This was brilliant. I remember it well - I was 16 and recorded it on the VCR with my best friend, Jeff. It holds up incredibly well. It actually informed my own sense of humor. Thank you so much for posting this - it still feels new...
Madeline Kahn was perfect in every way, brilliantly talented, beautiful, sweet, fantastically funny and a highly trained singer. 1st crush and helped me through my teenage years. Stunning Lady. Terrible loss at such a young age, life is so unfair sometimes.
I was 14 years old, sneaking down the stairs all quiet to watch Letterman. Pretty sure not more than 2-3 other people in my lame ass high school were doing the same, or would admit it. Jeebus bless you, Dave!
@@trollahole3610 No, I would submit that there are in fact Four Daves. Morning show Dave, NBC Golden Years Dave, CBS Having Fun Dave and 'Phoning-It-In Dave, the last, temporarily disappearing with premium guests like Bill Murray and other top comics and the best written content, e.g. 'Lyle, the Intern' and messing about with Leonard and Calvert; these when Dave's old NBC smile and laughter would resurface. This assertion is to some extent a generalisation, but perhaps reasonably accurate.
@@LampoonGoon - Pretty much agree, but I see 3 Daves: NBC Dave, Early CBS Dave, Late CBS Dave. I love them all, But NBC Dave is genius, Early CBS Dave is pretty great, and Late CBS is just Dave coasting into retirement, but still Dave. I stopped watching regularly around '98-- it just wasn't the same-- but would check in every once in a while. And of course i watched all the shows leading up to the final show. It was a great run, but man the NBC days helped set the tone for my entire life.
Letterman and his writers were SO influential on modern comedic sensibilities. That Larry "Bud" Melman's set and paneling were amazing. I love Madeline Kahn's interview too.
She really dragged that one out... and it showed with David--he was like "where the hell is this going?" I've never seen her in interviews ever... maybe this is why. Still, one of the funniest ladies in comedy... but not tonight.
I had forgotten that originally Late Night only broadcast Monday to Thursday for most of the '80s. I remember it was such a big deal when they started going all week, even though one episode a week was now a repeat!
Oh I loved Madeline Khan. She was so beautiful and such a great comedian. I really had a crush on her growing up. When she was on The Carol Burnett show I laughed my butt off. "In our circles....in our circles...in our circles..." It was the episode when Eunice gets a part at the Pepper Pot Playhouse.
This is one of the blander tamer episodes of Letterman's show yet it's considerably more entertaining than anything on late night TV today. And that's not likely to change or improve anytime soon. How sad.
Marilyn Keller was the winner in my book, she got shoved by another contestant, a slow elevator, and a Merv Griffen anecdote in 1983 and Madeline Kahn was so adorable
The Madeline Kahn segment was completely unintelligible. If that was transcribed it would be embarrassing. She was very gorgeous and talented though. Gone too soon.
Terrible material from Madeline and a shockingly bad Chaka song. Best segment IMO was Melman's stand-up! Had me laughing heartily!! Thank you, thank you.
Cool!💯 I was two years outa high school and we LOVED Pee Wee in Venice Beach!🙆♂️ His First movie was filmed all over Westside; beginning at the old Santa Monica🌊 mall, Randy's Doughnuts🍩, and the end was filmed at the old Culver City Studio Drive In📽! He was Brilliant!🕊; an act that could go into Old Age, not like "rap-hop" which would look silly if an old person was doing it!?!🤨 I think Madeline was high🥴 OR crazy.🤪 RIP🙏
I loved Madeline Kahn in “Paper Moon,” “Blazing Saddles,” and “Young Frankenstein,” but this was a very difficult interview. I wish Letterman had a blood pressure cuff on during it so we could see the readings.
Unbelievable that this was 41 years ago, I remember watching this live, it literally seems like a week ago When they say time goes by fast they mean it hahaha
Watching this again- what was funny to me was how he was billed as "Steve Khan"- but Letterman spells his name as his given "Cahn"- also recall the "Know Your Staff" featured Steve's Bar Mitzvah as Sammy Cahn's son
Geez Madeline Kahn and her story about talking to a creator she'll call God sort of losing the plot there with that story that goes on and on and never ends until her time is up and Letterman has to interrupt her in order to go to a commercial break did we ever learn what the point was she was trying to make or perhaps it was a punchline that was or wasn't hit how can I tell since it was so rambling amen no period on a run-on sentence
Uh.normally LOVE Madeline but she was out right bizarre incoherent & cringe. One of if not her worst interview! She's blatantly verry shy...painfully & socially awkward yet w/ the right script pure genius. It's like she froze and got stuck in a loop, knew it & didn't know how to get out of it! Lol More than that verry pleasantly *amazed & surprised Dave actually still seemed respectful! Must have been a major fan, knew she wasn't 'on' (vs the genius he knew she had in her) & went easy on her for that only reason. Oomg Chaka too! Very off in every way. Straange episode!! 🤢
Very good take on Madeleine. She was thinking of something funny, but never got there. A real head scratcher. And I agree, Letterman played it straight.
From 1982 until mid-1987, Late Night aired for an hour four nights a week, Monday to Thursday. The 12:30 am Friday night slot was then SCTV. Around once a month, though, the 12:30 am Friday slot was given to a 90-minute Late Night "special," and that's what happened here. (Friday Night Videos replaced SCTV in the Friday 12:30 am slot after the latter went to Cinemax. In mid-1987, Late Night's broadcast schedule changed to five shows a week, the Monday show a rerun, and new shows Tuesday-Friday. FNV would then air after LN at 1:30 am.) Quiz on Wednesday. No cell phones allowed.
Recall reading in the Hill/ Weingrad "SNL" book that Letterman could have gotten Saturday nights in 1985- had Brandon Tartikoff pulled plug on "SNL"/ Dave said yes to Tartikoff floating the idea- Letterman decided big Saturday show/ replacing "SNL" was too much
@@dongiller Have you digitized Dave's rant after they pre-empted Friday Night Videos? "I just want to send a message out there to all you 9-year-olds whining about your videos being gone. You kids shouldn't be up this late, you have school tomorrow--" Paul: "...actually they don't, tomorrow is Saturday" Dave: "WELL YOU SHOULD!"
Mike Johnston I put up something very similar to that just yesterday - th-cam.com/video/HiPr-A_af6Y/w-d-xo.html It was the first LN Friday show after the schedule change.
@@dongiller Was that a rerurn of friday night videos or the original timeslot before moving up? Thanks. NBC played around with late a lot back then lol even raising the wrath of Carson on saturdays lol
The "only" late night competition against The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. I used to watch David Letterman on some nights whenever I didn't have to go to school on WNBC-TV Channel 4 at 12:30am.
Geez people, some of you are raggin' on Madeline but she probably got short notice to be there plus a commercial and didn't really have time for a dismount
yes but that's expected when it's a gimmick like bobcat and not traditional joke telling. That's why a lot gravitate to film and tv cuz they know they don't have the stuff to be in it forever - if not a few more YEARS even lol
Brilliant! Great show, and Madeline Kahn was so entertaining, and beautiful.
And uncomprehendible
This was brilliant. I remember it well - I was 16 and recorded it on the VCR with my best friend, Jeff. It holds up incredibly well. It actually informed my own sense of humor. Thank you so much for posting this - it still feels new...
Thanks! I've since acquired far-better quality video of this show.
I d have been 7 or somethin. It was a nice story. My bro got me into Dave.
My name is Jeff too!
@@duchampsrook I'm sending you great big hugs and love...
Madeline Kahn was perfect in every way, brilliantly talented, beautiful, sweet, fantastically funny and a highly trained singer. 1st crush and helped me through my teenage years. Stunning Lady. Terrible loss at such a young age, life is so unfair sometimes.
I was 14 years old, sneaking down the stairs all quiet to watch Letterman. Pretty sure not more than 2-3 other people in my lame ass high school were doing the same, or would admit it. Jeebus bless you, Dave!
I was 13, From very first show, I recorded them with the timer on my new VCR, best thing my parents ever bought!!!
+Nezar Berryhill You're being a fool. Dave is Dave.
@@trollahole3610 No, I would submit that there are in fact Four Daves. Morning show Dave, NBC Golden Years Dave, CBS Having Fun Dave and 'Phoning-It-In Dave, the last, temporarily disappearing with premium guests like Bill Murray and other top comics and the best written content, e.g. 'Lyle, the Intern' and messing about with Leonard and Calvert; these when Dave's old NBC smile and laughter would resurface. This assertion is to some extent a generalisation, but perhaps reasonably accurate.
@@LampoonGoon - Pretty much agree, but I see 3 Daves: NBC Dave, Early CBS Dave, Late CBS Dave. I love them all, But NBC Dave is genius, Early CBS Dave is pretty great, and Late CBS is just Dave coasting into retirement, but still Dave. I stopped watching regularly around '98-- it just wasn't the same-- but would check in every once in a while. And of course i watched all the shows leading up to the final show. It was a great run, but man the NBC days helped set the tone for my entire life.
I was the same age as you and doing the same thing. I had to watch in person because we didn't have a VCR then.
Thanks for uploading these! I didn't grow up during his time on NBC so it's great to be able to find these episodes.
I would be 16 yo in 8 mos from this show. I started watching in 1981. Loved it! Had a wicked crush on Madeline Kahn.
Her and bernadette Peters!
Didn't it start in 1982?
Impossible for you to watch it in 1981 because the very first show was on February 1, 1982
This is a classic episode of 'Letterman'.. Madeline Kahn was terrific!!❤
Letterman and his writers were SO influential on modern comedic sensibilities. That Larry "Bud" Melman's set and paneling were amazing. I love Madeline Kahn's interview too.
Opposite humor. But Larry never disappointed
I really enjoy the full episodes, thanks Don, you're a king among peasants
I Khannot thank you enough for this, Donzie
They should have had Ricardo Montalbán on too--he played Khan.
Thanks for uploading these
Kahn was talent and class and looks.....
Truly the Golden Age of Late Night television. Can you even imagine staging such events in a big city in this day & age in this modern day culture.
Madeleine often seemed nervous in interviews. I think Dave was quite gentle and sympathetic. But yes, massive crush on her....
She really dragged that one out... and it showed with David--he was like "where the hell is this going?"
I've never seen her in interviews ever... maybe this is why.
Still, one of the funniest ladies in comedy... but not tonight.
I had forgotten that originally Late Night only broadcast Monday to Thursday for most of the '80s. I remember it was such a big deal when they started going all week, even though one episode a week was now a repeat!
oooh thats why they have these repeat shows posted...couldnt figure that out. thanks!
Later in the show's run, David Sanborn was a Friday night regular
Oh I loved Madeline Khan. She was so beautiful and such a great comedian. I really had a crush on her growing up. When she was on The Carol Burnett show I laughed my butt off. "In our circles....in our circles...in our circles..." It was the episode when Eunice gets a part at the Pepper Pot Playhouse.
the funniest female actor EVER.
My goal then was to get discovered at open mike night in Boston and get on LETTERMAN. I wasn't very sophisticated for 24!
This is one of the blander tamer episodes of Letterman's show yet it's considerably more entertaining than anything on late night TV today. And that's not likely to change or improve anytime soon. How sad.
Marilyn Keller was the winner in my book, she got shoved by another contestant, a slow elevator, and a Merv Griffen anecdote in 1983 and Madeline Kahn was so adorable
The Madeline Kahn segment was completely unintelligible. If that was transcribed it would be embarrassing. She was very gorgeous and talented though. Gone too soon.
She was such an interesting person.
Terrible material from Madeline and a shockingly bad Chaka song. Best segment IMO was Melman's stand-up! Had me laughing heartily!! Thank you, thank you.
At 1:01:34, what is the name of the pills that is being censored during the Pee-Wee segment?
Cool!💯 I was two years outa high school and we LOVED Pee Wee in Venice Beach!🙆♂️ His First movie was filmed all over Westside; beginning at the old Santa Monica🌊 mall, Randy's Doughnuts🍩, and the end was filmed at the old Culver City Studio Drive In📽! He was Brilliant!🕊; an act that could go into Old Age, not like "rap-hop" which would look silly if an old person was doing it!?!🤨 I think Madeline was high🥴 OR crazy.🤪 RIP🙏
Chakaaaaa khan omg ❤❤❤❤❤
Teri Garr also should hv bn a guest on this show. But, we love our Madeline Kahn. R I.P. to a genius comic actress like no other.
Not on this night!!
Madeline is having trouble tracking.
I loved Madeline Kahn in “Paper Moon,” “Blazing Saddles,” and “Young Frankenstein,” but this was a very difficult interview. I wish Letterman had a blood pressure cuff on during it so we could see the readings.
Day after my brother was born.
Unbelievable that this was 41 years ago,
I remember watching this live, it literally seems like a week ago
When they say time goes by fast they mean it hahaha
Watching this again- what was funny to me was how he was billed as "Steve Khan"- but Letterman spells his name as his given "Cahn"- also recall the "Know Your Staff" featured Steve's Bar Mitzvah as Sammy Cahn's son
Fun to watch these old "Not good enough for the Tonight Show" episodes of Dave
Paul Ruebens turns 70 this year!
RIP Paul Reubens😢
I was 6 weeks short of my 20th birthday.
Three people on with the last name Khan? Did they do this on purpose, I wonder? Was it some kind of Khan-spiracy? heehee
GREAT PROGRAM !!...
Kahn artists
Dave's early years stuff holds up well.
36 year old jab at Geraldo at 19:48.
Geez Madeline Kahn and her story about talking to a creator she'll call God sort of losing the plot there with that story that goes on and on and never ends until her time is up and Letterman has to interrupt her in order to go to a commercial break did we ever learn what the point was she was trying to make or perhaps it was a punchline that was or wasn't hit how can I tell since it was so rambling amen no period on a run-on sentence
Was about pregnancy and birth.
PeeWee was hilarious. PeeWee and Dave rode that wave creatively. Two talented surfer dudes.
Wish she would finish...
Uh.normally LOVE Madeline but she was out right bizarre incoherent & cringe. One of if not her worst interview! She's blatantly verry shy...painfully & socially awkward yet w/ the right script pure genius. It's like she froze and got stuck in a loop, knew it & didn't know how to get out of it! Lol
More than that verry pleasantly *amazed & surprised Dave actually still seemed respectful! Must have been a major fan, knew she wasn't 'on' (vs the genius he knew she had in her) & went easy on her for that only reason.
Oomg Chaka too! Very off in every way. Straange episode!! 🤢
Very good take on Madeleine. She was thinking of something funny, but never got there. A real head scratcher. And I agree, Letterman played it straight.
How do I get the time back from listening to the non funny story!! Talk about the long road to "I don't wanna have kids!" 🤨
Madeline Kahn was hilarious here!
She was? When??? She frickin' put me asleep, just about.
If kissin and sex w/your dog is hiarious to you.
Hilarious? I'll have whatever you're drinking.
That's not "bridge mix."
“Thank you.”
This must've been the start of the fruitful relationship with David Sanborn that lasted until the show ended on CBS
Mr. Melman was hillarious!
That's genius humor right there. 6:54
Yellow Beard is awesome
Pee Wee's origin of the tequila dance..
LILI VON SHTUPP!
schtupp?
@@johnperrigo6474 www.imdb.com/title/tt0071230/characters/nm0001404 The name of her Blazing Saddles character
37:00 It took a while but he got there in the end! (Unlike this aimless “mental journey” 😅)
Any reason why this billed as a "special David Letterman" at that start. And if so what was preempted?
From 1982 until mid-1987, Late Night aired for an hour four nights a week, Monday to Thursday. The 12:30 am Friday night slot was then SCTV. Around once a month, though, the 12:30 am Friday slot was given to a 90-minute Late Night "special," and that's what happened here.
(Friday Night Videos replaced SCTV in the Friday 12:30 am slot after the latter went to Cinemax. In mid-1987, Late Night's broadcast schedule changed to five shows a week, the Monday show a rerun, and new shows Tuesday-Friday. FNV would then air after LN at 1:30 am.)
Quiz on Wednesday. No cell phones allowed.
Recall reading in the Hill/ Weingrad "SNL" book that Letterman could have gotten Saturday nights in 1985- had Brandon Tartikoff pulled plug on "SNL"/ Dave said yes to Tartikoff floating the idea- Letterman decided big Saturday show/ replacing "SNL" was too much
@@dongiller Have you digitized Dave's rant after they pre-empted Friday Night Videos? "I just want to send a message out there to all you 9-year-olds whining about your videos being gone. You kids shouldn't be up this late, you have school tomorrow--" Paul: "...actually they don't, tomorrow is Saturday" Dave: "WELL YOU SHOULD!"
Mike Johnston I put up something very similar to that just yesterday - th-cam.com/video/HiPr-A_af6Y/w-d-xo.html
It was the first LN Friday show after the schedule change.
@@dongiller Was that a rerurn of friday night videos or the original timeslot before moving up? Thanks. NBC played around with late a lot back then lol even raising the wrath of Carson on saturdays lol
That day before i turned 18
The "only" late night competition against The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. I used to watch David Letterman on some nights whenever I didn't have to go to school on WNBC-TV Channel 4 at 12:30am.
Though, to be accurate, the two shows were never in competition, since they never shared the same time slot.
@@dongiller Oh yeah. That's right.
@@tyrese3745 - I watched every night, religiously. Fell asleep almost every day in geometry, but hey, priorities.
@@dongiller i thought the shows complimented each other well ......i am glad they didn't compete.
Columbus, Ohio
Madaline Khan won the bet with Mel Brookes: Hey, Maddy, bet you can't win the worst performance for guest appearance on David Letterman, 1983.
41:34 Dave is thrilled 😅
Dave didn’t seem “on it” that night - Maybe an off night!
probably pissed to give up a day off
Geez people, some of you are raggin' on Madeline but she probably got short notice to be there plus a commercial and didn't really have time for a dismount
Pee wee act did not age well......
yes but that's expected when it's a gimmick like bobcat and not traditional joke telling. That's why a lot gravitate to film and tv cuz they know they don't have the stuff to be in it forever - if not a few more YEARS even lol
Best thing on the show. Don't be influenced by the most unfunny prick Letterman.
To PeeWee "You're a very peculiar person"