The first full-time economics guy in TV news, Irving was the anti-talking head. From 1950-1995 on NBC, the bowtie and the voice never changed.
“You were circus boy! We watched you grow up on TV!” -David Letterman
But to me he’ll always be “Irving R. R. Levine.”
I have an old paperback from 1985 called “Late Night With David Letterman: The Book”
In the “Late Night Bookmobile” chapter, it has Circus Boy by Irving R. Levine and 1001 Deviled Egg Ideas by Irving R. Levine. Apparently anything is funny when it’s written by Irving R. Levine.
(In that same chapter we find The Dirtiest Limericks in the Whole Wide World by John Chancellor and How to Pick Up Big Blowsy Babes by Phil Donahue.)