30 years ago today, "Late Night with David Letterman" debuted on NBC - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

AKA · 02-01-2012, 02:31 PM

Letterman Anniversary Is Like a Low-Key Guest

By Bill Carter

David Letterman will celebrate 30 years as a late-night television host on Wednesday, though without much fanfare.

There has been little media attention paid to the anniversary, and no prime-time special, or even a special celebration, planned by CBS.

The reason is Mr. Letterman, who has never really liked anniversary specials. He declined interviews about the anniversary, even from CBS News, and will probably include few or no clips of his career’s high points on his show, “Late Show With David Letterman,” on Wednesday.

“It will most likely be the subject of the Top 10 list and probably represent a chunk of the monologue,” said Rob Burnett, Mr. Letterman’s longtime executive producer. “But right now we’re not assembling giant clip packages.”

Howard Stern, a favorite of Mr. Letterman’s, will appear as a guest. Bill Murray, who has been the guest for previous landmark events, like Mr. Letterman’s first shows on NBC and CBS, was to appear on Tuesday night.

Otherwise, the anniversary will probably be noted the same way others have in recent years: Mr. Letterman will exchange some memories with his bandleader, Paul Shaffer.

Previously, only Mr. Letterman’s idol, Johnny Carson, had had a late-night run of 30 years, though with some differences: Mr. Letterman accomplished the feat on two shows (one in the backup late-night hour of 12:35 a.m. and one at 11:35 p.m.) and at two networks.

But television usually can’t resist celebrating big, round anniversary dates. Despite Mr. Letterman’s reluctance, CBS has been mentioning the anniversary in promotional spots in recent days, and “CBS This Morning” plans a segment on it for Wednesday. Mr. Burnett said he knew of little else that any media outlets had planned.

Mr. Letterman is being low-key. “He’s not someone who likes to draw attention to himself,” Mr. Burnett said. “It is why people accurately perceive him as being anti-show business.”

Mr. Letterman’s ratings, like those of “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” have fallen steadily over the past year. But Mr. Letterman, who long trailed Mr. Leno in the ratings, surpassed him in the important category of 18-to-49-year-old viewers in the fourth quarter of 2011, the first time he had done that in 17 years.

Mr. Letterman famously satirized the late-night talk show even as he was performing on one, a move that stamped him as an original comic mind for a generation of viewers — and comedians. Most of the hosts who now lead the armada of late-night shows crowding television cite Mr. Letterman as a role model.

A major difference between Carson’s 30-year celebration — a yearlong lead-up to his departure featured big-name guests and lots of video clips — and the muted affair planned for Wednesday is that Mr. Letterman isn’t going anywhere. A deal to extend his tenure for two more years at CBS is expected to close soon.

Mr. Letterman’s future may affect Craig Ferguson of “The Late Late Show” on CBS. He has been told his show can move to 11:35 p.m. when Mr. Letterman leaves. Mr. Ferguson has not decided if he will continue in the follow-up show to Mr. Letterman at 12:35 a.m., assuming that Mr. Letterman stays on.

Some of Mr. Letterman’s equanimity about the anniversary may be related to the bifurcation of his career. He did not get his dream job as the successor to Carson on the “Tonight” show. NBC chose Mr. Leno instead. Mr. Letterman, then in the 12:35 a.m. slot, packed up his act in 1993 and took it to CBS, where he established his own franchise.

In comments on air, Mr. Letterman has often referred, jokingly, to being “passed over” at NBC. Does the regret linger?

“It’s certainly not anything Dave expresses,” Mr. Burnett said. “There was a period in his life where he has said he felt that way, but I think he’s moved on.” He added, “I find it impossible to believe with all he’s achieved at CBS that he spends even a moment of time regretting that he’s not hosting the ‘Tonight’ show.”

TMC · 02-08-2012, 07:07 PM

http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/02/01/da...h-anniversary/

David Letterman, as Darren Franich points out, created a show that "represented a complete deconstruction of the whole Carson model … Letterman’s deconstruction opened the floodgates — if Letterman was making fun of the idea of a talk show, then Conan O’Brien was making fun of the idea of making fun of a talk show. The whole voice-of-god notion of the Johnny Carson host was a thing of the past."

02-01-2012, 02:31 PM	#1
AKA Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 17, 2001 Posts: 15,746	30 years ago today, "Late Night with David Letterman" debuted on NBC Letterman Anniversary Is Like a Low-Key Guest By Bill Carter David Letterman will celebrate 30 years as a late-night television host on Wednesday, though without much fanfare. There has been little media attention paid to the anniversary, and no prime-time special, or even a special celebration, planned by CBS. The reason is Mr. Letterman, who has never really liked anniversary specials. He declined interviews about the anniversary, even from CBS News, and will probably include few or no clips of his career’s high points on his show, “Late Show With David Letterman,” on Wednesday. “It will most likely be the subject of the Top 10 list and probably represent a chunk of the monologue,” said Rob Burnett, Mr. Letterman’s longtime executive producer. “But right now we’re not assembling giant clip packages.” Howard Stern, a favorite of Mr. Letterman’s, will appear as a guest. Bill Murray, who has been the guest for previous landmark events, like Mr. Letterman’s first shows on NBC and CBS, was to appear on Tuesday night. Otherwise, the anniversary will probably be noted the same way others have in recent years: Mr. Letterman will exchange some memories with his bandleader, Paul Shaffer. Previously, only Mr. Letterman’s idol, Johnny Carson, had had a late-night run of 30 years, though with some differences: Mr. Letterman accomplished the feat on two shows (one in the backup late-night hour of 12:35 a.m. and one at 11:35 p.m.) and at two networks. But television usually can’t resist celebrating big, round anniversary dates. Despite Mr. Letterman’s reluctance, CBS has been mentioning the anniversary in promotional spots in recent days, and “CBS This Morning” plans a segment on it for Wednesday. Mr. Burnett said he knew of little else that any media outlets had planned. Mr. Letterman is being low-key. “He’s not someone who likes to draw attention to himself,” Mr. Burnett said. “It is why people accurately perceive him as being anti-show business.” Mr. Letterman’s ratings, like those of “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” have fallen steadily over the past year. But Mr. Letterman, who long trailed Mr. Leno in the ratings, surpassed him in the important category of 18-to-49-year-old viewers in the fourth quarter of 2011, the first time he had done that in 17 years. Mr. Letterman famously satirized the late-night talk show even as he was performing on one, a move that stamped him as an original comic mind for a generation of viewers — and comedians. Most of the hosts who now lead the armada of late-night shows crowding television cite Mr. Letterman as a role model. A major difference between Carson’s 30-year celebration — a yearlong lead-up to his departure featured big-name guests and lots of video clips — and the muted affair planned for Wednesday is that Mr. Letterman isn’t going anywhere. A deal to extend his tenure for two more years at CBS is expected to close soon. Mr. Letterman’s future may affect Craig Ferguson of “The Late Late Show” on CBS. He has been told his show can move to 11:35 p.m. when Mr. Letterman leaves. Mr. Ferguson has not decided if he will continue in the follow-up show to Mr. Letterman at 12:35 a.m., assuming that Mr. Letterman stays on. Some of Mr. Letterman’s equanimity about the anniversary may be related to the bifurcation of his career. He did not get his dream job as the successor to Carson on the “Tonight” show. NBC chose Mr. Leno instead. Mr. Letterman, then in the 12:35 a.m. slot, packed up his act in 1993 and took it to CBS, where he established his own franchise. In comments on air, Mr. Letterman has often referred, jokingly, to being “passed over” at NBC. Does the regret linger? “It’s certainly not anything Dave expresses,” Mr. Burnett said. “There was a period in his life where he has said he felt that way, but I think he’s moved on.” He added, “I find it impossible to believe with all he’s achieved at CBS that he spends even a moment of time regretting that he’s not hosting the ‘Tonight’ show.”

02-08-2012, 07:07 PM	#2
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 126,561	Happy 30th anniversary, Dave: Did Letterman destroy late-night TV? http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/02/01/da...h-anniversary/ David Letterman, as Darren Franich points out, created a show that "represented a complete deconstruction of the whole Carson model … Letterman’s deconstruction opened the floodgates — if Letterman was making fun of the idea of a talk show, then Conan O’Brien was making fun of the idea of making fun of a talk show. The whole voice-of-god notion of the Johnny Carson host was a thing of the past."