# David Letterman End of an Era **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 4, 2015, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236 "2015-05-04T13:06:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/21 "2015-05-05T05:16:48Z")
It seemed to me that the NBC years were all about inviting on oddballs and celebrities from the margins of show biz - people like Harvey Pekar, Kaymar the Discount Magician, and the 90-year old woman who rapped out an ESL version of “Walk on the Wild Side.” Around the time of the switch-over to CBS the show abandoned all of that and became mainly about big-time celebrities coming on to promote their latest vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/22 "2015-05-05T05:28:45Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I remember his day time show that was on after the Today Show. Guests like Pee Wee Herman and Brother Theodore on right after the Today Show gang swapped recipes; I still can’t believe that was allowed to ever be made. For a kid in suburban Virginia, David Letterman was like humor from Mars. I remember that show, too! Summer after fifth grade, standing amazed in front of the tv. It was so… subversive. I remember thinking it was awesome but that pretty soon the authority figures would be along to take it off the air. “Don’t they know it’s daytime???” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/23 "2015-05-05T06:39:17Z")
Ham, ham, ham! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/24 "2015-05-05T13:25:45Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > Was the retrospective any good? How much coverage of the NBC years? As good as cramming 33 years into 90 minutes can be. There was a little, but not much, of the NBC years. They did show the Crispin Glover clip, which is always a bit surreal to watch. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/25 "2015-05-05T13:44:40Z")
> [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](#): > > I remember that show, too! Summer after fifth grade, standing amazed in front of the tv. It was so… subversive. I remember thinking it was awesome but that pretty soon the authority figures would be along to take it off the air. “Don’t they know it’s daytime???” Conan says that he hitched to New York to attend a taping of that show. It was amazing, do you remember that they had these parody segments of day time morning shows? Things like recipes or fun holiday ideas that were insane. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/26 "2015-05-05T14:34:09Z")
I’m glad I’m not the only one who remembers the daytime show. I think I was the perfect age for it. A bored high schooler with nothing to do on a summer afternoon. I knew it was too good to last. ---
**Author:** ![parkona\_driveway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d26b3c/32.png) [@parkona\_driveway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/parkona_driveway)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/27 "2015-05-05T17:19:05Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > They did show the Crispin Glover clip, which is always a bit surreal to watch. How about Oliver Reed? He went the uncomfortable distance for two full segments: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HPXMHZ4XEs0/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHeAoAC8AGKAgwIABABGGUgXChMMA8=&rs=AOn4CLCPlMvX2_xFFBnWRWuPK7e-6PmIlg "Outrageous Oliver Reed Interview on Late Night (1987)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPXMHZ4XEs0) ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/28 "2015-05-05T17:53:28Z")
> [@bump](#): > > They probably should have put his show to sleep 10 years ago. > > I used to watch Letterman in college (1991-1996), because my roommate liked him, and so did his friends. Letterman was funny, but there’s always been a mean streak in his humor that I couldn’t get around, and as the years have gone on, it’s become more pronounced, and he seems older and more cantankerous. > > It’s always sad to see the end of an era, but in this case, I think it’s probably best. Ditto. I didn’t mind so much the mean-streak humor but I couldn’t stand his interview style where he increasingly fell in love with his own voice. Leno was a sycophant, but the show wasn’t about _him_. With Dave, he was the star and everyone else (except for a few genuinely favorite guests) were secondary. Johnny was never like that. So I’m never going to dispute that Letterman changed TV and the mold he created as late night host template is almost as important as Johnny’s himself. And he also used to be truly hilarious. But to my mind, he’s been off for ages already and I said my goodbye eons ago. If I catch any of the final shows, it’ll be because of the guests and not because of him. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/29 "2015-05-05T19:45:39Z")
After thinking hard about this, I’m convinced that I never, in the 33 years the show was on, watched a single episode. What did I miss? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/30 "2015-05-05T22:17:18Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > After thinking hard about this, I’m convinced that I never, in the 33 years the show was on, watched a single episode. What did I miss? Well, on the July 4th episode of the morning show, they did fireworks off the top of the Chrysler building. The audience oohed and aahed on queue, of course. (Think about it.) There was also Mrs. Marv Mendenhall, who has lived just outside of nearly every major American city, doing a segment on red, white and blue foods. She correctly pointed out that blueberries are not really blue. (Love Edie McClurg.) Then there was “The Harmon Killebrew Show”. An entire hour devoted to the Killer. Absolutely divine. I have rewatched it within the past year or so. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/31 "2015-05-05T23:33:08Z")
Just to be clear, my post wasn’t a threadshit. I honestly thought that I _must_ have seen at least one show in all that time. I saw a lot of Carson, and watched Leno out of sheer boredom when I was overseas, but Letterman. . . . . .nope, still can’t recall seeing one. I remember a parody of him done by Norm MacDonald on SNL, but I didn’t understand what he was referencing. :o ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/32 "2015-05-06T00:02:33Z")
What, no mention of the monkey cam? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/33 "2015-05-06T00:11:35Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > I remember from his daytime show (I was working nights at the time) that he’d always announce the average height and weight of his audience. I loved that bit - it was so nonsensical and bizarre! I loved his daytime show. I have a vague recollection of a bit with some character who was supposed to be a confused (but very serious) FBI agent, and who kept referring to Letterman as “Mr. Hoover.” The agent was reporting that Joe Garagiola was a communist infiltrator. The proof? A picture of Joe in a “Reds” uniform. I can’t imagine why he didn’t make it in daytime television. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/34 "2015-05-06T00:13:10Z")
This is the first comic that I can actually remember before he got his tv show. That’s really fucking with my head. That’s I’ve literally seen this guy as a green smart ass just getting started at Catch a Rising Star and the Comedy Club. Now he’s this old geezer trotting off to the sunset. Bad heart, balding and just old looking as hell. He didn’t age well at all. damn. that hurts. I’ll be looking for my Geritol before long. I sure don’t feel that old. Thankfully Letterman has 16 years on me. So I won’t need that walker for awhile longer. It is a strong reminder that our life on this planet is fleeting. Didn’t he have an HBO special before getting his tv show? I know Leno did a couple HBO specials. I think Letterman did too. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/35 "2015-05-06T00:41:28Z")
How about Is This Anything? The Grinder Girl? Will It Float? The Velcro suit? The Alka-Seltzer suit? Pat and Kenny reading Oprah transcripts? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/36 "2015-05-06T00:53:22Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Just to be clear, my post wasn’t a threadshit. I honestly thought that I _must_ have seen at least one show in all that time. I saw a lot of Carson, and watched Leno out of sheer boredom when I was overseas, but Letterman. . . . . .nope, still can’t recall seeing one. I remember a parody of him done by Norm MacDonald on SNL, but I didn’t understand what he was referencing. :o Louis CK and Conan O’brien were writers on his show before they broke out, he brought a whole generation of comics to the public and he changed Late night TV. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/37 "2015-05-06T02:05:58Z")
Another thing I have always enjoyed about Dave’s show is his musical booking. He has always been happy to lend his stage to emerging musical acts. It’s nice to see so many of the musical community returning in the waning days of his career to show their appreciation. [R.E.M.'s first national](https://youtu.be/KA57Pafq_NU) [TV appearance](https://youtu.be/Ykp0Vq77IBw). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/38 "2015-05-06T02:08:43Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Louis CK and Conan O’brien were writers on his show before they broke out, he brought a whole generation of comics to the public and he changed Late night TV. I guess the curse (or maybe blessing?) of getting older is that late night TV is usually just too late at night. Also, I was living overseas for about 12 years of his reign and all we got on the AFN (Armed Forces Network) were Leno reruns which were shown at 9 p.m. Garry Shandling did his hilarious send-up show about late night hosts, of course, and even had Letterman appear in a one episode cameo as himself. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/39 "2015-05-06T02:51:12Z")
When Steve Allen died, David Letterman did a touching tribute, acknowledging his substantial artistic debt to Steve. Can’t find it on Youtube, but I’m sure it’s out there somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236/40 "2015-05-06T04:44:16Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Now he’s this old geezer trotting off to the sunset. Bad heart, balding and just old looking as hell. He didn’t age well at all. He’s almost 70, for Chrissakes - did you think he was immortal or something? 😕 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-letterman-end-of-an-era/719236.md?page=3)