I love how he started off as a custodian, cleaning, and every job he had after that, he still cleaned. Whether he was a cameraman or tambourine player, he cleaned.
Theme music the Detectives (Two Ronnies) Alan Tew. KPM library music collection. I remember these so well and laughing our asses off every time. Love how the bits kept getting longer and longer. Some great breaks from the band too…
Thanks for posting this series. Chris Elliott is always my go-to guy when feeling depressed. He makes what he does seem so easy and manages to stay in character even when the crowd is silent. He is a genius.
These bits also showcase Letterman himself as a really good sketch actor. He was just as natural conversing with a fictional character as he was with his regular guests. Genius.
Letterman was the first and last talk show host to treat celebrities like just normal human beings and I respect him so much for that! He was able to treat characters and everyday people with the same respect and snarky humour.
Oh, Don! Now you've truly made my day! The Elliott pieces like Fugitive Guy, the Regulator Guy, and Man Under the Seats, they were the true peaks of comedic surrealism during the genius stretch that was mid-to-late 80's Late Night. I'm gonna hunker down with this all morning. You are doing a wonderful thing for humanity, Don.
"Get the Hell out of my way!!!" "He wasn't even in your way" I remember sneaking up on a school night to watch that when it first aired and laughing hysterically into my pillow so I wouldn't wake my parents 😂😂
I like when Chris Elliott is the tambourine guy, lovingly polishing his cymbals as he vaguely recounts the dive bars he played before his sudden ascension to the "Late Night" band. And he gets the perfect play-out song: "Mr. Tambourine Man." Classic!
Oh man, to spend a day in Chris Elliot's melon. This guy is a fucking genius. I've got friends who are funny, and sometimes I crack wise, but what he did on a consistent basis is truly astounding. Imagine taking the stage to do a skit that on paper looks really dumb and manage to make you laugh out loud. That takes a lot of guts. Thanks again for posting these gems.
i love two things especially: one: the crappy, repetitive sound effect of the wooden leg walking around the floor (even when the guy's not walking) and two: that no matter what "job" he's doing, he's almost always simply wiping whatever workplace tool he's involved with.
I always loved Chris Elliott. He looks just like his father Bob Elliott who was half of the comedy radio show "Bob and Ray". It's easy to see where he got his comedic chops.
The anti-talk show theme Letterman built was the best. It was an inside club of viewers those first few years. It was still a great show when it moved on to CBS but it was different. The audience size...the interaction with them. Viewer mail. I’m sure I have the same feelings that those who felt Steve Allen and Jack Paar were better than Johnny back in the day. Great Time Capsule of 80s late-night television. I could go down on this rabbit hole and never eat, sleep, or drink for several weeks watching repeats. In the 90s A&E television ran the early NBC 80’s episodes during the day while Late Night was still on the air. I was working overnight and afternoon shifts then and two hours of every weekday I blocked off to watch the A&E episode after coming home from work or catching it before heading into work. And on the overnight shift, My office had a television where Dave played in the background while I did computer work.
Chris Elliott explaining his stint on The Long Hot Summer, and then the subsequent promo clip, is the funniest TV talk show skit ever. And I am old enough to remember Carson in the early 70s and everyone since then . The combo of Chris doing his shtick and Letterman's genuine laughter combine to make a comedy masterpiece.
You know, and I think that I can speak for everyone. I'd like to take a moment and speak from the Heart. Roger Campbell is such a terrific person. I really hope, as I believe that we all do, that he finally ditches the One Legged Man one day and can live a peaceful and fulfilling life of tranquilness.
Back in the 80s I worked retail, would close out the store, go home and have a very late dinner, then sit back and watch Letterman. It was like a show written and performed perfectly for my comedy tastes. Someone said once Letterman was like show business that was setup outside of show business. Often the joke was about the joke, something that broke past the wall of comedy at the time.
Watching this reminds me of how late night comedy was so creative, edgy and funny we didn't know what their politics were and we didn't care.... it was called entertainment.
Due to my work schedule never got to see much Letterman, like everyone else I sure knew who he was though. I first saw Chris Elliot on 'Get a Life', recently ordered it off Amazon Prime on DVD. Happened to Google his name and found these. Wow! What a riot. Watched all the 'Man under the Seats' and others. Can't stop watching them. Don't know exactly why, but just love them! Thanks!
I watched Jonny and Save for 20 years, never knew how they voted, never asked to hate any politician or people who voted for them. How I miss those days.
Who else caught the subtle humor of Paul Shaffer at timeline 11:47 playing out to a commercial break with "Mr. Tambourine Man" after he just helped Fugitive Guy hide out in his band as a Tambourine player? HAHAHA!!
@Tommy Salami Well, that's difficult to say. Technically he's no Adonis, but his tall rangey body plus his humour and personality make him attractive to me.
43:47 My Best guess is the end of the Layla by Eric Clapton, even tho I know its not that. I really like the sound of whatever this song is though. 1:16:14 I CANNOT believe I'm hearing the Halloween Theme. 1:28:07 Young Americans
At 11:48 , can anyone name the outro song and band? It’s got that jangle-pop sound I grew up with in 1980s. Maybe the Cure? Shazam is no help. Any answers would be greatly appreciated!
@@dongillerWow! First, THANK YOU! That “on-the-tip-of-my-tongue” experience is maddening. I admit that as soon as I read your response, I thought, yeah that is the song. Still, the cover version that Paul and the band play in this clip is a really unique take, especially the vocals when the still photo with the license plate is on screen. Once again, very much appreciated!
I love how he started off as a custodian, cleaning, and every job he had after that, he still cleaned. Whether he was a cameraman or tambourine player, he cleaned.
Two twisted guys with warped senses of humor-you can't beat that. I miss NBC Letterman.
NBC Letterman was the best.
Whatever you like in a show, Fugitive Guy had it. Action, Check. Suspense, Check. Drama, Check.
Theme music the Detectives (Two Ronnies) Alan Tew. KPM library music collection. I remember these so well and laughing our asses off every time. Love how the bits kept getting longer and longer. Some great breaks from the band too…
The Fugitive Guy was edgy and exciting. Hard to believe that it was canceled.
The ripoff series with, get this, 'Richard Kimball', had more clout and got Elliott's show blackballed.
The show was so good on NBC. It lost its soul on CBS.
These clips take me back to high school days when watch Letterman and laugh my ass off.
Same here. My mom would get pissed with me staying up so late.
Miss them.
Isn't this the point of the late night talk show? To make you gleefully remember the past and stop thinking about how fucked your future is?
@@sinicalypse I’m gonna be ok.😁👍
Thanks for posting this series. Chris Elliott is always my go-to guy when feeling depressed. He makes what he does seem so easy and manages to stay in character even when the crowd is silent. He is a genius.
No wonder you're depressed.
Lmaooooo the way he's escorted to the awaiting chopper 27:25 !!! Gosh I miss these days and this brand of humor.
These bits also showcase Letterman himself as a really good sketch actor. He was just as natural conversing with a fictional character as he was with his regular guests. Genius.
Makes me miss Letterman even more. He was the best host of all time.👍😁
Letterman was the first and last talk show host to treat celebrities like just normal human beings and I respect him so much for that! He was able to treat characters and everyday people with the same respect and snarky humour.
Lol, I’ve been a huge Chris Elliott fan since the 80s! I’m thrilled I accidentally stumbled onto this!
Oh, Don! Now you've truly made my day! The Elliott pieces like Fugitive Guy, the Regulator Guy, and Man Under the Seats, they were the true peaks of comedic surrealism during the genius stretch that was mid-to-late 80's Late Night. I'm gonna hunker down with this all morning. You are doing a wonderful thing for humanity, Don.
"Get the Hell out of my way!!!" "He wasn't even in your way" I remember sneaking up on a school night to watch that when it first aired and laughing hysterically into my pillow so I wouldn't wake my parents 😂😂
19:50 - "You're not gonna see this on CBS, ladies and gentlemen." Unintentional foreshadowing.
Then he mentions Jay Leno right after that being on the show.
Don Giller, you are a national treasure for creating this compendium.
Chris' dedication to staying in character is impressive. How did he never crack??
Chris is one of those people that comes across the same in interviews as well as when he was in character
He knows American culture is absurd b.s.
I like when Chris Elliott is the tambourine guy, lovingly polishing his cymbals as he vaguely recounts the dive bars he played before his sudden ascension to the "Late Night" band. And he gets the perfect play-out song: "Mr. Tambourine Man." Classic!
Oh man, to spend a day in Chris Elliot's melon. This guy is a fucking genius. I've got friends who are funny, and sometimes I crack wise, but what he did on a consistent basis is truly astounding. Imagine taking the stage to do a skit that on paper looks really dumb and manage to make you laugh out loud. That takes a lot of guts. Thanks again for posting these gems.
i love two things especially: one: the crappy, repetitive sound effect of the wooden leg walking around the floor (even when the guy's not walking) and two: that no matter what "job" he's doing, he's almost always simply wiping whatever workplace tool he's involved with.
I never noticed the wiping part! He’s even wiping down the cue cards 😂😂
Chris Elliot
brilliant comedic genius 😊😃😊
The Fugitive Guy needs to come to TV/Netflix/TH-cam, immediately.
I'd like that. That would be nice.
thanks again ...great job Don GIllers I love your collections
Don, you are a LEGEND!! Thanks so much for all your fine work.
I always loved Chris Elliott. He looks just like his father Bob Elliott who was half of the comedy radio show "Bob and Ray". It's easy to see where he got his comedic chops.
I’m in Australia but I’ve heard of Bob and Ray through the author Kurt Vonnegut. Very funny, had no idea they were related.
Wow I had no idea about his dad.
i was weened on Fugitive. Fugitive Guy blew my mind from 1st reference to it that i saw in '85!
Nice to be able to binge-watch Roger Campbell.
YES!
That name was soooo perfect 👌 😅😅🤣
What magnificent locks on this man of the eighties
Thank you so very much for all that you do with the channel. You’re a saint!
My God I had forgotten all about this.. about spit out my coffee just watching the first few episodes
I have seen this collection dozens of times and enjoy it every single time. The Donz rules.
BRILLIANT!!! Thanks for compiling these, Don.
Pure comedic genius....I don’t think many people realize how in depth these bits were....nothing was accidental...all was rehearsed.
In the early to mid 90s I had a friend who used to tape letterman every night to archive it. I bet your archives would bring a tear or two to his eyes
I saw that production of Beatlemania up in Vancouver, it was quite good.
The lighting was excellent 👍
always loved the theme music ! For those wondering its "The Detectives" by Alan Tew
I was wondering. Thank you.
KPM library music…some great stuff in those vaults.
Comedy brilliance. Chris Elliot was an integral part of Dave’s early success.
Yes he was.why did he stop appearing ? Any idea
@@captainscentsible1811 he got his own show for a few years "get a life" on fox
Thank you for taking the time to put all of theses together.
They're truly dreadful.
Thanks for putting these together!
80’s era Letterman is THE best!!!
xoxo The Clarences
Watching this stuff while having been awake way too long and knowing it was insanity was so great back then
The anti-talk show theme Letterman built was the best. It was an inside club of viewers those first few years. It was still a great show when it moved on to CBS but it was different. The audience size...the interaction with them. Viewer mail. I’m sure I have the same feelings that those who felt Steve Allen and Jack Paar were better than Johnny back in the day. Great Time Capsule of 80s late-night television. I could go down on this rabbit hole and never eat, sleep, or drink for several weeks watching repeats. In the 90s A&E television ran the early NBC 80’s episodes during the day while Late Night was still on the air. I was working overnight and afternoon shifts then and two hours of every weekday I blocked off to watch the A&E episode after coming home from work or catching it before heading into work. And on the overnight shift, My office had a television where Dave played in the background while I did computer work.
Pretty much defined the comic sensibilities of the era. If you didn't like Letterman, you were dull or too old.
As much spired by National Lampoon and definitely defined my college sense of humor
Fantastic job putting this together.
Edge-of-your-seat riveting from start to finish.
great job Don GIllers I love your collections
Thank you for compiling these!
Great to see you back, Don.
Great to be back!
Tommy Salami The short version: I lost the channel, then got it back.
God thank you for these , they are keep me going 😂
There's something about Chris Elliott that tickles me inside.
He plays the best “idiot-cool guy” he cracks me up...😁
10:03 Paul telling Dave to "ease up" with the incessant questions for Roger and the audience's reaction is really funny.
"Oh you know, here, there..."
Completely brilliant-I immediately thought of Kalter doing Double Indemnity. So niche, so timeless-like Spy v Spy
YES! YES! YES! Awesome! Don, you are the man!
“You’re not going to see this on CBS,” how prescient of Dave.
Dave's excellent appearance on Colbert got me thinking "Giller"!
These clips are still funny.
Love that “Roger” always has a rag in his hand!!!
xoxo The Clarences
We appreciate you doing this for us !😄😅😃😇😈😂😁😀😊☺
Chris Elliott explaining his stint on The Long Hot Summer, and then the subsequent promo clip, is the funniest TV talk show skit ever. And I am old enough to remember Carson in the early 70s and everyone since then . The combo of Chris doing his shtick and Letterman's genuine laughter combine to make a comedy masterpiece.
You know, and I think that I can speak for everyone. I'd like to take a moment and speak from the Heart. Roger Campbell is such a terrific person. I really hope, as I believe that we all do, that he finally ditches the One Legged Man one day and can live a peaceful and fulfilling life of tranquilness.
Pure Gold! Thank you 🙏🏻
Did the Fugitive Guy inspire the Sabotage video from the Beastie Boys?
Laughing at how Chris was cleaning the tambourine
I love that...😂
I lost it when he was cleaning the cue cards.
Sweetness, thank you Don.
Back in the 80s I worked retail, would close out the store, go home and have a very late dinner, then sit back and watch Letterman. It was like a show written and performed perfectly for my comedy tastes. Someone said once Letterman was like show business that was setup outside of show business. Often the joke was about the joke, something that broke past the wall of comedy at the time.
Thanks Don!
I wish the PEACOCK streaming included the old Late Night episodes.
The fat guard from “Midnight Express”😆
It's rare to hear Dave laugh as hard on-air as he did at 47:04. :)
check his interviews with Norm Macdonald........What you've seen at 47:04 is absolutely nothing.........
I loved hearing it. I miss this dave I watched everynight then in later years he just got bitter and mean
You know you've done something great when you can make him laugh like that.
@@footwrappedinaloldraglake8966 He got way too political.
Chris Elliott made Dave laugh that way many times.
Watching this reminds me of how late night comedy was so creative, edgy and funny we didn't know what their politics were and we didn't care.... it was called entertainment.
Due to my work schedule never got to see much Letterman, like everyone else I sure knew who he was though. I first saw Chris Elliot on 'Get a Life', recently ordered it off Amazon Prime on DVD. Happened to Google his name and found these. Wow! What a riot. Watched all the 'Man under the Seats' and others. Can't stop watching them. Don't know exactly why, but just love them! Thanks!
I watched Jonny and Save for 20 years, never knew how they voted, never asked to hate any politician or people who voted for them.
How I miss those days.
Absolutely amazing
A Quinn Martin Production... LOL.... Streets of SF, Cannon and Barnaby Jones. love them all and watch them religiously on MeTV
this is great thanks for sharing
That theme song is baller
Who else caught the subtle humor of Paul Shaffer at timeline 11:47 playing out to a commercial break with "Mr. Tambourine Man" after he just helped Fugitive Guy hide out in his band as a Tambourine player? HAHAHA!!
Paul is an underrated genius.
😀 If you’re new to Chris, don’t miss *this*! 😹 - th-cam.com/video/BLXS9IoIg3s/w-d-xo.html ☺️✨👍❗️
Ha ha, the intro to the fugitive guy gets me every time. LOL!
50:12 I love scenes like this where Dave just loses it and starts laughing before the skit even gets going lol
Early Letterman in high school, then early Conan in my 20s. Peak talk show times.
Ha! Episode #1's outro music is "Tambourine Man."
What's really impressive is that the stuff in the Intro Song actually happen in the bits later on (falling into Trash can, fighting janitor, ext..)
Dave & Chris are comedic geniuses!!!
xoxo The Clarences
Roger Campbell. Love the '70's show's send up's. Quinn Martin would be proud.
CHRIS ELLIOT IS A LEGEND
Love Chris Elliott, this is funny funny stuff!
22:25 Chris Elliott's future wife, Paula Niedert.
@Tommy Salami I happen to think Chris Elliot is cute.❤
@Tommy Salami Well, that's difficult to say. Technically he's no Adonis, but his tall rangey body plus his humour and personality make him attractive to me.
3 minute episodes? So they could put them on TH-cam in the future...Chris was ahead of his time. 😉
I was a kid in the mid-80s watching this show, having never even seen the Fugitive, or even heard of it.
Tomorrow night we'll have filmmaker John Waters, boy is this guy peculiar!
It's actually quite frightening.
And I miss it so much.
I wish I could relive those days
“A Pinch of Salt, a Dash of Death.”
43:47 My Best guess is the end of the Layla by Eric Clapton, even tho I know its not that. I really like the sound of whatever this song is though.
1:16:14 I CANNOT believe I'm hearing the Halloween Theme.
1:28:07 Young Americans
That was the end of Layla they were playing most definitely.
34:58 lol I never tire of Chris's photos
I saw Chris in “My One And Only”. It was magical.
19:50 ‘you’re not gonna see this on CBS, ladies and gentlemen’
Very funny. Well executed. I think in the original tv show The Fugitive, David Janson, was looking for the one-armed man not running from him.
The real question is:
How do I change my ringtone to the fugitive guy theme song?
Seconded
At 11:48 , can anyone name the outro song and band? It’s got that jangle-pop sound I grew up with in 1980s. Maybe the Cure? Shazam is no help. Any answers would be greatly appreciated!
“Mr. Tambourine Man” by The Byrds, 1965. Bob Dylan composed it. Huge hit. It began the Folk-Rock era.
@@dongillerWow! First, THANK YOU! That “on-the-tip-of-my-tongue” experience is maddening. I admit that as soon as I read your response, I thought, yeah that is the song. Still, the cover version that Paul and the band play in this clip is a really unique take, especially the vocals when the still photo with the license plate is on screen. Once again, very much appreciated!
Chris and Dave satirized the more ridiculous aspects of the entertainment industry in ways that recalled Ernie Kovacs, but also Andy Kaufman.