# Cecil appearance on Letterman? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2002, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-appearance-on-letterman/127715 "2002-09-09T21:35:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DocJCL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/278dde/32.png) [@DocJCL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocJCL)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-appearance-on-letterman/127715/1 "2002-09-09T21:35:44Z")
Good afternoon all, I remember the first time I ever heard of The Straight Dope. It was around 1986-87 and I was watching David Letterman. I saw him hold up a copy of More of the Straight Dope (yellow cover) and say that his next guest authored it… Being a high school kid, it was late, and I fell asleep… Somehow the cover itself made a strong impressionin my brain because the next day at a bookstore, I saw the cover on display, and bought the book. After reading the book and learning more about Cecil, I’m sure he couldn’t have gone on Letterman, right? But then who did? I’m CERTAIN I saw the book on that show, and that’s what led me to buy it. Please, does anyone remember if Cecil (or Ed or Slug) was ever on Letterman plugging his book? Thanks! 🙂 PS, I’ve already searched the MEssageboards for Letterman, Letterman + interview, and Letterman + Cecil and have found nothing… ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-appearance-on-letterman/127715/2 "2002-09-09T23:25:57Z")
My quick guess is that Zotti would have been on the show. A closer reading of the cover of the book leads you to this: “More of the Best of the Popular Newspaper Column by Cecil Adams” edited …by Ed Zotti. While Cecil wrote the columns, Zotti is more like the “author” of the collection presented in the book. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-appearance-on-letterman/127715/3 "2002-09-09T23:28:14Z")
If you have plenty of spare time on your hands you can [check](http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/EpisodeGuideServlet/showid-1750/) every episode of **Late Night** individually. I didn’t see a way to search for guests by name. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2002, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-appearance-on-letterman/127715/4 "2002-09-09T23:38:46Z")
A quicker way would use the Episode listing on the site instead, it lists the guests. I made a look, I didn’t see either. (I guess I didn’t check enough before my last post.) [http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-1750](http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-1750) ---
**Author:** ![Emilio\_Lizardo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Emilio\_Lizardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emilio_Lizardo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-appearance-on-letterman/127715/5 "2002-09-10T01:13:12Z")
IIRC Cecil had a show on PBS in Chicago in the early 80’s. It only lasted one or two episodes, though. Cecil (or whoever played him) sat in a chair in the dark, so you never saw what he looked like. Does anyone else remember this? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-appearance-on-letterman/127715/6 "2002-09-10T01:23:30Z")
[http://www.straightdope.com/faq/index.html#sdontv](http://www.straightdope.com/faq/index.html#sdontv) > [@](#): > > The Straight Dope TV show was hosted by Mike Lukas and appeared on the A&E cable network in the fall of 1996. Although the show was years ahead of its time and was adored by millions, it was heartlessly cancelled. Our operatives continue to badger Hollywood moguls and eventually they’re bound to find another one with a clue. We’ll let you know when it happens. I never saw the show though. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-appearance-on-letterman/127715/7 "2002-09-10T02:37:52Z")
Yeah, I first learned of Cecil from some morning talk show many moons ago. Some dude was explaining various trivial facts covered in the first book. This was many moons ago, but it was a promo for the first book. P’shaw! I only wish I would have paid more attention… - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![DocJCL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/278dde/32.png) [@DocJCL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocJCL)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2002, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-appearance-on-letterman/127715/8 "2002-09-10T02:55:57Z")
I saw the A&E show. Frankly, it was terrible. None of the wit and charm of the “real” Straight Dope. I searched through that TvTome site, and couldn’t find any text matches for either Cecil Adams or Zotti. ☹ Thanks for the replies!