# David Letterman's Last Stand **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 16, 2015, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203 "2015-05-16T23:47:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/41 "2015-05-21T17:18:00Z")
That had to be the most forgettable good-bye show ever. Nothing but video clips of past shows. ---
**Author:** ![Eddie\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/22d042/32.png) [@Eddie\_F](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eddie_F)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/42 "2015-05-21T17:54:41Z")
Ah, nevermind. ---
**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 21, 2015, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/43 "2015-05-21T18:06:38Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > That had to be the most forgettable good-bye show ever. Nothing but video clips of past shows. “Thanks for letting me be a part of yet another disappointing series finale.” I didn’t mind it though. Like I said in the thread about his primetime special earlier this month, it’s hard to cram 33 years into 90 minutes. I’m fine with how he did it… a parade of favorite guests over the last few weeks, and the final show was more of a low-key wrap-up/farewell. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/44 "2015-05-21T18:10:56Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > That had to be the most forgettable good-bye show ever. Nothing but video clips of past shows. What were you expecting? Bette Midler singing “One More for my Baby”? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/45 "2015-05-21T18:29:30Z")
It was a nice send-off. Dave hates attention, so the low-key thing was just right. It was just kind of him reminiscing and inviting some of his favorite guests to do one last top 10. My first memories came from watching Late Night re-runs on some cable network in the early 90s. They were on nightly at around 6 or 7. I watched them with my mom over dinner, and followed him over to CBS when I got to college. I probably stopped watching him (and most other late night shows) in the late 90s to early 00s. I didn’t stop liking him, per se, just the late night shows in general. I’ve returned to watching late night shows by watching clips of the Tonight Show and Daily Show online. I don’t think Dave’s team ever really mastered the new way of social media so he never re-captured my attention. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/46 "2015-05-21T19:05:10Z")
Frankly, although I liked the Top Ten List, I was expecting Regis to be #1, since he made more appearances on the show than anyone else. I thought that would have been fitting. I was also a little peeved that the show ran long but wasn’t listed as such in my cable company’s program guide. If I hadn’t been watching at the time, my DVR would not have captured the last 25 minutes or so. I was able to manually record the remainder, but the show is divided in two parts. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/47 "2015-05-21T19:09:06Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > It was wonderful to see Dave’s wife and son in the audience at the end. Dave’s stories about Harry over the past several years really humanized Dave, and he seemed to become a little less cranky and more fun–and more thoughtful. Dave’s son looked _really_ uncomfortable when the camera was on him. He only relaxed when Dave introduced his friend. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/48 "2015-05-21T19:09:32Z")
I liked that the finale was low-key and unsentimental, and started off like a routine Letterman episode. I’m already depressed enough about Dave’s retirement, and I don’t think I could have tolerated a maudlin, lachrymose send-off. The clips made me realize how utterly bizarre the NBC episodes were. I enjoyed seeing some of the old bumpers photographed around NYC. It was appropriate that Dave didn’t return for a final wave after the closing clip montage. I could imagine him quietly slipping out of the studio and disappearing into anonymity. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/49 "2015-05-21T19:19:54Z")
He _did_ slip quietly out of the studio. The 11pm news on WCBS-TV said that he exited out of a restaurant attached to the theater and avoided the people waiting for him outside the stage door. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/50 "2015-05-21T19:49:27Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Dave’s son looked _really_ uncomfortable when the camera was on him. He only relaxed when Dave introduced his friend. I thought so, too. I hope that he grows up to be a normal, happy guy. But, although it pains me to say this, because I love Dave so much, with David Letterman as your dad, that may not be an easy thing. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/51 "2015-05-21T20:08:01Z")
I was surprised and disappointed that Chris Elliot didn’t make an appearance. I wonder why not? ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/52 "2015-05-21T20:12:27Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Frankly, although I liked the Top Ten List, I was expecting Regis to be #1, since he made more appearances on the show than anyone else. I thought that would have been fitting. I was sorta hoping number one turned out to be a surprise visit from Leno! That wouldn’t have been appropriate though, the show was all about Dave. Still, would have been neat to see Leno make some small cameo, like a self-deprecating bit showing Jay trying to get CBS to hire him now or something. The Superbowl commercial they did together with Oprah was great. I loved the behind the scenes segment, although it took me a minute to realize it was real, and not a comedy bit. I’ve been a fan of Dave since the morning show and he’s so private that there isn’t really any ‘behind the scenes’ stuff about his shows. Speaking of, it was nice to see a few glimpses of the morning show. Dave owns the rights to it which is why clips of it are so rare. The clip they showed of the fire starting was real, it was the last episode I think. As far as I know Dave and Chris Elliot are still friends, but Elliot is much more associated with the NBC days. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/53 "2015-05-21T22:46:44Z")
[QUOTE=commasense] I was also a little peeved that the show ran long but wasn’t listed as such in my cable company’s program guide. If I hadn’t been watching at the time, my DVR would not have captured the last 25 minutes or so. I was able to manually record the remainder, but the show is divided in two parts. [/QUOTE] At least you saw the final 25 minutes. I wasn’t able to watch in real time, so I don’t have the ending at all ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/54 "2015-05-21T22:57:53Z")
I would imagine the whole show will be up on CBS website soon. And on Youtube as well. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2015, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/55 "2015-05-21T23:45:15Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > At least you saw the final 25 minutes. I wasn’t able to watch in real time, so I don’t have the ending at all ☹ Yeah, I hate it when that happens. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/56 "2015-05-22T00:22:18Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > At least you saw the final 25 minutes. I wasn’t able to watch in real time, so I don’t have the ending at all ☹ I had the same problem. The final segment can be found [here](http://www.flipsidepa.com/tv/ci_28159221/watch-final-12-minutes-letterman-that-your-dvr). It doesn’t have the Foo Fighters playing though (license reasons I suspect). ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/57 "2015-05-22T01:03:38Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > I was surprised and disappointed that Chris Elliot didn’t make an appearance. I wonder why not? He had sort of gone off on his own and while he kept a relationship with the show, some reports are that it was troubled at times after after the mid-80s. He basically returned and things seemed patched up after 2007. There has been speculation that he did continue some behind-the-scenes writing besides the off pop-up here and there. He said his own goodbye in February and it would have been tough to top that. Besides, I believe technically he belongs to Jimmy Kimmel now. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/58 "2015-05-22T01:29:46Z")
> [@Kopek](#): > > He said his own goodbye in February > > and it would have been tough to top that. Thanks for that; I had not seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/59 "2015-05-22T01:38:43Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > I had the same problem. The final segment can be found [here](http://www.flipsidepa.com/tv/ci_28159221/watch-final-12-minutes-letterman-that-your-dvr). It doesn’t have the Foo Fighters playing though (license reasons I suspect). The video can be found on [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrVjOUIoo6Q). It’s … OK. I don’t know much, if anything about the Foo Fighters, but the constant non-melodic din gives me a headache. Yeah, I know about lawns and stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2015, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203/60 "2015-05-22T07:11:52Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > What were you expecting? Bette Midler singing “One More for my Baby”? Well, not Bette Midler, but how about Dew Baryymore jumping on Dave’s desk and… er … um, … nevermind. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/david-lettermans-last-stand/720203.md?page=4)