Andy totally understood wrestling and what moved a crowd. The slap was Andy's idea. He was a genius. It's sad that he passed. He would have made a great wrestling manager. A definite heel.
If you go back and watch the show you can tell in the first segment that lawler is 100% Andy’s guest. He doesn’t speak over Andy and he plays it cool and just goes with the flow. He knows Andy is the one in charge and he’s just happy to be there. As the segments go on lawler feels more comfortable in his character and he starts to talk over Andy a little, but still stop talking when Andy interrupts him. You can also see the pause when Andy starts to throw the coffee to let lawler know it’s coming. I believe everything lawler said in this interview 100%. It all checks out.
I never saw it that way, I felt Lawler knew he'd come off as more sympathetic to a largely anti-wrestling audience if he waited it out and let Andy be obnoxious first.
👍 This seems completely credible When I watched the clips, the Kaufman insults even seemed funny and scripted more than rude. Andy Kaufman was one of the greats. Miss h
Totally electric night...I was 25. It totally fooled me. It fooled Letterman too. Lawler was perfect. Completely perfect. Lawler mentioned how he and Andy locked eyes with each other, both before the slap, and before the cup toss. No one, not even Belushi, could have improvised this any better. No one.
@Michael Allan Rubin According to Jerry it was. There's an interview of Jerry with stone cold Steve Austin where they discuss the video of the accident and Jerry comments everything you see and they both laugh their ass off because everything is acted by kaufman. The two piledrivers that Jerry executed are done in a way that it should look to the audience that the impact upon the neck is huge where if executed correctly there's little to no harm to the neck. Kaufman acted as if he couldn't move after the second piledriver. He said however to the referee that Lawler should call an ambulance. Lawler knew from that moment that that was already another preplanned hoax by Andy because it wasn't part of the script to call an ambulance because he didn't hurt him that much that an ambulance was necessary. To complete the hoax and to not damage his own and the reputation of the wrestling industry Andy stayed in hospital for three days so that the press and the public doesn't get it that it was a hoax. Lawler doesn't seeks contact to Andy also during this time to not make anyone suspicious. He continues to play the rivalry between him and Andy. In reality they were friends. Andy then goes back to hollywood. Then there's a time when Jerry doesn't hear anything from Andy and they have no contact. Then one day Andy calls Jerry and asks him whether he's interested to appear with him on the letterman show. So that was when they continued to pretend in public that they were rivals. They were never rivals. It was all kayfabe you see. And you must also know the person that interviewed Jerry concerning the piledriver that he did to Andy stone cold Steve Austin is one of the few wrestlers that had his neck broken after a piledriver.
I saw the Letterman stunt when it aired, and watched Andy mess up Fridays too. One of the best was when fans called in to Saturday Night Live and voted to never have him on the show again. It was twisted and very Andy Kaufman. Those who only know him as Latka from Taxi don't get the full spectrum. It doesn't bother me in the slightest that this was a work between Andy and Lawler, it makes it extra funny. Credit to Jerry for recognizing the potential of this whole thing with Kaufman and seeing it as a good opportunity for his territory and for wrestling overall. I don't think people in the business were too happy with Jerry for hooking up with an actor and potentially "exposing the business", but it turned out that it put a lot of eyes on wrestling and this was a couple of years before Vince McMahon thought of cross promoting with MTV and things like that. This was a lot of fun at the time and it's certainly memorable. Great job.
This is why Vince went to MTV and the whole Cyndi lauper and Liberace deal and the goonies movie, made wrestling feel more family and kid friendly especially for the younger kids, it was not as like blood bath and brawling with chairs and scared little kids, but had more entertainment than violence. I know this well because i was a kid at one of the territories and i saw kids terrified screaming at the blood and chairs and other things being hurled around, it was a great show, but you know Jimmy boogie woogie man valiant and kabuki was doing their work together and i saw some other later famous ppl in a gym that was nothing like the Vince era of full on production and long promos. Im glad i got to see both worlds, plus growing up watching all those mid atlantic wrestling and wwwf, and wwa on sat morning eating a bowl of cereal in the floor in my underwear 😂 switching back and forth 2 channels to catch the only shows all week, crazy how time and wrestling changed
I think you’d have to say that Letterman’s staff realized this would draw attention to their still fledgling show. While it wasn’t what they’d attempted to script, it worked out well for the show too. Made newspapers and newscasts in several cities.
I saw it when it was first broadcast. Letterman was my favorite show. It was like nothing I'd ever seen on TV and the first TV show that ever actually made me laugh out loud. It made me sad to see how unfunny Letterman became later in his career.
I remember watching this as it aired. OMG, to be in the audience that night would have been great. Hell being onstage with the two would have been awesome. Both Legends and in hindsight it did what it intended to do. It put Jerry Lawler on the map.
The wrestlers in those days would know the story of the match but would improvise a lot of the action. All Andy had to do was suggest the punch and Lawler recognized the genius of the opportunity to go national.
@@grumpyotter No people thought it was a prank , But it was real Now they're trying to cover it up like it was a prank It really happened And if I had been there Things would have been different.
If that's your idea of great TV you're as big of a loser as Jerry Lawler is. Who brags about beating up a wimp, and then remembers it as if it was something he did that was special ? Fucking dink.
I really think he loved Andy for his enthusiasm, and complete understanding of the mental side. I did not know Andy did this on and off for over 2 years. He put in work. And put wrestling over in the mainstream. (and Cyndi Lauper). Lawler and Andy talked allot on the phone. Jerry helped Andy playout a livelong dream. To be a heel wrestler. Look at Andy's career, he loved getting a real reaction from people. Jerry has said Andy would never address him as anything but "Mr. Lawler" because it was only right out of respect. Even though Jerry asked him not too.
It was awesome. Everybody loved Andy and everybody hated Lawler. Those were the days. Nobody got their panties in a wad because they were offended. We made fun of people and they made fun of us right back. Nobody took it personally.
Or not so fantastic. Not sure how much he remembers correctly, and I didn't listen to the whole thing, but early on he says Late Night with David Letterman aired at 11:35 Eastern time. The program followed The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, which aired at 11:35 Eastern time. Letterman aired at 12:35. It's a small mistake, but if he can't even remember that...He also said Letterman had an afternoon show, and then a morning show. Letterman had a morning show in 1980. He didn't have an afternoon show. Not sure how much of the rest is accurate in his recollection.
I saw it when it aired. It was a awesome clip at the time and I thought it was totally real. I was a wrestling fan at that time and it was just great tv !
Not very funny imo. Chris Morris is far funnier. But each to their own, of course. As a Briton living America I found 'Taxi' sentimental and Latka a prannet. Kaufman I confess I didn't get but a Dadaist genius?!....Nope that was ail done in the 19 teens by Ball, Tzara, Arp et al.,
@Zayne simard moore Agree, except for Dangerfield. There is a real crappy story about him that was disgusting. Happened long before he made it in show biz, but, still a shows a despicable character. IMO
I was watching when it first aired. I couldn't believe it. I figured it could have been staged, but Kaufman could be so convincing you just weren't sure. And Lawler was good too, and you could tell he really hit him! Kaufman's profanity-laced tirade at the end too seemed very real. And Dave seemed genuinely freaked out. The whole thing was brilliant.
I didn't see this, but some how I did get lucky and witnessed Drew Barrymore flash Dave on his birthday live. The next night Charles Grodin was on and played it up. Some crazy things used to happen on that show. You have to admit you were shocked, because the Kaufman stuff was pretty uncomfortable to witness back then. He pushed some limits even with close friends that confused the hell out of people. And he could keep a secret. No one knew what to make of it. At the time I did't like it, but Larry Davids humor is like a cancerous outgrowth that I've come to love. I guess its an acquired taste.
I always thought as a child in the early '90s that this was an actual incident from how realistic Andy and Jerry made it seem. Now that I look at it age 35. It's still kind of was real to me. I mean Andy really did get hit. Jerry was actually concerned about it as was Dave. This definitely went down as one of the greatest moments in not just late night but television history. What a genius Andy Kaufman was. Such a unique soul.
This was on Letterman I think in 1982 when I saw it as it happened. I remember thinking in the early 1990's that the CBS Letterman would never have allowed this. NBC Dave was classic.
Excellent Excellent interview. It is great to hear the inside scoop from a great under-rated wrestler. These 2 created a magical unforgettable moment. I Saw the original broadcast b/vc at the time I couldnt get enough Andy Kaufman. Thank you for giving us this interview. I wasw a wrestling fan also b/c it was fun and great theater. As a child I watched it with or without my dad. What a great run Dave had. I am glad to hear Andy was in his too 3 guests. Pee Wee Herman was up there too. There will never be another Andy Kaufman. In "real life" Andy was so shy and reserved and respectful, everything Lawler said. Which his friends and family were always prolly shocked.. I am glad they were good enough friends where they could pull this off. The slap heard around the world. Great great TV!!!
David Letterman had the studio temperature set at 57 degrees year round. The reason: colder temperatures kept the audience awake and alert. He would continue this practice at CBS.
This is just me personally, but I never understood the whole Andy Kaufman thing. I never found him to be funny or even that entertaining at all. Even to this day I can't help but think of him as a douchebag hack but I can't put a finger on why.
@Sir Tristan Wow, if your definition of the more "intellectually inclined segment of society" is based on the whole Andy Kaufman thing, then that sure explains a lot of what I have been seeing. Thanks for clearing that up.
@Sir Tristan Thank you for taking the time to make things even more clear. I never would have associated Andy Kaufman with "the higher rungs of intellectual endeavors" on my own. you are making me feel so much better about myself. I wish I could return the favor but my only recommendation would be to maybe take it easy with the "love potions". It's been clearly shown only bad things happen especially with repeated consumption.
Andrew - I hear you and I guess he was most noticed for his over the top persona as a "professional wrestler" (which confused and pissed off many of his fans). Check out stuff other than this that he did. Tony Clifton - brilliant, awful "Vegas Entertainer", so bad he's amazing, him lip syncing to the theme from Mighty Mouse, him in the persona of "Foreign Man" who tries to do stand-up comedy and bombs, melts down, and turns his humiliated weeping into some bizarre tribal chant as he syncs his cries with an African drumbeat - ridiculous, right? My point is, his whole schtick wasn't just the dickhead who wrestled obviously weaker women. "Foreign Man" is a sympathetic character, kinda the opposite of a douchebag. Anyway, just something to look into if you're wondering why he had such an impact and you didn't know about the other sides he had...
Letterman says now (WTF podcast)that Andy was too respectful and professional to not tell him the slap was coming. He expected it and agreed to it. Who knows if it's revisionist memory or what but amazing segment that I totally believed as a kid when I saw it nonetheless.
That’s very, very early. In my home town we didn’t even have the option to get cable until around 1983 or so. We used a big rotary antenna on a motor that you had to aim in the right direction to pick up TV. Just like now, I have absolutely no option in my area for Fiber Optic Internet. Not even an option here, cable internet only.
Kaufman actually told Letterman he was going to slap Lawler - Letterman spoke about it on the Howard Stern Show It is ironic that Lawler thought Letterman wasn't in on it, he became for a moment like a 1970s wrestling fan, suspending his disbelief.
So maybe I missed it, but Jerry never said what Andy's final thoughts were. In fact, he keeps mentioning Andy would have him arrested. I was really hoping to hear Jerry's report on Andy's final words. Great segment though! He's actually very articulate and describes in great detail the moments that occurred. This was excellent. Great to hear the behind-the-scenes that lead up to this iconic event.
“What kind of a guy are you?”
That is one of the all-time classic lines in pro wrestling...great stuff from The King.
I watched this as it aired
Andy totally understood wrestling and what moved a crowd. The slap was Andy's idea. He was a genius. It's sad that he passed. He would have made a great wrestling manager. A definite heel.
I wonder if he is really dead........ There's audio of him with Bob Zmuda where they discuss faking his own death.
@@theseeker3771he’s dead.
If you go back and watch the show you can tell in the first segment that lawler is 100% Andy’s guest. He doesn’t speak over Andy and he plays it cool and just goes with the flow. He knows Andy is the one in charge and he’s just happy to be there. As the segments go on lawler feels more comfortable in his character and he starts to talk over Andy a little, but still stop talking when Andy interrupts him. You can also see the pause when Andy starts to throw the coffee to let lawler know it’s coming. I believe everything lawler said in this interview 100%. It all checks out.
He did the same thing on Fridays, just a half second pause before he actually throws it.
Hah! I thought I knew all about this, but I never knew the whole thing was improvised on-set. Brilliant!
I never saw it that way, I felt Lawler knew he'd come off as more sympathetic to a largely anti-wrestling audience if he waited it out and let Andy be obnoxious first.
Andy was the greatest heel of any wrestler hands down
Totally. He had the entire city of Memphis wanting to kill him!
👍 This seems completely credible When I watched the clips, the Kaufman insults even seemed funny and scripted more than rude.
Andy Kaufman was one of the greats. Miss h
Thank you for posting this. Awesome to hear the background to this incredible moment of television.
I was 12 years old stayed up late with some friends and freaked out when Jerry slapped him, once in a lifetime moment!
it was jaw dropping great!
I remember as well, had no idea it was staged 😅
Yep, I was 10, and thought it was TOTALLY REAL!!
Andy was the original troll, but in a very clever rather than mean-spirited way.
And, he's the butt of the joke with this, too.
Totally electric night...I was 25. It totally fooled me. It fooled Letterman too. Lawler was perfect. Completely perfect. Lawler mentioned how he and Andy locked eyes with each other, both before the slap, and before the cup toss. No one, not even Belushi, could have improvised this any better. No one.
@Michael Allan Rubin
According to Jerry it was. There's an interview of Jerry with stone cold Steve Austin where they discuss the video of the accident and Jerry comments everything you see and they both laugh their ass off because everything is acted by kaufman. The two piledrivers that Jerry executed are done in a way that it should look to the audience that the impact upon the neck is huge where if executed correctly there's little to no harm to the neck. Kaufman acted as if he couldn't move after the second piledriver. He said however to the referee that Lawler should call an ambulance. Lawler knew from that moment that that was already another preplanned hoax by Andy because it wasn't part of the script to call an ambulance because he didn't hurt him that much that an ambulance was necessary. To complete the hoax and to not damage his own and the reputation of the wrestling industry Andy stayed in hospital for three days so that the press and the public doesn't get it that it was a hoax. Lawler doesn't seeks contact to Andy also during this time to not make anyone suspicious. He continues to play the rivalry between him and Andy. In reality they were friends. Andy then goes back to hollywood. Then there's a time when Jerry doesn't hear anything from Andy and they have no contact. Then one day Andy calls Jerry and asks him whether he's interested to appear with him on the letterman show. So that was when they continued to pretend in public that they were rivals. They were never rivals. It was all kayfabe you see. And you must also know the person that interviewed Jerry concerning the piledriver that he did to Andy stone cold Steve Austin is one of the few wrestlers that had his neck broken after a piledriver.
I saw the Letterman stunt when it aired, and watched Andy mess up Fridays too. One of the best was when fans called in to Saturday Night Live and voted to never have him on the show again. It was twisted and very Andy Kaufman. Those who only know him as Latka from Taxi don't get the full spectrum. It doesn't bother me in the slightest that this was a work between Andy and Lawler, it makes it extra funny. Credit to Jerry for recognizing the potential of this whole thing with Kaufman and seeing it as a good opportunity for his territory and for wrestling overall. I don't think people in the business were too happy with Jerry for hooking up with an actor and potentially "exposing the business", but it turned out that it put a lot of eyes on wrestling and this was a couple of years before Vince McMahon thought of cross promoting with MTV and things like that. This was a lot of fun at the time and it's certainly memorable. Great job.
This is why Vince went to MTV and the whole Cyndi lauper and Liberace deal and the goonies movie, made wrestling feel more family and kid friendly especially for the younger kids, it was not as like blood bath and brawling with chairs and scared little kids, but had more entertainment than violence. I know this well because i was a kid at one of the territories and i saw kids terrified screaming at the blood and chairs and other things being hurled around, it was a great show, but you know Jimmy boogie woogie man valiant and kabuki was doing their work together and i saw some other later famous ppl in a gym that was nothing like the Vince era of full on production and long promos. Im glad i got to see both worlds, plus growing up watching all those mid atlantic wrestling and wwwf, and wwa on sat morning eating a bowl of cereal in the floor in my underwear 😂 switching back and forth 2 channels to catch the only shows all week, crazy how time and wrestling changed
OMG THIS IS SO AWESOME!!!!!!!!! JERRY AND ANDY "CALLED THE MATCH" ON THE FLY WITH NOTHING MORE THAN BODY LANGUAGE AND EYE CONTACT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think you’d have to say that Letterman’s staff realized this would draw attention to their still fledgling show. While it wasn’t what they’d attempted to script, it worked out well for the show too. Made newspapers and newscasts in several cities.
One of the Greatest & most iconic moments in both TV & Professional Wrestling history!
ditto = the slap heard around the world...
For a second.Andy looked like John Stossel.
Jerry is a great story teller and has a terrific memory!
I saw it when it was first broadcast. Letterman was my favorite show. It was like nothing I'd ever seen on TV and the first TV show that ever actually made me laugh out loud. It made me sad to see how unfunny Letterman became later in his career.
So true. He completely changed once he left NBC.
What if Letterman didn't change and it was you who no longer appreciates his humor?
I remember watching this as it aired. OMG, to be in the audience that night would have been great. Hell being onstage with the two would have been awesome. Both Legends and in hindsight it did what it intended to do. It put Jerry Lawler on the map.
it most likely saved David Letterman show
Jerry had that manly man look about him. Like he drove a pickup and worked in steel.
Very true Duranie
Lawler went along with the prank very well, he trusted his timing and it worked.
The wrestlers in those days would know the story of the match but would improvise a lot of the action. All Andy had to do was suggest the punch and Lawler recognized the genius of the opportunity to go national.
@@patrickhenry4675 You can see Andy shift in his chair in preparation for being hit--they both played it brilliantly.
@@grumpyotter
No people thought it was a prank , But it was real Now they're trying to cover it up like it was a prank
It really happened
And if I had been there
Things would have been different.
@@keithclark486 Did you listen to what Jerry said in this interview? He knew it was coming.
@@grumpyotter
I've watched wrestling ever since I was a little boy , do you really think this was fake ?
THIS IS BETTER THAN THE ENTERTAINMENT 😂 TODAY
Even after Andy died Lawler kept up the act. He said he didn’t like him and to not ask about him. That’s a level of respect few get to have.
Andy K. was a total committed shock comedian like no other
Great to hear the whole story after all these years.
Kaufman was a mad comedic genius
I remember watching this real time. Mind: Blown. Great TV!
If that's your idea of great TV you're as big of a loser as Jerry Lawler is. Who brags about beating up a wimp, and then remembers it as if it was something he did that was special ?
Fucking dink.
@@hairytodder4044 It was a stunt set up by Kaufman. Damn. Chill dude.
@@hairytodder4044 ha! You think it was spontaneous? Dude this is wrestling BS .... it’s all staged..
@@hairytodder4044 I hate to break this to you Todder, but Poppy doesn't really get strong from spinach either.
I really think he loved Andy for his enthusiasm, and complete understanding of the mental side. I did not know Andy did this on and off for over 2 years. He put in work. And put wrestling over in the mainstream. (and Cyndi Lauper).
Lawler and Andy talked allot on the phone. Jerry helped Andy playout a livelong dream. To be a heel wrestler.
Look at Andy's career, he loved getting a real reaction from people.
Jerry has said Andy would never address him as anything but "Mr. Lawler" because it was only right out of respect. Even though Jerry asked him not too.
Kaufman and Lawler.
Outstanding.
R.I.P. Andy Kaufman 🙏❤️
Ditto.!
Pfffft. Andy Kaufmann isnt dead. He's going to pop in to mock us mercilessly for our gullibility any day now.
Andy Kaufman's not dead. He's an Elvis impersonator in the Phillipines.
This was such a huge moment in TV history. I love it.
It was awesome. Everybody loved Andy and everybody hated Lawler. Those were the days. Nobody got their panties in a wad because they were offended. We made fun of people and they made fun of us right back. Nobody took it personally.
The slap that was heard around the world .... Kaufman was such a genius ...
Yes it was
Jerry was amazing too
What a fantastic memory
Or not so fantastic. Not sure how much he remembers correctly, and I didn't listen to the whole thing, but early on he says Late Night with David Letterman aired at 11:35 Eastern time. The program followed The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, which aired at 11:35 Eastern time. Letterman aired at 12:35. It's a small mistake, but if he can't even remember that...He also said Letterman had an afternoon show, and then a morning show. Letterman had a morning show in 1980. He didn't have an afternoon show. Not sure how much of the rest is accurate in his recollection.
This was the slap heard 'round the world --- until Will Smith and Chris Rock happened.
This was great! Shows how quick David letterman is as well
but how were the conversations with andy after the night
Just about as classic as anything will ever get. Brilliant and Hilarious.
I saw it when it aired. It was a awesome clip at the time and I thought it was totally real. I was a wrestling fan at that time and it was just great tv !
EVERYONE thought it was real--those two kept the secret well.
Intergender wrestling champion!😂
I remember seeing that when it aired. Brilliant stuff.
Andy Kaufman, arguably the greatest comedic entertainer in the history of show business. There will never be anyone better at it then he.
Chris Coyle hell yes.
Go to Netflix and watch the him Carrey doc he litteraly lost his mind trying to become Andy for a movie its crazy
Not very funny imo. Chris Morris is far funnier. But each to their own, of course. As a Briton living America I found 'Taxi' sentimental and Latka a prannet. Kaufman I confess I didn't get but a Dadaist genius?!....Nope that was ail done in the 19 teens by Ball, Tzara, Arp et al.,
@Zayne simard moore Kaufman had talent that went beyond comedy. His impersonation of Elvis, for example.
@Zayne simard moore Agree, except for Dangerfield. There is a real crappy story about him that was disgusting. Happened long before he made it in show biz, but, still a shows a despicable character. IMO
Jerry Lawler was great in this promo in terms of improv he has great timing
I think they had cable in 82 but it was nowhere even close to cable today. I think mtv came on in 81 or 82. I think.
Andy was a genius
I was watching when it first aired. I couldn't believe it. I figured it could have been staged, but Kaufman could be so convincing you just weren't sure. And Lawler was good too, and you could tell he really hit him! Kaufman's profanity-laced tirade at the end too seemed very real. And Dave seemed genuinely freaked out. The whole thing was brilliant.
I didn't see this, but some how I did get lucky and witnessed Drew Barrymore flash Dave on his birthday live. The next night Charles Grodin was on and played it up. Some crazy things used to happen on that show. You have to admit you were shocked, because the Kaufman stuff was pretty uncomfortable to witness back then. He pushed some limits even with close friends that confused the hell out of people. And he could keep a secret. No one knew what to make of it. At the time I did't like it, but Larry Davids humor is like a cancerous outgrowth that I've come to love. I guess its an acquired taste.
Dave didn't know if he says he did, he's lying
It was GRRAT!
This is why I love wrestling
somethings you never forget. this is one of them.
I always thought as a child in the early '90s that this was an actual incident from how realistic Andy and Jerry made it seem. Now that I look at it age 35. It's still kind of was real to me. I mean Andy really did get hit. Jerry was actually concerned about it as was Dave. This definitely went down as one of the greatest moments in not just late night but television history. What a genius Andy Kaufman was. Such a unique soul.
I remember this was 6 o'clock news this show got huge ratings.
What a ready and instant genius Andy was!
This was on Letterman I think in 1982 when I saw it as it happened. I remember thinking in the early 1990's that the CBS Letterman would never have allowed this. NBC Dave was classic.
LOL, "Andy I can't be going to jail for slugging you, Yeah I guess you're right" LOL!
The King was Stone Cold before Stone Cold was cool.
He was. And then he became squeaky like Cornette and Jimmy Hart when he became an announcer. I liked the Stone Cold version much more.
Excellent Excellent interview. It is great to hear the inside scoop from a great under-rated wrestler. These 2 created a magical unforgettable moment. I Saw the original broadcast b/vc at the time I couldnt get enough Andy Kaufman. Thank you for giving us this interview. I wasw a wrestling fan also b/c it was fun and great theater. As a child I watched it with or without my dad. What a great run Dave had. I am glad to hear Andy was in his too 3 guests. Pee Wee Herman was up there too. There will never be another Andy Kaufman. In "real life" Andy was so shy and reserved and respectful, everything Lawler said. Which his friends and family were always prolly shocked.. I am glad they were good enough friends where they could pull this off. The slap heard around the world. Great great TV!!!
This was done to keep the = HEAT ON for there feud down in TENNESSEE = NOT REAL =` BUT FUNNY
Without Andy Kaufman, would wrestling be where it is today...or where it was at it's peak?
i LOVE the members only jacket. definitely a sign of those times.
What did the five fingers say to the face?
Cold blooded
Funniest sound to emanate for Kaufman’s head was the sound of that slap
Troll Lives Matter⚡️
That was a legit slap
David Letterman had the studio temperature set at 57 degrees year round. The reason: colder temperatures kept the audience awake and alert. He would continue this practice at CBS.
Yeah i heard that before
I beat the bastards at their own game! I wore a coat!
I cant believed i just watch 23mins videos. Its very interesting!
Is ur attention span that short? There are vids on youtube that are hours and hours long.. wow 23 min!
@@LINKMASTERX Different generation.
Sounds funny him telling the story, but one thing I believe at this time the Dave Letterman was played back at 1:00am not 11:30pm.
Yes. In those years he was on after Carson.
I think we can excuse a faux paux after nearly 40 years. Rest if the story is incredible.
11.30 central time, ie Memphis time, is how I interpreted this.
Gregory Gomez oh, I was referring to pst. The tonight show with Johnny was at 11:30 (which was a ninety minute show) followed by Dave at 1:00am.
@@classicsurvivor I see. Still a fantastic story! Take care.
One of the greatest moments in TV history! Not just wrestling history! Fantastic job Mr. Lawler!
This truly is the greatest story ever told.
Classic Kaufman. Brilliant.
This is just me personally, but I never understood the whole Andy Kaufman thing. I never found him to be funny or even that entertaining at all. Even to this day I can't help but think of him as a douchebag hack but I can't put a finger on why.
@Sir Tristan Wow, if your definition of the more "intellectually inclined segment of society" is based on the whole Andy Kaufman thing, then that sure explains a lot of what I have been seeing. Thanks for clearing that up.
Intellectually inclined? Douche Bag!
Let me pour some more gasoline............TP2020!
@Sir Tristan Thank you for taking the time to make things even more clear. I never would have associated Andy Kaufman with "the higher rungs of intellectual endeavors" on my own. you are making me feel so much better about myself. I wish I could return the favor but my only recommendation would be to maybe take it easy with the "love potions". It's been clearly shown only bad things happen especially with repeated consumption.
Andrew - I hear you and I guess he was most noticed for his over the top persona as a "professional wrestler" (which confused and pissed off many of his fans). Check out stuff other than this that he did. Tony Clifton - brilliant, awful "Vegas Entertainer", so bad he's amazing, him lip syncing to the theme from Mighty Mouse, him in the persona of "Foreign Man" who tries to do stand-up comedy and bombs, melts down, and turns his humiliated weeping into some bizarre tribal chant as he syncs his cries with an African drumbeat - ridiculous, right? My point is, his whole schtick wasn't just the dickhead who wrestled obviously weaker women. "Foreign Man" is a sympathetic character, kinda the opposite of a douchebag. Anyway, just something to look into if you're wondering why he had such an impact and you didn't know about the other sides he had...
.......First.
I too remember this happening while I watched it...
Letterman says now (WTF podcast)that Andy was too respectful and professional to not tell him the slap was coming. He expected it and agreed to it. Who knows if it's revisionist memory or what but amazing segment that I totally believed as a kid when I saw it nonetheless.
I became a Letterman fan after this
Wrestling . . . was Andy Kaufman jumping the shark to just being a prop comic.
Of course it was scripted but it was good entertainment back then
No video just voices
This and Black Jack Mulligan and Ric Flair was some of the greatest television EVER!
Listen, Jerry, we're not going to be doing the second segment.
Pre Jerry Springer. Possibly Jerry got his show idea from this.
I too was a boy watching this segment and was stunned by what I saw and never knew if it was real… thank you for the insight … 😎👍
I never understood Kaufman. I thought he was totally serious.
Just realised that Letterman sounds a little like Vince McMahon
Thier actually brothers in real life. Oh, should have not said that.
Lol, classic!
Gosh that was longer than the Letterman show
I wished Andy was a lost uncle years ago. Same last.
I have forgotten about the coocoo sounds. 😂😂
I was 7 when this happened and I remember it well.
Back then Jerry Lawler was HOT!
Andy Kaufman master of kayfabe
I thought this would show it. Bummer!
This is great! Thank you for sharing.
Wow that’s epic.
i saw this i think in 82 maybe
I got cable tv in 1971.
So what is he talking about?
Still i saw this, funny as hell.
Same when Hull Hogan sleepered the guy.
That’s very, very early. In my home town we didn’t even have the option to get cable until around 1983 or so. We used a big rotary antenna on a motor that you had to aim in the right direction to pick up TV. Just like now, I have absolutely no option in my area for Fiber Optic Internet. Not even an option here, cable internet only.
He had it coming....
Great storytelling
Andy and Jerry 😎
only in ny
Lawler - what a legend
Sorry Jerry I don't believe you. I still think the two of you had it planned.
Kaufman actually told Letterman he was going to slap Lawler - Letterman spoke about it on the Howard Stern Show
It is ironic that Lawler thought Letterman wasn't in on it, he became for a moment like a 1970s wrestling fan, suspending his disbelief.
So maybe I missed it, but Jerry never said what Andy's final thoughts were. In fact, he keeps mentioning Andy would have him arrested. I was really hoping to hear Jerry's report on Andy's final words. Great segment though! He's actually very articulate and describes in great detail the moments that occurred. This was excellent. Great to hear the behind-the-scenes that lead up to this iconic event.
Does anyone here actually respect wrestling? He’s a wrestler…..Jesus Christ ppl….who cares!
Donald Trump is Andy Kauffman!
Nope.