A FEW WORDS FROM DDY - 2019
  • December 29, 2019: This isn't breaking news, but Mr. Industrial Musicals, Steve Young, visited The Night Show with Danny Cashman in November, and helped perform Diesel Dazzle with Christie Robinson and Steve Robbins. Here's video for your entertainment. The show is a production of CBS's WABI in Bangor, Maine.

  • December 28, 2019: Just in from The Donz, it's Don Imus on Letterman, 1991 and 1994. He's funny.

  • December 28, 2019:
    FROM THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK

    RETRO BEATLES MARQUEE UNVEILING AT THE ED SULLIVAN THEATER
    THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 12:30 P.M. ET

    CBS will unveil a marquee duplicating the one displayed at the Ed Sullivan Theater
    the night the Beatles first performed on the The Ed Sullivan Show 50 years ago.

    This retro look, which will feature the exact wording that was posted for The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, will cover the current LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN marquee through the weekend, in conjunction with CBS's upcoming Beatles tribute, THE BEATLES: THE NIGHT THAT CHANGED AMERICA - A GRAMMY® SALUTE.

    Don Giller happened upon our friend Rupert Jee rehearsing for and taping a segment for the Feb. 6, 2014 Late Show that's directly related to the above. (link) Oh... our friend Todd Seda is there, too, on cue card duty.

  • December 28, 2019: Marc Karzen, listed officially in the LNDL credits as still photographer, created Letterman-themed bumpers in the Late Night years. I always enjoyed and appreciated them. Here's his Letterman Bumpers Facebook page.

  • December 26, 2019: Craig Ferguson has interesting comments on his time on The Late Late Show. Here's video of Craig on Your Mom's House Podcast, beginning with his segment on Episode 531. I really enjoyed his years on the show, which IMDB has listed as 2005 - 2015! I thought Ferguson was on before Craig Kilborn, but IMDB has Kilborn's years as 1999 - 2004.

  • December 24, 2019: We knew him as Kamarr. His real name is Emmanuel Kamarados. Today, Don Giller has posted Kamarr Collection on Letterman, Part 1 of 2: 1984-1989. It's 1¾ hours!

  • December 22, 2019: From Donz's Dave Cave, here's a compilation of some of Jay Thomas's visits, including the Lone Ranger story and the Quarterback Challenge.

  • December 21, 2019: Now it's 58 million views for Don Giller! Today he posted Johnny Cash & Waylon Jennings Collection on Letterman, 1983-1995 . It runs 1¼ hours!

  • December 20, 2019: Get your passport! Paul Shaffer has just announced a winter gig, Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea VI, a cruise from Miami to Nassau. Oops... sorry... it's sold out, but there's a waiting list. (bluesaliveatsea.com)

  • December 20, 2019: Today The Donz posted his latest, Original Star Wars Guests Collection on Letterman, 1982-1986. You'll see John Dykstra, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Sir Alec Guinness. The extravaganza runs 1.25 hours, so get a snack.

  • December 20, 2019: The View invited Darlene Love back for a performance of Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home). Yup... I still remember the words! I don't know who that guy with the shoulder pads is. Just leave it to Darlene and her backup singers, I think. (The View link) (Darlene's post on Facebook)

  • December 19, 2019: The Donz is at it again, today with Christmas-themed videos: Genesis of the Late Show Christmas Tree Toppings, 1993-1997, which includes pizzas, the Statue of Liberty model, a giant meatball, etc. Then, to honor the late Jay Thomas, we have Jay Thomas Collection on Letterman, Part 2 of 4: 1997-2000, with Jay's annual Lone Ranger story, and the Late Show Quarterback Challenge.

  • December 16, 2019: It's getting to that time of year. From Don Giller, of course, it's Paul Shaffer's O Holy Night Collection on Letterman, 1983-92. This video runs almost an hour! By the way, I have later ones (the 2000s) in my Video Archives. Click here.

  • December 13, 2019: The Writers Guild of America announced yesterday that Merrill Markoe will receive the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement for advancing television writing. The award will be presented on February 1, 2020.

  • December 12, 2019: I never get a piece of the action on anything I plug here. I do it because I like the item(s). It's been a while since I plugged Steve Young's Everything's Coming Up Profits: The Golden Age of Industrial Musicals. This awesome book led to Steve's movie, Bathtubs Over Broadway. The book's available from Amazon for a mere $31.18.

  • December 12, 2019: Sirius XM has posted a clip from Paul Shaffer Plus One. Paul visits with Joe Walsh of The Eagles. Joe tells how a practice lick became an iconic song. (video link) Here's a semi-related YouTube video from 9/12/14 [LSDL 4085], Dave really wants to hear Eagles music.

  • December 9, 2019: Brian Teta joined the Late Show staff in 2004 as a Talent Coordinator, and when the show ended in 2015, was a Supervising Producer. He's now an Executive Producer of The View. His alma mater, Muhlenberg College ('98), has a nice feature on him in their newsletter this month!

  • December 9, 2019: Our pal Don Giller, now with 56 megaviews on YouTube, has just released a compilation I'm very excited about, Chris Elliott & Gerard Mulligan Collection on Letterman, 1989-90. It's 1 hr. 15 min. of exceptionally strange and hilarious Network Time Killers. And... the first segment features award-winning scenic designer Kathleen Ankers. You'll remember her from her own segments as Helen, the Ill-Tempered Ticket Lady and Peggy, the Foul-Mouthed Chambermaid. Oh... I forgot her early recurring role as the NBC Bookmobile Lady. OK... I've kind of gotten off track here, but Chris and Gerard are great. Click above immediately, or else!

  • December 7, 2019: This is beyond understanding. Rolling Stone reported yesterday that there have been multiple snubs of Darlene Love singing Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home at the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting. A weasel producer I've never heard of is behind it. Supposedly she's not "big enough" for the gig. It's her song, for goodness sake! This was my favorite Letterman tradition, which dates back to 1986 on Late Night. Here's video of Darlene singing it for the last time on Late Show with David Letterman, in 2014. Visit my Video Archives to see 15 of her performances.

  • December 6, 2019: Don Giller has done it again! Here's his new Norm Macdonald Collection.

  • December 6, 2019: TV's Don Giller just cranked this out a few minutes ago: David Letterman's Christmas Shows, 1984 & 1987. It's 1 hr. 38 min. of satire of other Christmas specials.

  • December 5, 2019: Here's Paul Shaffer on The Masked Singer. He shows up at 08:49 in this YouTube video.

  • December 5, 2019: Don Giller contributed a video to this, too! It's Bill Gates explaining the Internet to Dave, during his LSDL interview on Nov. 27, 1995. So... if the Internet was all new to Dave back then, how did he come up with the term Troubled Loner Chat Room? (Twitter video link) (article link)

  • December 5, 2019: Don Giller contributed videos to this write up, Remembering David Letterman's Tortured History with the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. Be sure to have a look at the 13 videos, and thanks, Donzie, for making it possible!

  • December 3, 2019: I recommend a Facebook page that's been around for a while: The Letterman Bumpers. More often than not on Late Night with David Letterman, home viewers would see a graphic during the transition to a commercial. I remember these as sometimes random, and other times having a holiday theme, for example. These were largely the work of Marc Karzen, and he has archived them. Marc was listed in the credits as Still Photographer. Be sure to have a look!

  • December 1, 2019: Don Giller has assembled More New Chris Elliott Segments on Letterman, 1986-89. / When you're done with that, see Three Chris Elliott Parodies & the Stevie Nicks Flap on Letterman, 1985-88.

  • November 26, 2019: Scott Ryan has announced that The Last Days of Letterman has been discounted to only $10.99! It's a great book, and this is not a sponsored or requested plug. Don't miss out! (order link) (details on the book)

  • November 26, 2019: A tweet from Uncle Will Lee reveals that The Fab Faux will have a holiday residency in NYC at the City Winery, Dec. 26 - 31. I hope I can catch them some day!

  • November 17, 2019: The Donz has bestowed his latest upon us: Top Ten "When Spoken or Sung by" Collection on Late Show. Celebrity presenters include: James Earl Jones, Barry White, The Westchester Aires, Marilyn Horne of the Metropolitan Opera, John Malkovich, Snoop Dogg, Optimus Prime and more James Earl Jones. (link)

  • November 14, 2019: Are you near New Jersey? Al Chez & His Big Band will be in Stanhope soon. (link) (tickets)

  • November 12, 2019: The Donz has put together Norm Macdonald: The Early Years on Letterman, 1990-95. (link) Norm was 30 in the first segment. Then... on May 15, 2015, Norm received the high honor of being the last person ever to do stand-up comedy on Dave's shows. Here's a link that works on some browsers, at least, to video of Norm's final appearance.

  • November 12, 2019: It's another honor for Steve Young. He's a co-nominee for Best Original Song - Documentary in Bathtubs Over Broadway. (link)

  • November 12, 2019: Here's a blockbuster for you! Don Giller has just posted his Christmas Tree Collection on Letterman, 1982-92. It has something for everyone. It includes the annual lighting of the giant Rockefeller Center tree, plus the studio tree (with who-knows-what on top... pizza, meatballs, the Statue of Liberty, etc.). The Donz doesn't have 51,000,000 YouTube views for nothin'. Cast my site aside, and get over there for 2 1/5 hours of real entertainment. I'm sure that eventually we'll get a compilation from the Late Show years, too.

  • November 10, 2019: In my Nov. 7 post, I wrote about the production videotapes Don Giller rescued from dumpsters on 53rd St. as Late Show with David Letterman was vacating the Ed Sullivan Theater. Now I'm delighted to announce The Dumpster Collection. Four years later, Don is posting videos of these segments. Most were never aired. There's also his story of how this all came about. I can't wait to have a look at all of this. I'll see you later!

  • November 7, 2019: In the days after May 20, 2015, when the Late Show staff were moving out of the Ed Sullivan Theater, Don Giller scored some videotapes from a big dumpster on 53rd St. I remember him talking about it at the time. Four-plus years later, here's some footage of Dave and Johnny Dark running through a couple of segments, up in the office building. Neither aired. Don says they're from 2006 to 2008, near Thanksgiving. (link)

  • November 5, 2019: Here comes the season finale of PaulShafferPlusOne, on @AXSTV, and Martin Short is the guest! These two gents in the same room is sure to = nonstop laughs and fascinating stories. Be sure to have a look on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 8:00 P ET. (link)

  • November 1, 2019: I'd forgotten about that hottie Sean Young! Don Giller has just released the Sean Young Collection on Letterman, 1987-2011. (YouTube) It's just over an hour. My logs show her appearing seven times.

  • November 1, 2019: Here's the Pee Wee Herman Collection on Letterman, compliments of Don Giller. (YouTube) The collection spans 1982-85.

  • October 30, 2019: This is fascinating. It's been 10 years since Nell Scovell, a former writer on Late Night, wrote Letterman and Me for Vanity Fair. It was her personal story, and had her claim that writing for late night shows was pretty much a boys' club. We know that Late Night with David Letterman owed a significant part of its success to Merrill Markoe in the early years. She was the head writer, after all, but over the long haul, male writers dominated the ranks. As of the final episode of Late Show with David Letterman, only 1 writer of 17 was female. (my credits page)

    We learn now that earlier this month, Dave, who had never read Letterman and Me, agreed to visit with Nell to discuss those days, and to read her article, at last. While Nell has wanted her point to be made, she seems pleased to report that Dave agreed to visit with her, in what seems to me to be a very open and meaningful discussion. I definitely recommend Nell's article.

    Other media are picking up this story. I'm reporting these here because Dave agreed to visit with Nell. Follow the coverage via my Articles page.

  • October 29, 2019: I'm sorry to report that John Witherspoon has died at the age of 77. (link) He appeared on Dave's shows 30+ times, back to the early years of Late Night. I always enjoyed his visits. Re-entry: On Oct. 31, Don Giller has posted a YouTube compilation of John on Late Night.

  • October 29, 2019: There has recently been drama around Don Giller's exceptional YouTube channel, as two or three copyright complaints resulted in the channel being turned off. One well-known company has agreed to withdraw their complaints, and YouTube is in the process of reinstating Don's channel. Please stand by. There are 1,400 videos to restore!

  • October 29, 2019: It's another episode of Paul Shaffer Plus One on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 8:00 ET on AXS TV. Paul's guest is Smokey Robinson! (link)

  • October 28, 2019: Derek Smalls of Spinal Tap will be at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on Nov. 6. Accompanying via satellite will be Paul Shaffer, Waddy Wachtel, Dweezil Zappa and others. (event info)

  • October 20, 2019: So... Paul Shaffer was The Masked Singer, whatever that is, this past week. Here are some links with coverage of the big reveal. Entertainment Weekly   People Weekly   screenrant.com

  • October 20, 2019: This site has kind of become DDY's Paul Shaffer Fan Page, hasn't it? That's fine, because I've been a big fan of Paul Shaffer since the early days of Late Night in 1982. His book, We'll Be Here for the Rest of Our Lives: A Swingin' Showbiz Saga, is locked up at my place, because Paul kindly autographed it for me. Paul visited with Billy Bush on October 17, on Extra. (link) The byline is Paul Shaffer Talks Hanging Out with David Letterman in Montana. Unfortunately, the visit only lasts a minute.

  • October 19, 2019: Dave has interviewed Shah Rukh Khan for My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. (link)

  • October 17, 2019: Paul Shaffer will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live on October 21. Jimmy will be originating some shows from Brooklyn. (link)

  • October 17, 2019: Here's a link to the long-awaited episode 317 of The Comedy on Vinyl Podcast. Right-click here for a direct download. "What's the topic?," you might ask. It's our pal Steve Young on Bathtubs Over Broadway. It runs 1 hr. 6 min., and is a look back at Steve's introduction to Broadway musicals, via "Dave's Record Collection."

  • October 15, 2019: Buddy Guy is the next guest on Paul Shaffer Plus One, on ASX TV. He didn't mention when. (link)

  • October 14, 2019: Oh, boy! Here it is! Calvert DeForest star of stage, screen and television, a.k.a. Larry "Bud" Melman, is the star of Don Giller's latest, Calvert DeForest Live Remotes Collection on Letterman. (link) This 2 hr. 11 min. extravaganza starts with Larry giving out hot towels at a bus station. It's probably the first of the 1,000+ videos I made for this site. I got to visit with Calvert for a while in October 1992 (photo below), mostly talking about Dave's possible move from NBC to CBS. Thanks much to Don Giller, whose YouTube Letterman channel now has 50,000,000+ views, for this gem!

  • October 12, 2019: Tomorrow, October 13, is the next Paul Shaffer Plus One, on ASX TV. (link) The guest is @Donald Fagen of Steely Dan.

  • October 12, 2019: Here's a Don Giller compilation I requested. Thanks, Donz! It's True Tales from the Old West with Bob "B.B." Boberson. Dave's friend from his stand-up comedy years, Tim Thomerson, brought Bob to life. Now, if you're not comfortable with gunplay, breaking broncos, appendicitis or adultery, watch it anyway, and learn from it. (YouTube) This series of 11 episodes ran in 2009, and a speck of 2010. You also get Tim doing stand-up on LNDL on 6/25/87. Remember: All of these stories are true. I do appreciate it, Don!

  • October 10, 2019: TV's Paul Shaffer appeared on The View today! Do not despair. Executive producer Brian Teta has provided a YouTube link. Paul's an easy interview. He was full of energy, and the hosts pretty much could sit back and enjoy the ride.

  • October 10, 2019: My pal Don Giller got a major shout out on today's Matthew Gossin Podcast with Dave Rygalski. (link) There's also an audio version of the podcast.

  • October 7, 2019: Santa I mean David Letterman appeared on Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend yesterday. Earwolf says the encounter includes "interactions with Johnny Carson and Bob Hope, what they see for their kids in the future, and why the best people in showbiz are always the hardest working." It runs 01:19:54. (download .mp3)

    I linked to Conan's podcast before listening to it. There's a lot to it... not a lot of laughs, but some great perspective on how Dave and Conan look at comedy, their experiences in showbiz, and working with greats such as Bob Hope and Johnny Carson. About an hour in, we hear Dave and Conan's discussion of the horse Dave gave Conan... which was supposed to be a "show business horse." I felt it was completely unscripted. They just came in with talking points, and went with them. Actually, Dave's segment ended at 1:09. I recommend it (and what did it cost you to get in?).

  • October 5, 2019: David Letterman: Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis reminds me of Steve Martin vs. Martin Short on their Now You See Us, Soon You Won't tour... but Letterman vs. Galifianakis is even more no-holds-barred. Nothing's off limits in this encounter. Have a look. (link)

  • October 1, 2019: Paul Shaffer tweeted, "This Sunday, I'm sitting down with a Texas blues icon." Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top is the guest on Paul Shaffer Plus One, on October 6. (link)

  • September 27, 2019: We learned in 1984 that Sammy Hagar can't drive 55. This Sunday, Sept. 29, Sammy will be on Paul Shaffer Plus One, on @AXSTV. Paul says to go to https://vupulse.com/c/4545 and set our DVRs. I've only seen Sammy once... when he was touring with Van Halen. It was in October 1992.

  • September 26, 2019: Where have I been? Did I know about this? It's The Donz Blog by Don Giller. We learn how the ultimate Letterman archivist came to document what happened on each show, first by audio recordings, then videotapes, and eventually in his amazing database, the SSIDB. Don can tell you, with a few key clicks, everything that's anything that happened on Dave's shows. (link)

  • September 26, 2019: There was an avalanche of print and Internet articles in May, 2015, in response to the final Letterman shows, and many are linked in my articles page. Here's one I missed: Celebrating Merrill Markoe, The Woman Who Helped Letterman Shape Late Night.

  • September 24, 2019: Don Giller has re-released Dave Letterman's Impressions Collection, 1985-93. This extravaganza lasts 1 hr. 35 min., and spans 1985 to 1993. I remember that in the monologue, if Dave was about to delight us with an impression, he'd turn 180° from the audience, smooth his hair with two hands, then turn back, in character. Have fun with this blockbuster!

  • September 20, 2019: Paul Shaffer tweeted, "Did you know @TheGrahamNash wrote Just a Song Before I Go because of a bet? Find out more on Paul Shaffer Plus One SUNDAY on @AXSTV! Set your DVR to vupulse.com/c/4545."

  • September 20, 2019: Here's Dave with Alec Baldwin on Turner Classic Movies' The Essentials. (YouTube) I wasn't aware of Dave's attraction to old movies. He talks about James Dean being a scene stealer.

  • September 6, 2019: This is news to me. Netflix is about to roll out Between Two Ferns: The Movie. (IMDB) (trailer) Pretty much everybody is in it. Zach Galifianakis is a major player, and Netflix's own David Letterman has a part. Its release date is September 20.

  • September 6, 2019: Remember Baking Madwoman Bev Tanner? I couldn't stand her, but Dave kept bringing her back, and Don Giller presented his Bev Tanner Collection last night. It's 10 appearances... five each on LNDL and LSDL. (YouTube)

  • September 2, 2019: Don Giller has laid another collection on us, and I'm excited to see it! It's Alan Kalter's Celebrity Interview. Alan joined the show as announcer on Sept. 4, 1995. In my opinion, he was outstanding. Of course he has a great voice, but he had this awesome ability to turn something that would otherwise be mundane into hilarious. Part of his success came from being willing to make a fool of himself, and another part was being willing to put the smack down on Dave. How about Alan Kalter's Secret Word in 1999, or his ad for sink plugs in 2013? OK... back to celebrity interviews. One of the all-time greats has Alan unloading on Clint Eastwood, back in 2009. Clint loved it. Be warned that it's rated PG-75. Here it is! Anyway, I know you'll love Mr. Giller's latest collection. Click right here.

  • August 31, 2019: Where has Eddie Murphy been hiding? Don Giller has posted 2.5 hours of Eddie Murphy Collection on Letterman, 1984-2011. Thanks, Donz!

  • August 29, 2019: From Bravo TV, the Flipping Exes hope to buy, renovate and sell David Letterman's childhood home. (link) I don't have any reason to think that this is the house in Carmel, IN we came to know (the kitchen, at least) from the satellite visits with Dorothy on Thanksgiving. I think Dave bought that for her when he got rich and famous.

  • August 25, 2019: It was announced in February that TV's Paul Shaffer is putting together a celebrity interview show, Paul Shaffer Plus One. The weekly show will premiere on Sunday, September 15 at 8:00 ET, on AXS TV! Here's the fall schedule posted by AXS TV. Early guests include Joe Walsh, Graham Nash, Sammy Hagar, Buddy Guy and Smokey Robinson!

  • August 23, 2019: The scene was the last day of Late Night with David Letterman, June 25, 1993. The last guest to appear was Bruce Springsteen, who performed Glory Days with the WMDB. Home viewers had no idea Bruce would be on. It was his first appearance on LNDL, by the way, and he blew the roof off the dump! Today, in observance of 50,000,000 YouTube views last night, dongiller has released video from Bruce's rehearsal. "What about Bruce's actual performance on the show?", you ask. Here you go! Thanks, Donzie!

  • August 19, 2019: Paul Shaffer's lovely daughter, Victoria Lily Shaffer, whose birth was announced by Paul on Late Night with David Letterman on April 8, 1993 (the day after she was born), hosts this edition of The Scoop on The Pet Collective. It's Corgi Beach Day. It's a real fun video, largely because of Victoria. Here's a direct video link. We learned about Victoria's video via Paul's Instagram post.

    Here's an awesome video of Paul and Victoria promoting The Shelter Pet Project in 2013.

  • August 9, 2019: Today I ran across a YouTube video of Dave's retirement interview of Gerard Mulligan. Gerard was with Dave back to the 1980 morning show, and this interview on August 5, 2004 marked about 25 years with TV Boy. I especially enjoyed Gerard's segments with Chris Elliott, and how about his portrayal of Janet Reno, Ricky the Space Alien, Miss France, a giant cicada, astrophysicist Dr. Saul Perlmütter, Osama bin Laden's mother, Martha Stewart, Saddam Hussein, Julia Roberts, Liza Minnelli, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, El Niño, Hillary Clinton and Paris Hilton? Talk about versatility!

  • August 8, 2019: I was just reminded of a panel discussion, David Letterman: Behind the Scenes of Late Night's Longest Running Broadcaster. Regis Philbin was the host, and panelists were Barbara Gaines, Jerry Foley, Steve O'Donnell, Steve Young and James J. "Biff" Henderson. This was produced in July, 2015. The link has a download button, offering four different file sizes.

  • August 6, 2019: Letterman superfan Don Giller has done it again! Cracked.com has posted a story that includes him, 6 Superfans Whose Fandom Crosses the Line into Madness. Nonsense! His videos and compilations have over 49,000,000 views!

  • August 1, 2019: Don Giller has done it again! Here's his Fun with Rupert Collection, that runs almost two hours. They'd outfit Rupert in a cap, equipped with radio to take his cues from Dave, and a video camera. Then Rupert would go in a store or restaurant and make a nuisance of himself. The segment eventually came to an end when a guy pulled a knife on him.

  • July 30, 2019: From 10/10/14 [4100]: In Act 5, there's 53-second close-up of Bill Scheft removing chocolate chips (or raisins) from a cookie. This is instead of the usual Act 5 Audience Pan. The CBSO's playing throughout, so Bill isn't aware he's the subject of attention. (YouTube)

  • July 25, 2019: We lost Hiram Bullock 11 years ago today. Don Giller has posted a set of clips of Hiram on LNDL from 1982-86. (YouTube) It was good to have a look back at the early days of LNDL, and be reminded of Hiram's contributions!

  • July 24, 2019: Fred Graver, a writer for Late Night with David Letterman from 1984 to 1990, posted a piece for Linked In today: Dave's Attitude Problem: How His Creative Mission Defined Late Night TV as We Know It. It's a very thoughtful and interesting look back, as well as being sound advice for a current writer or producer. "Dave's Attitude Problem" is a phrase that came from his girlfriend, Merrill Markoe. (link)

  • July 24, 2019: This is exciting! The great Don Giller has posted The Siskel & Ebert Collection to his YouTube channel. It's in six parts. I watched their weekly show religiously, and yes... I took notes! These gents appeared on Dave's shows dozens of times for interviews, and in numerous funny remotes. They're the reason that Dave had two chairs by his desk. Here are your links:

    (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) The parts average an hour in length.

  • July 20, 2019: Our friend Don Giller (who hasn't posted a compilation video in two days), has now treated us to his "David Letterman and Cats" collection. (YouTube) It runs 01:13, so go get some snacks. The first installment came on September 17, 1985, and these ran through 2013.

    What are we talkin' about here? Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats is the fourth-longest-running musical in Broadway history. (Wikipedia) On that fateful day in 1985, Dave spontaneously began singing a few bars from Memory, with his own goofy lyrics. Here's Elaine Page with the actual lyrics, which don't match a single word Dave sang all those times, but who cares? Dave entertained North America with his fun version, spanning 18 years!

  • July 20, 2019: From his home town of Thunder Bay, Ontario, the Border Cats honored Paul Shaffer with a bobblehead. (Twitter)

  • July 18, 2019: The great Don Giller has done it again! This time it's his new Sandra Bernhard Collection on YouTube. (Part 1: '83 - '85) (Part 2: '86 - '88) (Part 3: '89 - '98) Don's YouTube Letterman channel's up to 48,000,000 views.

  • July 15, 2019: Jason Zinoman, author of Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night, joined Mike Pesca of Slate's The Gist for a 31-minute interview. The title is Bring Back Late-Night Cruelty.

  • July 7, 2019: Drew Barrymore, on The Howard Stern Show, 7/07/19, recalls her flash dance on Dave's desk, on his 48th birthday. (YouTube)

  • July 2, 2019: The great Don Giller has just posted the Elite Models Remote Collection. (link) These ran on Late Night from 1990-92.

  • June 17, 2019: Tomorrow, June 18, Paul Shaffer will be on The Big Interview on AXS TV. Dan Rather will be the interviewer. (link)

  • June 11, 2019: David Letterman, star of stage, screen and television, visited with Scott Feinberg on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter Podcast. The interview runs 01:12. There's a link to it in the article. You'll hear some new stories, and Dave is very engaged with this host. Here's a direct link to an .mp3.

  • May 31, 2019: In an article for The New York Times, David Letterman 2.0, the Non-Ironic Version, Jason Zinoman takes a lengthy look at My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.

  • May 30, 2019: Dave has just spent most of 01:33 on WTF with Marc Maron. The host appeared five times on Late Show with David Letterman between 1996 and 2013.

  • May 29, 2019: Here's a good one in The Washington Post: David Letterman breaks down the key moments on the new season of his Netflix show. Also, here's a YouTube clip: Tiffany Haddish Talks Childhood.

  • May 28, 2019: Released today is 7 Things We Learned from Kanye West's Interview with David Letterman, a compilation of clips from complex.com.

  • May 27, 2019: It's Lewis Hamilton in a station wagon, a clip from an upcoming My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman. Lewis is a former Formula One champion.

  • May 27, 2019: My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman is back on Netflix! Kanye West was a recent guest. (YouTube clip)

  • May 26, 2019: As we'd expect, Dave found his way to the Indianapolis 500 today. United Rentals on Twitter has some coverage.

  • May 22, 2019: Marc Maron has tweeted that Dave will be on his WTF with Marc Maron podcast on Thursday, May 30.

  • May 21, 2019: Look what showed up at 50th and Broadway today!

  • May 19, 2019: From TV's Don Giller, here's 02:38:35 worth of Countdown to the Final Late Show... a collection of clips celebrating the last week of Dave on CBS.

  • May 17, 2019: Who knew? David Letterman: "I don't like President Donald Trump as president." (YouTube) This is a clip from his May 18 Today interview.

  • May 17, 2019: David Letterman can't stand Trump, but wants everyone to "stop yacking about what a goon he is." (FoxNews)

  • May 14, 2019: The Downchild Blues Band has announced a free concert on June 22, including Dan Aykroyd and Paul Shaffer.

  • May 12, 2019: The Today Show has announced on Twitter that TV's David Letterman will join their Willie Geist on May 17. They'll be discussing the state of comedy in the current political climate and Letterman's life after late night.

  • May 6, 2019: Here's another source for Bathtubs Over Broadway!

  • May 5, 2019: The lovely and talented Howard Stern has a book coming out on May 14! It's Howard Stern Comes Again. Here's a preview from Simon & Schuster. (Amazon)

  • May 3, 2019: How did I never know about this? (no Internet yet, I guess) It's Larry "Bud" Melman hosting The New Hollywood Squares! This is from Nov. 3, 1986. Talk about a ratings stunt! (YouTube)

  • April 25, 2019: A tremendous contributor to the Letterman shows and The Tonight Show, Hal Gurnee, has given a four-hour-plus, four-part interview to the Television Academy. Hal, now 94, has all kinds of memories on his (and others') work. Here's the main link.
    • Part 1 covers biographical info and the Jack Paar Tonight days.
    • Part 2 has more on Jack Paar, then other shows he directed.
    • Part 3 gets into the early years with Letterman.
    • Part 4 is the conclusion of his Letterman memories.

  • April 13, 2019: Two frequent and exceptional Letterman guests, Steve Martin and Martin Short, visited with the PBS NewsHour today. One of the questions was, "How much preparation goes into a David Letterman appearance?" The answer from Martin was "a lot." See video from Facebook.

  • April 9, 2019: We're pleased to announce that Bathtubs Over Broadway is now available to buy ($14.99) or rent ($5.99), as shown below. Here's the Amazon link. I can't wait to see it! (trailer) See the left-side navigation column, right here, for more information and reviews!

  • April 9, 2019: You of course will remember Lyle the Intern, a.k.a. Jimmi Simpson. He announced on Instagram today that he just got hitched! For a look at some of his Lyle the Intern segments on LSDL in 2008, march yourself over to my Video Archives. For best results, scroll down to the Jimmi section.

  • April 3, 2019: I wish I hadn't been 1,200 miles away from the big event at 92Y on March 28. A panel of Dave's staff, Barbara Gaines, Jerry Foley, Bill Scheft and Brian Teta, came together at 92Y to reflect on the last six weeks of Letterman. Also, Mike McIntee, Nancy Agostini and Walter Kim were there. This great event was a result of the work of Scott Ryan, author of The Last Days of Letterman. The moderator was Bill Carter, author of The Late Shift. The outcome of this is a fascinating 65-minute podcast, linked below. Don't miss it.

    LINKS: The Red Room Podcast   The Last Days of Letterman (autographed)   The Last Days of Letterman (Kindle)   Scott Ryan's Twitter   scottryanproductions.com   lastdaysofletterman.com

  • March 30, 2019: Yesterday, Don Giller, the world's greatest Letterman fan, posted a compilation video on the Super Bowl ad with Dave, Jay Leno and Oprah, that ran on Feb. 7, 2010, along with comments from Dave, Oprah and Jay on sneaking around to keep it a surprise to Super Bowl viewers. Today, NBC Universal blocked it, because the comments by Jay ran on NBC. So... Don edited it, minus Jay's funny comments, and posted the edited video. You'll get the ad, followed by on-air comments from Dave and Oprah on how it came together. The ad was recorded under Top Secret conditions. This is one of my favorite Letterman stunts ever. By the way, the 2010 ad was a sequel to a similar ad with Oprah, run during Super Bowl XLI on 2/04/07.

  • March 27, 2019: The Omaha World-Herald has a feature by Kevin Coffey: The 10 Best Late-Night TV Hosts of the Last 25 Years. You may be familiar with the gent who came in at No. 1.

  • March 24, 2019: Hollywood Pipeline has posted a travelogue of Dave on vacation in Saint Barthélemy this month. He has a vacation place there, and we see Dave and Harry (now 15) out and about.

  • March 21, 2019: In a clip of his appearance on Ellen, Dave recalls a baseball mishap with Mary Connelly during the Late Night years. Then it's Burning Questions, a Q&A game. Dave tells how he went unnoticed by Hollywood tourists, then why he should have left the Late Show 10 years earlier. Finally, Dave announces that Ellen will be a guest on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman this season.

  • March 11, 2019: Here's Dave on The Howard Stern Show on August 16, 2017. Dave informed Howard that he wishes could have started over. Dave's self-loathing is near an all-time high in this interview! Of course, you know he's going to be as open with Howard as with anyone. Dave looks back at the Madonna incident on March 31, 1994, when she dropped 13 F-bombs, and Harvey Pekar's disagreeable visits (video). He says he would have just gone with the flow if he had these to do over. Unfortunately, this video is just an excerpt. There's more available via the SiriusXM app.

  • March 3, 2019: The great Will Lee sits down for an interview with Dom Famularo for The Sessions Panel. Will tells about finding his way into music, and the instrument that would bring him to fame, the bass guitar. He's a tremendous communicator. I highly recommend this!

  • February 27, 2019: Here's one from a while back, an essay by Late Night with David Letterman segment producer Daniel Kellison, posted on 5/18/15. (IMDB) He was in a position to interact with A-List celebrities, and he has great stories, including an epic one about Paul McCartney. (link)

  • February 18, 2019: Paul Shaffer will host a new celebrity interview show on Sirius XM and AXS TV. Episodes are scheduled to start in summer. Paul will be interviewing musicians... and who better to do that?! (link)

  • February 17, 2019: Bathtubs Over Broadway has won Best Documentary Screenplay from the Writers Guild of America. Here's the news from The Hollywood Reporter.

  • February 14, 2019: Fans of Late Night with David Letterman will no doubt remember the outstanding bumpers by Marc Karzen we saw as the WMDB played into commercials. Have a look at Facebook. Or... you can go to LettermanBumpers.com to purchase originals of them.

    If you're not familiar with The Paul Leslie Hour, have a look at the links to his interviews on the left-side navigation column on this page. I also have the links in my Audio and Video page on this site. Finally, follow the link to Paul's web site. He's done lots more interviews. (My links here are to his Letterman guests.) (posted 12-17-18)

  • February 9, 2019: TV's Paul Shaffer has once again been accompanied by his lovely daughter, Victoria Lily Shaffer, at the Grammy Awards. Paul proudly posted red carpet photos to his Facebook page. Hey... how about if I plug Paul Leslie's interviews with Paul and Victoria right here! They're both great.

  • February 9, 2019: The Nite Show tweeted photos of the great Tom "Bones" Malone as an interview guest (outfitted, of course, in one of his awesome colorful jackets). Tom also sat in with the band. (link)

  • January 30, 2019: Here's a video that's a bit off-topic, but fun and interesting: Creating Saturday Night Live: Cue Cards. SNL's cue card supervisor, Wally Feresten, is the presenter. I have it here for you because Todd Seda, a Late Show cue card assistant to Tony Mendez (and who later replaced Tony), is at SNL now. He's in the background in several scenes in this video. He's named in a group photo at the end. TV's David Letterman referred to Todd as Intern Todd. He was in a number of awesome segments and remotes on LSDL from 2010 to 2015. Actually, they're too numerous to list here, but you can go over to my Video Archives to watch a bunch of them. Click the T at the top of the page, or scroll down to Todd Seda. Two of my favorites are Lighting of the Late Show Intern, and Todd's Cue Card Fort.

  • January 27, 2019: Letterman superfan and historian, the great Don Giller, has just posted a story that our friend, Aaron Barnhart, published on August 29, 1995: The Dave Cave. I highly recommend it, as someone who has known Don since about that time, and has had the privilege of visiting The Dave Cave. Here's a different source of the same article, in the Internet Archive / Wayback Machine.

  • January 23, 2019: On YouTube: Scott Ryan and former Late Show writer, Jill Goodwin, are interviewed by Barry Mitchell for Arts in the City.

  • January 22, 2019: Jay Leno Clears the Air About David Letterman turned up today on YouTube. It ran on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on Bravo. The question was, "Would you go on Letterman's Netflix show?" The answer was yes.

  • January 19, 2019: Daniel Poitras has a YouTube channel with Letterman videos... now with over 3 million views. He has both full episodes and compilations. (Have a look!)

  • January 18, 2019: The #1 Letterman fan in all the world, Don Giller, has just posted My Late Night with David Letterman History. It's the saga of keeping of database of each episode, and now just completing digitizing videotapes of each and every episode... a total of 1810! And... accessible to you, the home viewer, are about 1,000 Letterman episodes, via Don's YouTube channel (which has tens of millions of views). What The Donz has accomplished here is nothing short of a superhuman feat. March yourself over to YouTube and enjoy it!

  • January 17, 2019: TV's Paul Shaffer, who needs no introduction, has interviewed the great Darlene Love for SiriusXM's show 60s on 6. It's scheduled for these dates (all times ET):
    • Monday, 1/28 at 7:00 P
    • Wednesday, 1/30 at 11:00 A
    • Friday, 2/01 at 11:00 P
    • Saturday, 2/02 at 10:00 A
    • Sunday, 2/03 at 3:00 P

  • January 16, 2019: Brad Straubinger of Here's the Pitch interviews Scott Ryan about The Last Days of Letterman. It's 00:40 on YouTube.

  • January 12, 2019: I hadn't seen this lately, so I'm posting it here. It's the Ed Sullivan Theater interior, by way of Google Street View. I've been in the theater nine times, spanning nine years. When David Letterman was hosting, I don't remember all that yellow. I think that appeared in the transition to Colbert. In my visits, I was impressed by how the technology of a television studio was placed so as to preserve as much as possible the beauty of the original theater, which opened in 1927.

  • January 10, 2019: David Letterman's Late Show Created a Fake Boy Band, and You Probably Didn't Know is the title of an awesome story in The Huffington Post about Fresh Step, a fake boy band the Late Show writers assembled (with music by Paul Shaffer), for the 2/04/99 [1162] episode of LSDL. I don't think I was in on the joke immediately, as my episode log simply says, "Fresh Step perform."

    They re-emerged for the 3/03/99 [1181] episode. My log (which was several years from going public), documents another appearance, with "Fresh Step (sucked)." Here's a YouTube video.

    On the 2/25/11 [3455] episode, Matthew Morrison was on to plug Glee, and he thanked Dave for his "big break" into show business, as he was part of Fresh Step.

  • January 8, 2019: Fox 5, KVVU-TV in Las Vegas has posted a video interview with Paul Shaffer on his residency at Caesar's Palace.

  • January 7, 2019: Bathtubs Over Broadway has been nominated for Best Documentary Screenplay 2019 by the Writers Guild of America, reports Deadline Hollywood.

  • January 4, 2019: Do you visit the Daniel Poitras YouTube channel? I don't know him, or much about him, but his aforementioned channel has over 3,000,000 views, and over 3,500 subscribers. I don't know how many Letterman videos he has, but there are a lot! He has full Late Show episodes... most of which come in at 43 minutes.

  • January 3, 2019: Bill Scheft and Scott Ryan join Mark Malkoff on The Carson Podcast for 02:20! They discuss topics covered in Scott's amazing book, The Last Days of Letterman: The Final 6 Weeks.

  • January 2, 2019: Not good. We learned that Super Dave Osborn, a.k.a. Bob Einstein, died today. (IMDB link for Super Dave) According to my logs, Super Dave appeared on the Late Show five times, from 1993 - 1995, after appearing on Late Night with David Letterman at least 11 times, from 1988 - 1992. I didn't know until today that Super Dave was an older brother of comedy actor Albert Brooks... a.k.a. Albert Einstein. (IMDB link) Don Giller quickly produced a two-part compilation video of Super Dave's appearances with Dave. (Super Dave Osborne Collection, Part 1: Late Night, 1988-92) (Super Dave Osborne Collection, Part 2: Late Show, 1993-95)


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