. Then he revealed the location of the Sears® store where she worked. Dave and crew went there to surprise her. Colleen was overcome with nervous giggles.
    • Lee liked the Chris Elliott segments, like when he taste-tested dog food.
    • Remember when Buzz Aldrin covered the Daytime Emmys in his astronaut suit? 5/23/00 [1410] Visits from Buzz were always great!
    • How about this! Lee thought up the idea of bringing a psychic on the show. There were a few different ones, but Deborah Lynn became legendary... appearing on LSDL for about 12 years! (Deborah wanted to be called an intuitive.) My logs look like her first appearance was on 5/09/01 [1603], and in the next month for "Psychic Sandwich." A quick check of the logs shows about 20 appearances, to 2013. Lee doesn't recall her ever getting a single thing right!
    • From 5/24/05 [2372], Lee remembers this one: Thurl Ravenscroft, 91, the voice of Tony the Tiger, died earlier that day. / bogus video tribute: "Thurl's services were held in Orange County, California today, then he was buried in a grrrrrrrave."
    • A segment that Lee took over after its first airing was Alan Kalter's Celebrity Interview. It ran 2005 to 2009, with Gwyneth Paltrow the first celebrity Alan embarrassed, Clint Eastwood for one, and ending with Nicholas Cage. Joe Grossman wrote one with Robert DeNiro and Dustin Hoffman that never aired. It really crossed the line. Dustin did not appear amused, in the least.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: BILL CARTER

  • Apr. 1, 2023: This is tremendous! Mike's guest, Bill Carter, wrote about television for the New York Times for a long time. And... he wrote two very significant books about competition in late night programming, as well as the well-known drama over the transition from Johnny Carson to a successor. You'll find links to Bill's two books, conveniently located at the bottom of this topic.

    This podcast runs 1 hr. 44 min.! (YouTube link) Bill Carter has many sources of information and perspective on the individuals and situations involved with late night shows, and I felt he was being very forthcoming with details, while at the same time being fair to all involved, and not overdramatizing. Our host, Mike Chisholm, is doing exceptional work with these podcasts. His recall on all things Letterman - and research on every podcast topic - is outstanding.

    Oh... Mike says he's going to start giving away Late Show rejection postcards. (shown below) They were sent to people who wanted to be on the show, etc. I've got 25 of these cards! (No... I never tried to be a guest on the show!) The flip side of the rejection postcard says,

    Dear Sir/Madam:

    Thank you for your interest in THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN.

    Unfortunately, we feel that an appearance is not quite right for us at this time.

    Once again, we appreciate your taking the time to write and wish you every success in the future.

    The Talent Department
    THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN

    Thanks much to Rupert Jee of Hello Deli, who is sponsoring Mike's podcasts. Rupert's not just serving yummy sandwiches. He has a nice variety of Letterman shirts and souvenirs. Visit hello-deli.com!

          
    The Late Shift        The War for Late Night

    UNCLE WILL LEE & ANTON FIG: 'THAT'S THE POWER OF LOVE'

  • Mar. 30, 2023: It's great to see Will and Anton still gettin' it done, in this catchy number, composed by Antoine Cara. Gabriel Richards was with them, on saxophone. It kind of seems like they collaborated on this from different locations, maybe using Zoom. The audio sounds fine, regardless. (YouTube link)

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: EDDIE VALK

  • Mar. 29, 2023: Eddie Valk had different roles on the show, from 2000 to 2015. He was an intern, cue card boy and a stage manager. He was insulted by Don Rickles. He was Spidey on Broadway. He bled to death in Hello Deli. He was a monkey caller. My episode logs show him on about 30 times. (YouTube link) Don't miss this! Thanks, Eddie.

    STOP CALLING ME CHIEF

  • Mar. 24, 2023: The LETTERMAN channel's latest takes us back to 1998. This action-packed series was variably entitled "Stop Calling Me Chief" and "Please Stop Calling Me Chief." Six of seven were in Joe G.'s Pizza, with the series finale in Hello Deli on 4/26/01 [1632]. The master of ceremonies was TV's David Letterman, a former weatherman from Indiana. It's safe to say that the guests gave permission in advance, but I'm guessing that he or she didn't know Dave was going to include Chief in pretty much every question. (YouTube link) To my knowledge, this series is not sponsored by Hello Deli, but visit Rupert's site, anyway!

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: ALEX BENNETT

  • Mar. 24, 2023: Mike Chisholm reports that Alex Bennett (Bennett Gordon Schwarzmann) is a legend, having hosted radio programs for over 50 years, and was a close friend of the late Rick Scheckman. In addition, he's considered a mentor to radio successes such as Howard Stern. This blockbuster podcast lasts 02:14, so pack a lunch (hopefully acquired from Rupert and May at Hello Deli). (YouTube link) (Alex Bennett's Wikipedia page)

    EMMA WATSON TALKS ABOUT HARRY POTTER ENDING

  • Mar. 23, 2023: Hermione's in the house! This fun interview is from 7/11/07 [2780]. Emma Charlotte Duerre Watson was promoting Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. She was 17. We learn that she really enjoyed the books, so she was intent on playing Hermione. She was a very charming and lovely guest! In May 2014, she graduated from Brown University in Rhode Island, with a B.A. degree in English literature. (YouTube link)

    TRUMP OR MONKEY?

  • Mar. 20, 2023: From 2/24/04 [2129]: A young lady who's living in Itally, teaching English and translating books, is today's contestant in "TRUMP - or - MONKEY?" She sings opera in her spare time, and gives us a mini concert. Amy made the same guess as me, but it was clearly a chimp. (YouTube video)

    SAD NEWS: RUPERT AND MAY PLAN TO RETIRE

  • Mar. 18, 2023: Good friends of people by the thousands, Rupert Jee and May Chin, announced on Facebook today their plan to retire soon from Hello Deli.

    I can't imagine going to New York and not stopping by Hello Deli. Rupert was the last person I talked to in New York, on my final DaveCon trip there, in 2015. He was always so patient and kind to fans of him and Dave. My fan friends and I had huge appreciation for the hospitality we received there, from both of them. I know we all wish them the very best.

    FUNNIEST LETTERMAN JOKES AND MOMENTS
    FOR THE COMEDY HALL OF FAME

  • Mar. 18, 2023: Dan Fritschie, for cracked.com, has a well-done review of significant Letterman recurring bits and epic moments. I'll summarize for astute viewers with Stupid Pet Tricks, Stupid Human Tricks, Drive Throughs, Drew, Rupert and Hello Deli, Zippy, Dave's Mom and Top Tens. (Have a look.)

    LETTERMAN VISITS JIMMY KIMMEL IN LOS ANGELES

  • Mar. 15, 2023: This happened, and it was fun and entertaining. Dave came loaded with topics and material. If I find pirate (or officiral) video, I'll post a link! Re-entry: I'm sorry... no pirate video, but I did find this YouTube video, posted by Jimmy Kimmel Live. The two gents compared notes on hosting the Oscars, and we learned more about the upcoming Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming. Apparently Bono and The Edge have written a song for Dave called The Forty Foot Man. Oh, my goodness! After two days on YouTube, the video linked here has 1,118,142 views!

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: BOB BORDEN

  • Mar. 15, 2023: Writer Bob Borden recalls a bunch of appearances during the Late Show years. My episode logs show him appearing - or at least mentioned - 73 times between 10/08/1993 and 6/13/2008. He started as a mail room worker, and was credited as a writer before he finished at the show. He continued to be asked to appear, because he was willing to do all manner of goofy things... and even to put his person and his car in danger. This is a real fun "Favorite Moments." Watch it now... or else! (YouTube link)

    LATE NIGHT MONKEY CAM T-SHIRTS

  • Mar. 13, 2023: On 3/19/86, we had the premiere of the Late Night Monkey Cam® (with Zippy the chimp). Zippy apparently didn't reappear for six months. (Zippy 1) (Zippy 2) One of Zippy's appearances involved Dr. Ruth Westheimer. The two links in this paragraph are to different videos. I accidentally used the same title screen, back in 2005.

    Ladies and gentlemen, our prayers have been answered, because Jed Rosenzweig has produced a selection of Letterman t-shirts for our purchasing enjoyment, and the first offerings celebrate Zippy. (Zippy shirt 1) (Zippy shirt 2)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST:
    GERARD MULLIGAN AND JEFF MARTIN

  • Mar. 12, 2023: Thanks much to our host, Mike Chisholm, for bringing this together, with two gents who are certainly household names among Letterman fans: Gerard and Jeff. The Donz is along for the ride, too! (YouTube link)

    This runs 1.75 hours, and a lot of it is unscripted... just random memories and storytelling. Then Don Giller, whose birthday is today, fills in gaps with details, pictures, etc. While you're listening, open another web browser tab, and visit Rupert Jee's hello-deli.com. Oh... by the way... I just went back and put in code that will open Rupert's site in a new window, when you do the click.

    RICK SCHECKMAN HAS PASSED AWAY

  • Mar. 10, 2023: I'm very sorry to report that Shecky died today. He lived from December 1, 1955 to March 10, 2023. Long-time Letterman fans remember him as Film Coordinator through the 33 years of Letterman on late night. Tributes to Shecky will be turning up, and I will be posting them here. Don Giller has just posted a tremendous reflection and eulogy. (link) It includes Shecky's communications with Don, as well as Don's memories of him.

    Posted as part of the donzblog is a eulogy by Don Giller. Everyone who knew of Shecky will appreciate this.

    The LETTERMAN channel has posted a 14-minute look back at various appearances by Shecky. (YouTube link) This has some priceless stuff. Don't miss it.

    Shecky was amused by goofy, old-time music, which would turn up in legendary videos such as Monkey Washing a Cat. Don used that music in a brief video, posted to YouTube this morning.

    My episode logs have Shecky turning up in various spots:

    LNDL: 1/08/86: "Peace through Dramatization Players" on Elvis's 51st birthday: "Elvis: A Birthday Memory" / 6/25/86: Rick as Elvis / 7/07/86: as an Elvis impersonator / 7/07/86: the ghost of Elvis / 4/16/87: as Elvis, in "Viewer Mail" / 5/07/87: as Elvis, in "Viewer Mail" / 8/24/88: as Elvis, in "Who Asked for It?" / 10/05/88: as Elvis, in "Dave's Grab Bag" / 10/13/88: as Elvis, in "New Gift Items" / 10/21/88: doing the show from the international arrivals area of JFK International Airport (with Rick Scheckman as Elvis, working a food stand) / 11/03/88: Campaign '88 Do's and Don'ts (with Calvert DeForest as Larry "Bud" Melman, plus Rick Scheckman as Elvis)

    LSDL: 8/18/94 [218]: Rick Scheckman vs. Carlos the Jackal / 4/29/98 [998]: Dave calls roll (with bodyguard Bill DeLace, Shecky and the Man on Fire for Highland Metals, Inc.) / 9/23/98 [1083]: Rick's new show, Animal Precinct / 2/19/99 [1173]: "Late Show Stagehands Sit in Dave's Chair Naked" / Shecky as cue card boy / 5/18/99 [1220]: 1/05/00 [1354]: "Dave Spends a Day with a POKEMON Fan" / "Dave Spends the Day with a Star Wars Fan" / 2/01/02 [1748]: Dave recognizing Shecky for 20 years with the shows / 2/02/04 [2114]: winner of the audience Super Bowl pool / 2/10/05 [2316]: 3-D Glasses / 6/15/07 [2772]: "Late Show Father of the Year" / 6/08/09 [3128]: a Bruce Willis action movie / 12/07/11 [3590]: Shecky as a rabbi / 2/23/12 [3635]: "Princess Cruises' Late Show Experience" / 8/14/12 [3711]: non-Olympians in the audience / 5/16/13 [3853]: "Behind the Wheel of Fortune"

    OK... I thought it would be fitting to list Shecky's appearances on Dave's shows. The LNDL part went OK, as shown above. The LSDL part started OK, as shown above, when I searched my episode logs for "Rick Scheckman." As an afterthought, I did a search on "Shecky" in the Late Show episode logs. Well... he turned up 142 times. I'd like to list them here, but this is going to call for a separate web page!

    Mike Carlin of The Hollywood Reporter posted a highly complimentary eulogy on Shecky on March 10.

    DAVE AND PAUL'S TOUR OF LOS ANGELES

  • Mar. 9, 2023: The LETTERMAN channel has just posted a remote featuring our pals, Dave and Paul, motoring around Los Angeles on 5/09/94 [156]. This is part of a week in Los Angeles. During the tour, they'll encounter two famous gents, Tommy Lasorda and Johnny Carson. Be sure to have a look! (YouTube link)

    BONO & THE EDGE: A SORT OF HOMECOMING WITH DAVE

  • Mar. 9, 2023: The world premiere of Bono and The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming with Dave Letterman had the aforementioned individuals together in Los Angeles yesterday. This story is on deadline.com. It doesn't appear that this event is available on any media at this point.

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: MIKE BUCZIEWICZ

  • Mar. 7, 2023: Mike Bucziewicz was a Late Show producer, who brought in a bunch of interesting human interest guests, as well as news anchors, Diet Coke® + Mentos® scientists and politicians. He tells the story of the great Norm Macdonald's final appearance. You'll see the epic cold-open stunt for the final LSDL on May 20, 2015, with former Presidents of the United States Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush proclaiming that "Our long, national nightmare is over." Barack Obama ties the ribbon on it with, "Letterman is Retiring." You'll see daredevil stunts on 53rd Street. Mike enjoyed involving network news anchors in wacky stunts. This is a fun look back, so click the link! (YouTube link) No, Rupert didn't officially sponsor this presentation (as he does Mike's), but visit hello-deli.com anyway!

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: NADINE HENNELLY

  • Mar. 3, 2023: The long-awaited visit with Nadine Hennelly is here! It runs 2 hours and 17 minutes, because Nadine had so many stories and comments on her years with Letterman. Nadine is so upbeat and fun in this podcast. She offered countless compliments on fellow staff members. We get a great deal of insight on how everything worked on the show, and how staffers fit into the proceedings. Thanks so much to her, and I hope the Part 2 Mike mentioned happens, as time permits. (YouTube link)

    When Mike Chisholm was preparing for this extravaganza, he asked me for details on Nadine's appearances on Letterman's shows (mostly LSDL). I found a total of 392 appearances in my episode logs, beginning in 1993. I found 196 appearances as one of the two Hi Ho babes, who welcomed Dave onstage, and 196 appearances in other segments, like "Will It Float?," "Sex Club Sandwich," and "Dave and Steve's Gay Vacation." During the podcast, they refer to 400+ appearances for Nadine, so I may have missed a few of them.

    Thanks to Mike for a shout out related to background info I provided. It came at around 17 minutes in. Thanks much to Rupert Jee of Hello Deli, who is sponsoring Mike's podcasts. Rupert's not just serving yummy sandwiches. He has a nice variety of Letterman shirts and souvenirs. Visit hello-deli.com! Nadine and Andrea Sande had a number of visits to Hello Deli to present a Deli Platter to a segment contestant.

    Here's a very simple web page I put together for Nadine - from my LSDL episode logs - that shows 429 of her appearances.

    Finally... Nadine has been in the composite picture at the top of this page since I made it, because I always totally enjoyed her parts in the show.

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: BARBARA SHEEHAN

  • Feb. 28, 2023: What a nice surprise! LNDL Production Assistant Barbara Sheehan introduces funny and offbeat appearances. There's a look back at Barbara Sheehan Week, in October 1987. Later that month, she helped announce a few episodes. On 4/24/86, Barbara served as the voice of a roughtail stingray (borrowed from a museum). She showed us Martin Scorcese's mother making pizza on 11/22/91. I always enjoyed Barbara's segments, because she's beautiful, and I loved her voice. She always played her role low-key, and sort of disinterested. OK... here's your link! (YouTube link)

    NATALIE PORTMAN CUT CLASS TO BE ON LSDL

  • Feb. 27, 2023: I remember this one! Natalie Portman held her own with Dave real well. She was confident and fun in her first visit to see Dave, on 11/28/94 [279]. She was there, at 13 years old, to plug her first film, The Professional, directed by Luc Besson. It's been too long since I've seen it. She went on to be an A student at Harvard, and win an Academy Award. (YouTube link)

    By the way, Natalie ultimately appeared on LSDL 17 times, from 1994 to 2013. An interesting pattern I noticed in my episode logs is that 13 of her 17 appearances occurred in February, May or November Sweeps.

    HENRY MANCINI CONDUCTS THE "VIEWER MAIL" THEME

  • Feb. 27, 2023: This is on the short list of my favorite Letterman moments. It came up without advance notice. On 11/04/88, C. Paul Tilson-Shaffer announced that the great Henry Mancini had composed a new theme for Viewer Mail, and was in the house, with a string emsemble of about 10 musicians, ready to perform the catchy theme song. Lenny Pickett was sitting in on saxophone, by the way, and the World's Most Dangerous Band accompanied the emsemble. It was brilliant! (YouTube link) By the way, on 8/04/89, Henry Mancini and Johnny Mathis performed another Viewer Mail theme.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: JASON ZINOMAN

  • Feb. 24, 2023: Mike Chisholm, the proprietor of Underpants Productions, has as his latest guest Jason Zinoman, the comedy critic of The New York Times. And... Jason's the author of the bestseller, Letterman, The Last Giant of Late Night. (Amazon link) (Kindle edition) Jason traveled all over the place to get background info for the book: Los Angeles, Broad Ripple, Indiana and Ball State. He did visit with Dave, but at the point when most of the book had been completed. So... it's not one of those authorized biographies. Jason felt that Dave wanted some distance from the book. He said that the book was three years in the making, which resulted in some interesting dynamics along with way. Mike Chisholm asked the interesting question of how - if at all - the book changed after Jason met with Dave. The answer was that there were numerous things in the book that wouldn't have been included, had Dave not been available to verify them.

    An interesting thing to me is Jason's emphasis of Merrill Markoe's influence on big picture - and very specific - aspects of Letterman's shows. He calls Merrill a forerunner. Jason also gives major credit to Hal Gurnee for memorable aspects of Dave's shows (like Dog Poetry). Another topic, which I've long known, is the significance of Dave as a reactor or straight man... for example, to crazy characters on the show, like Chris Elliott and Lyle the Intern, or visiting places like Just Bulbs.

    I highly recommend this 1.5 hours' worth of memories. Jason had so many interesting topics, and takes on things that Mike brought up. Finally, here's your reminder to visit hello-deli.com. Thanks, Rupert Jee! Finally, Part 2... here's your YouTube link for the interview! (I got so caught up in the podcast that I almost failed to properly link to it. I have no excuse.) Finally, Part 3, you can follow Jason Zinoman on Twitter: @zinoman, on Instagram @zinomanj and on Facebook.

    WILL LEE AND HIS SADOWSKY SIGNATURE BASS GUITAR

  • Feb. 23, 2023: I have tremendous appreciation for Uncle Will Lee, because of his superior musical talent, and also for his loyalty to the Letterman shows (all 33 seasons in late night). In this web page, Will tells about collaborating with Roger Sadowsky on his ideas for the ultimate bass guitar. A fair number of the terminology was over my head, but you have to admire his knowledge!

    GERARD MULLIGAN AS PEYTON MANNING

  • Feb. 20, 2023: This fun segment is from 2/05/07 [2698]. The gifted comedy writer and thespian, Gerard Mulligan, gives a touching portrayal of Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning answering viewers' questions. I especially enjoyed the air horn. (YouTube video) / When you've finished that assignment, I recommend Gerard as Paris Hilton.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: FELICIA COLLINS, PART 2

  • Feb. 17, 2023: I'm 14 hours late announcing Part 2 of Mike Chisholm's visit with Felicia Collins. (YouTube link) You must not miss this!

    Felicia has all kinds of details on the CBSO, and its evolution over the years! An interesting comment was that her fellow musicians were so talented, that asking them to play a new song was never an imposition. MacArthur Park, by Will, was very special to Felicia. She said he's a genius and gifted.

    Don Giller mentioned (in Mike's earpiece, I guess), the Soul Survivors song, Expressway to Your Heart, released in 1967. (I clicked around on several versions, until I found this linked version, which sounds just like something the CBSO would play.) When Mike brought it up, Felicia sang a bit of it for us!

    Felicia said that once the band got ear monitors, the jokes they cracked to each other were nonstop and hilarious (and unknown to anyone else).

    Felicia says she can draw like Leonardo DaVinci. She especially likes using just a pencil. (She went to art school, and she also studied graphic design.)

    Paul's Cape Thing was something Felicia really liked. Don Giller had to jump in and announce that the song was Al Cooper's "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know." She never knew which celebrity was going to put the cape on Paul. My episode logs show that the first episode was on 6/07/02 [1819], and it ran on Fridays, usually, to 6/11/04. (Hey... I have a special web page for Paul's Cape Thing!)

    Other topics include Warren Zevon, being in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band, and the last few weeks of LSDL "It felt different," Felicia said, and "We felt grateful." Felicia says she be up for a reunion show.

    I'll conclude for now with my sincere thanks to Felicia and Mike for an extremely enjoyable, comprehensive, funny and uplifting 2 hours and 33 minutes of conversation, memories and behind-the-scenes fun facts.

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: JOE GROSSMAN

  • Feb. 14, 2023: My, oh my, we're having some fun now! Will Joe be reading from his little notebook as he hosts tonight's festivities? (YouTube link) Yes! He read from his little notebook, and so did Harrison Ford!

    What an ending. It's one of my favorites... A Monkey Sneezing! The premiere, I believe, was on 11/27/08. Time passed, and on 12/19/12, we got A Baby Panda Sneezing. Are you still with me? One mere day later, 12/20/12, we had A Baby Panda and a Baby Llama Sneezing. To welcome in winter, on 12/21/12, we enjoyed A Monkey Sneezing and a Surprise Guest. Winter gave way to spring, and on 5/17/13 we had A Monkey Sneezing: Allergy Edition.

    If you'd like to see more Joe Grossman, mosey on over to my Video Archives (alphabetized for your convenience), and scroll down to the Joe Grossman videos. Now, Rupert Jee didn't sponsor this Favorite Moments video, but visit hello-deli.com anyway!

    BEST OF BIFF HENDERSON AT THE SUPER BOWL

  • Feb. 14, 2023: Here's a fun look back. Thanks, LETTERMAN Channel! (YouTube link)

    VALENTINE'S DAY ON LETTERMAN, 1996

  • Feb. 14, 2023: Our pal, The Donz, has posted a video from the exciting days of yesteryear. Various LSDL staff revealed their plans (or hopes) for Valentine's Day, after TV Boy asked Mary Tyler Moore to get hitched, and she trotted offstage. (YouTube link)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: FELICIA COLLINS, PART 1

  • Feb. 11, 2023: If you're a fan of the CBS Orchestra, you must not miss this podcast, as Mike Chisholm visits with Felicia Collins, guitarist, for 1 hr. 9 min. (YouTube link)

    Felicia's first time on Letterman was with Cyndi Lauper, on 5/27/93, on LNDL. Then came a call from Paul Shaffer, to invite Felicia to join the CBSO on LSDL. She was on Episode 1, 8/30/93, and was formally introduced on 8/31/93. She was hesitant for a bit, as she was a busy musician, who didn't watch TV!

    This is an incredible interview! The interaction between Felicia and host Mike Chisholm is awesome. Mike has extensive knowledge of - and appreciation for - music, and the questions and topics he brings up are so interesting. Felicia is very forthcoming with stories and memories, and is upbeat and funny. I'll definitely be watching this episode often.

    When I complimented Mike on this awesomeness (and asked about Part 2), he replied, "Part 2 is quite a bit longer, and of course it goes into much more Letterman stuff... Some really cool, insightful highlights about the show, and Dave himself." (I don't know yet when the release will be uploaded.)

    Thanks much to Rupert Jee of Hello Deli, who is sponsoring Mike's podcasts. Rupert's not just serving yummy sandwiches. He has a nice variety of Letterman shirts and souvenirs. Visit hello-deli.com!

    THE LETTERMAN CHANNEL: SALLY FIELD

  • Feb. 8, 2023: Here's a fun guest segment with Sally Field, from LSDL 2/06/95 [319]. She tells about her early acting work, including Gidget and The Flying Nun. She was so beautiful in this appearance, which is hardly a surprise. On this early February day, Sally ended up throwing snowballs at the CBS Orchestra. (YouTube link)

    DAVE SPENDS THE DAY WITH CONNIE CHUNG

  • Feb. 8, 2023: It's supposedly Connie's day off, so she goes shopping with TV Boy. This is from LNDL, 3/17/89. There's a shoe store visit, a stop at a wienie stand. (At that stop, a bus with hubby Maury Povich's picture on the side! (LETTERMAN channel link)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: JEFF MARTIN, PART 2

  • Feb. 3, 2023: Here's the long-awaited Part 2 of the visit with Flunky himself, Jeff Martin! Part 2 runs 1:46! Guess what! The Donz will be sitting in on this part! (Part 2 link) (Part 1 link) Hey! Visit hello-deli.com, or else. I did not know or remember this. Jeff said that Joe Toplyn was the first actor-singer, but Jeff did it later. (This was a segment when something untoward would happen to an actor-singer, and Paul would throw an extended tantrum and rant.)

    PAUL SHAFFER TALKS REUNITING WITH THE WMDB / CBSO, AND RETURNING TO 30 ROCK

  • Feb. 3, 2023: Jimmy Fallon's band members are off to the Grammys, I believe, so Jimmy contacted Paul about his band subbing for them today. Paul has a nice, four-minute visit with Jimmy about the old days. (YouTube link)

    BILL MURRAY CHEERS UP AN AUDIENCE MEMBER

  • Feb. 2, 2023: Bill Murray, was an LNDL guest on 2/12/93, plugging Groundhog Day. First Bill treats us to a jazzy version of the LNDL theme song. Then Mr. Murray and Rev. Al Sharpton team up to console and cheer up a troubled teen from the audience. (YouTube link)

    CHRIS ELLIOTT DINES ON DOG FOOD

  • Feb. 2, 2023: From the Letterman channel and the 9/08/89 LNDL, here's an epic "Viewer Mail" segment. Our beloved Chris Elliott, attired in a lab coat, taste tests older and new versions of Ken-L ration®, making television history. (YouTube link) / Shelley Winters and O. J. Simpson were guests that night.

    LARRY "BUD" MELMAN HIGHLIGHTS FROM "LNDL" YEAR 1

  • Feb. 1, 2023: Wake the kids, phone the neighbors! Here are about four minutes' worth of highlights (or bloopers, in some cases) from 1982, featuring Calvert. (YouTube link)

    DAVE RAFFLES AN AUTOGRAPHED LATE SHOW JACKET

  • Feb. 1, 2023: On the occasion of the 41st anniversary of the first Letterman show, Dave is with Barbara Gaines, Mary Barclay and Bill Scheft. He's raffling one of his letter jackets, to benefit the World Food Programme. Raffle tickets cost $20. To get one or more, click here! (Hmmm. It appears that this raffle, announced on Feb. 1, has already closed, and $20,000 was raised. Ha! Guess what. I have one of that year's jackets! Here's the YouTube video link.

    Hey! I'm back with a follow-up, posted on 2/07/23. Dave and Gaines have one of those spinning cages that you use to pick a raffle winner. The Late Show jacket about to be awarded is from 1995. 1,000 $20 tickets were bought. The $20,000 will go to the World Food Programme. Drum roll, please, Anton... Victor Alvis is our winner. (Letterman Channel link)

    THE CRISPIN GLOVER INCIDENT

  • Feb. 1, 2023: What do we think... the weirdest thing ever on a Letterman episode? This is from 7/28/87, when Crispin Hellion Glover came on in high-heeled shoes, kind of hippie clothes, old-fashioned glasses and a big, brown woman's wig. Crispin seemed extremely agitated and paranoid. His voice was shaky. He seemed terrified to be there. He brought a newspaper article about recent behavior on his part. Then he went on an unprompted tirade about his physical abilities. He showed his strong biceps. Then he turned toward Dave and did a karate kick. That's when Dave left the desk, and Hal went to commercials. Somehow, Crispin has managed to continue his career into 2022. (YouTube link) (Wikipedia link)

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: NANCY AGOSTINI

  • Jan. 31, 2023: Don't miss this! Executive Producer Nancy Agostini hosts the latest Staff Favorite Moments. It's a real good one! (YouTube link) Nancy spent the last 10 years of the show at the executive producer podium at stage left.

    One great memory is from 6/24/04 [2194]. My episode log says: "Summer Products" / Things didn't go exactly as planned. Dave eats a fake charcoal briquette, which unexpectedly turns his tongue and teeth black. He's a mess. The stuff ends up on his face, and staffers start bringing items to try to help him clean up. He gets a moist towelette. He's given hydrogen peroxide, which he unknowingly drinks. What was that stuff, anyway?"

    PAUL SHAFFER AND THE WMDB WILL SUB FOR THE ROOTS

  • Jan. 30, 2023: Jimmy Fallon has invited Paul and the WMDB to sub for his band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, while they're at the Grammys. This will be on Feb. 3. Here's a report from Rolling Stone. I guess this will be my first time to watch a TV show since August 1, 2017!

    DAVE SPENDS THE DAY WITH JOE MONTANA

  • Jan. 30, 2023: I'm slow posting this, because I was busy following my Kansas City Chiefs winning the AFC championship. This is a really good remote segment, recorded in San Francisco, for 5/07/96 [586], on the occasion of the Late Show's week in S. F.

    Hey... I just looked at that date again. I was in San Francisco that day, because I was in the audience the next day. CBS flew me and my friend Dave from Kansas for free, because I won the national Letterman trivia contest CBS ran to promote the week. By the way, Mujibur and Sirajul and Rupert made the trip out there, too. (YouTube link)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: JEFF MARTIN

  • Jan. 27, 2023: Mike Chisholm is really gettin' it done! Flunky the Clown himself, Jeff Martin, spent 1.33 hours with Mike, in his latest podcast. I'm watching it as I'm entering this announcement. Jeff is really forthcoming with fun stories and info for this episode. Jeff wrote only for LNDL, from 1983 - 1990. He was in Flunky episodes from 1986 - 1989. (Jeff got a goodbye bumper on 2/16/90.) (The Letterman Podcast YouTube link) (Flunky the Clown videos / Thanks, Don Giller.) Hey! At the end of the podcast, Mike announced that there will be a Part 2! Now, how about a visit to hello-deli.com!

    COUNTDOWN TO THE DEBUT OF LATE NIGHT

  • January 27, 2023: The big premiere of the 11-year run of LNDL was on February 1, 1982... but you knew that. TV's Don Giller posted this 1 hr. 33 min. retrospective on the premiere. It's a variety of clips. You'll hear from Hal Gurnee and Paul Shaffer. There are clips of Dave hosting Tonight. Dave's a guest on Tonight, to discuss his new show. We'll get the background on Calvert's somber warning, which was the cold open of Episode 1. Oh! I don't think I'd ever noticed... in the Episode 1 control room party scene, Pete Fatovich is who was playing the accordion. I catch on eventually... sometimes. Then we get into the full episode 1. Bill Murray, of course, was a guest on the first LNDL, and the last interview guest on LSDL. It was so good to see Mr. Wizard. I watched him all the time when I was a youngster. Thanks so much to Don for this look back! (YouTube link)

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: ERIC AND JUSTIN STANGEL

  • January 25, 2023: Over time, the Stangels were credited as Head Writers and Executive Producers. They have 19 minutes of fun, especially about segments. Stories include Dave's mom, Rupert, Henry Kissinger reading school absence excuse notes, outings with Biff, and the Aftonbladet. Then they get into the Super Bowl promo for LSDL, involving Leno, Oprah and Dave in 2010. A really fun part of this has clips of Jimmi Simpson as Lyle, the Intern. I think this was one of the funniest recurring bits ever done on the show. It was in 2008, at least. The Stangels had seen him on TV, and when he was doing a Broadway show, the Stangels got him to show up now and then, and do his super-creepy character. Those were priceless! (YouTube link)

    HAL GURNEE'S NETWORK TIME KILLER: GIANT DOMINOES

  • January 25, 2023: This is from LNDL, 6/27/90. Hal Gurtner sent Dave out to the 6th-floor hallway for a surprise. His mission: to topple. (YouTube link) 1. If this was to be a time killer, why did Hal tell Dave to "move it?" 2. Those babies were over six feet tall! 3. The toppling game pieces sounded for all the world like an old-time steam locomotive!

    RUPERT JEE'S FIRST AND LAST ON LETTERMAN

  • January 20, 2023: I ran across this compilation from TV's Don Giller, while linking up the Rupert extravaganza just below. Rupert's first time on was 9/20/93 [0016] for "Let's Meet the Neighbors." On the remote cam, Rupert told Dave, "You're the best thing that ever happened to us." Bill DeLace let Rupert right in for Dave's promised standing ovation, and the rest is history! Then, about 22 years later, the day before the final episode on May 20, 1993, Rupert came in while the show ran a compilation of his "Fun with Rupert" appearances (including the thumb-in-the-glass gag). By the way... my last time to talk to Rupert was on May 12, 2015, as I was leaving New York, having been in the LSDL audience, the evening before. As always, I can't thank Rupert enough for being and so patient and friendly with Letterman fans who wondered into Hello Deli, and for his countless contributions to the big show! (hello-deli.com) Finally, thanks for Don Giller for these compilations! (YouTube link)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: RUPERT JEE AND IRENE HOFFMAN

  • January 20, 2023: It's great to catch up with Rupert, and in this 1.75-hour podcast, you'll be looking back through the Late Show era with Rupert and his friend, Irene Hoffman. All kinds of memories will be covered. Rupert bought and opened the world-renowned Hello Deli in 1991... about two years before LSDL premiered on 8/30/93. (hello-deli.com) A main topic is the "Fun with Rupert" segments, with Rupert tormenting guests at restaurants, etc., with radio prompts from Dave. (YouTube link)

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: PRODUCER SHEILA ROGERS

  • January 17, 2023: Sheila has cool stories, starting with her first day working with LNDL. She booked and interacted with lots of famous people over the years, including Prince, Lou Reed, Carly Simon, Bruce Springsteen, The Beastie Boys, Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder. She signed Paul McCartney to perform on the marquee, booked The Foo Fighters and Warren Zevon on Dave's special occasions (such as Dave's bypass in January 2000, and the final LSDL). (YouTube link)

    JOE PISCOPO'S IMPRESSION OF DAVE IS... INTERESTING

  • January 14, 2023: Joe Piscopo was a guest on LNDL on 7/08/82. When he first came out, he treated us to an impression of Frank Sinatra singing Pat Benatar's "Hit Me with Your Best Shot." Then he did an impression of Dave, by way of some kind of dark sticker between his teeth. From 1982 to 1984, Joe did impressions of Dave on SNL. (YouTube link)

    THE TIMES SQUARE NEW YEAR'S EVE BALL DROP

  • January 11, 2023: TV Boy is joined by Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay. There will be random nonsense topics at first. Then Dave slams the NYE event a bit. He complains that the ball only drops eight feet. In addition, there are 1 million people present, with no portable outhouses. What's the ball made from? "It's not crystal," Dave says, "or it would be stolen." "I don't want to see no phony ball drop," Dave exclaims.

    This episode was really fun. When Dave started his mini-rant, suggesting the NYE ball should be dropped from space, I remembered him having fun with Felix Baumgartner dropping from space, for real. I got in my episode logs to search on "drop from space." By pure luck, I hit on it with that first search entry. This was the topic in 1/06/14 [3960]. Almost at the same moment that Dave said "Felix," his name popped up in my episode log. A bumper later in the show was logged as "Felix begins his drop from space." By the way, Dave commented that Harry wanted to be waked up for the ball drop, but was disappointed when he saw it. Oops! I almost forgot to paste in the YouTube link.

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: TOM RUPRECHT

  • January 10, 2023: Tom Ruprecht was a researcher, then a writer for LSDL. He has numerous stories about his fellow writers. Some of these were from the days of Dave's prison haircut. I believe that was around the early 2000s. Hey! We get the back story on Dave's bear story from 9/22/03 [2043]. A bear got in Dave's kitchen in Montana. Tom was supposed to research bear risk in Montana, got laughed at on the phone, told Dave not to worry, but then one came right in his house!! Be sure to watch this Favorite Moments video! (YouTube link)

    Before we go, here's a link from my Video Archives, of Dave's Bear Story from 9/22/03. And... here's the Animated Version of the Bear Story.

    Hey! Look at this. Somebody cooked up a Dave icon for the LETTERMAN channel.

    SHECKY AS ELVIS COLLECTION

  • January 9, 2023: There's great stuff here, so pay attention! These segments are from Late Night, spanning 1986-88. Film coordinator Rick Scheckman played Elvis. The seasoned thespian, Chris Elliott, Jr., had various roles. Grab a sandwich, because there's 65 minutes' worth of fun. Thanks much to TV's Don Giller, the mastermind with his Letterman video channel (now with 187 million views), for this compilation. Here's the link to Shecky as Elvis.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: DAVID KAY

  • January 6, 2023: Mr. Podcast himself, Mike Chisholm (heretofore known as Mike Chisholm), has a very interesting visit with David Kay, whose charge (beginning in 1998) was to bring in audience members who were true fans of the show... who actually "got" the show... not just tourists. This is a blockbuster episode. Its run time is 1 hr. 41 min. (YouTube link) David's position title, as listed in the closing credits, was Executive in Charge of Audience Development.

    Before we go further... thanks to Rupert Jee for sponsoring the podcast. Go see him at Hello Deli in New York, at 213 W. 53rd St., and/or visit hello-deli.com Also, keep in mind that you can order Late Show souvenirs, shirts, caps, etc. from the Helo Deli web site.

    There are so many different topics covered in this epic interview. One of them is how David's experiences and innovations in assembling an engaged and involved studio audience could apply to a company hoping to build a loyal customer base. There was discussion of the preshow warm-up, and keeping audience members engaged during commercials. I highly recommend watching this episode.

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: JERRY FOLEY

  • Jan. 7, 2023: This is from March 8, 2002. Director Jerry Foley takes us back to (YouTube video) some favorite moments of his and ours! First up was Richard Hatch of Survivor, who came on the set nekked in 3/01/04 [2133], and disrupted Anne Heche's interview a bit. Philippe Petit is a wirewalker from France, as you might guess, who walked across Broadway barefoot, on a cable (a few stories up) on 9/26/02 [1876], stabilizing himself with a pole. Two of Jerry's favorite characters were stagehands Pat Farmer and Kenny Sheehan, who provided big fun with their recurring segment, "Pat and Kenny Read Oprah Transcripts," which began in 1998, and ran 35 times. I loved those, and also especially enjoyed set designer Kathleen Ankers as "Kathleen, the Foul-Mouthed Chambermaid." Of course, there's the beloved, now departed Tony Mendez. Jerry enjoyed when he used the Spanish word mamarracho. (It means mess or disaster.) Paul McCartney is an old-timer in the Ed Sullivan Theater, as the Beatles perfomed there, back in the 1960s. There were some complications, however, when there was a plan for Paul to perform on top of the marquee on Broadway. (NYPD was concerned about crowds overwhelming Broadway, once word got around.) Be sure to watch this one... even though I announced it 10 months late.

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: HAL GURNEE

  • Jan. 5, 2023: TV's Hal Gurnee was a beloved part of Dave's shows (but you knew that). Here we have about 12 minutes of scenes from days gone by. Those were sure good times. (YouTube)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: JEREMY WEINER

  • Dec. 30, 2022: It's good to get acquainted with Jeremy Weiner. Our host, Mike Chisholm, referred him as a "jack of all trades" for the show. I checked the closing credits from May 20, 2015, and Jeremy was credited as a writer. He was a researcher, and an occasional Winnebago driver for Biff Henderson. Wahoo! This is another blockbuster podcast, checking in at 1 hour, 41 min.! Mike is perfect for these podcasts. He's a very good, well-prepared interviewer, and he's passionate about every aspect of the Late Show, so he has considerable perspective on any topic that comes up. Of course, along with this, Jeremy contributed all kinds of information about happenings at the show, and he's an engaging guest. Watch this now. I command you! (YouTube link)

    Thanks to Rupert Jee for sponsoring the podcast. Go see him at Hello Deli in New York, at 213 W. 53rd St., and/or visit hello-deli.com. You can order Late Show souvenirs, shirts, caps, etc. from the Hello Deli web site.

    HOW BARBARA WALTERS GOT CELEBRITIES TO TALK TO HER

  • Dec. 30, 2022: We lost the great Barbara Walters today. She was 93. The LETTERMAN channel has Barbara's interview with Dave on Late Night on 7/26/83. One of the topics is how Barbara gets celebrities to talk to her. I found this interesting (which is why I posted it here)!

    PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY INTERVIEW ON
    MY NEXT GUEST NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION

  • Dec. 26, 2022: Netflix has posted the complete, 44-minute interview with President Zelenskyy, which took place in a subway station in Kiev, probably in October. You'll hear Dave's questions in English, but Volodymyr's replies will be captioned.

    I have developed great respect for President Zelenskyy, and I certainly compliment Dave on taking a very real risk by making this trip, and for conducting a thoughtful and fascinating interview - which of course documents tragedy, sadness and courage - that will be a significant part of his legacy. OK... here you go. This video will speak for itself. (YouTube link)

    THE FINAL LATE SHOW CHRISTMAS

  • Dec. 26, 2022: Here's a nice surprise, compliments of Don "The Donz" Giller, #1 Letterman fan. (Don's YouTube Letterman video channel now has 186,868,940 views, and 179,000 subscribers!) This is the full episode (YouTube link) of 12/19/14 [4137]. It has Paul Shaffer's annual Cher imitation. It has Jay Thomas's traditional Quarterback Challenge, and his story about his encounter with Clayton Moore (The Lone Ranger). There's a Josh Brolin interview. There's the traditional performance of "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)," with Darlene Love. In the beginning of Act 2, Dave shows a printed version of our friend Marilyn Sargent's Christmas poem, " 'Twas My Night at the Late Show." Marilyn had been writing updated versions of the poem for years, and this year was able to give Dave a copy during the pre-show Q&A.

    MARILYN SARGENT HAS THE LETTERMAN PODCAST #042

  • Dec. 23, 2022: This is exciting! My Letterman show fan friend, Marilyn Sargent, is Mike Chisholm's guest for the latest podcast. I got to visit with Marilyn over my 9 years of DaveCon trips to New York. The ever-charming and fun Marilyn is certainly well known for her annual remake of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas'. She posted the first version of her poem in 1997, to alt.fan.letterman. When it came time for the 2014 version, Marilyn had a colorful printout of the poem. In the preshow Q&A, Marilyn presented a copy to Dave. He liked it so much that he read excerpts of it during the taping.

    For those who weren't watching LSDL back in the day, I'll explain that these poems were written for insiders in alt.fan.letterman. Marilyn cited memorable events from the past year, and had numerous shoutouts to various staff from the show. The fun thing is, true, devoted fans of the show got most - or all - of those references. I'm watching Marilyn's podcast as I type this, and I'm beaming from the memories it brought.

    These poems are masterful. They're written "with the love," as my DaveCon friends would say. The more the reader was invested in the Late Show as a regular viewer, the more the clever shoutouts and references to significant moments on the show, over the previous year, would be appreciated. Be sure to stay with this hour-long podcast, because over the final six minutes, you'll see and hear Marilyn reciting her wonderful, final 'Twas My Night at the Late Show. Thanks, Marilyn!

    Speaking of shoutouts, thanks to Rupert Jee for sponsoring the podcast. Go see him at Hello Deli in New York, at 213 W. 53rd St., and/or visit hello-deli.com

    RUPERT JEE'S FAVORITE "LATE SHOW" MOMENTS

  • Dec. 20, 2022: Alright! Here's 15 minutes of hilarious fun. For those late to the game, Rupert Jee's Hello Deli is part of the Ed Sullivan Theater Building, where Dave originated his shows for 22 years. While the main entrance to the theater is at 1697 Broadway, the address for Hello Deli is 213 W. 53rd St. New York, NY 10019. Rupert first appeared three weeks into the Late Show, on 9/20/93. Dave frequently went in to see Rupert, brought him in for a comedy bit, or sent him out and about in Midtown Manhattan. My Late Show episode logs show "Rupert Jee" 121 times. That seems way low to me. Rupert became so well known to people visiting my page that I really didn't need to use his full name. A search on just "Rupert" brought him up 910 times.

    The LETTERMAN YouTube channel is looking back at Dave's 33 years on late night TV... especially the 22 years on CBS. They're turning out new videos every few days. One popular theme is to have employees and friends of the show set up "favorite moments" videos, and now it's Rupert's turn.

    I think something that led to the great popularity of Rupert's appearances was that a mutual trust developed. Rupert was willing to do silly stuff, to pester civilians (in "Fun with Rupert"), and even do stunts, like skydiving. He was also willing to smart off to Dave, if the plot called for it.

    I became part of DaveCon, the annual trip to New York in late spring, with about 15 devoted fans hanging out together for a couple of days, and getting the red carpet treatment from the Late Show staff. We got awesome seats up front, and most years, we were the cast for some ridiculous video for The Tony Mendez Show, with our awesome host, Tony... Dave's cue card man. The video guys, Walter Kim and Jay Johnson, recorded it, and put the episode on cbs.com.

    We all made a beeline to see Rupert when we got to town, and he was absolutely great to us. Ultimately, Rupert was the last person I ever talked to in New York, on my last DaveCon trip in May 2015. Well, here you go. Watch closely, won't you. Thanks, Rupert, for being such a wonderful friend and host to so many Letterman fans! Hopefully you reading this have come to understand why Rupert's Hello Deli is #1 on my navigation column, just to the left of here.

    Now, (drum roll please, Anton) here's Rupert Jee's Favorite Late Show Moments.

    WILL LEE: HAVE YO'SELF A MERRY

  • Dec. 18, 2022: Will Lee posted this fun number on YouTube, on 12/20/2020. He's an exceptional bassist, and I know you'll enjoy it. Thanks, Will!

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: WILL LEE

  • Dec. 16, 2022: Mike Chisholm's guest is the great Will Lee, who needs no introduction! This episode runs 90 minutes! Will's an outstanding talent on the bass guitar, and he was with Letterman through all the 33 years on late night TV. I met Will in 2008, in my annual trip to the Late Show, for DaveCon. After being introduced, I made it a point to mention that I'm from Manhattan, Kansas. He kind of did a double take when he heard that, because for a period of time, his parents lived in Manhattan, which was the home of the International Association for Jazz Education, and his dad, Dr. William Franklin Lee III was the Executive Director. I knew that Will had been in MHK to visit the parents. Be sure to watch this 1 hr. 34-minute episode of The Letterman Podcast. Will's not only a virtuoso guitarist, he really knows music, and just imagine how many prominent musicians he's worked with and played with over the years!

    DAVE IN "A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS"

  • Dec. 15, 2022: Our pals at the LETTERMAN channel have posted this gem from 12/22/09. It's Dave doing stand-up for this Christmas classic. Here's your YouTube link.

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: MARY CONNELLY

  • Dec. 14, 2022: Remember Connie Plescoe from LNDL, who seemed to be pregnant for a few years in the mid 1980s? She was actually producer Mary Connelly. My logs don't show her appearing more than once on LSDL, on 12/16/93 [74]. She has some awesome behind-the-scenes stories, for this latest offering from the LETTERMAN channel.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: LEE ELLENBERG, PART 2

  • Dec. 14, 2022: Mike Chisholm is at it again! Lee Ellenberg is the guest. Here's the YouTube link. The Letterman Podcast is brought to you by Rupert Jee's Hello Deli, conveniently located at 213 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019. (Google Map) Finally... here's the answer to an obvious question: "Where's the link to Episode 1?"

    DAVE ON HIS UKRAINE TRIP AND ZELENSKY INTERVIEW

  • Dec. 14, 2022: I truly admire Dave for taking a considerable risk in traveling to Ukraine, so we could hear directly from their courageous president, via a special episode of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. Here's a link to The Washington Post, for the story posted by Geoff Edgers on Dec. 9. I should point out that there's an excerpt of the interview (YouTube video) posted within this story.

    LETTERMAN LEAVES BEHIND A COSTLIER NEIGHBORHOOD

  • Dec. 13, 2022: Corey Kilgannon's article, Jokes Aside, David Letterman Leaves Behind a Costlier Neighborhood, was published in the New York Times in May 2015. The link went in my articles page then. It's an interesting look back, and it's always good to hear from our friend, Rupert. I think we'll all agree that this is the first time any of us have heard him referred to as "Mr. Jee." Read closely, won't you?

    DAVID LETTERMAN TOLD ABOUT HIS FAITH IN UKRAINIAN PEOPLE

  • Dec. 12, 2022: Dave had an interview with UATV English about the siege on Ukraine by Putin. He's convinced that Ukraine will win, and also that humor is helping Ukrainians through these difficult times. (A male translator has voiced over the interviewer who speaks the Ukrainian language. (YouTube video link)

    DAVE ANNOUNCES HIS INTERVIEW WITH VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY

    DAVE ON THE BLOCKS PODCAST

  • Dec. 8, 2022: I learned about this appearance in June 2023, when Jay Leno was Neal Brennan's guest, talking about the Letterman/Leno rivalry for getting the Tonight Show. Now, here's Dave visiting with Neal about his start in comedy, and, of course, Leno. Dave's very forthcoming with information and opinions, and very philosophical, too. Be sure to have a look! (YouTube link)

    Be sure to watch this. It runs a bit over an hour. Early on, Dave said if doing it over, he'd approach stand-up comedy differently. He's very philosophical about the topic. He said he didn't know what he was getting himself into. He wishes his material would have been more anecdotal and biographical.

  • Dec. 7, 2022: We learned in early November that Dave had interviewed the Ukrainian president, in a subway station. Today, in this Facebook post, Dave announced that his interview with President Zelenskyy, TIME magazine Person of the Year, will premiere on December 12. I must confess... I don't have Netflix, so I don't know if this is one-and-done, or on demand. Just look for My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. I'm determined to watch this, one way or another. It's going to be fascinating.

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: DAVE RYGALSKI

  • Dec. 6, 2022: This is a compilation of segments from the Late Night years... written by or including Dave Rygalski. Included are Biff Tracy, Tick Boy, one of my all-time favorites: Chris Elliott as a barking desk maggot, and Calvert DeForest's Pan American Goodwill Tour (which began on 11/11/88, and ran for over a month... ending with Calvert begging to come home). (YouTube link)

    CHRIS ELLIOTT'S SELF DEFENSE TIPS FOR DAVE

  • Dec. 6, 2022: This bit with the always-twisted Chris Elliott aired on 4/12/90... Dave's 43rd birthday. It seems that Mr. Elliott has assembled a vigilante group. He's been asked for a demonstration on how to fend off huckleberrys. (or is the plural correctly spelled huckleberries?) I just noticed that this was during Dave's Adidas® shoes era, but who cares? Spoiler: The demo ends with inappropriate flashlight discovery, and was dismissed from the set. Here we go. (YouTube link)

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: BRIAN TETA

  • Dec. 6, 2022: I was so excited to discover this one. Brian Teta, aside from his Supervising Producer duties, often appeared in comedy segments. At some point in the segment, whatever character Brian was playing would get a look of terror, and sprint off the stage. I loved his appearances on the show. On June 3, 2014, when I was in New York for a DaveCon, I ran into Brian somwhere on Broadway, and introduced myself. Well, he followed this fan page, because he thanked me for my "effusive praise" of his appearances. I'm thanking Brian here for all the ways he contributed to the Late Show! (YouTube link) Don't miss this one!

    SANDRA BERNHARD'S FIRST APPEARANCE WITH DATE

  • Dec. 4, 2022: It was always fun when Sandra Bernhard dropped by. According to my episode logs, this appearance, on 2/21/83, was her first of 24, and 22 of those were on LNDL.

    What I loved about her was there was no filter in what she said. I had forgotten that she earlier in her life, she was a manicurist, who encountered a number of prominent women. Later, she found her way into stand-up comedy. I know she was hilarious! Sandra obviously enjoyed her appearances with Dave, or she wouldn't have shown up 24 times. Here's the YouTube link.

    HOUNDMOUTH WITH "SEDONA"

  • Nov. 28, 2022: This performance is from 3/31/15 [4183], and it's gotten rave reviews from several who have see it. Houndmouth first appeared on LSDL on 7/10/13. (I have a hopeless crush on Katie Toupin! She is now touring solo.) They're in this night to perform Sedona, from their Little Neon Limelight album. (YouTube link)

    LENO'S ADVICE FOR GETTING ON DAVE'S SHOW

  • Nov. 26, 2022: I always looked forward to Jay's appearances on Letterman shows. Of course, I was highly irritated when we learned he hid in that closet, but that's another story. In this guest LNDL segment (04/05/83), Jay talks about his comedy club work. (YouTube link) Well... I didn't pick out much discussion of the "getting on Dave's show" topic listed above, but I left the segment here, anyway.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: WRITER STEPHEN WINER

  • Nov. 25, 2022: Happy turkey leftovers day! Stephen Winer was an original writer for Letterman. Our host, Mike Chisholm, is very excited to have Stephen on. (It turns out that really likes books. The shelves behind him look like the video cassettes in Don Giller's Dave Cave. Stephen began by insisting that Mike had to set aside a picture of Sarah Palin behind him. (YouTube link) As always, this podcast is sponsored by Rupert Jee's Hello Deli.

    THANKSGIVING PIE GUESSING, WITH DOROTHY

  • Nov. 24, 2022: Possibly the best Letterman tradition of all was the annual trip (via satellite) to Carmel, Indiana, to Dorothy's house, to guess what kind of pies she baked. (YouTube link) The air date of this visit was 11/23/00. I have a few of these visits in my Video Archives. Once you arrive there, scroll down to Dave's Mom, Dorothy. I have links to six of the visits.

    THANKSGIVING WITH LARRY "BUD" MELMAN AND FAMILY

  • Nov. 22, 2022: Don't miss this one, from 11/21/83! It's Calvert starring in "Dave and Larry Bud's Thanksgiving Etiquette." You'll meet Tiffany "Bud" Melman, Troy "Bud" Melman and Clifford "Bud" Melman. The presentation would have gone a bit more smoothly if Dave hadn't inadvertently blocked the sight line to the cue cards. (YouTube link) I highly recommend setting aside some time to tour the LETTERMAN channel on YouTube!

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: PRODUCER JILL LEIDERMAN

  • Nov. 22, 2022: Jill has some very fun moments. They involve celebrity encounters. Don't miss this! (YouTube link)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: JOE GROSSMAN, PART 2

  • Nov. 18, 2022: Here you'll find the long-awaited link to the second part of Mike Chisholm's interview with Joe Grossman. (OK... here's the YouTube link.)

    Mike and Joe have a lengthy discussion of Joe's applications to work for various shows, and his early days working for LSDL. He talks about standard practice for writing the various segments, such as the Top Ten. Fairly early in the day, he'd be called on to pitch a certain number of suggestions. I didn't realize how much pressure there was to be productive. Joe said a fair number of writers weren't retained for a long time. Joe said he wasn't part of meetings with Dave, and actually spent more time with him on camera than in person! Joe's first interaction with Dave was on an elevator, three or four months after he started there. (Dave didn't know who he was at the time.) But, Joe says Dave was very friendly and "socially normal," and the "stay away from Dave" idea came from staff... not Dave. Something that was news to me was that LNDL was more focused on comedy segments than the more guest-oriented LSDL.

    To conclude, I just want to state my appreciation for both Joe and Mike, and their two hours together recalling memorable moments, behind-the-scenes happenings, and how the shows were put together! Oh... and thanks much to my friend Rupert Jee for sponsoring the Podcast. Be sure to check out www.hello-deli.com, for Letterman show merchandise and apparel!

    FLUNKY THE CLOWN'S ONE MAN PARADE

  • Nov. 17, 2022: Oh, how we loved the visits from Flunky, the Late Night Viewer Mail clown, featuring writer Jeff Martin as Flunky! This gem is from the 5/28/87 LNDL. (YouTube link) Also part of the fun that evening was Chris Elliott as Skylark.

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: CHRISTOPHER GOUMAS

  • Nov. 15, 2022: Christopher Goumas was the art director. He was tasked with creating gadgets. There was the Quiz Machine, bolting a fake bag of groceries to the back of a car, dropping stuff off the roof of the Ed onto 53rd Street (including pinball machines), etc. Then there was the time when Harold Larkin opened a stage door, and a black hole's massive gravitational force ripped his pants right off. OK... you don't need to take my word for this. Here's your link. (Thanks much to the LETTERMAN channel for all the fun memories!)

    BID ON DAVE'S AUTOGRAPHED LETTER JACKET

  • Nov. 14, 2022: Once again, we join Dave and Barbara Gaines in the mysterious room where LETTERMAN channel videos are produced. (YouTube link) Since last century, Dave gave a letter jacket to each staff member at Christmas time... each customized for the year. (I'm the proud owner of two of them!) (An awesome producer... who shall not be named... sent me one as a surprise.)

    Dave decided it would be nice to put the jacket shown here (which he autographed during the video shoot) on eBay, for a good cause. (eBay link) As of this moment, the current bid is $8,100. The organization to receive the dough is the U. N. World Food Programme. I've donated to the program in the past, because Dave has been a supporter of the program for some time. In the left-side navigation column here, I've had a link to the program for a few years now. Dave has had leaders of the organization as guests on LSDL, and the show often ran bumpers promoting donations in its later years... especially after natural disasters in other countries.

    I'm at Kansas State University. Since 1967, we've had the Landon Lecture series, which has brought in many leaders, politicians and international figures. As it happens, David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, gave the latest Landon Lecture at Kansas State on Nov. 3, 2022. Good luck with your bid!

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: BILL SCHEFT

  • Nov. 13, 2022: Bill Scheft was employed by TV's David Letterman for 24 years. He's hosting himself on this latest offering from the LETTERMAN channel. Bill goes through various memorable jokes and segments he wrote, as well as a variety of fun memories and mishaps. Hey... how about YouTube's closed captioning? Over the course of 19 minutes, Bill was Bill Shaft, Bill Shift and Bill Chef. (YouTube link)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: JOE GROSSMAN, PART 1

  • Nov. 12, 2022: This is so exciting! Mike Chisholm's guest for the latest podcast is TV's Joe Grossman, a writer for LSDL who arrived on the scene on April 5, 2004. Mike reports that The Donz says Joe appeared 112 times. I think he was perfect for a bunch of segments... usually acting as though he wasn't hooked up quite right. Watch this now... I command you!

    My episode logs show Joe's first appearance on 7/22/04 [2209]. Audience Pan: "Late Show Staff Member of the Week" is Joe Grossman, who carved "jackass" into Dave's car hood. On 9/02/05 [2418], Joe put away the Late Show bear. I enjoyed how Joe would refer to his tattered little notebook, to look up jokes or whatever.

    Re: the urine segments, the Herbie Hancock bit was on 8/26/10 [3357]. It went exactly like this:
    desk chat: Dave likes the survival shows, like Bear Grylls. There's a guy right around New York, who does most of his work in the Pine Barrens. Each week he's going to appear on the Late Show with a survival tip, which brings us to the new segment, "Ox, the Wilderness Expert." (OK... you guessed it. Ox is really writer Joe Grossman. This is going to be funny, and you can bet he'll walk offstage the wrong way.) Here we go.

    (Dave): "Good to see you, Ox. Thank you very much for being here. I hope you're not spooked by being around all this civilization. Now, I know from what little camping I have done you can go a long time without eating, but you have to drink. You have to hydrate yourself, and I understand that's kinda your tip for us tonight. What is your tip, Ox?"

    (Ox): "While in the woods, sometimes you might find yourself in a position where you have to drink urine to survive."

    (Dave): "Where you have to drink urine to survive?"

    (Ox): "Yeah."

    (Dave): "And what do you have in the canteen? Is that, in fact, urine?"

    (Ox): "It's urine."

    (Dave): "Yeah. And whose... it's none of my business... but whose urine is that?"

    (Ox): "It's Herbie Hancock's."

    [This is hilarious, because the ever-somber Joe just about busts out laughing after delivering that line. Jerry Foley has to cut to Dave for a bit.]

    (Paul): "Ha. Ah ha ha! Ha! Ha ha!"

    (Dave): "Really? Um... I guess it doesn't make any difference, but how did you happen to get Herbie Hancock's urine?"

    (Ox): "You know. The usual way."

    (Ox takes the opportunity to enjoy a long drink of whizz from the canteen. He knocks back about a quart.)

    (Ox): "Some tasty urine."

    (Dave): "Ox, ladies and gentlemen, from the Pine Barrens."

    CHRIS ELLIOTT FINISHES THE NYC MARATHON

  • Nov. 10, 2022: How could I not link to this touching and inspiring segment from 11/09/89, with TV's ever-adorable Chris Elliott, Jr., and his sidekick, Gerard Mulligan? Chris finished his journey in about 105 hours, and is perspiring profusely. Dave is very proud of Chris, and presents him with a brand new pair of orange Keds®.

    HIS NAME IS "THE DONZ."

  • Nov. 7, 2022: I came across this on Facebook. It's a very positive shout out to TV's Don Giller, from the YouTube channel Late Night Saga Shorts, telling about his recording of every LNDL and LSDL episode. This resulted (as shown by the graphic at the top of this page) in currently over 182,000,000 views of his YouTube channel, and his current role as a consultant for the relatively new LETTERMAN channel.

    DAVE INTERVIEWED ZELENSKYY!

  • Nov. 4, 2022: Apparently this interview with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy happened recently. Deadline.com has a video link. The video clip only lasts 21 seconds, and it certainly appears to be in a subway station. We presume that the interview will be carried by Netflix's My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. This will be fascinating to watch.

    GAINES AND DAVE: DAVE MAKES A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

  • Nov. 2, 2022: This starts with props from the show. Barbara first shows Hot and Spicy Tylenol® capsules. They were from a segment "FDA Rejected Products" (or words to that effect), which may have aired on 10/14/93 [34]. Or... it may have been in 4/19/94 [142]: "FDA Rejected Items." Or... it may have been from "Rejected FDA Products," 9/21/94 [237]. It may have come from 2/09/95 [322]: "Rejected FDA Products." Let's not forget "Rejected FDA Items" on 7/03/96 [622]. Then there was "FDA Rejected Items," on 1/08/97 [728]. We certainly musn't forget "Rejected FDA Products," from 5/13/98 [1008]. Might I also mention "Rejected FDA Products," on 2/16/99 [1170]? "Rejected FDA Products" on 1/12/00 [1359] is a possibility. Will I ever shut up? There was "Rejected FDA Products" on 3/19/01 [1573]. Man... talk about a Letterman tradition! There was "Rejected FDA Products" on 2/20/02 [1761], and "Rejected FDA Items" on 10/07/02 [1883], and a sequel on 5/02/03 [1976]. If I haven't annoyed or bored you enough already, I'll mention "Late Show Rejected FDA Products" (including Gerber® Red Bull, Swanson® Frozen Leftovers, Heinz® Gravy Juice Boxes, Colgate® Lamb Flavored Toothpaste, A-1® Steak Sauce and Conditioner, Skoal® Macaroni and Chaw, Honey Roasted Tylenol® and Ronzoni® Pre-Cooked Spaghetti and Poland Spring® Water with Goldfish) on 10/19/05 [2446]. Since I'm kind of on a roll, there was "FDA Products" (including: Bird's Eye® Monkey Pot Pie, Gently Used Irish Spring®, Windexicle®, Emeril's® Restaurant Table Scraps, Perdue® Feet and Beaks, Kellogg's® Individually Wrapped Rice Krispies and Gerber's® Five Alarm Chili) 5/04/06 [2548]. Finally, there was "Rejected FDA Products" on 11/21/06 [2660]. Barbara and Dave had a lot of fun with Dr. Kevorkian's Suicide Death Mints®. This Just In: Dave claims he can't be on Barbara's show anymore, because he's signed an exclusive deal with TikTok. Lordy mercy! I almost forgot the link!

    WARREN ZEVON: "THANK YOU, AND GOODBYE."

  • Warren Zevon's final appearance on Letterman was on October 30, 2002. He died on September 7, 2003, and Dave announced his passing the next day. Warren (and Dave) knew at the time of his last appearance that he had terminal mesothelioma, and Warren's thoughts on his remaining time were summarized in his famous quote, "Enjoy every sandwich."

    According to my episode logs, Warren appeared on LNDL at least 8 times, and appeared on LSDL 30 times. Often in his appearances on LSDL, Warren would sit in for Paul... for example, when Paul was performing with Carole King, and during Paul's bout with pneumonia.

    The October 28 issue of The Ringer has a detailed look back at Warren's final appearance on his show, with photos and video, and Dave's own comments on his last words with Warren. I highly recommend reading this.

    SULLY IS ALL BETTER!

  • Oct. 28, 2022: Here's a brief YouTube video with TV's David M. Letterman and Sully Letterman. Dave reports that Sully had tumors on his liver and spleen in the summer. He wants us to know that Colorado State University saved him, and he's doing great. Dave recommends visiting the site of the Flint Animal Cancer Center to learn how they help animal and humans. Sully, a Labrador retriever, joined the Letterman family in about 2010, when Harry would have been 6. Harry wasn't in the video. He's off at college now!

    FUN WITH RUPERT: HALLOWEEN TRICK OR TREATING

  • Oct. 26, 2022: You know what Fun with Rupert means. Rupert's set up with a radio receiver, and Dave's in the area, sending in silly stuff to say. This time, Rupert's wearing various trick or treat outfits, and is carrying a plastic pumpkin to tote his treats. (We're not sure if he ever got one.) Rupert was always a good sport with these segments. This one, from the LETTERMAN channel, is from 11/03/97 [898]. (YouTube link)

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: SUE HUM

  • Oct. 25, 2022: The LETTERMAN channel staff were really on it today! Costume designer Sue Hum was responsible for coming up with legendary outfits, often on very short notice, e.g. The Suit of Suet, The Suit of Chips and Dip, The Suit of Magnets, a stripper outfit for Bruce Willis, kids' Halloween costumes, The Late Show Bear... on and on. On 4/27/12, there was "Sue Hum Tells Don Rickles Jokes." There are so many great memories in this compilation. There were a bunch of times when Sue would throw a scripted tantrum, and wish death - or worse - for Dave. Watch it right now!

    TAYLOR ALLISON SWIFT: "SPEAK NOW"

  • Oct. 25, 2022: I love Taylor Swift! In September 2015, I made the 125-mile trip to Kansas City two nights in a row, to see Taylor in concert. OK... our pals at the LETTERMAN channel have Taylor's 10/26/10 appearance uploaded, as she performs Speak Now. (YouTube)

    ALAN KALTER'S SCARY, SEXY HALLOWEEN STORY

  • Oct. 25, 2022: Oh, dear... the late, beloved Alan Kalter just about got himself sent to the principal's office over this one. He was seductive and suggestive, and Dave had to cut him off, lest the FCC came knocking. This gem aired on 10/29/02. Alan was ordered off the air that late October night, but the LETTERMAN channel has him on YouTube. Watch closely, won't you?

    BRIAN DONAHUE: THE GUY WHO BEATS UP ALAN

  • Oct. 22, 2022: I'm sure everyone reading this greatly appreciated and enjoyed the work of the late Alan Kalter, long-time announcer on LSDL. With that in mind, I'm sure you were with me in hopes of Alan getting the highest quality beatings that money could buy. Who better to deliver Alan's negative reinforcement than Brian Donahue, a.k.a. The Guy Who Beats Up Alan? (YouTube video) I noticed that this video was made by Don Giller. A check of my episode logs shows it's from 9/08/04 [2233], in a weekly CBS Mailbag segment.

    Letter #4. If you could choose anyone to be President of the United States, who would you choose, and why? / "President Bill Clinton now is recovering from the heart surgery. I know how difficult that can be. Let's not engage in partisan politics." / Alan Kalter gives an update on his condition. Hillary has been at Bill's side throughout the ordeal. / Alan addresses Hillary: "With Bubba out of commission, why don't you give me a call?" / on and on, until Dave puts a stop to it / "I was just fooling around," Alan replies. "What's the harm in talking?" / A black-suited Secret Service man beats the crap out of Alan to the CBSO's "Secret Agent Man." / Dave calls for an Advil® for Alan.

    THE CBS ORCHESTRA IS SIMPSONIZED!

  • Oct. 15, 2022: I don't know the story behind this awesome picture. Al Chez posted it on his Facebook page, in late 2015. LSDL ended on May 20 that year, but I think this cartoon pic of the CBSO was done by The Simpsons.

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: RODNEY ROTHMAN

  • Oct. 11, 2022: OK... this is one of the best Staff Favorite Moments so far. The guest is writer Rodney Rothman, from the 1990s. The first story is about a segment I remember, for sure. It had Chris Farley entering as a madman, turning cartwheels, and picking up Rodney, carrying him outside and depositing him in a dumpster! Then there was crashing Walter Matthau's haircut. 6/05/98 [1020] How about Art Garfunkel shooting free throws on 53rd St.? 6/01/98 [1016] On 10/13/99 [1305], teenager Paul Fiore's driver's license test was covered by helicopter. On 11/16/99 [1324], there was coverage of a new gazebo for Kankakee, Illinois. On 10/15/99 [1307], there was Top Ten Things That Sound Creepy When Said by John Malkovich. On 2/04/99 [1162], we saw fake boy band Fresh Step. I'm not sure it was originally known that this band was a Late Show creation. In fact, in my episode log that lists their second LSDL appearance (3/03/99), I commented that they "sucked." Be sure to see Rodney's Favorite Moments! (YouTube link)

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: MADELEINE SMITHBERG

  • Oct. 4, 2022: This is a great episode! We have Madeleine in her kitchen, telling tales of Late Show adventures. She has a Jack Hanna story (getting bitten by a beaver). Madeleine was a major player in the epic stunt of border collies herding sheep into a New York taxi. I didn't think Madeleine would mention the remote when Dave... unaware it was Madeline... referred to her as a "husky idler," but she did.

    Another classic was when Rena Smaha (on 8/26/87) staged a monkey tea party. (I have it in my video archives.) One little monkey sensed correctly that Dave was making fun of her, and started getting real aggressive with him... threatening and lurching at him. Dave feigned being scared, and the little monkey fed off that and got even more aggressive. Madeleine's 14-minute video is on YouTube.

    OH, BOY HOWDY...

  • Oct. 3, 2022: Today's installment on the LETTERMAN YouTube channel is a life hack from TV's David Letterman. It includes a demo, and a Q&A with cohosts Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay. (YouTube link) Dave's stewing about a planetary drought, so he reveals how to save water during your toothbrushing procedure: brush your teeth in the shower. It's just that simple. / OK... what's the deal with the grandfather clock on our host's left arm?

    TV BOY IS A GUEST ON JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE

  • Sep. 28, 2022: Dave's a guest on Jimmy Kimmel. As you might expect, Dave takes over the interview, 'cause he doesn't have a show anymore (except My Next Guest). He has stories about Harry's first month at college (which I can relate to, since I've spent 54 years at college). The next topic is Dave's history with Howard Stern. Did you know Howard paints pictures now? Then it's Kevin Durant. Jimmy brings up his near obsesson with Dave in his early years (the lengths he went to to get into Late Night episodes, stalking him, etc.). Set aside 17.38 minutes, and be entertained. Here's your YouTube link.

    JIMMY KIMMEL'S FAVORITE 'LATE NIGHT' MOMENTS, PART 2

  • Sep. 27, 2022: Don't miss this! It's well known that Jimmy Kimmel's a big Dave fan (and he has the VHS tapes to prove it)! Jimmy introduces a bunch of favorite segments, like The Guy Under the Seats, Camping with Barry White, Dave taking the gift basket to the GE Building when they bought NBC, the catch phrases, like "They pelted us with rocks and garbage.", surprising Colleen Boyle at her workplace at Sears, and Chris Elliott's antics and impersonations. (YouTube)

    THE MUSICIANS ON LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN

  • Sep. 21, 2022: Happy fall, all. My friend, Don Giller, has really done it this time! Regular visitors here are likely familiar with his amazing YouTube channel, which currently has 178,000,000 views. Well, another contribution from The Donz is The Donz Blog, which in 'The Musicians on 'Late Show with David Letterman' has all manner of information on the CBS Orchestra and The World's Most Dangerous Band. Don details the band members and their performing histories.

    In case you're new to Planet Earth, I'll just mention that The Donz has logs of every episode of every Letterman late night show (NBC and CBS). Furthermore, he hs digitized his videotapes of each show, which helps immensely if, for example, he decides to produce a compilation of a recurring segment on the show.

    So... if you have a written record of everything that happened over 33 years, you have digital video of everything and a tireless work ethic, an amazing history of Letterman shows is the result. I highly recommend that you click on the links above, for a sample of work that no one else has the determination or ability to produce. Thanks, Donz!

    DOROTHY TOURS LONDON

  • Sep. 20, 2022: TV Boy's late mother, the beloved Dorothy Mengering, is sent by LSDL to London in Sweeps month. Here, from 5/15/95, is a video of Dorothy taking in the sights. Unfortunately, it only lasts a couple of minutes. Watch it now... or else! (YouTube link)

    DAVE GETS ROASTED FOR HIS QUEEN ELIZABETH II TOP TEN

  • Sep. 19, 2022: Queen Elizabeth's funeral was today, and Dave and Gaines have posted their latest video about Dave's Top Ten List for Queen Elizabeth II, which landed on YouTube on Sep. 9. It was harmless material, with one entry being a crack about Dairy Queen®. As of today, that Top Ten has about 31 kiloviews. Apparently comments are turned off. Oh, OK... there was some material about Charles' ears. To my way of thinking, the #1 topic should be What's the Deal with Dave's Watch? (the one he had on on Sep. 9) The diameter of that contraption is about 3". At least we know from it that the video was recorded at 4:32 P.M. ET.

    The link above is for the scandalous Top Ten. Here's today's entry, Dave Gets Roasted for His Queen Elizabeth II Top Ten. Hey! How about a shout out to the great Walter Kim?! I got to visit with him a few times when I co-starred in Tony Mendez Show episodes. He and Jay Johnson were always wonderful hosts to us DaveCon participants (which included producing a Tony Mendez Show episode during our annual visits).

    Dave keeps hinting that Mary Barclay has left the building, but Gaines insists that's not true. Mary, along with Stephanie Birkitt, was Dave's assistant (and earlier, one of the production staff)... at least as far back as 1998. She wasn't seen on air frequently, but she often got a shout out on her Sep. 29 birthdays. I hope she re-emerges soon! Of course, it's awesome to have Gaines in on the fun.

    DAVE REACHES OUT TO JIMMY KIMMEL ABOUT THE EMMYS

  • Sep. 15, 2002: The aforementioned LETTERMAN channel on YouTube has a new set! It's a two-seater next to a window. Gaines is hosting. Apparently Mary Barclay is "on assignment," which is show business talk, sometimes, for being in the doghouse. We know nothing more about that. Today's visit sort of draws from Will Smith's misbehavior at this Oscars this spring. I'll not reveal any more about today's episode. It's free, of course. (YouTube link) "DON'T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE," Gaines commands us.

    NORM MACDONALD AND LETTERMAN: THE BEST OF THE BEST

  • Sep. 18, 2022: The world lost Norm Macdonald a year ago, on Sep. 14, 2021. In honor of a tremendous comedian and a wonderful man, here's a compilation of his appearances with TV Boy. Wait a minute! Here's another one, from Netlix Is a Joke on YouTube. This is a panel discussion, including Dave Chappelle, Dave Letterman, Adam Sandler, Conan, Molly Shannon and David Spade.

    TAYLOR SWIFT REVEALS HER SONGWRITING PROCESS

  • Sep. 13, 2022: I've been to see Taylor Allison Swift in concert a few times... including two nights in a row. Here, from 10/26/10, is Taylor's first interview with TV Boy. Taylor's very forthcoming and articulate, and she gives a fun interview. Thanks, as always, to the LETTERMAN channel for all they're doing! (YouTube) Oops! Taylor grew up on a Christmas tree farm. Along the way, Dave referred to pine trees as deciduous. No! Deciduous trees drop their leaves every fall. Pine trees are gymnosperms, which have unprotected seeds.

    MERRILL MARKOE 2: CLASSIC REMOTES

  • September 13, 2022: This is a collection of classic, hilarious remotes from LNDL. Included in Dave's destinations were Just Bulbs, Just Shades, Dupont Dry Cleaners, Burger Joint, The Mattress King, Lumber Boys and Coliseum Vacuum Cleaner Co. Merrill got the idea for Dave's Shame of the City expose. Dave also visited the inventor of the casket life detector, meant to rescue unfortunate individuals who were buried alive. A martial arts instructor interviewed Ghandi. What better way to end this awesome presentation than Dog Poetry? (This was aired on the Tonight show.) The Late Night years were tremendous! Here's your YouTube link.

    IT'S RAINING MEN CELEBRATES ITS 40th ANNIVERSARY

  • September 10, 2022: Paul Shaffer and Paul Jabara wrote It's Raining Men in one afternoon in 1979. The Weather Girls eventually recorded it, and it was nominated for a Grammy, but we knew that. (link)

    DAVE'S TOP TEN LIST FOR QUEEN ELIZABETH II

  • September 9, 2022: Observing the passing of Queen Elizabeth, Dave, Gaines and Mary Barclay present a Top Ten. (YouTube)

    DAVE MEETS MANNY THE HIPPIE

  • September 8, 2022: Dave had a week in San Francisco in 1996, and a fun segment was hanging out with Manny Papp, in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. This aired on 5/10/96 [589]. A fun fact is that my friend, Dave, and I were in the 4th row of the audience for the 5/08/96 episode. CBS ran a Letterman trivia contest on the cbs.com site. I knew the answer to every trivia question, which got me into a random drawing of contestants with a perfect score. Well... I won the drawing, and got a trip for two to San Francisco... with free air travel, a chauffer and hotel... then VIP seating in the audience. That was the first of my nine trips to a Letterman show.

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: GERARD MULLIGAN

  • August 30, 2022: This video popped up on the LETTERMAN channel, just after the aforementioned podcast with Gerard, which I enjoyed tremendously. It's 4 a.m., and I haven't watched it yet, but I wanted you to know about it. (YouTube) / Another was old Henry getting fired. / Then there was Gerard's son playing a baby born in the audience. / There's Gerard's daughter's Brownie investiture. The most troubling moment ever on LSDL was Chris Elliott supposedly performing CPR on Gerard. / On 8/19/96 [645]: Gerard Mulligan did the macarena, then Dave kills Gerard off camera. / Don't miss this awesome compilation!

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST 023: GERARD MULLIGAN

  • August 29, 2022: I'm sure looking forward to this 98 minutes of hearing from Gerard! (YouTube link) Gerard worked with Dave for almost 40 years, starting with the morning show, I believe. He has so many stories, and he's a very forthcoming guest. Don't miss it! By the way, The Donz got a big-time shout out from Gerard in this podcast, for being able to give the date (and provide video) of any person, place or thing ever seen on Letterman shows.

    LATE SHOW AT 29

  • August 29, 2022: As you know, 2022–1993 = 29. Late Show with David Letterman was born on August 30, 1993, and it would run on CBS for about 22 years. Counting 4 prime time specials, Dave hosted 4,218 of the 4,255 Late Show episodes. TV's Don Giller has 1 hr. and 51 minutes' worth of coverage on the big event. He calls it Countdown to Late Show with David Letterman. What Donz has could be called "coverage of the coverage.'' Watch closely, won't you? Thanks, Donz. As you might expect, every single person covering the event is trying to be funny.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST 022: STEVE YOUNG

  • August 26, 2022: Mike Chisholm's guest for 1.5 hours is TV's Steve Young. (He has a beard now!) You'll hear Steve comment about found comedy, Dave's Record Collection, Bathtubs Over Broadway, Celebrigum, writing The Strong Guy, the Fat Guy, the Genius (4-08-94)... on and on. The podcast is sponsored by Rupert Jee's Hello Deli. Be sure to visit it, as well as Rupert's online store and Letterman apparel store!

    THE SUIT OF SPONGES

  • August 24, 2022: From the LETTERMAN YouTube channel (and from 2/14/85), it's Dave in the Suit of Sponges. (YouTube link) A bunch of large, yellow sponges were glued to a jumpsuit, and Dave, suspended by two cables, was to be lowered into a calibrated tank. First he was weighed, at around 190 pounds. The tank, pre-dunk, showed 240 gallons of H2O. After Dave was submerged and removed, the tank showed 216 gallons, and Dave + soaked sponges weighed about 500 pounds.

    OK... that was a loss of 24 gallons, and a gain of 310 pounds. A gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. 310 pounds / 8 = 38 gallons of water, which is a fairly big discrepancy with 24 gallons missing from the tank. Also, there had to have been a fair amount of water slopped onto the floor, so the numbers don't line up for this fan.

    For my videos on other suits, go to my Video Archives, scroll down to David Letterman, and focus on Suit. Dave also had the Suit of Alka-Seltzer®, the Suit of Chips and Dip, the Suit of Magnets and the Suit of Velcro®. There may have been more that are missing from my archives. It looks like most of the episodes of this stunt occurred between 1984 and 1986.

    NORM MACDONALD'S NETWORK TELEVISION DEBUT

  • August 21, 2022: Norm's debut was in May Sweeps, on LNDL, May 9, 1990. He had some fun jokes, and we saw that one of his standard approaches, slightly mispronouncing words, was already in place. (YouTube) Get back here, Norm!

    DARLENE LOVE vs. MARIAH CAREY

  • August 19, 2022: There's a dustup on Twitter, as Mariah Carey is trying to trademark the phrase "The Queen of Christmas." (Variety link) Our hero, Darlene Love, is taking exception to Mariah's move, stating that TV's David Letterman proclaimed Darlene to be the Queen of Christmas 29 years ago. Furthermore, Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry and Phil Spektor wrote Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) for Darlene in 1963. You'll find links to a number of Darlene's performances of that classic in my video archives. (Scroll down to the Ds.) OR... you'll do even better with Don Giller's playlist of Darlene's hit... all 21 performances.

    Here's a fun video with 11,000,000 views, All Alone on Christmas, with Darlene and Macaulay Culkin.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST 020: TOM "BONES" MALONE

  • August 12, 2022: Mike Chisholm has a great choice with this one. It's an hour+ with Tom "Bones" Malone, who had 10 years on SNL, and 22 years on Letterman, on Mike's The Letterman Podcast. The podcast nas a nice focus on Tom's work with arranging music, as he's credited with arranging about 3,000 musical numbers. (YouTube link)

    REMEMBERING NORM MACDONALD

  • August 11, 2022: This discussion on Netflix Is a Joke is really interesting. It's a group discussion on Norm's work, with Dave Chappelle, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Adam Sandler, Molly Shannon and David Spade. (YouTube link)

    The participants tell about their personal experiences with Norm, and characterize and analyze his approach to comedy. A major focus is Norm's work on his Netflix offering, Nothing Special: Norm Macdonald.

    It was leukemia that took Norm, and he knew that his days were numbered. In retrospect, his friends now know why he was so emotional in his interactions with them, toward the end. Norm had the honor of being the last person ever to do stand-up comedy on Late Show with David Letterman, on one of the final shows in May 2015. Norm said,

    "So anyways, I'd just like to say, I know that Mr. Letterman is not for the mawkish, and he has no truck for the sentimental. But... if something is true, it is not sentimental, and I say in truth, I love you."

    Wait a minute. Hold everything. Don't miss Don Giller's Norm Macdonald Collection on Letterman, Part 5 of 5: 2003-15.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: STEVE O'DONNELL, PART 2

  • August 5, 2022: Dave's head writer, Steve O'Donnell, is an exceptional guest in this 48-minute conversation with host Mike Chisholm. (YouTube) Steve has all kinds of experiences, and a brilliant, Harvard-educated, mind for putting them into perspective. Steve has memories from his time at LNDL and LSDL. If you're a fan of Dave and his shows, I guarantee that you'll enjoy this.

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST: STEVE O'DONNELL, PART 1

  • August 5, 2022: This is fun! It's tape of a rehearsal, with Sid, Will, Paul and Anton, joined by Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead. It may be from 9/17/87. (YouTube)

    THE ULTIMATE BEAVIS & BUTT-HEAD COLLECTION

  • August 3, 2022: Prominent intellectual leaders Beavis and Butt-head are honored in this collection. Enjoy cameos by Mujibur and Sirajul, and Siskel and Ebert. (YouTube)

    WILD ISLAND HUMPING

  • July 29, 2022: Confession: I've been working double-time, and looked for this while watching Part 2. I'll write more when I've watched it, but let's not delay with the link! (YouTube)

    THE WMDB REHEARSING WITH JERRY GARCIA

  • July 25, 2022: Here's the latest offering from the LETTERMAN channel, entitled Dave's Dog Goes Under the Knife. (YouTube) Mary Barclay, who Dave seems to think is Gaines, is our host. So, it seems that Dave's dog, Dutch, had a problem with his innards, and had to go to Vet School at Colorado State to be carved upon. Guess what! Dutch got to wear a t-shirt after his procedure, instead of one of those cones! We get to see one of Dave's cars, but the license tag is blocked out, so we don't stalk him.

    DAVE WAS IN ON ANDY KAUFMAN'S OUTRAGEOUS BITS

  • July 13, 2022: Here's video of TV Boy as an interview guest on Howard Stern's show on SiriusXM. A topic was Andy's appearances on Dave's shows... including the gem discussed here (from 7/28/82), when Jerry Lawler knocked Andy out of a guest chair with a slap/punch. Don Giller has a compilation of Andy's segments on YouTube, with two million+ views. Also, someone else has an AndyOnLetterman channel on YouTube.

    DAVE AND PAUL GO SURFING

  • July 12, 2022: This fun segment from the new LETTERMAN channel is from a week in Los Angeles, Sweeps month, 5/13/94. (link) Here's my entire episode log from this Los Angeles episode:

    Dave and Paul go surfing. ••• Calvert as Johnny Carson ••• Johnny Carson ••• Top Ten Things We'll Miss about L. A. ••• Bette Midler ••• Dave and Zsa Zsa eat fast food. ••• Traffic with the CBSO ••• Dave and Zsa Zsa get into the pool in the backdrop.

    WILL LEE: MUSICIANS HALL OF FAME BACKSTAGE

  • July 10, 2022: Joe Chambers, founder and CEO of the Musicians Hall of Fame, introduces this pair of interviews with the great Will Lee. In addition to The Fab Faux (which goes back 23 years), Will's now has another band, The Band of Other Brothers. Will is a tremendous interview and communicator. He really knows the music scene, and all kinds of musicians. His 33 years on Letterman - with guest musicians on the show almost every night - no doubt played a significant part in the connections he has. (Part 1) Then it's back to 2004 for Will and Joe. (Part 2) Will tells about the early days of Late Night with David Letterman.

    DAVID LETTERMAN: THE NEXT JOHNNY CARSON?

  • July 4, 2022: Our pal Don Giller ran across this 42-year-old TV Guide. This story ran in April 1980, just before Dave's morning show was announced. Click through Don's Twitter post for a scan of the article. Thanks, Donz!

    DROPPING STUFF FROM A 7th FLOOR WINDOW OF THE ED

  • June 16, 2022: It's Tomfoolery in the name of science - or Sweeps month - as staff drop perfectly good stuff from a window. It aired on 11/25/94. Included in the fun, we have a watermelons and a pinball machine. Watch closely, won't you? (link)

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: JEFF MARTIN

  • June 21, 2022: What a great surprise to hear from Flunky! Goodness... a loyal viewer would recognize his voice anywhere. I'm not sure what year Jeff signed on with LNDL, but we're glad he did. Along the way, Jeff's presentation turns to Flunky, and he describes him with the word dissolute. Well, I had to look that one up. It means, lax in morals or licentious. Then I had to look up licentious, which means promiscuous or unprincipled in sexual matters. Regular viewers had much to learn from Flunky.

    I didn't know this. Jeff wrote the Late Night Anthem! I'll close with the comment that I really appreciate everything Jeff brought to the Letterman shows, and Flunky was perfect! Here's your YouTube link.

    LEAVING LETTERMAN

  • June 11, 2022: I was reminded today of the two must-see Leaving Letterman videos, recorded by Walter Kim, and posted in 2015 and 2016. Part 1 is focused on staff learning that the show was going to end. In Part 2, you'll hear from Barbara Gaines (35 years), Kathy Mavrikakis (30 years), Rob Burnett (29 years), Jerry Foley (25 years), Jerry Foley (25 years), Steve Young (25 years), Bill Scheft (24 years), Joe Grossman (11 years) and Brian Teta (11 years) about their post-Letterman lives. I find it interesting that Paul Shaffer, Will Lee and Biff Henderson weren't interviewed for these videos.
  • BRUCE WILLIS: BADASS INTERN

  • June 8, 2022: Here's the latest from the LETTERMAN YouTube channel. Bruce Willis plays a tough guy college intern for LSDL. Watch for cameos by Sarah Billington, Todd Seda and Schecky! The air date was June 8, 2009. (YouTube)

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: GERARD MULLIGAN

  • June 7, 2022: TV's Gerard Mulligan is hosting this segment, so we know it'll be good. Gerard talks about the late Andy Kaufman, and assures us that no one on the LNDL staff knew Jerry Lawler was going to slap Andy on 7/28/82.

    DAVID LETTERMAN SHOULD JOIN THE 60 MINUTES TEAM

  • May 26, 2022: Neal Justin of the Minneapolis Star Tribune has posted an interesting opinion piece, praising My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. He stated that Dave is thoughtful, considerate and curious, and has one of TV's best interview shows.

    TOP TEN THINGS I'LL MISS ABOUT
    WORKING AT THE LATE SHOW

  • May 20, 2022: Today marks seven years since the final Late Show. Here you'll see 10 of Dave's long-time staff laying a few jabs on him. If the video comes up with closed captioning, you can click it off. (YouTube)

    BILLIE EILISH TAKES DAVE GO KART RACING

  • May 18, 2022: What happens when a musician takes on an owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing? Danger! This is a fun couple of minutes of preview of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. Watch it now, or else! (YouTube)

    DAVE DIDN'T GET BEATEN UP
    AT THE NETFLIX COMEDY FESTIVAL

  • May 17, 2022: Dave talks about the weekend's lunar eclipse... well, actually he talked more about solar eclipses. (YouTube) In other news, Dave didn't get beaten up at the Netflix Comedy Festival... on either weekend. Dave laments that he's "not funny enough to be attacked onstage." Nonsense!

    35 YEARS OF LETTERMAN, VOL. 1: 1980 - 1993

  • May 9, 2022: Robert Wilson has taken on a project of assembling best-of playlists of Letterman segments, that will span 1980 - 2015. The source will primarily be our pal Don Giller, with some coming from the new LETTERMAN YouTube channel. Here's #1.

    TOP TEN PIECES OF ADVICE ON HOW TO BE A GOOD MOTHER

  • May 8, 2022: From her kitchen in Carmel, Indiana, Dave's mom, Dorothy Mengering delivered her Top Ten Pieces of Advice on How to Be a Good Mother. This gem aired on May 7, 2010. Watch closely, won't you? (YouTube) I'm sorry about any ads from body builders.

    BILLIE EILISH NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION

  • May 7, 2022: My Next Guest Needs No Introduction will re-emerge in Sweeps Month, on May 20. Hey... that's the 7th anniversary of Dave's last episode of LSDL. The Netflix promotion reminds us of Dave's numerous Emmys, the Peabody Award, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and The Johnny Carson Award for Comedic Excellence. I'm looking forward to the visit with Billie Eilish!

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: ZOE FRIEDMAN

  • May 3, 2022: Here's a fun 10 minutes, presented by Zoe Friedman, an intern, and later a talent coordinator. She was involved in a few wacky segments of her own, network debuts for some, and stunts by well-known stars. (YouTube)

    DAVE'S FUN WITH PHOTOS

  • May 2, 2022: Gaines is the host of this installment. She has the pictures, and TV Boy fills in the story. (YouTube) We see macaroni, a bison, or some other kind of varmint, bears in a forest, etc. I think Dave and the host are in front of a green screen. The background is always a blurry picture of a room, and our panelists are in perfect focus. Click the icon to see more from the channel.

    THE MERGING: EAST AND WEST

  • April 30, 2022: On January 25, 1990, The World's Most Dangerous Band traveled to the Tonight Show, where they played the Late Night theme with Doc Severinsen's band. It's a great collaboration, and a fun look back. (YouTube)

    JIMMI SIMPSON TALKS ABOUT LYLE THE INTERN

  • April 26, 2022: Jimmi Simpson played the ever-creepy Lyle the Intern 14 times, from 2/05/08 to 11/19/09. He'd turn up unexpectedly, plant himself in a guest chair and do his creepy banter, until Dave ran him off. Apparently the Stangels dreamed up the character. I think it's genius. From the new LETTERMAN channel, here it is. When you've seen that, you are hereby instructed to go watch the entire Lyle collection (with 1,000,000+ views), compliments of The Donz. (YouTube) It runs 66 minutes. Thanks, Donz!

    DAVE RESPONDS TO YouTube COMMENTS

  • April 25, 2022: Former Executive Assistant Mary Barclay hosted TV Boy as he replied to viewer comments and questions. It's like Viewer Mail or the CBS Mailbag without the peppy theme song. Watch closely, won't you? (YouTube)

    ALLOW ME TO PRESENT RUPERT JEE AS DR. MEAT

  • April 25, 2022: From a quarter century ago, 5/23/97 [807], (and I don't remember a thing about this fun CBS Mailbag segment), it's TV's Rupert Jee as Dr. Meat. Don't miss this, as Rupert's attire includes a codpiece. I looked it up. They're from the 15th and 16th centuries, so 100 to 200 years for that ridiculous fad! (YouTube)

    THE LETTERMAN PODCAST ANNOUNCEMENT

  • April 20, 2022: The Letterman Podcast premiered today. (Facebook post) It's a project of Letterman fan Mike Chisholm. Our host reports that it will be free, and available from sources of other podcasts, plus YouTube. Here's a link to the first live podcast. The YouTube HD version will be up tomorrow, Thursday.

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: BIFF HENDERSON

  • April 19, 2022: There isn't a man, woman or child alive today who won't like this compilation, introduced by Biff Henderson. His favorite moments, over 34 years with Dave, include his remote to a Super Bowl, Fun with a Bullhorn, May We Turn Your Pants into Shorts?, and being hypnotized (maybe... maybe not) on 4/05/96 by Marshall Sylver. Biff contributed so much to Dave's shows over the years. It's only fitting for him to be included in this series. (YouTube video)

    THE MUSICIANS ON LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN

  • April 17, 2022: Here we see an exceptional effort by Don Giller. Viewers of Late Night with David Letterman were treated to the talents of the members of The World's Most Dangerous Band, who added greatly to the success of the show. On episode one, February 1, 1982, the band consisted of Paul Shaffer, Steve Jordan, Hiram Bullock and Will Lee. As you know Paul and Will spent the next 33 years with Dave. Hiram Bullock was replaced by Sid McGinnis in 1984, and Steve Jordan would be replaced by Anton Fig in 1986.

    This blog is full of details and quotes. It's obvious that Don spent a colossal amount of time bringing all of this history together. Few other people would be capable of what he has produced here. Part 1 is an amazing documentary on the formation of the WMDB, and its members over 11 years.

    When I first linked to this blog, there was only Part 1. Not long afterward, I revisited and found Part 2. The Guest Performers and More. This includes links to nine spreadsheets... each with minute details of musical performances on LNDL... available for download.

    With my thanks and admiration, here's your link, including Part 1: The Musicians on Late Night with David Letterman, and Part 2: The Guest Performers and More.

    HOW DAVE GOT KNOCKED OUT

  • April 12, 2022: On the occasion of Dave's 75th birthday, he joined Barbara Gaines to tell the tale of getting knocked out last summer, while on a college campus visit to Rhode Island with Harry J. Letterman. The YouTube video runs about nine minutes. There was a fire truck, ambulance, IVs and 180 stitches. I know we're all glad there was a happy ending.

    I wondered re: the first video in this series if Dave and host are in front of a green screen, as the background is fuzzy. Well... maybe, but from the episode with Mary Barclay, there are subtle differences in furniture placement, lighting, etc. OK... this edition of the video welcomes guests to send questions or comments to Barbara at 765 273-3611.

  • BEST OF LETTERMAN SERIES

  • April 10, 2022: I don't know who posted this compilation, but Don Giller produced the segments I've seen so far. This extravaganza is in five parts... each video spanning several years. In total, there are 10 hours, from 1980 - 2015. (reddit.com link)

    DAVE'S FAVORITE SHOW MOMENT: A WALK ON ZE WILD SIDE

  • April 6, 2022: The Letterman YouTube channel just posted "Dave's Favorite Show Moment." Former segment producer Mary Barclay hosts TV's David Letterman in this episode. It's 80-year-old rocker Gertrude "Gerty" Molzen with a Lou Reed number, Walk on the Wild Side. (Gerty: YouTube video) (Lou: YouTube audio) Didn't the CBSO play this as a bumper song now and then? Anyway, Gerty blows the roof off the dump, and the WMDB was so good on back-up. My logs show Lou appearing on Dave's shows 21 times, depending on what you count, and including a tribute to him when he passed at the age of 71.

    KIMMY KIMMEL'S FAVORITE MOMENTS

  • April 5, 2022: Jimmy Kimmel is a huge Letterman fan, and has been since he was a kid. The Letterman channel invited Jimmy to review his favorite moments from the show. In this 15-minute video, Jimmy talks about "Just Shades" and "Just Bulbs," Larry Bud's fiasco with hot towels, and one of the great classics, Rena Smaha with her disagreeable monkeys. Here's my video of the full monkey segment. Talk about monkeyshines!!

    LETTERMAN BUMPERS WEBINAR

  • April 3, 2022: It's the 40th anniversary of the program that Larry "Bud" Melman warned us about, but that's not why I called you here. Arlen Schumer narrated this 43-minute YouTube video. Arlen is a graphic designer, and he added to the photos that Marc took. He gives us his memories about the bumpers. Don't miss this video!

    Marc Karzen took the pictures for the bumpers that led into - and out of - most commercial breaks. I highly recommend Marc's 72-page coffee table book of the bumpers. (Amazon link) (lettermanbumpers.com) (arlenschumer.com)

    AL CHEZ TO THE WORLD DRUM CORPS HALL OF FAME

  • March 30, 2022: Today, longtime CBS Orchestra member Al Chez posted to alt.fan.letterman the wonderful news that he's being inducted into the World Drum Corps Hall of Fame. Here's Al's Facebook post, which in part of a day, has about 1,000 congratulations.

    FOO FIGHTERS AND JOAN JETT
    BLOW THE ROOF OFF THE DUMP

  • March 30, 2022: It was a Sweeps month home run! My future bride, Joan Jett, joined the Foo Fighters on LSDL on Nov. 11, 2011 for an amazing performance of Bad Reputation, released in May 1980. MTV was born on August 1, 1981. I watched MTV daily, to see my other future bride, Martha C. Quinn, and learned about Joan there.

    YouTube has official audio of Bad Reputation. It has 12 million+ hits!

    In 2011, the aforementioned musicians came to The Ed to perform the song. It was tremendous... and it was a perfect showcase for Taylor Hawkins' talent and energy. Taylor passed away on March 25, 2022. The YouTube video linked here has almost a quarter million views. I highly recommend it!

    Finally, if ever there was any doubt about how much the Foo Fighters mean to David Letterman, I'd just point out that the last song ever heard on LSDL was Everlong, which the Foo Fighters performed as a video montage of 33 years of Letterman rolled.

    PAUL SHAFFER'S STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS

  • March 29, 2022: Don't miss this! It's Paul Shaffer's Staff Favorite Moments. Included are: Dave almost accidentally kills Paul, Paul's parents join Paul onstage, Dave calls Paul's mother, Dave disappears and Paul looks for him on other shows' sets, the origin of "Paul's Cape Thing" (my Paul's Cape Thing Page), and Darlene Love's annual Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) performance. (YouTube link)

    DAVE, ELLEN AND MARY: GRAPE TOSS CHALLENGE

  • March 28, 2022: In this YouTube video, our friends amuse themselves for two minutes by throwing grapes at a glass. Mary Connelly is really good at it, and may be our winner. LNDL fans will remember Mary playing Connie Plescoe (an imaginary, pregnant character) from 1986 to 1988. Then, beginning in November of 1990, she threw footballs around the office a few times. By 1991, that led to the Mary Connelly Football Challenge, and Mary Connelly's Quarterback Challenge, vs. NFL players. In 1992, Dave and Mary worked out at Yankee Stadium. The last record I have of Mary on Dave's shows was in late 1993. She was a segment producer in 1993. It was excellent to see these three again!

    DAVE ON THE WILL SMITH / CHRIS ROCK OSCARS DUSTUP

  • March 28, 2022: The new Letterman YouTube channel has this one-minute video with Barbara Gaines as the host, and Dave doing the talking... (who knows where). He'd just like to remind us that there was no violence when he hosted the Academy Awards in 1995.

    A LOOK BACK AT THE 1995 OSCARS

  • March 28, 2022: Here you'll see the first 11 minutes of TV Boy doing stand-up before the Academy people. "Oooprah... Uuuuma." There's quite a range of opinions, but I think it was fine. Hey! That was before Dave had the gap in his front teeth fixed. (YouTube)
  • NO BETTER LETTERMAN GUEST THAN AMY SEDARIS

  • March 10, 2022: In an impressively-researched feature by Tom Smyth for Vulture, we're reminded of the very entertaining appearances by Amy Sedaris on LSDL, spanning 2001 to 2015. My episode logs have her at 33 appearances, including the time she delivered Paul Shaffer's cape. I'll let the article speak for itself, but I assure you that this is very good writing!
  • THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS BAND

  • March 2, 2022: Don Giller, in The Donz Blog, has a look at the evolving names of Paul Shaffer's band, finally ending with The CBS Orchestra. (The Donz Blog link)
  • DAVE FIRES HENRY COLLECTION

  • February 26, 2022: This series ran in the early 1980s. (I didn't start logging until late 1985. Thank goodness for Don Giller!) Poor Henry, who appeared to be 90-something, repeatedly got fired for innocent shortcomings, by that heartless bastard, Dave. The carnage goes on for about 55 minutes! One time, Henry (Paul Andor), played Louise, a feeble cleaning lady, who also was put out to pasture. (YouTube)
  • FLUNKY!

  • February 26, 2022: It's late at night, and I've got nothin' to do, so I'm watching Jeff Martin as Flunky, the Late Night Viewer Mail Clown. Thanks to TV's Don Giller for slapping this together. According to my episode logs, Flunky's segments only ran until 1989. I have no idea why we didn't see more of it. (YouTube)
  • GORDON COOPER CALLS COLLECTION

  • February 25, 2022: Here's Don Giller's compilation of phone calls from Mercury astronaut Col. Gordon Cooper... about 1.5 hours of them! They ran in the 1980s. (YouTube link)
  • THE PEACE THROUGH DRAMATIZATION PLAYERS

  • February 25, 2022: Don The Donz Giller posted this almost five years ago. It's one of my favorite recurring bits on LNDL, "The Peace Through Dramatization Players." Regulars included Jeff "Flunky" Martin, Chris Elliott, Marie O'Donnell, Steve O'Donnell and Shecky. (YouTube link) This extravaganza runs 85 minutes. Thanks, Donz!
  • MERRILL MARKOE ON "THE DAVID LETTERMAN SHOW"

  • February 23, 2022: I ran across this on the new Letterman YouTube channel. Merrill looks back at off-the-wall skits from the morning show, as well as the premiere of some favorites, like Viewer Mail and Stupid Pet Tricks. Merrill was Dave's girlfriend in those days, and it's kind of interesting that she kept referring to him as Mr. Letterman. (YouTube link)
  • STEVE O'DONNELL'S SHOUT OUTS FOR DON GILLER

  • February 24, 2022: I'm not sure what podcast this is. Steve O'Donnell's the guest. As a long-time Letterman writer, he has great appreciation for the tireless work of Don Giller in archiving all of Letterman. This podcast is dated Oct. 20, 2017. (YouTube link)

    EDDIE MURPHY INTERVIEW
  • February 18, 2022: This appearance by Eddie is from 2/17/84. He's in to plug the first Beverly Hills Cop movie. Eddie was fun, and fairly low-key. He gives a real interesting run-down on his background. He was 22 when this interview aired.

    STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: HAL GURNEE

  • February 15, 2022: This YouTube video has Hal Gurnee looking back at some memorable moments from the Late Night years. I've always had great appreciation for what he did for the shows. His last show as director was on May 26, 1995.
  • PAUL SHAFFER INTERVIEW WITH SQUIRE BARNES

  • February 13, 2022: TV's Paul Shaffer gave a three-minute interview with Squire Barnes of Global News in Vancouver two days ago. It's always most excellent to hear from him. Closed captioning often amuses me. Maybe there isn't an easy way to fix obvious errors. Paul, talking about his time as a youngster in Thunder Bay, said, "...one didn't think it was possible to go into show business." Closed captioning turned show business into Chauvis, whatever that means. (I can't find it anywhere.) (Facebook link) In case you're wondering, yes, they did misspell Shaffer.
  • PAUL SHAFFER AND THE VANCOUVER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

  • February 11, 2022: Paul has concerts two days this week with the VSO. Together they - along with Valerie Simpson - will play his favorite songs, including Paul's own It's Raining Men. (announcement page) (tickets page) (Paul's announcement on YouTube) I have not yet found a link to download the full concert.
  • SÉBASTIEN TREMBLAY'S LETTERMAN PASTICHE

  • February 11, 2022: This post is about a Letterman pastiche (I had to look up the word) created by Sébastien Tremblay, in honor of our pal, Don Giller. This YouTube video is a masterpiece that brings together countless players in Letterman history. You'll see producers, writers, regular guests, Dorothy, Don Giller, Drew Barrymore 1995, Flunky, the Late Night Viewer Mail Clown, Rupert, Tony Randall, Tony Mendez, Marv, Chris Elliott, Bill, Will, Alan, Gaines, Hal, Biff, Felicia, etc. etc. Sébastien has them floating around... crossing paths with each other, all set to the legendary Late Night with David Letterman theme song. This reportedly took 150 hours to complete.
  • DAVE RE: BALL STATE PAIRING UP WITH
    RAHAL LETTERMAN LANIGAN RACING

  • February 9, 2022: Here's Twitter video (51 seconds) of David M. Letterman commenting on a partnership of RLL Racing to provide annual scholarships to Ball State eSports team members. (Dave has some new Paul Shaffer glasses, by the way.) Learn more @RLLracing. Here's a related article in the Feb. 12 Indianapolis Star. Apparently you have to be a subscriber to see the picture.
  • FUN WITH RUPERT

  • February 8, 2022: Here you'll find a fun, two-minute recap of Fun with Rupert on the new Letterman YouTube channel. Dave would send Rupert's lines by radio. The segment stopped when an exasperated citizen pulled a knife on Rupert. (link) Anyway, in this video, Dave tells the story of the series, as Rupert does his thing. The series started back in the 1990s, but wasn't referred to by the Fun with Rupert title. Rupert was first introduced to North America on 9/20/93 [16]. A check of my episode logs shows the segment was first seen on 12/02/94 [283], and it was known as Rupert and Me. My entry on 5/12/95 [379] was without a title... just "Rupert bothers people." I know they did one for 5/08/96 [587]. I was there, in the front row of the Palace of Fine Arts, at a taping in San Francisco. Late in the 1990s, Leonard Tepper helped out. You can bet Leonard pushed the envelope!
  • DAVE WORKS AT TACO BELL®

  • February 8, 2022: Letterman and crew had a number of remotes that became legendary. Two that immediately come to mind are Larry "Bud" Melman offering hot towels at a bus station, and Dave's unwelcome visit to the General Electric building, on the occasion of GE acquiring NBC. The subject here is Dave working the drive-through window at a Taco Bell in New Jersey, for 6/17/96 [610]. The segment was aired in parts, as there was so much good stuff, and it turned up in repeats, over the years.

    Writer Rodney Rothman tweeted this week, "This was the first 'remote' I oversaw at Letterman... I was sure it sucked, and I was gonna get fired. Then the opposite happened." It went great, Rodney! (YouTube video)

  • TOP TEN VIDEOS FROM THE LETTERMAN YOUTUBE CHANNEL (SO FAR)

  • February 7, 2022: Ramsey Ess of vulture.com has counted down his favorite videos on the new LETTERMAN channel. Included in the list are Taco Bell, Kaufman vs. Lawler, Stupid Pet Tricks, Norm MacDonald, Dave's mom, Dorothy, and Larry Bud with hot towels. Be sure to have a look!
  • "LATE NIGHT" 40th ANNIVERSARY SHOW

  • February 2, 2022: I'll list a few recaps and reviews, as I find them. Variety reports, "Late Night at Its Best." I found some of the points interesting, but quickly tired of the author's pompous writing style.
  • LETTERMAN ON YOUTUBE

  • February 2, 2022: Well, I thought the YouTube channel, Letterman, was brand new. Nope. It was born on Nov. 20, 2006, and there are 205,000 subscribers. It just hasn't been used. All 122 videos have been added in the past two days! So far, the videos are an assortment of memorable guest interviews and scripted segments.
  • STAFF FAVORITE MOMENTS: STEVE O'DONNELL

  • February 2, 2022: Here's former LNDL head writer Steve O'Donnell talking to the camera, with back stories on lots of memorable segments in the Late Night years. (YouTube link) Don't miss it!
  • PAUL SHAFFER PLUS ONE: DONALD FAGEN

  • February 1, 2022: Donald Fagen of Steely Dan is Paul Shaffer's guest on this episode of Paul Shaffer Plus One. Paul definitely knows the music scene, which leads to a very interesting interview for SiriusXM. I'm no authority on Steely Dan, but I knew I have one song by them on my iTunes. It's Reelin' in the Years. (YouTube) I played it just now, and thought, "That has to be a 70s song." Yup: 1973. I don't have any information, but I feel like the CBSO played it on LSDL often. Steely Dan produced another classic 70s song, Do It Again. (not the Beach Boys' song of the same title)

    THE STORY OF LATE NIGHT BUMPERS

  • February 1, 2022: Marc Karzen, the photographer for LNDL, tells about collaborating with Bob Pook and Edd Hall on the Late Night-themed photos seen transitioning into and out of commercials. (YouTube link)
  • PAUL SHAFFER'S LETTERMAN, SNL AND
    BLUES BROTHERS MEMORIES

  • February 1, 2022: I just stumbled onto this interview that Paul Shaffer did for vulture.com, posted yesterday. I have great respect and appreciation for Paul, and found it fascinating. Here's your link!
  • "TODAY" ON THE 40th ANNIVERSARY OF "LATE NIGHT"

  • February 1, 2022: The Today Show has about a six-minute segment to recognize the big anniversary. Harry Smith drops an item from a window. (Twitter video)
  • HELLO DELI'S 30th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

  • January 31, 2022: According to my calculator, Hello Deli went into business less than a year before Dave also moved into the Ed Sullivan Theater building. This event, which included the mayor of New York proclaiming Hello Deli Day, took place on this cold January day, right under the Hello Deli awning. A podium was set up for speakers. That group included Rupert Jee, Mae and Paul Shaffer. Our old friend, Pat Farmer, was on the scene, too. The PA setup wasn't effective, so it's very difficult to catch everything said. I'll always remember Rupert for his tremendous hospitality for the DaveCons I was part of. He always found time for us, our questions and our photo ops, and the food there was always yummy! Rupert was the last person I talked to on my last DaveCon trip, in 2015. If you're not aware, Hello Deli is at 53rd St. and Broadway. (YouTube link)
  • DAVE ON THE 40th ANNIVERSARY OF "LATE NIGHT"

  • January 25, 2022: TV's David Letterman will appear on Late Night on February 1, the 40th anniversary of episode #0001, reports Entertainment Weekly and, no doubt, hundreds of other sources over the next few days. Here's a quick video from Seth Meyers, with the exciting news.

    Here, thanks to Don Giller, is a YouTube video of LNDL #0001.

  • "AL MAHER'S BOX O' THRILLS"

  • January 22, 2022: Compliments of The Donz, here's "Al Maher's Box o' Thrills Collection, 1989." This segment ran Jan. - Feb. 1989, and along with random objects being dropped on Dave's desk, we get Paul's peppy them song. Watch closely, won't you?

    LOUIE ANDERSON, 1988-1997

  • January 21, 2022: Everyone was saddened by the passing of Louie Anderson this week. Don Giller is on it, with 55 minutes of Louie to remember him by. He had a bunch of ironic takes on ordinary life that left me thinking I should look for. RIP, Louie.
  • COUNTDOWN TO AN ANNIVERSARY

  • January 17, 2022: Here's the latest project from our pal, Don Giller. Late Night with David Letterman premiered on NBC on February 1, 1982; therefore, a 40th anniversary is imminent. Today, Don posted 93 minutes of video that documents the pieces coming together. (YouTube link) We'll see Dave making the announcement on the Tonight show. There are interviews: Hal Gurnee, Paul Shaffer, Will Lee (who was with Dave 33 years), Dave plugging the show with Johnny Carson, Dave with Jane Pauley on Today and Calvert DeForest with Paula Zahn (?). Hal gives the back story on Calvert delivering the eerie warning message as the first episode began. I didn't know that it was inspired by the beginning of Frankenstein (1931)!

    Then we get into LNDL #1. Bill Murray was the first guest (and the last guest 33 years later). Don Herbert, Mr. Wizard, a childhood hero of mine, was the second guest. (There was an upload glitch in the video near the end.) Steve Fessler wraps the episode with a dialog from Bowery at Midnight. Thanks so much to Don Giller for his tireless work, as usual!!

    Here's my log from LNDL No. 0001: opening announcement and warning by Larry Bud, NBC Peacock Girls, Bill Wendell's intro, Dave appears, "What Would You Like to See on Late Night TV?", [all night long: welding], a tour of the set, Bill Murray / Bill dances to Olivia Newton-John's "Physical", a message from the Undersecretary of Education, the first remote: "The Shame of the City," Mr. Wizard (Don Herbert), show ends with Steve Fessler reciting lines from the movie Bowery at Midnight
  • LETTERMAN CAMEO ON "SEINFELD"

  • January 16, 2022: I don't know the story behind this, but in 1996, TV Boy was seen during the closing credits of a Seinfeld episode. It's just silly stuff, as you might imagine, similar to the "Would you like to buy a monkey?" scene. Please note that this 43-second clip is ©1996 Castle Rock Entertainment, so you'll probably end up in the slammer if you watch it. (YouTube link) / OK... since you begged me... here's a similar one, from 11-06-95.
  • VIEWER MAIL: THE GREATEST RECURRING SEGMENT

  • January 12, 2022: The Donz Blog by Don Giller has a real interesting look back at the origin and success of Viewer Mail. (link) Head writer Merrill Markoe cooked up the segment. I didn't know that it began on Dave's NBC morning show. It reappeared in the second week of Late Night. As a fan with about 600 hours of Dave's shows recorded, I almost always recorded Viewer Mail. Don, by the way, is compiling yet another massive database, that will cover the history of the segment.

    Note: You can download Don's Viewer Mail database info as PDFs. It will be useful to first read his blog, to learn what he's done. The links are clearly marked, at the end of his blog.

    RONNIE SPECTOR ON LETTERMAN, 1983-2010

  • January 12, 2022: RIP Ronnie Spector, who we lost today. She formed the Ronettes in 1963. I certainly remember them. Don Giller released this collection today. (YouTube)

    BOB SAGET ON LETTERMAN

  • January 10, 2022: RIP Bob Saget, who we lost way too soon this week. Don Giller has added his latest compilation to YouTube. It runs almost two hours. Don't miss Bob's pretzel dispenser!

    WILL LEE: "SHOULDER WORTH CRYING ON"

  • January 3, 2022: Will Lee, who needs no introduction here, posted a YouTube video today. It's a very catchy song. I don't know why he went with animation.

    DAVE IN "THE PEEPING TIMES" (1978)

  • January 3, 2022: I've never heard of this one! It's an off-the-wall spoof of investigative reporting, from January 25, 1978. TV's David Letterman is one of the intrepid reporters. Don Giller posted it to YouTube four years ago. It's 55 minutes of nonsense.

    ALLEN LUDDEN AND BETTY WHITE WITH LETTERMAN

  • January 1, 2022: This extravaganza, compliments of Don Giller, of course, spans 1978 - 2012. The occasion, as you probably all know, is that Betty White died yesterday, just 16 days before her 100th birthday. Personally, I considered Betty a Top Ten guest on Letterman. She wasn't on a huge number of times, but she was always fun and hilarious. Don's compilation runs 1:18. (YouTube)
A Few Words from DDY – Past Years
2013   2014   2015   2016   2017   2018   2019   2020   2021  

DDY's Headlines and News, 2000 - 2014




Kathleen Ankers' amazing Late Show set, by DDY, May 22, 2010

Kathleen Ankers' amazing Late Show set, by DDY, May 22, 2010


DaveCon 2010: My friends and I hung around onstage after the taping, visiting with band members and staff. DaveCon 2009: with Rupert Jee in Hello Deli
 
with Calvert DeForest in the Little Apple
Manhattan, Kansas – October 1992
Dr. Rod Fernandez, Bill Lehecka and Micah White
scored Dave's ties on-air on May 14, 2009.





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