The Late Shift

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the Australian sketch show Comedy Inc: The Late Shift, see Comedy Inc.

The Late Shift is a 1996 TV movie produced by HBO based on the book by Bill Carter.

The movie follows the behind-the-scenes network politics responsible for late-night programming leading up to - and after - the retirement of Johnny Carson (Rich Little) from the Tonight Show on NBC in 1992. Jay Leno (Daniel Roebuck) and David Letterman (John Michael Higgins) were both vying for the position, but Leno's tough manager Helen Kushnick (Kathy Bates) got him the spot. In the wake of some of her more fierce tactics, she was pushed out of her job as Tonight Show Executive Producer and dropped by Leno as his personal manager. Letterman, devastated by his being passed over, brought in superagent Mike Ovitz (Treat Williams) to negotiate on his behalf, resulting in his move to CBS.

It was nominated for 7 Emmys at the 1996 awards, including Outstanding Made for Television Movie, although it won in no categories. Kathy Bates won a Golden Globe for her supporting role in a TV movie, and a SAG Award for Best Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries.

The movie was often mocked on Letterman's Late Show around the time of its initial airing, particularly on Higgins' lack of resemblance to Letterman and the red hair Higgins had in the movie. However when a guest brings up the film on The Tonight Show, Jay Leno often praises Daniel Roebuck's portrayal of him.

[edit] DVD Release

The DVD of the film was released in the USA on August 30, 2005 and in the UK on March 27 2006. In both regions the DVD contains no extras.

[edit] Controversy

Kushnick filed a $30 million lawsuit against the author of the eponymous book upon which the HBO film was based, claiming libel. Specifically, her case related to a claim that she planted a story about Carson's retirement in a New York tabloid. [1] The then-pending lawsuit was noted in the closing credits of the film -- as the Broadway tune "There's No Business Like Show Business" played -- but it is unclear whether the legal action was settled before August 1996, when Kushnick died of cancer.