Talk:Late Show with David Letterman

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[edit] The Letterman Monologue after 9-11

The link to the video of Dave giving the monologue on the first post-9/11 "Late Show" no longer works. Perhaps someone can put a link to the transcript of the monologue instead. -- Jalabi99 07:20, 18 February 2006 (UTC)

Done. -- Jalabi99 03:42, 20 February 2006 (UTC)

I wrote the text. I have no problems with it. But.. it included a lot of information about Late Night with David Letterman - much of which was on both pages. So I was making an effort to separate the information between the two pages. -Jazz77

The article now makes mention of the various 'extras' on the Letterman show - Biff Henderson, Stephanie Birkitt etc. Now I've always assumed that these were actors playing the part of assistants - i.e. Biff never really does any behind the scenes work. Does anyone know if this is actually the case? DJ Clayworth 15:07, 3 Sep 2004 (UTC)

I erased the remark concerning the Ed Sullivan theater's "proximity" to the World Trade Center. They were not "close" beyond the fact that they were both on the same island: The WTC was at the end of Manhattan while the Ed Sullivan Theater is in Midtown. The big deal was that Dave was broacasting from New York when everyone was still a nervous wreck, not because he was partically nearby the WTC. --Feitclub 19:41, Sep 27, 2004 (UTC)

When does the show actually screen on US TV? Dysprosia 05:17, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Monday to Friday at 11:35:00pm to 12:37:30am on CBS Television Xm2631

I currently uploaded an image of the show's logo graphic. I would've have liked to see an image from the actual opening sequence of the show. A transparent logo would be better. If anyone has one, feel free to change it. Xm2631

Where did the Lseleven.gif image come from? I do not think it is appropriate for the site. There was no special "11th Anniversary" episode of the Late Show, so having that image is bound to create confusion. The logo is a nearly verbatim copy of the Late Night (not Late Show) logo, and using such a logo is bound to create even more confusion in an article about the Late Show. From what I know, no Late Night-esque logo has ever been used on the Late Show. Also, I'm guessing that the logo was created by some random fan out there, not by CBS or Worldwide Pants. Personally, I think there is no reasonable choice but to remove the logo. --Rookkey 02:08, 27 August 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Janet Jackson

The article says this: "When asked by Letterman about the incident she said "Jesus Christ" and had to be censored. If the incident had not occurred, this phrase may not have been blocked and yet it was due to a five second delay ordered by CBS."

Can someone tell me for what reason a taped show would need a five-second delay as they have a 6-hour delay between tape and air? — Music Maker 17:12, 14 May 2006 (UTC)

You're absolutely right, and the article should be edited to reflect this, which kind of defeats the purpose of mentioning her appearance at all. Should it be removed completely?Locano 04:57, 23 May 2006 (UTC)

I actually disagree with the removal, as it was just days after her infamous Superbowl performance, and it was her first appearance after the halftime show anyway.Thankyoubaby 05:55, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

If we're going to remove it, let's go all the way and get rid of that weird broken image that says "Janet Jackson on Letterman". I, however, think it was a pretty memorable interview, although I'm not certain how much publicity it got. Sir Lemming 14:37, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] "Late Show Bear"

What happened to it? I haven't seen anybody put away the "Late Show Bear" for a while... ViperBite 15:12, 21 June 2006 (UTC) They probably just dropped it for a little while. --69.67.229.28 04:29, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Merge?

Um...somebody tagged the section for merge, but there's no discussion. So, I'll start it. I support a move of "late show guests" form Letterman's bio to the Late show article. --MPD01605 (T / C) 04:13, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

Support. This article should be about the person and not about the show. --Maitch 20:30, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Farrah Fawcett

I removed the following sentence from this section:

"At one point in her interview she crawled on the studio floor on all fours calling for an imaginary cat."

I don't seem to recall this ever happening on that night. But unless someone can provide proof, I don't think it should be in the article.

--Lc 04 00:48, 23 July 2006 (UTC)

I did a quick search for keywords. The only mention of the act above is the Wikipedia article. PrometheusX303 12:33, 23 July 2006 (UTC)

I just saw the interview in YouTube and there is no such a floor crawling. Letterman didn't thank her for "almost being here", he said "thanks for being here" as he often does. Carlosp420 06:22, 28 December 2006 (UTC)

Actually, Dave did say this, but at the very end of the show before the credits before he said Goodnight. --Lc 04 02:28, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The next host

What will we do when David stops being the host of this show? Will we just start a new article called "The Late Show with (name of Host)"? Or will we move it to the new name? Just curious about this...--Chile14 03:40, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

Probably the same as The Tonight Show. That article gives a brief overview, but there are more detailed presentations at The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Interestingly, there is no The Tonight Show with Steve Allen to cover 1954 - 1957 or The Tonight Show with Jack Paar to cover 1957 - 1962. --rogerd 04:35, 1 August 2006 (UTC)

It would be wisest to wait until the new host and title are announced in any case, but it will be awhile before Dave leaves. After all, after Late Night With David Letterman, it's been Late Night With Conan O'Brien... and the full title of the Steve Allen Tonight Show was Tonight, at least originally, while Jack Paar's edition was Tonight Starring Jack Paar. 147.70.242.40 16:24, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Characters, possibly recurring

Does anyone know about that lady who sometimes shows up at the Late Show. She seems to look Korean, and is the costume designer for the show. She usually likes to disrupt the show by sitting down on the couch, putting on make up in front of the camera, or giving Dave some water during that hot day. Does anybody have a clue about what I'm talking about? I can't find her in any of our articles.--Ed^{talk c E} 14:22, 18 August 2006 (UTC)

Dave calls her "Sue" and she interrupts almost every night these days, always ending in her yelling an insult and storming off. There is also a guy who interrupts Dave's monologue a lot, and there were some skateboarders at one point. Clearly a decision has been made to add more of these random characters to recent shows. There are sometimes people who show up outside the window behind his desk. It's fun. A mention could go in the show "sketches" category. Rugz 06:01, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

She's Sue Hum, costume designer for the show. "The guy who interrupts" is Johnny Dark. Fitfatfighter 09:41, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

you're a tool. you sound like a tool. and she's just one of many random comedy bits involving the show's staff. and "that hot day" proper or parallel grammar with the rest of that sentence. no one likes a knob who can't speak their own native language. and don't assume she's korean.

[edit] Pat Farmer

Not the politician, Pat Farmer of The Late Show. What is he, staff? He normally does the "special reports". "Bird-Flu" and "Behind Pirates of the Carribean 2". Both of them he ends up dying. --Yancyfry jr 04:12, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

I believe he is usually referred to as a stagehand. --taestell 01:21, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Pat Farmer should be mentioned. He goes out does special reports on things and dies during it. --66.218.17.243 04:06, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Guest Hosts?

Since it's a relative rarity to have Late Night without Letterman, wouldn't it be a good idea to mention the guest hosts (especially after the bypass surgery)? None of those episodes had "the greatest city in the world" in their opening, either. 147.70.242.40 16:17, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

I think a piece on Bruce Willis's transformation from guest to host during the heart attack would fit in well here.

[edit] Memorable episodes

The stuff in this section is basically the same as part of the David Letterman article (like the heart surgery / February 21's episode sections). I'm not sure what should be done, eg. whether there should be two concurrent pieces or whether one should link to the other. Specifically, the Heart Surgery part of David Letterman vs. the February 21, 2001 'memorable episode' of the Late Show with David Letterman. The latter has less information than the Heart Surgery bit, and I don't think there's any sense in that. — m æ strosync ^{talk&contribs}, 00:54, 8 November 2006 (UTC)

Michael Richards' apology is not important enough to include on this page! A few weeks from now no one will even care or remember it. It is insignificant to the show. It should be completely removed. What do you think? Rugz

How can the Crispin Glover episode not be mentioned? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.232.194.5 (talk) 04:17, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Richard Simmons

He has had a fairly long history with the show, a mention of him in the article seems appropriate. 207.126.230.225 05:06, 1 December 2006 (UTC)

Definitely. Sir Lemming 14:38, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] I don't think that was Tom Brokaw

However, Letterman did not let NBC have the final laugh on the matter. On the very first show, after Letterman was introduced, Tom Brokaw accompanied him on stage and wished him luck "within reason". Brokaw then proceeded to retrieve a pair of cue cards stating that "These last 2 jokes are the intellectual property of NBC!", and carried them off stage. As I recall, that was Marv Albert. Does someone know for sure?--Idols of Mud 17:32, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

It was definately Tom Brokaw Rugz 19:49, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Australian Telecast

A LOT of this page is dedicated to expaining the Australian broadcasts of the show, which is totally useless to anybody outside Australia. I think the entire section should either be deleted or a similar section created for every country it is broadcast in. (I favour the former). ChefEm 10:35, 22 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Letterman vs. Leno

There is no discussion of how Letterman trounced Leno when he move to CBS and how Leno managed to regain the lead? Mark83 00:48, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Guest Hosts

Wasn't there a something on this page to do with guest hosts when Letterman was ill or something?

Cause I know Paul has hosted, as well as Drew Carey and just recently, Adam Sandler and Motzaball... Mosdefau2 14:10, 21 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Great moments in presidential speeches ;; who is doctored into the image?

If you are familiar with this segment "Great moments in presidential speeches" ... take a close look at the clip of the Inaugural address of John F. Kennedy. At the extreme right, there is a man who is clearly "doctored in" to the video. Who is this man? dr.ef.tymac 07:11, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

The Late Show announcer Alan Kalter. - Mike Beckham 07:18, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

Usually, yes, it's either Kalter or Costume Designer Sue Hum... but there was a new guy in there last night. Lambertman 11:48, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

...who wasn't Tony Mendez. Lambertman 03:49, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Small Town News

I don't think it can really be argued that Leno is much more known for his "Headlines" bit than Letterman is for his "Small Town News."

Does anyone know how far back Small Town News goes? I'm guessing he did it during "Late Night," but I'm not sure if it actually precedes Headlines, which I assume he did during his guest-host stints for Carson.

And I'm curious if anyone has any speculation as to why the Late Show has decided to regularly have Small Town News air on the same night as Headlines. Km9000 23:38, 1 May 2007 (UTC)

Well, that is my point. You think the Leno bit is more notable than the Letterman one, probably because you watch Leno. My wife and I have been watching the "Small Town News" bit on Letterman for years without realizing that Leno has something similar, because we can't stand Leno and don't ever watch him. Why don't we just note that they are similar routines and leave out any opinion about which one is better known. I also looked at The Tonight Show with Jay Leno article and saw that there was no reference to the Letterman bit in that article. --rogerd 01:50, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

Small Town News preceded headlines by at least 6 or 7 years. Dave was doing Small Town News on his morning show in 1980 even before he did it on Late Night. Leno didn't begin guest hosting for Carson until 1986. NIST91 17:20, 26 May 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Widescreen in HD

Ok, so I know that the HD show is broadcast in widescreen, but was the show ever broadcast in widescreen before that, like on standard def digital tv? I would like to add that the show also changed to widescreen as a standard when they changed to HD, but I'm not positive if the first HD broadcast of this show was indeed the first widescreen broadcast too JayKeaton 18:53, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

When Dave announced on the show that they were now broadcasting in HD, they would make some jokes about the fact that they were now seen in widescreen as well (like the HD cameo, where a walk-on guest could only be visible on the edge of a wide screen). Not a definitive answer, but since they got new cameras for the switch-over, I'd have to assume that the previous ones would've had to be regular 4:3 anyway.Km9000 07:30, 26 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Acts

Is there any source for calling the segments of the show "Acts"? To my knowledge, they've always been called "segments". Furthermore, the "audience sweep" lasts for all of 15 seconds: I don't think it could properly be called an "Act". 69.253.193.234 07:23, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

On Mike McIntee's "Wagoo Gazette" official online recap, he breaks the show down by "acts," and includes the audience sweep as its own act. Nothing wrong with calling them "segments," but if it's good enough for McIntee, I figured it's good enough for Wikipedia.Km9000 03:26, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Names of often played musical pieces in the show?

I was searching for a list of songs often played before/after commercial breaks without luck. Could this be included into the article?

I don't really think that that would be an exclusive list. Paul is pretty good about switching up the music; I don't think he plays any songs more frequently than any others. — Music Maker 5376 00:12, 25 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Musical Guest Insulted Letterman On Air?

Does anyone remember an episode, probably from the early 90s, where a musical guest insulted Letterman right after performing a song, on air? I vaguely remember the insult sounded kind of "British", something along the lines of "you wanker" or "you tosser". I think the band had wanted to play a cover song, but they weren't allowed to or something along those lines. 70.20.219.41 02:09, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Notable Episodes changes...

I had originally added Top Twelve code into the Memorable Episodes section. Someone else then amended the section to Notable Episodes. This code has been removed as someone decided the change to the Top Ten didn't compare to Sept 11 or Carson's death. My take on this is who decides on what is a Notable Episode? What are the critera and who is deciding on behalf of Wikipdia? Especially since this section has been amended to Notable Episodes. The Top Ten list has been a staple of the show since its beginning. It was mentioned on the show's website how big a change it was; Letterman himself mentioned on the show that night how big it was. Is this Notable? Yes, and I'd like to re-add it. - Starn1973.

The community as a whole decides what is notable. You're comparing the modification of a comedy bit (and a resultant list that was about as painfully unfunny as any celebrity-presented Top Ten ever has been) to major events that transcend the show and affected Dave and many of his viewers on a personal level. And, despite what Dave - who's been known to exaggerate/shovel a load o' crap for comic effect - or the website may say, the length of the Top Ten has been screwed with before: there were a long series of Top 11 lists ("Top Ten Extra!") and at least one Top Nine. Lambertman 22:23, 19 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Fair use rationale for Image:Lshowtitle cleaned.png

Image:Lshowtitle cleaned.png is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot (talk) 20:09, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Notable Guests Split

The section is fairly lengthy, and it probably could use its own article just to make the Late Show article a little neater. Since someone has suggested it be merged but the topic hasn't been discussed, here's a new discussion. If no one rejects the idea, I'll go ahead and split the section. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Googolme (talk • contribs) 17:32, 5 January 2008 (UTC)

PS. I went ahead and split the section Googolme (talk) 18:35, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

Then perhaps you should point to a page that actually exists. Then again, I haven't looked, somebody could've edited this on the main page. --72.207.244.139 (talk) 03:47, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Episode Structure should include 1993 - 2008

The section on "Episode Structure" is now slanted toward current shows. It should be rewritten to be all-inclusive of every show from 1993 to 2008 because things were a lot different in the early days. For example "Act 5" audience sweep didn't occur until several years into the show when Letterman stopped doing his own gags during that break. Also need to mention the original announcer Wendell in the "Act 1" segment as Kalter didn't start until 1995. Phrases such as "on most nights" and "often consists" should be removed from these section to make it more encyclopedic. Rugz (talk) 22:37, 21 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] The billboard

I don't think the billboard item is quite right. I remember that Jay Leno put up a billboard on top of a building near Times Square with his picture saying "We're #1!". Since his show originates from L.A., this could only have been a direct attempt to annoy Letterman. To show he couldn't care less, Dave put up a billboard with his picture and the slogan "We're #2!". But maybe there was also a billboard some other time that said "We're #3!". Does anybody have a citation for any of this?Slobone (talk) 08:07, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] The Late Show redirection

The Late Show redirects to this page. It shouldn't, as there's an Australian TV program called The Late Show which ran from 1992-1993, produced by the national free to air network, ABC-TV.

Instead, The Late Show should ideally go to a disambiguation stub, as I'm sure there would have been other programs with this title too. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.59.80.62 (talk) 14:42, 3 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Re: my reversion

I stated in my edit summary that "Madonna is mentioned elsewhere in the article", which I thought was true. Was the section deleted, or am I imagining its prior existence? - Dudesleeper / Talk 10:05, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

I'm fairly certain that Madonna had always been in the Notable Episodes section. It should probably be reinstated, as it was fairly big news at the time. — Music Maker 5376 15:04, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

Actually, there was a separate section a couple of months ago, but someone (not me) incorporated it into the Notable Episodes. A good idea, methinks. — Music Maker 5376 15:05, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

I've reinstated it since there isn't a discussion about its removal on here. - Dudesleeper / Talk 15:48, 14 April 2008 (UTC)