Larry "Bud" Melman interviewing people was my actual favorite thing as a child. I thought it was an SNL skit and no one had any idea what I was talking about. The way he never finishes the sentences before passing the mic, and just hands out hot towels. I remember watching this with my grandfather way back in the day. Later on when they'd claim some celebrity was coming on (Streisand, Carson) and it was just be him, always lost it. Good God was he funny.
God I remember being a kid and seeing this era of Late Night.. I felt like I was in on a secret club. There was a few of us on the school bus that would quote shows the next morning. There will never be another show with the rambling nature, grimy New York atmosphere and irreverent attitude. Thanks for this collection!
yup. I remember staying up after bedtime and sneaking down to turn on the TV and watching Dave on low volume. He was doing something wonderful, anybody could tell. You didnt have to be old enough to actually understand it.
It sure did feel like a secret club. I remember how cool it was when you met someone and found out that they watched Late Night and were in the club too.
That's a really wonderful tribute and description!! Thank you very much for sharing this with us!! My Uncle Bob, who introduced me to rock n' rock, LOVED early David Letterman, and had recorded so many episodes. When we arrived in the afternoon one Thanksgiving, I was really surprised to see Uncle Bob, watching a younger David Letterman on VHS and just loving every second of it all while being in his own little world.
Yeah. We had the original SNL in elementary school… we loved it but half the jokes kinda went past us. Then Letterman got his show when we were in jr high and it was exactly right.
I love the way Hal would hang on to the shot of Calvert's maniacal laughter just long enough to capture the completely blank expression that would inevitably follow.
I loved the Letterman show ...Was lucky enough to get to see the show live a bunch of times . Larry "Bud" was always a blast. When i saw PEE WEE HERMAN live he shared some funny stories about hanging with LARRY . Dave had the best insane late night stuff ...We were always "tuned up " by the time he came on
This got me through my junior high years...then high school. Brilliant. My loss of sleep was absolutely worth every second. I feel so lucky to have had this comedy help form me - more so than my formal schooling. Brilliant. Thanks Don - thanks DL and crew!
I met Mr Melman on a train to Boston, and he autographed my copy of The Living Sea, by Jacques Cousteau. Greatest moment of my life up to that point and perhaps beyond.
The Port Authory remote is in my TOP3 funniest things I've ever watched in TV. The first segment is perfect: the tall bus driver next to the diminute Calvert, the botching of the lines, the microphone, the clueless lady, the towels, the "how may wha?"... and David loosing it in the studio.
@@siggylloyd3566 Those were special years. Dave lost his edge when he went to CBS. I haven't seen most of these clips since they were originally aired back in the eighties when I was a teenager. And they're even funnier than I remember. Good job. Don Giller.
I remember staying up late in high school to watch this. The first time I saw Larry "Bud" Melman I almost pissed myself I was laughing so hard. Missed a lot of consecutive home room attendances but it was well worth it.
After watching this series, It really set in, " How old I really am ". Thanks for Turning Back the Hands of Time for me, to enjoy once again another look, at one of the greatest times in my life. Your work, does not, go unappreciated. Thank you Don.
Late Night was so great, especially in the early years. It was like watching a cable access show that somehow got on network tv. It was so unpolished and seemed like it was completely unplanned, which I think it was on some levels.
Calvert was the best this is SO REAL you could NEVER ever do this today ever this is Honest NY and funny priceless Thanks LBM u r laughing w the Angels forever man....
Thank Carson Productions, which rescinded their takedowns. I had two strikes from that. Then, last Friday morning, UMG took down the two Prince performances on LS. That got me the third and fatal strike, and the channel was taken down. No way to create a new one. Then Carson came through after I pleaded with them. They’re great people.
You know what I find amazing. NBC has done an amazing job archiving Johnny Carson's old shows and putting them into DVD collections and uploading them online. For the life of me, I don't know why NBC has refused to release Letterman's old footage officially. I thank channels like this tremendously for being the only source to watch the golden years of Letterman.
NBC has nothing to do with the Carson archives. Johnny owned the shows, and his company is responsible for preserving and maintaining his video legacy. As for Late Night, that’s a whole other tale. And thanks!!
@@dongiller dang man with how many videos and knowledge of Letterman deep lore you got I thought you'd just have that kinda fact locked and loaded Haha But I answered my own question actually, he was opposed to syndicated reruns while he was still doing the show around 1991 or so. I guess the reason we haven't seen much of the show these days is actually just NBC, Conan has hinted that NBC is just vastly indifferent to the back catalog of talk shows. It's why it's kind of a huge deal he got all his shows back recently.
@@snotbowst Ah - _syndicated_ reruns; you hadn’t specified that before. Yeah, Dave particularly detested the A&E syndicated Late Nights and made that clear during the time. The E! syndications of LN began in December ‘93; Dave was into his fourth month at CBS, and I think at that point, LN was a distant past. The 2002-03 Trio LN run was likely ancient history by that point.
Calvert is so...unprofessional (in the nicest possible way), yet so eager that you can’t help but laugh. The NBC microphone flag being used in some of the crosses also adds a layer of feigned gravitas which makes it even more funny.
37 years ago today...Larry " Bud" Melman at the Port Authority Bus Terminal! I wanted to comment on this today because I have watched most of your great compilations the past year and this one is definitely one of my favorites. Like others have already said, I think Port Authority is not just one of the funniest moments in Letterman's history...it's one of the funniest moments in TV history! The part with Larry and the microphone is so funny, but I love the bit with the dance instructor as well (and what a sweet person she seemed to be!). It kind of bothers me that Larry/Calvert sometimes gets described as being "terrible" or "untalented." I thought he was hysterical with the dance instructor...looking back at the camera when she's offscreen and his " Got that? I don't want to repeat it." line was perfect (From the man who usually repeated everything said back to him!). But this entire compilation is terrific (I hadn't seen most of these...I am really impressed with your knowledge and other posters' knowledge of Late Night). These compilations have brought back so many memories of what life was like back in the mid-to-late 80s and early 90s for me. Life was definitely not perfect back then...but I miss a lot of things about that era. Thank you again for posting these!
I'm pretty sure that the Times Square microphone malfunction was caused by Calvert blowing out the microphone's diaphragm by yelling so loudly into it!
In the 1st clip, I may have figured out who the guy with the mustache is. He says he's in N.Y to be in a movie called "Sweet Ginger Brown". IMDB says that was an early title for the movie "The Flamingo Kid". Found a clip on TH-cam (in Spanish) that I thought looked a little like him, but without the mustache. If that is him, he's an actor named Googy Gress. Can anyone confirm this?
9:24 The Movie that this man has arrived to New York to work on is a film called "The Flamingo Kid". Tho the man says the movie was called "Sweet Ginger Brown", this was only a working title. Working Titles are used for reasons just like this. Anyone affiliated with the film, especially crew, will generally not know the exact title so that they can not bring attention to them selves from any media sources that may result in leakage of the films plot. "The Flamingo Kid" starring Matt Dillon was the first movie ever to be given a (PG-13) rating. It was also Marisa Tomei's first film. Just thought this was interesting.
Thanks Don! Back in the day it was hard to deal with not having Larry Bud any more. Like losing one of the key actors on a sitcom, you just accept it and hope the dang writers come up with good ideas. Hey here’s a question I would enjoy your perspective on: • What in your opinion was the best or peak or your favorite time period for Letterman? (you could say a year or group of years) • and what was the weakest? I would be happy to answer but I’d have to think about it.
Way too complicated an answer for so simple a question. I'm never comfortable pontificating about this stuff. For Me, Late Night was it. Every night was an experiment. There was gold in the Late Show years, but they were few and far between. You could tell Dave was going through the motions, especially after his heart surgery. Until the last Christmas show and the last 5 months, when it all began to mean something again, not only for viewers but also for Dave as well.
Don Giller Excellent answer! I knew a Letterman fan would not dodge the question. I asked because you’re so familiar with the whole range. I really don’t have a good answer yet, but the first things that come to mind: • I was about 12, home alone watching the usual daytime tv (no cable) when his daily morning show arrived, and I loved the uniquely awkward humor • high school years with the early years of Late Night: Larry Bud; subtle and not-so-subtle disrespect of dumb or egotistical celebs; and “the pinheads at nbc and GE”... Then when he announced his retirement, I never missed a single show. The last episode and the highlights show were epic. Working the drive-thru etc. And who can forget Mujiber and Sirajul
You were a fan before me. A friend suggested I check out the morning show that summer of ‘80, but - and I can offer some excuses - a health issue at the time - but I tuned in for maybe a minute and didn’t give it a chance. You caught on immediately; I didn’t. It was the following year, in 1981, when I was on a Carson kick, and Dave would guest. That’s when I began to “get” him.
Don Giller I’m a bit of a sarcastic basterd, and I love Rickles and Rodney Dangerfield’s blunt characters, so Dave hit my funny bone just right. And when he started sticking the knife in nbc and GE, I’m thinking this guy’s unbelievable. The timing was just right in society for that irreverent stuff. Now everything’s PC and you can’t be mean without getting tattled on and boycotted. Unless your target is a certain leader and his party. No rules there, call ‘em the worst names ever uttered on tv. (I won’t get political. Any media/entertainment critic would agree that’s the case). And it’s relevant, as it makes ALL the current hosts unwatchable. P.S. I never agreed with Dave’s politics, but it didn’t bother me at all because like Carson he kept it minimal 👍🏼
@Don Giller. Awesome work as always, Don....Are there enough instances to make a compilation of Dave legitimately losing it in hysterics ala the Port Authority clip? The Casey Kasem "Top ten #'s from 1 to 10" comes to mind, also.
Larry Bud always had excellent mic control, especially in those early days. That Letterman era was the best. He was still a fresh face, and he and his writers could experiment with some absurd ideas and skits that were sometimes very funny. And I have question: During the 40-plus minute mark when Letterman is celebrating his two-year anniversary, at the end of the segment when Dave says goodnight and the house band is playing its out theme, who is the white guy playing very tasteful drums in place of Steve Jordan? And one wonders what ever became of that “student” from Brooklyn who said “make money” when asked about his current employment.
This collection reminds me of another Calvert bit that I only remember seeing once, and I hope I'm not hallucinating it. Wasn't there a pre-tape sketch where Larry orders a guy to hit him over the head with a breakaway board, but then later in the show they play an outtake where the board didn't break and he got smacked pretty hard? My memory is that Calvert just walked away muttering "Son of a bitch..."
Pure gold, I stayed up as a kid to watch these similar train wrecks, his shows were like no other and then you had Paul and the band
Lettermen pretty much turned his entire staff into being part of the entertainment. Conan, Jimmy Kimmel, pretty much took all of Lettermen's tricks.
I stayed up in high school weekdays to watch Carson then Letterman
Throwing stuff off the roof pulled me in as a kid, always a fan
@@anthonygordon9483and Letterman took most of his from Steve Allen. So it all worked out.
Don Giller, you continue to perform an invaluable public service. Thank you for all of your hard work!
Thanks, Ken. Appreciated!
Larry "Bud" Melman interviewing people was my actual favorite thing as a child. I thought it was an SNL skit and no one had any idea what I was talking about. The way he never finishes the sentences before passing the mic, and just hands out hot towels. I remember watching this with my grandfather way back in the day.
Later on when they'd claim some celebrity was coming on (Streisand, Carson) and it was just be him, always lost it.
Good God was he funny.
God I remember being a kid and seeing this era of Late Night.. I felt like I was in on a secret club. There was a few of us on the school bus that would quote shows the next morning. There will never be another show with the rambling nature, grimy New York atmosphere and irreverent attitude. Thanks for this collection!
yup. I remember staying up after bedtime and sneaking down to turn on the TV and watching Dave on low volume. He was doing something wonderful, anybody could tell. You didnt have to be old enough to actually understand it.
You were kind of in a secret club. Very sophisticated for its time really.
It sure did feel like a secret club. I remember how cool it was when you met someone and found out that they watched Late Night and were in the club too.
That's a really wonderful tribute and description!! Thank you very much for sharing this with us!! My Uncle Bob, who introduced me to rock n' rock, LOVED early David Letterman, and had recorded so many episodes. When we arrived in the afternoon one Thanksgiving, I was really surprised to see Uncle Bob, watching a younger David Letterman on VHS and just loving every second of it all while being in his own little world.
Yeah. We had the original SNL in elementary school… we loved it but half the jokes kinda went past us. Then Letterman got his show when we were in jr high and it was exactly right.
Calvert was so endearing! He really seemed like a genuinely sweet person.
I love the way Hal would hang on to the shot of Calvert's maniacal laughter just long enough to capture the completely blank expression that would inevitably follow.
Haha, it was like he was thinking "They gave me these lines and I have no idea why..."
I loved the Letterman show ...Was lucky enough to get to see the show live a bunch of times . Larry "Bud" was always a blast. When i saw PEE WEE HERMAN live he shared some funny stories about hanging with LARRY . Dave had the best insane late night stuff ...We were always "tuned up " by the time he came on
This got me through my junior high years...then high school. Brilliant. My loss of sleep was absolutely worth every second. I feel so lucky to have had this comedy help form me - more so than my formal schooling. Brilliant. Thanks Don - thanks DL and crew!
I met Mr Melman on a train to Boston, and he autographed my copy of The Living Sea, by Jacques Cousteau. Greatest moment of my life up to that point and perhaps beyond.
That is hilarious
Grizzy Bear if you live to be 102 you will never do anything as cool as meeting Calvert
I am very sorry... I hope things will get better for you. Good luck...
sctv
Calvert was so hilarious on the show. When the work day is a bummer, I watch something on here to laugh uproariously. Thanks so much.
Thanks so much for doing this. So many great memories. Larry was so funny. He and Dave, great together!
The Port Authory remote is in my TOP3 funniest things I've ever watched in TV. The first segment is perfect: the tall bus driver next to the diminute Calvert, the botching of the lines, the microphone, the clueless lady, the towels, the "how may wha?"... and David loosing it in the studio.
NELCOME
@@timharrod Peter Webster.
Well stated! I believe that in many ways, the first clip epitomizes so much of what was incredible about the early Late Night shows.
@@siggylloyd3566
Those were special years.
Dave lost his edge when he went to CBS.
I haven't seen most of these clips since they were originally aired back in the eighties when I was a teenager.
And they're even funnier than I remember.
Good job.
Don Giller.
Yes. That’s a classic at the bus terminal.
I have never laughed so hard at a remote broadcast! Larry is very cute and funny without working too hard. Great offbeat entertainment! Thanks utube.
Incredible work Don Giller. Thank you for all of your effort!
Thanks!
I remember staying up late in high school to watch this.
The first time I saw Larry "Bud" Melman I almost pissed myself I was laughing so hard.
Missed a lot of consecutive home room attendances but it was well worth it.
After watching this series, It really set in, " How old I really am ". Thanks for Turning Back the Hands of Time for me, to enjoy once again another look, at one of the greatest times in my life. Your work, does not, go unappreciated. Thank you Don.
I almost forgot about Larry "Bud" Melman. This is taking me back to staying up and watching early Letterman when I was about 13.
It's kind of amazing that Calvert never got one iota better at his delivery over many years of this. Thank goodness!
Larry just radiates love it’s incredible.
I'll say this- if I had received a hot towel from Larry "Bud" Melman, I would have had that framed as a souvenir.
Thank you for the memories.
Thanks for posting these gems.
Late Night was so great, especially in the early years. It was like watching a cable access show that somehow got on network tv. It was so unpolished and seemed like it was completely unplanned, which I think it was on some levels.
I loved when he asked that woman holding the baby if she had any questions about New York.She was from there and said "we know about it" lol!
Calvert was the best this is SO REAL you could NEVER ever do this today ever this is Honest NY and funny priceless Thanks LBM u r laughing w the Angels forever man....
Thanks for posting these classic Letterman moments.
I watched that Port Authority remote when it first aired. Still the funniest thing I've ever seen.
R.I.P Calvert DeForest
This is comedy gold. Thank you.
GOLD !
Sweet! Port Authority is just so strangely awkward that it's spectacularly funny. I remember watching it and wondering how this is even on TV?
How is it possible that Calvert DeForest was on TV?
Wow! "Larry Melman" was comedy gold!!! Bravo!
Well, this is just fabulous. Thank you!
It was a treat to have the chance to stay up late on school nights to watch this.
I had to stop the video after 5 minutes because my entire body hurt from laughing
So happy to see your videos back, Don. And thank you again for posting them!
Calvert deforest what a gem 💎 . I just wish he was in more comedy movies .
This show was classic late night New York City. Iconic.
"Go ahead Calvert, ask him some questions."
"Yes I do."
He had an amazing ability to adjust when Dave strayed from the script -_-
Goodness, I miss the NYC of the 80s.
Me too, I lived there in the mid 80s and loved it, been back a few times and just not the same,. That unique personality is gone
By the time I got to NYC (2007) there were military ppl in full fatigues brandishing assault weapons @ Penn Station #WelcomeToNewYork
I was a kid at the time, but I would love to go back and experience it as an adult. I got there in 1998 when it was a whole different place.
I was waiting for this compilation
Genius I was able to watch this live and I am glad I can say that I am sorry for the gen who had to watch it on the internet Gen X forever
All of your collections are great! Thank you so much!!
Comedy Gold... love Calvert DeForest aka Larry Bud Melman!!!!!!!!!
Thank you for this collection!!!!
Nothing will ever top Letterman in the 80s
It’s amazing how bad he got in the 2000s and especially in his last few years.
Larry Bud Melman in Port Authority is gold. ❤
...and a star was born!
Thank you for this upload.
I was lucky to meet Calvert when I appeared on the show back in 1996.
Nice guy.
What did you do on the show, and do you have a date for it?
What did you do on the show?
It’s still funny decades later
Thanks for posting! This is gold!!!!
If Calvert DeForest was just a regular guy who played this character on purpose, he would be the greatest comedian of all time.
Calvert could never get it that he needs to keep the mic on him until he finishes asking the question. LOL.
Good old Larry Bud...one if the fixtures of my life in NYC! ♥️
Don, thanks for when you put these videos on here you that the viewer feels like they're watching the show and not just very short clips.
Calvert DeForest aka Larry "Bud" Melman, didn't leave any heirs but he left behind a lasting legacy of laughs :D
No one could pontificate on the vicissitudes and existential angst of big city life, and the ennui they leave in their wake, quite like Larry.
2:06:45 the kiss on the top of his head we all wish we could've given this man for making us laugh! Thanks for having him all those years, Dave...
Tremendous!
Welcome back DonzTV
Thank Carson Productions, which rescinded their takedowns. I had two strikes from that. Then, last Friday morning, UMG took down the two Prince performances on LS. That got me the third and fatal strike, and the channel was taken down. No way to create a new one.
Then Carson came through after I pleaded with them. They’re great people.
@@dongiller The fine folks at Carson Productions are definitely great people, tip of the proverbial hat to them.
GOLD!
i forgot about Calvert...brings back so many memories....he was so funny without really trying
I stopped watching TV 7 years ago. Dave was so eccentric and so were his guests❤
Toast on a stick!!! I loved that bit!
They’re all here - th-cam.com/video/sWGj69OMdqg/w-d-xo.html
You can hear letterman laughing his head off in the background at the port authority segment... its hilarious.
I remember meeting Bif and larry Bud at the Doorway to Rock center those were great days nice guys too genuine!!
You know what I find amazing. NBC has done an amazing job archiving Johnny Carson's old shows and putting them into DVD collections and uploading them online. For the life of me, I don't know why NBC has refused to release Letterman's old footage officially. I thank channels like this tremendously for being the only source to watch the golden years of Letterman.
NBC has nothing to do with the Carson archives. Johnny owned the shows, and his company is responsible for preserving and maintaining his video legacy.
As for Late Night, that’s a whole other tale.
And thanks!!
@@dongiller doesn't Letterman think that reruns ruin the value of the show's or something?
@@snotbowst Got me. I can’t read his mind.
@@dongiller dang man with how many videos and knowledge of Letterman deep lore you got I thought you'd just have that kinda fact locked and loaded Haha
But I answered my own question actually, he was opposed to syndicated reruns while he was still doing the show around 1991 or so. I guess the reason we haven't seen much of the show these days is actually just NBC, Conan has hinted that NBC is just vastly indifferent to the back catalog of talk shows. It's why it's kind of a huge deal he got all his shows back recently.
@@snotbowst Ah - _syndicated_ reruns; you hadn’t specified that before. Yeah, Dave particularly detested the A&E syndicated Late Nights and made that clear during the time. The E! syndications of LN began in December ‘93; Dave was into his fourth month at CBS, and I think at that point, LN was a distant past. The 2002-03 Trio LN run was likely ancient history by that point.
That Port Authority remote. Man alive, I couldn't stop laughing!
Calvert is so...unprofessional (in the nicest possible way), yet so eager that you can’t help but laugh. The NBC microphone flag being used in some of the crosses also adds a layer of feigned gravitas which makes it even more funny.
37 years ago today...Larry " Bud" Melman at the Port Authority Bus Terminal! I wanted to comment on this today because I have watched most of your great compilations the past year and this one is definitely one of my favorites. Like others have already said, I think Port Authority is not just one of the funniest moments in Letterman's history...it's one of the funniest moments in TV history! The part with Larry and the microphone is so funny, but I love the bit with the dance instructor as well (and what a sweet person she seemed to be!). It kind of bothers me that Larry/Calvert sometimes gets described as being "terrible" or "untalented." I thought he was hysterical with the dance instructor...looking back at the camera when she's offscreen and his " Got that? I don't want to repeat it." line was perfect (From the man who usually repeated everything said back to him!). But this entire compilation is terrific (I hadn't seen most of these...I am really impressed with your knowledge and other posters' knowledge of Late Night). These compilations have brought back so many memories of what life was like back in the mid-to-late 80s and early 90s for me. Life was definitely not perfect back then...but I miss a lot of things about that era. Thank you again for posting these!
He was never terrible or untalented, his screw ups brought too much laughter.
Oh my god, him and the kid in Times Square for the "Spring Festival" - I almost wet my pants.
This is so funny, I cant stop laughing Dave improv is awesome and so funny when he cracks up.
Thank you for sharing. I like this.
I saw him in chicago. I don’t remember why he was there but my brother and I went downtown to see him.
I remember staying up in junior high school to watch Dave, always hoping Larry Bud Melman would be on. This is the funniest stuff ever.
Letterman is legendary.
"Won't you please accept this carton of menthol cigarettes." lol
4:23 Swear to God, that's Chief Inspector Clouseau over Larry's right shoulder (behind him and to the left onscreen).
Larry kept moving the mic before finishing his sentence 🤣😆😂🤣
Best part of the show
The perfect disaster of timing and comedy. There is a significant lost brilliance here folks I doubt we will ever see again...
I'm pretty sure that the Times Square microphone malfunction was caused by Calvert blowing out the microphone's diaphragm by yelling so loudly into it!
I loved Larry!!
In the 1st clip, I may have figured out who the guy with the mustache is. He says he's in N.Y to be in a movie called "Sweet Ginger Brown". IMDB says that was an early title for the movie "The Flamingo Kid". Found a clip on TH-cam (in Spanish) that I thought looked a little like him, but without the mustache. If that is him, he's an actor named Googy Gress. Can anyone confirm this?
Good work! I thought he looked like a camera guy or something, hehe.
@@toweypat Thanks!
When I didn’t think I could “Larry Bud” made me laugh.
Those were the days.
9:24 The Movie that this man has arrived to New York to work on is a film called "The Flamingo Kid". Tho the man says the movie was called "Sweet Ginger Brown", this was only a working title. Working Titles are used for reasons just like this. Anyone affiliated with the film, especially crew, will generally not know the exact title so that they can not bring attention to them selves from any media sources that may result in leakage of the films plot. "The Flamingo Kid" starring Matt Dillon was the first movie ever to be given a (PG-13) rating. It was also Marisa Tomei's first film. Just thought this was interesting.
Just kidding, interesting tidbit
27:27 😂😂😂😂😂 Still gets me
55:20 - A high school student takes a carton of menthol cigarettes. I think that's why Bud went back to hors d'oeuvres.
Larry is gangsta 😂
Larry Bud Melman looked like my dad with a touch of Lyndon Johnson.
Larry "Bud" Melman aka Calvet DeForest was a clascic fixture on Letterman's show. It was pretty sad when he died.
What seems to be the topic of conversation?
What a magnificent skyline...
I swear I was crying by 3 minutes in.
@Royal Lurch 'Laid Back' Hightower Esq. IDK. Maybe a Bob Dylan vid. Or Norm Macdonald?
@Royal Lurch 'Laid Back' Hightower Esq.
You know who else it could be?
You guessed it......Frank Stallone.
Thanks Don!
Back in the day it was hard to deal with not having Larry Bud any more.
Like losing one of the key actors on a sitcom, you just accept it and hope the dang writers come up with good ideas.
Hey here’s a question I would enjoy your perspective on:
• What in your opinion was the best or peak or your favorite time period for Letterman? (you could say a year or group of years)
• and what was the weakest?
I would be happy to answer but I’d have to think about it.
Way too complicated an answer for so simple a question. I'm never comfortable pontificating about this stuff. For Me, Late Night was it. Every night was an experiment.
There was gold in the Late Show years, but they were few and far between. You could tell Dave was going through the motions, especially after his heart surgery. Until the last Christmas show and the last 5 months, when it all began to mean something again, not only for viewers but also for Dave as well.
Don Giller
Excellent answer!
I knew a Letterman fan would not dodge the question. I asked because you’re so familiar with the whole range.
I really don’t have a good answer yet, but the first things that come to mind:
• I was about 12, home alone watching the usual daytime tv (no cable) when his daily morning show arrived, and I loved the uniquely awkward humor
• high school years with the early years of Late Night: Larry Bud; subtle and not-so-subtle disrespect of dumb or egotistical celebs; and “the pinheads at nbc and GE”...
Then when he announced his retirement, I never missed a single show. The last episode and the highlights show were epic. Working the drive-thru etc.
And who can forget Mujiber and Sirajul
You were a fan before me. A friend suggested I check out the morning show that summer of ‘80, but - and I can offer some excuses - a health issue at the time - but I tuned in for maybe a minute and didn’t give it a chance. You caught on immediately; I didn’t.
It was the following year, in 1981, when I was on a Carson kick, and Dave would guest. That’s when I began to “get” him.
Don Giller
I’m a bit of a sarcastic basterd, and I love Rickles and Rodney Dangerfield’s blunt characters, so Dave hit my funny bone just right.
And when he started sticking the knife in nbc and GE, I’m thinking this guy’s unbelievable.
The timing was just right in society for that irreverent stuff. Now everything’s PC and you can’t be mean without getting tattled on and boycotted.
Unless your target is a certain leader and his party. No rules there, call ‘em the worst names ever uttered on tv.
(I won’t get political. Any media/entertainment critic would agree that’s the case).
And it’s relevant, as it makes ALL the current hosts unwatchable.
P.S. I never agreed with Dave’s politics, but it didn’t bother me at all because like Carson he kept it minimal 👍🏼
Let’s avoid the political stuff in here. There are countless outlets for that.
@Don Giller. Awesome work as always, Don....Are there enough instances to make a compilation of Dave legitimately losing it in hysterics ala the Port Authority clip? The Casey Kasem "Top ten #'s from 1 to 10" comes to mind, also.
Not sure. I’ll have to think about it some more.
Agreed, would love to see that compilation. Many of them would include Chris Elliot, who always seemed to make Dave lose it.
GOLDEN!!
Free hot towels!
I saw Calvert once in the subway in NYC.
HAHAHAHAHA! I love that joke.
But i did see him shopping in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn back in the day.
Tell me you got a selfie with the guy and posted it on the 80s equivalent of instagram
I call BS. Post pics
Larry Bud always had excellent mic control, especially in those early days.
That Letterman era was the best.
He was still a fresh face, and he and his writers could experiment with some absurd ideas and skits that were sometimes very funny.
And I have question:
During the 40-plus minute mark when Letterman is celebrating his two-year anniversary, at the end of the segment when Dave says goodnight and the house band is playing its out theme, who is the white guy playing very tasteful drums in place of Steve Jordan?
And one wonders what ever became of that “student” from Brooklyn who said “make money” when asked about his current employment.
Anton Fig, he was always the drummer.
Wasn't Steve Gadd filling in on drums for the 2nd anniversary special?
Steve Gadd.
BB King and Andy Kaufman...his guests on Nov 17...wow.
"She finds it for me!"
This collection reminds me of another Calvert bit that I only remember seeing once, and I hope I'm not hallucinating it. Wasn't there a pre-tape sketch where Larry orders a guy to hit him over the head with a breakaway board, but then later in the show they play an outtake where the board didn't break and he got smacked pretty hard? My memory is that Calvert just walked away muttering "Son of a bitch..."
July 14, 1989.
@@dongiller Is that clip on the channel anywhere?
des0connor Larry Bud's PSA on Letterman, July 14, 1989 th-cam.com/video/1LnfmUbCCYA/w-d-xo.html
That's pretty funny. He says it twice as a matter of fact.