Editing Late Night with David Letterman

{{short description|American late-night talk show (1982–1993)}}
{{about|the NBC program|the later CBS show|Late Show with David Letterman|the morning show|The David Letterman Show}}
{{Redirect|Stupid Pet Tricks|the 21st-century television show|Stupid Pet Tricks (TV series)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| alt_name           = [[Late Night (franchise)|Late Night]] (franchise brand)
| image              = Late Night with David Letterman logo (1982–1993).svg
| genre              = {{Plain list|
*[[Late-night talk show]]
*[[Variety show|Variety]]
*[[Television comedy|Comedy]]
}}
| creator            = [[David Letterman]]
| writer             = {{Plain list|
*[[Merrill Markoe]] (head writer: 1982)
*[[Jim Downey (comedian)|Jim Downey]] (head writer: 1982–1983)
*[[Steve O'Donnell (writer)|Steve O'Donnell]] (head writer: 1983–1992)
*[[Rob Burnett (producer)|Rob Burnett]] (head writer: 1992–1993)
}}
| presenter          = David Letterman
| starring           = [[Paul Shaffer]]<br> and ''[[The World's Most Dangerous Band]]''
| narrated           = [[Bill Wendell]]
| theme_music_composer = Paul Shaffer
| country            = United States
| language           = English
| num_seasons        = 11
| num_episodes       = 1,819
| executive_producer = {{Plain list|
*[[Jack Rollins (producer)|Jack Rollins]] (1982–1992)
*Barry Sand (1982–1988)
*[[David Letterman]] (1987–1993)
*[[Robert Morton (producer)|Robert Morton]] (1987–1993)
*[[Peter Lassally]] (1992–1993)
}}
| location           = Studio 6A, [[NBC Studios (New York City)|NBC Studios]], New York, New York
| camera             = [[Multiple-camera setup|Multi-camera]]
| runtime            = 42–43 minutes
| company            = {{Plain list|
*[[Carson Productions]]
*Space Age Meats Productions (1982–1990)
*[[Worldwide Pants]] (1990–93)
*[[Universal Television|NBC Productions]]
}}
| network            = [[NBC]]
| first_aired        = {{Start date|1982|2|1}}
| last_aired         = {{End date|1993|6|25}}
| related            = {{Plain list|
*''[[The David Letterman Show]]''
*''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]''
}}
}}

'''''Late Night with David Letterman''''' <!-- do NOT change to "was" -->is<!-- remains as "is" per [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Television/Style guidelines#Lead paragraphs]] --> an American television talk show broadcast by [[NBC]]. The show is the first installment of the ''[[Late Night (franchise)|Late Night]]''. Hosted by David Letterman, it aired from February{{spaces}}1, 1982<ref name="loryap82f1">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=n_lLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0e4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6960%2C65820 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington)|agency=Associated Press |last=Jory |first=Tom |title=Letterman's going to stay up late |date=February 1, 1982 |page=11}}</ref> to June 25, 1993, and was replaced by ''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]''.

In 2013, this series and ''Late Show with David Letterman'' were ranked No. 41 on [[TV Guide]]'s 60 Best Series of All Time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/news/tv-guide-magazine-60-best-series-1074962/|title=TV Guide Magazine's 60 Best Series of All Time|author=Bruce Fretts|date=23 December 2013|work=TVGuide.com}}</ref>  During its run, the show was nominated for the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series]] 11 times. It was also nominated for the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series]] 14 times, winning 4, and won one [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series]] out of 7 nominations.

==History==
In the wake of his [[The David Letterman Show|NBC morning show]] being cancelled in October 1980 after 18 weeks on the air,<ref name=loryap82f1/> David Letterman was still held in high enough regard by the network brass, especially NBC president [[Fred Silverman]], that upon hearing the 33-year-old comedian was being courted by a [[Broadcast syndication|first-run syndication]] company, NBC gave him a [[United States dollar|US$]]20,000 per week ($1,000,000 for a year) deal to sit out a year and guest-host ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' on multiple occasions.<ref name="nyt-nov-1981">{{cite news|last=Schwartz|first=Tony|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/10/arts/letterman-replacing-snyder.html|title=Letterman Replacing Snyder|work=The New York Times |agency=[[New York Times]]|date=10 November 1981|access-date=24 September 2021}}</ref> Earlier that year in May, after significant acrimony, NBC and Carson had reached an agreement on a new contract, which—among other concessions to Carson—granted the powerful and influential host the control over the time slot immediately following ''The Tonight Show''.<ref>Bushkin, Henry. [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/how-johnny-carson-quit-tonight-644508 How Johnny Carson Nearly Quit 'Tonight' and Scored TV's Richest Deal Ever]. ''The Hollywood Reporter''. Retrieved September 4, 2014.</ref>

From late fall 1980 until the end of 1981, in addition to [[List of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson episodes (1980)|guest-hosting]] [[List of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson episodes (1981)|22 episodes]] of the ''Tonight Show'', as outlined in his one-year [[Talent holding deal|holding deal]] with NBC, Letterman also appeared [[List of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson episodes (1980)|five]] [[List of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson episodes (1981)|times]] as Carson's guest on the highly rated program as the network groomed the 34-year-old for a new project.

Finally, on November{{spaces}}9, 1981, NBC and Carson's production company [[Carson Entertainment|Carson Productions]] (as well as Letterman's own newly established production company [[Worldwide Pants|Space Age Meats Productions]], forerunner to today's Worldwide Pants Incorporated) announced the creation of ''Late Night with David Letterman'', set to premiere in early 1982 in the 12:30&nbsp;a.m. time slot Monday through Thursday, with occasional specials every few Fridays, all aimed at young men.<ref name="nyt-nov-1981"/> The network wanted to capitalize on catering to young males, feeling that there was very little late-night programming for that demographic. The newly announced show thus displaced the ''[[The Tomorrow Show|Tomorrow Coast to Coast]]'' program hosted by [[Tom Snyder]] from the 12:30 slot.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rosenberg |first1=Howard |title=A TEPID 'TOM SNYDER' PREMIERES ON KABC |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-02-10-ca-27415-story.html |access-date=October 13, 2021 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=February 10, 1986}}</ref> NBC initially offered Snyder to move his show back an hour, but Snyder, already unhappy with being forced to adopt changes to ''Tomorrow'' that he detested, refused and ended the show instead. The final first-run ''Tomorrow'' episode aired on December{{spaces}}17, 1981.
[[File:Jerry Lewis with David Letterman.jpg|thumb|260px|Actor [[Jerry Lewis]] with Letterman on ''Late Night'', 1982]]

===Debut===
The staff responsible for preparing the launch of ''Late Night'' included [[Merrill Markoe]] in the head writing role, seasoned TV veteran [[Hal Gurnee]] as director, Letterman's manager [[Jack Rollins (producer)|Jack Rollins]] as executive producer, and a group of young writers—most of them in their early twenties, along with the somewhat more experienced 29-year-old [[Jim Downey (comedian)|Jim Downey]], who had previously written for ''Saturday Night Live'', and 27-year-old [[Steve O'Donnell (writer)|Steve O'Donnell]]. Markoe stepped down as head writer after a few months, and was succeeded by Downey who was in turn succeeded by O'Donnell in 1983. O'Donnell would serve as the head writer through most of the rest of the show's run while Downey went back to ''Saturday Night Live'' in 1984. Also on board, initially as a production assistant in charge of the "Stupid Pet Tricks" segment, was 21-year-old [[Chris Elliott]]. Elliott would quickly be promoted to writer and a recurring featured player.

The plan from the start was to resurrect the spirit of Letterman's morning show for a late-night audience, one more likely to plug into his offbeat humor. The show also got a house band, hiring NBC staff musician [[Paul Shaffer]] to lead the group. They were informally dubbed "[[Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band|The World's Most Dangerous Band]]" in early episodes, but this was then dropped for several years; through much of the show's run, the band existed without a formal name. The moniker "The World's Most Dangerous Band" was reinstated in 1988, and continued through the rest of the show.

Realizing that NBC executives exhibited very little desire to micromanage various aspects of the show, the staff felt confident they would be allowed to push outside of the mainstream talk-show boundaries and thus set about putting together a quirky, absurdist, and odd program. Snyder's ''Tomorrow'' re-runs continued until Thursday, January{{spaces}}28, 1982, and four days later on Monday, February{{spaces}}1, 1982,<ref name=loryap82f1/> ''Late Night'' premiered with a [[cold open]]ing featuring [[Calvert DeForest|Larry "Bud" Melman]] delivering lines as an homage to the prologue of [[Boris Karloff]]'s ''[[Frankenstein (1931 film)|Frankenstein]]'', followed by Letterman coming out on stage to [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Tchaikovsky]]'s "[[Piano Concerto No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)|Piano Concerto No. 1]]" behind a group of female dancers—the peacock girls who had also opened the finale of ''[[The David Letterman Show]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Calvert DeForest, 85; Gained Fame As Larry 'Bud' Melman of 'Late Night' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/21/AR2007032102769.html |access-date=October 13, 2021 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |publisher=[[Nash Holdings]] |date=March 22, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=TV VIEW; DAVID LETTERMAN-A TOUGH ACT TO PACKAGE |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/13/arts/tv-view-david-letterman-a-tough-act-to-package.html |access-date=October 13, 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 13, 1982}}</ref> After a brief monologue, the very first comedy segment was a sarcastic tour of the studio. The first guest, 31-year-old comedian and actor [[Bill Murray]], came out in confrontational fashion, throwing jibes and accusations at the host as part of a knowing put-on. He remained for two more similarly sardonic segments in which he first presented footage of a Chinese zoo baby panda as a supposed home video of his recently adopted pet, before expressing newfound love for [[aerobics]] and pulling a crew member onstage, making her do [[jumping jack]]s along with him to [[Olivia Newton-John]]'s "[[Physical (Olivia Newton-John song)|Physical]]". The second comedy piece was a remote titled "The Shame of the City"; taking a general format of a [[local news]] action segment, it featured Letterman touring several New York locations pointing out various civic problems with righteous indignation. The second guest was [[Don Herbert]], TV's "Mr. Wizard", and the show ended with a young comic named Steve Fessler reciting aloud the script of the obscure [[Bela Lugosi]] film ''[[Bowery at Midnight]]''.

The reviews were mixed<ref name=dtbuncon>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lfkaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kUcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6807%2C733440 |newspaper=Daily News |location=Bowling Green, KY |agency=Associated Press |last=Rothenberg |first=Fred |title=Letterman's ''Late Night'' dares to be unconventional |date=February 6, 1982 |page=6B }}</ref>—''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote: "Much of Letterman's first week did not jell"—but more importantly, the show drew 1.5 million viewers, 30% more than had tuned in for Snyder's ''Tomorrow''.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Browne |first1=David |title=How David Letterman Reinvented TV |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/how-david-letterman-reinvented-tv-175056/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=29 September 2011 |publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]] |access-date=October 31, 2021}}</ref>

On the third night, after baseball great [[Hank Aaron]] finished his interview segment with Letterman, a camera followed him backstage, where TV sportscaster [[Al Albert (sportscaster)|Al Albert]] conducted a post-interview chat with Aaron about how it had gone. Eccentric and awkward, the show immediately established a sensibility that was clearly different from ''The Tonight Show''.<ref name=dtbuncon/>

The show was produced by Johnny Carson's production company, as a result of a clause in Carson's contract with NBC that gave him control of what immediately followed ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''. Carson, for his part, wanted ''Late Night'' to have as little overlap with his show as possible. In fact, most ground rules and restrictions on what Letterman could do came not from the network but from the production company itself.  Letterman could not have a sidekick like [[Ed McMahon]], and Paul Shaffer's band could not include a horn section like [[Doc Severinsen]]'s. Letterman was told he could not book old-school showbiz guests such as [[James Stewart]], [[George Burns]], or [[Buddy Hackett]], who were fixtures on Johnny's show (the fact that ''Tonight'' had long moved to Hollywood and ''Late Night'' was taped in New York helped minimize guest overlap). Letterman was also specifically instructed not to replicate any of the signature pieces of ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' like "Stump the Band" or "Carnac the Magnificent". Carson also wanted Letterman to minimize the number of [[Topical humor|topical jokes]] in his opening monologue.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sims |first1=David |title=David Letterman's Long Shadow |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/05/david-lettermans-long-shadow/393707/ |access-date=October 27, 2021 |work=[[The Atlantic]] |publisher=[[Emerson Collective]] |date=May 20, 2015}}</ref>

===Production and scheduling===
[[File:Teri Garr with David Letterman.jpg|thumb|right|Letterman interviewing [[Teri Garr]] in 1982.]]
[[File:David Letterman Emmy 1987.jpg|thumb|Letterman at the [[39th Primetime Emmy Awards|1987]] [[Emmy Awards]].]] 
''Late Night'' originated from NBC Studio 6A at the RCA (later GE) Building at [[30 Rockefeller Plaza]] in New York City.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Carter |first1=Bill |title=Changing Channels: Letterman Prepares For Last NBC Show |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/24/arts/changing-channels-letterman-prepares-for-last-nbc-show.html |access-date=October 17, 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 24, 1993}}</ref> The program ran four nights a week, Monday to Thursday, from the show's premiere on February{{spaces}}1, 1982, until June{{spaces}}4, 1987. Friday shows were added on June{{spaces}}12, 1987, although the show still only produced four new episodes a week. Monday's shows were re-runs. NBC previously aired ''[[Friday Night Videos]]'' in the 12:30&nbsp;a.m. slot on Saturday morning, with occasional ''Late Night'' specials and reruns. ''Friday Night Videos'' was reduced to an hour's length and moved up an hour to 1:30&nbsp;a.m. on Saturday morning.

Starting on September{{spaces}}2, 1991, ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]'' was pushed back from 11:30&nbsp;p.m. to 11:35&nbsp;p.m., with Letterman starting at 12:35&nbsp;a.m., at the request of NBC affiliates who wanted more advertising time for their profitable late newscasts.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/22/news/nbc-moves-johnny-carson-starting-time-by-5-minutes.html|title=NBC Moves Johnny Carson Starting Time by 5 Minutes|first=Bill|last=Carter|newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 22, 1991}}</ref>

Like ''The Tonight Show'' in the 1980s and early 1990s, ''Late Night'' aired annual anniversary specials.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Du Brow |first1=Rick |title=Life After 'Late Night' : Television: On the eighth anniversary of his ground-breaking series, David Letterman says he'll do it for another two years and then review his options. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-02-01-ca-1466-story.html |access-date=October 31, 2021 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=February 1, 1990}}</ref> They aired on or about February{{spaces}}1, first in its own timeslot (albeit on a Friday, preempting ''[[Second City Television|SCTV]]''). From 1984 to 1987, episodes of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' were preempted for the special. Finally, from 1988 to 1990 and in 1992, the special aired in prime time, after ''[[Cheers]]''. There were no anniversary specials in 1991 and 1993. (Letterman would leave NBC later in 1993.) ''David Letterman's Holiday Film Festival'' also aired in ''Saturday Night Live''{{'}}s timeslot over Thanksgiving weekend in 1985, before a second and final installment aired in prime time the Friday after Thanksgiving in 1986. The festivals were a collection of shorts starring, directed and/or written by celebrities.

===Syndication===
On September{{spaces}}30, 1991, [[A&E (TV channel)|A&E]], a [[Cable television in the United States|U.S. cable channel]] [[A&E Networks|partly owned]] by [[General Electric]]—then the parent company of NBC—began broadcasting  repeats of ''Late Night'' in an effort of monetizing the show's vast accumulation of old episodes. The repeats aired for less than a year, until July{{spaces}}24, 1992. The [[Broadcast syndication|syndication]] deal had been brokered without Letterman's knowledge, and he frequently made his displeasure of the arrangement known on-air, feeling that having reruns broadcast five nights a week, earlier in the evening on cable, diluted the value of the nightly first-run shows on NBC—fearing people would not be willing to stay up late for the first-run if they could watch repeats of the program at an earlier time. Because of Letterman's opposition, the syndication run was ended early and not attempted again until after he had left NBC.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.courant.com/1991/09/01/cronkite-crystal-and-coppola-on-cable-networks/|work=The Hartford Courant|title=CRONKITE, CRYSTAL AND COPPOLA ON CABLE NETWORKS|date=September 1991 }}</ref>

In November 1993, [[E! Entertainment Television]] purchased syndication rights to ''Late Night with David Letterman''.<ref>{{cite news |title=CABLE CHANNEL BUYS RIGHTS TO OLD LETTERMAN SHOWS |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1993-11-08-9311080261-story.html |access-date=October 13, 2021 |work=[[Orlando Sentinel]] |publisher=[[Tribune Publishing]] |date=November 8, 1993}}</ref> The network broadcast repeats of complete shows from various years five days per week from 1993 until 1996. Then, [[Trio (TV network)|Trio: Popular Arts Television]] (owned by NBC/Vivendi Universal Entertainment) picked up reruns and showed them from 2002 until the channel went off the air in 2005.

A number of programs were sold by [[GoodTimes Entertainment]] in 1992–93. These episodes were stripped of the series theme, open and close. No DVD release is currently scheduled (GoodTimes went bankrupt in 2005; the company's assets are now owned by [[Gaiam]], which does not typically distribute general-interest programming). In February 2022, through a licensing agreement between NBC and [[Worldwide Pants]] and coinciding with the 40th anniversary of ''Late Night'''s premiere, Letterman opened his official [[YouTube]] channel, which contains clips of Letterman's ''Late Night'' and his previous morning and subsequent ''Late Show'' programs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/02/david-letterman-late-night-anniversary-youtube-channel-1234925070/|title=Watch David Letterman's Return to 'Late Night' For Show's 40th Anniversary As Trove Of Classic Clips Drops On YouTube|first=Tom|last=Tapp|date=2 February 2022}}</ref>

===Letterman moves to CBS===
Letterman, who had hoped to get the hosting job of ''[[The Tonight Show]]'' following Johnny Carson's retirement, moved to CBS in 1993 when the job was given to [[Jay Leno]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lippman |first1=John |title=Letterman Reported Going to CBS After NBC Bid Fails : Entertainment: Late-night talk show host expected to move to new network opposite Leno in $14-million deal |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-13-mn-1357-story.html |access-date=October 13, 2021 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=January 13, 1993}}</ref> This was done against the wishes of Carson, who had always seen Letterman as his rightful successor, according to CBS senior vice president [[Peter Lassally]], a one-time producer for both men.<ref>[http://pqarchiver.nypost.com/nypost/access/781543221.html?dids=781543221:781543221&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jan+20%2C+2005&author=Post+Wire+Services&pub=New+York+Post&edition=&startpage=102&desc=CARSON+FEEDS+LETTERMAN+LINES Carson Feeds Letterman Lines] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714223159/http://pqarchiver.nypost.com/nypost/access/781543221.html?dids=781543221:781543221&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jan+20,+2005&author=Post+Wire+Services&pub=New+York+Post&edition=&startpage=102&desc=CARSON+FEEDS+LETTERMAN+LINES |date=2011-07-14 }}. New York Post (Post Wire Services). p. 102. January 20, 2005.</ref> Letterman announced the move on January{{spaces}}14, 1993.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Carter |first1=Bill |title=Letterman Appears Certain To Move to CBS From NBC |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/14/us/letterman-appears-certain-to-move-to-cbs-from-nbc.html |access-date=August 29, 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 14, 1993}}</ref> On April{{spaces}}25, 1993, [[Lorne Michaels]] chose [[Conan O'Brien]], who was a writer for ''[[The Simpsons]]'' at the time and a former writer for Michaels at ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', to fill Letterman's old seat directly after ''The Tonight Show''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hall |first1=Jane |title=Letterman's NBC Spot Goes to Unknown : Television: The network's late-night choice is Conan O'Brien, a former writer and sketch actor on 'Saturday Night Live.' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-04-27-fi-27763-story.html |access-date=October 17, 2021 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=April 27, 1993}}</ref> O'Brien began hosting [[Late Night with Conan O'Brien|a new show]] in Letterman's old timeslot, taking over the ''Late Night'' name on September{{spaces}}13, 1993.

When Letterman left, NBC asserted their [[intellectual property]] rights to several of the most popular ''Late Night'' segments. Letterman easily adapted to these restrictions for [[Late Show with David Letterman|his CBS show]]: The "Viewer Mail" segment was continued under the name "CBS Mailbag," and ''Late Night'' fixture  Larry "Bud" Melman continued his antics under his real name, [[Calvert DeForest]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Jennifer |title=Calvert DeForest, 85, Larry (Bud) Melman on 'Letterman,' Dies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/22/arts/television/22defo.html |access-date=October 13, 2021 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 22, 2007}}</ref> Similarly, the in-house band (now free to add horns) was unable to use the name "The World's Most Dangerous Band," so the name was changed to "[[Paul Shaffer]] and the [[CBS Orchestra]]".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Henerson |first1=Evan |title=Paul Shaffer strikes up the band, hits the road |url=https://jewishjournal.com/culture/arts/music/220748/paul-shaffer-strikes-band-hits-road/ |access-date=October 17, 2021 |work=[[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles]] |publisher=TRIBE Media Corp |date=June 21, 2017}}</ref> The name "CBS Orchestra", approved by CBS (who retained rights to the name after Letterman retired in 2015), was Shaffer's idea. Notably, however, "Stupid Pet Tricks" originated on Letterman's 1980 early morning show ''[[The David Letterman Show]]'', to which Letterman, not NBC, owned the rights.  This meant "Stupid Pet Tricks" was able to cross over to the CBS show with its name and concept unchanged.  With Carson retired, Letterman was also granted free use of some of Carson's sketches, and in due time, "Stump the Band" and "Carnac the Magnificent" (with Shaffer as Carnac) entered the ''Late Show'' rotation.

==Format==
{{More citations needed section|date=September 2023}}
Like most other late-night talk shows, the show featured at least two or three guests each night, usually including a comedian or musical guest.

Letterman frequently used crew members in his comedy bits, so viewers got to know the writers and crew members of the show. Common contributors included [[bandleader]] [[Paul Shaffer]], [[Chris Elliott]], [[Calvert DeForest]] as "Larry 'Bud' Melman," [[announcer]] [[Bill Wendell]], writer [[Adam Resnick]], [[scenic design]]er [[Kathleen Ankers]], [[Stage management|stage manager]] [[Biff Henderson]], [[television producer|producer]] [[Robert Morton (producer)|Robert Morton]], director [[Hal Gurnee]], associate director Peter Fatovich, [[Stagehand|stage hand]] Al Maher, camera operator Baily Stortz, production manager Elmer Gorry as NBC President [[Grant Tinker]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/27/arts/can-david-letterman-survive-success.html|title=Can David Letterman Survive Success?|last=Collins|first=Glenn|date=1986-07-27|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-02-25|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and the "production twins," [[Barbara Gaines (television producer)|Barbara Gaines]] and Jude Brennan. The cramped quarters of 30 Rockefeller Plaza also often played into the humor of the show.

Letterman's show established a reputation for being unpredictable. A number of celebrities had even stated that they were afraid of appearing on the show. This reputation was born out of moments like Letterman's verbal sparring matches with [[Cher]], [[Shirley MacLaine]] and [[Harvey Pekar]].

The show had its frequent favorite guests including [[Pee-wee Herman]], [[Steve Martin]], [[Charles Grodin]], [[George Carlin]] and [[Jay Leno]]. [[Ruth Westheimer]], [[Teri Garr]] and [[Sandra Bernhard]] were also frequently booked, with Garr appearing 32 times, Bernhard appearing 28 times and Westheimer, 15 times.

Because of the creativity of staff writers like [[Merrill Markoe]], Letterman's NBC show, in its first few years especially, had innovative segments and theme shows that were new and different from other talk shows of the time. Some were visual gags that owed a debt to pioneers like [[Ernie Kovacs]] and [[Steve Allen]]. Among the highlights were:

*One early episode showed everything from Dave's eye view with Markoe and others coming at Dave to pitch ideas as he walked onto the stage, and the audience was shown from Dave's view during the monologue and the opening segments.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}} 
*In another show, the picture turned like a clock, eventually being seen upside down halfway through. 
*There were segments where Letterman was dressed in a suit of Velcro and stuck (thrown) to a Velcro wall, a suit of chips and dunked into a vat of chip dip, a suit of Rice Krispies and doused with gallons of milk while lying in a huge bowl, a suit of [[Alka-Seltzer]] tablets and dunked in water, a suit of [[suet]] and placed in a cage with farm animals, etc.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}} 
*Visual segments showing things being crushed by a hydraulic press, thrown through fluorescent lights or dropped off an office building to smash on the ground, were also common.
*Letterman's desk featured a control panel where he could operate a bubble machine, a confetti cannon, "radioactive" steam, a belch of New York soot or strange lighting. 
*When he threw his pencils through the fake window scene behind him, a sound effect of breaking glass was always heard. Occasionally, if sound effects technician Howard Vinitisky was slow in triggering the appropriate breaking glass sound effect, Letterman would mockingly chide Vinitisky for the error (he would also occasionally congratulate Vinitisky when the sound effect was especially well-timed).
*A robotic arm for a while delivered the Top Ten List, and for another week or so, a complicated series of tubes would produce swirling coffee to eventually land in his cup on the desk.
* Cameras mounted on a chimpanzee's back (Late Night Monkey Cam) or on the roof (Roof Cam) would show odd viewpoints of the set and its participants.

Other show format innovations related to the way individual episodes or segments were presented:

*The Custom Made Shows allowed the audience to vote on each part of the hour, what they wanted to see, and the resulting shows had guests talking in high-pitched voices like they had inhaled helium ([[Jane Pauley]] refused to say a word during this, and answered his questions by writing answers on cards and showing them), sitting in dentist chairs or lawn furniture, the theme music replaced by the theme from ''Gilligan's Island'', and an opening montage of the director's vacation photos. 
*Reruns were often [[wikt:scoff#Verb|scoffed]] at by Letterman, telling the audience not to waste their time watching next Monday.  Sometimes the entire rerun would be dubbed into a foreign language for rebroadcast, baffling viewers. 
*Letterman once had a member of the audience host the show and interview guests while he left the studio (ostensibly to search for a missing tooth).
*Letterman hosted the show from his home while waiting for his cable TV to be installed; another episode was done from the production offices upstairs, as the cast claimed they were "too tired" to go downstairs to the studio.
*[[Crispin Glover]] and [[Oliver Reed]] frightened Dave with their nearly violent, confrontational behaviour in their appearances.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Unknown |title=Crispin Glover Goes Back to the Crazy |url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1879231_1879160_1879235,00.html |website=Time Online |date=13 February 2009 |publisher=Time Magazine |access-date=22 November 2024}}</ref>

==Awards==

===Primetime Emmy Awards===
*[[36th Primetime Emmy Awards|1982–83]] Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Comedy or Music Program
*[[37th Primetime Emmy Awards|1983–84]] Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Comedy or Music Program
*[[38th Primetime Emmy Awards|1984–85]] Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Comedy or Music Program
*[[39th Primetime Emmy Awards|1985–86]] Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Comedy or Music Program
*[[43rd Primetime Emmy Awards|1989–90]] Outstanding Directing in a Variety, Comedy or Music Program
The show was nominated as [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series|Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series]] for 10 consecutive seasons, from its second full season in 1983–84 through its final season in 1992–93. Including the nominations for the CBS ''Late Show'' variant, the Letterman team was nominated 26 consecutive times in this category.

===Peabody===
In 1991, the show's three production companies—[[Carson Entertainment|Carson Productions]], [[Worldwide Pants]], and NBC Productions—were awarded a [[Peabody Awards|Peabody Award]], which cited the following:<ref>[http://www.peabody.uga.edu/winners/details.php?id=49 Late Night with David Letterman – 1991] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090624034249/http://www.peabody.uga.edu/winners/details.php?id=49 |date=2009-06-24 }}. [[Peabody Awards]].</ref>
{{blockquote|Once a television wasteland, late night has become a daypart of increased interest to programmers, performers, and viewers. In the past ten years, one show has moved to the position of the leader in late night television in creativity, humor, and innovation. That program is ''Late Night With David Letterman''. As one member of the Peabody Board remarked, ''"David Letterman is a born broadcaster."'' He is also a savvy co-executive producer. Along with co-executive producer [[Jack Rollins (producer)|Jack Rollins]], producer [[Robert Morton (producer)|Robert Morton]], director [[Hal Gurnee]], and musical director [[Paul Shaffer]], Mr. Letterman has surrounded himself with exceptional talent and given them the go-ahead to experiment with the television medium. Particularly noteworthy is the work of head writer [[Steve O'Donnell (writer)|Steve O'Donnell]] and his talented staff. Together, the "Late Night" team manages to take one of TV's most conventional and least inventive forms—the talk show—and infuse it with freshness and imagination. For television programming which, at its best, is evocative of the greats, from ''[[Your Show of Shows]]'', to ''[[The Steve Allen Show]]'', and ''[[The Ernie Kovacs Show]]'', a Peabody to ''Late Night with David Letterman''.
|}}

==See also==
*[[List of late-night American network TV programs]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|id=0083441|title=Late Night with David Letterman}}
*{{EmmyTVLegends title|late-night-with-david-letterman}}

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{{Succession box|title=''[[Late Night (franchise)|Late Night]]'' era by host|before=none|after=''[[Late Night with Conan O'Brien]]''|years=1 February 1982&nbsp;– 25 June 1993}}
{{Succession box|title=[[David Letterman]] talk show|before=''[[The David Letterman Show]]''|after=''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]''|years=1 February 1982&nbsp;– 25 June 1993}}
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[[Category:NBC late-night programming]]
[[Category:NBC talk shows]]
[[Category:1980s American television talk shows]]
[[Category:1990s American television talk shows]]
[[Category:1980s American late-night television series]]
[[Category:1990s American late-night television series]]
[[Category:Peabody Award–winning television programs]]
[[Category:Primetime Emmy Award–winning television series]]
[[Category:1982 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1993 American television series endings]]
[[Category:Late Night (franchise)|Letterman, David]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Television series by Worldwide Pants]]
[[Category:Television series by Carson Productions]]
[[Category:Television shows filmed in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Television shows filmed in New York City]]
[[Category:Late Night with David Letterman| ]]
[[Category:Television series created by David Letterman]]