Joanna talked about being able to foretell the future, and booking an Emmy or Oscar winner in advance, someone from the Super Bowl championship team, a Grammy winner, etc. Human interest stories were big. Oh... guess who had to inform a booked guest that they needed to be rescheduled, in favor of someone who was the hot topic of the day.

This episode runs 1.5 hours. Thanks much to Joanna and Mike for collaborating on an exceptional podcast! (YouTube link) (centraltalentbooking.com)

Don and Mike got into a lengthy discussion of how The Donz acquired tape of obscure happenings. Donz interacted often with Shecky (Rick Scheckman). (Here's a video tribute to him.) We sadly lost Shecky on March 10, 2023. Then Don told lots of stories about what he went through to acquire video of 4,000+ CBS episodes. Shecky was a helpful source of some, as he was the Film Coordinator for LSDL.

Donz 28 minutes in: "I don't know if you want to get into this, but what do I care?" he he! Don brought up interesting facts from LNDL in the 80s, and variations in the shows' usual patterns along the way. For example, some specials ran 90 minutes. (Donz worried aloud during this stretch that there would be lots of yawns. Nope. I was wide awake, eating Planters® peanuts.) Then he talked about getting dubs of episodes from Shecky, early on.

Then there was the 1/16/91 LNDL episode, which never aired, as the Gulf War had just begun. My episode logs from that week state that the 1/17/91 episode was never taped. Wendy Wasserstein, Danny Aielo, and Linda Evangelista were the scheduled guests. The 1/18/91 show began, but after three minutes, NBC cut to Tom Brokaw, with Gulf War updates. It was later aired on 1/25/91. Another interesting topic was outtakes from episodes.

Don revealed that he's compiling a complete set of Rupert's appearances on LNDL. That comes to 446 episodes! Don's up to about 100 so far. What a project! My episode log for 9/20/93 [16] says: "more visits to neighbors around Broadway / A heretofore unknown deli owner named Rupert Jee comes in and gets a standing ovation."

"Among the most successful songs that he has co-written in his career are Do Wah Diddy Diddy, Da Doo Ron Ron, Then He Kissed Me, Be My Baby, Chapel of Love, and River Deep - Mountain High (all written with his then-wife Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector), Leader of the Pack (written with Greenwich and Shadow Morton), Sugar, Sugar (written with Andy Kim), and Without Us (written with Tom Scott).

Finally, TV Boy claims that he's going to sing a couple of songs in an upcoming Taylor Swift concert. I'm not buying it! As we know, sometimes Dave likes to make up stories.

Here's your YouTube link.

The westward tour began on June 10, 1994, and they were welcomed home at the Ed Sullivan Theater on July 18. Their stops along the way didn't all make sense geographically. In order of air dates, they checked in from Niagara Falls, St. Louis, Mt. Rushmore, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Montana, New Orleans, Washington D.C., the Grand Canyon, San Francisco / Golden Gate and had their grand return on July 18. Here are a few highlights from the LETTERMAN channel... posted today. (YouTube link)

From the LETTERMAN channel, here are:
Pee Wee Herman Gets Extremely Close to Dave (5-17-83)
Pee Wee Herman Takes Dave for a Drive in the Country (7/05/83)
Pee Wee Herman and Dave's Haunted Mansion (10-31-83)
Pee Wee Herman's Big Adventure' Gets Big Reviews (7-30-85)

Matt began as an intern in the summer of '92. After college, he felt he should apply for a position at the big show, so he moved to NYC with about $2,000. He applied to work in the mail room, at about the time when the big show was headed to CBS. (episode 1: 8/30/93... but you knew that) Matt had just turned down a low-paying retail job when the phone rang, and LSDL offered him a ticket office job.

After the ticket office, Matt held positions as talent researcher, segment producer, producer, writer, supervising producer, executive producer and head writer! OK... this episode was just posted this morning, and I haven't seen all of it, so I'll add to this introduction after seeing all of it. Here's the YouTube link!

"I'm super psyched & proud of my new webpage. It's the product of many talented (and patient) people, and it's chock full of new features: Gorgeous graphics, music, videos, updated discography, info and more! You can even sign up for the newsletter there!"

His e-mail announcement mentioned a recording session with Paul Shaffer and others in early August, and gigs in NYC, Japan and Germany. Unfortunately, the links are about two feet long, but watch for them on his site. Finally, don't forget The Fab Faux, Will's Beatles tribute band, who will be back together in November.

Don has all of the 6,028 shows recorded from Letterman's runs on NBC and CBS, and saved as digital videos. Having digital copies has made it practical for him to produce compilation videos. These include appearances by specific guests, popular segments such as Viewer Mail, Alan Kalter highlights, Tony Mendez highlights: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7), Dave Talks to Kids, Biff Henderson's interruptions, Hit by Cabs collection, Hal Gurnee's Network Time Killers, a Rick Sheckman memorial collection, a Julia Child collection, and New Catch Phrases. AND... Don has a huge database with all the details of every single Letterman show! Thanks so much, Don.

Something I definitely found interesting was a discussion on the rights to distribute Letterman shows. CBS took down all the Letterman content from cbs.com after the show ended on May 20, 2015. Of course, Worldwide Pants actually owns the rights to the shows from the Late Show years.

Alex asked Don if he preferred the LNDL or LSDL years. Don gave the nod to the NBC years, when the show was more "high school with money," as Dave called his shows.

I was excited, thinking Don's guest appearance would last all 1 hr. 25 min. of the episode, but his segment was 27 minutes. There seems to be an agreement to continue their visit later on, and I'm sure it will be interesting!

He tells us about the dive from the top of the Ed Sullivan Theater into a pool on Broadway. Harold and Co. set up an impossibly difficult motorcycle obstacle course on Broadway, with ramps, busses, a tiger cage, etc. They never even pretended to do it. Harold and Co. helped celebrities fly around the stage, including Richard Simmons (as Cupid), and Bill Murray. They reinforced the marquee so Paul McCartney and his band wouldn't collapse it. (That appearance attracted a multitude of people.) A recurring gag was for Harold to have a mishap that resulted in him bleeding out from his jugular veins (although the gushing blood was more like a fire hose). Then there was the gag when Harold sat buck nekked on every audience seat. (Thanks to Jerry Foley and Co. for the large blue dot over Harold's junk.)

Harold really enjoyed the annual Christmas time visit from Jay Thomas, with his Lone Ranger story, and Darlene Love, with "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)." It was a highlight to be able to meet Darlene. (For me, it was my favorite show of the year, for sure.) (YouTube link)

Dave very much enjoyed John Mellencamp's show, earlier this week. They're both from Indiana. Oh... then Mr. Wise Guy claims his parents saved their money when he was a boy, so that in the summer, Dave could go to Melon Camp. (YouTube link)

I send my sincere thanks and admiration to both Mike Chisholm and Jill Bayor for this fascinating and fun 1.75 hours. Jill is very upbeat, is a great story teller and she's had so many experiences with classic shows like LNDL and SNL. (YouTube link)

Matt helped create The Weekend Late Show, with Bruce and Linda, with ran from October 2011 to 2013. (It was intentionally bad.)

Nathan Lane was a favorite guest. After a long wait, they booked Bill Clinton. Speaking of presidents... Matt recalls the final LSDL, when several U.S. presidents said, "Our long national nightmare is over." (YouTube link)

When I'd visit NYC for DaveCon, which was near 53rd St., I always stayed at the Best Western President Hotel (later The Galivant), on 48th St. Once per visit, I'd walk up 5th Avenue to around 59th St., to the Apple Store, so I'd go by the Trump Tower, between 56th and 57th Streets. Trump Tower is 664 feet tall, which is more than two city blocks high! It reportedly cost $300,000,000. As TV's Paul Shaffer would say, "I've got that on me!"

A while later, she was out and about, and she felt the urge to urp again. Barbara really let 'er rip this time. Her wife, Aari Ludvigsen, photographed the evidence, and we get to see pictures. The glop was green! (YouTube link)

By the way... this video treasure ended abruptly. That's because there's a part two, coming soon, so stay tuned for more awesome stories from Morty. (YouTube link)

OK... here we go! On May 26, we got Part 2. It's an hour and 21 minutes! There are all kinds of topics. Morty revealed that he got fired from LSDL. Something I really enjoyed is when Mike started naming well-known staff, and Morty commented. Merrill Markoe: genius, the heart and soul of the operation, the creator of the show and its sensibility / Steve O'Donnell: another genius, a great writer, carried the torch, a lovely guy, creator of the Top Ten / Pete Fatovich: the funniest guy you'll ever meet, a joy to be with / Chris Elliott: a natural, started as an intern, always delivered, his pieces on the show were my favorites / Madeline Smithberg: a force of nature, found the most obscure things and milking the comedy from them / Rick Scheckman: an enigma, everybody's pal, a photographic mind / Barbara Gaines: heart and soul of the operation, a good woman / Don Giller: (not safe for work)

Mike concluded by asking Morty for his suggestions on guests for My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. 1. Steve Martin 2. Dr. Fauci 3. a great director   • • •   After signing off with Morty, Mike reported that he, Morty and Don Giller visited privately for another 1.5 hours!

My logs don't show Bruce being seen again for 19 years... until 10/15/01 [1691], when he came on to plug a fairly similar book, The Last Dream-O-Rama, about cars that were never built. He came back on 3/16/04 [2139], to plug All Meat Looks Like South America. On 11/21/08 [3023], he re-emerged to plug Marveltown. After a near-five-year hiatus, Bruce came by for 11/04/13 [3932], to help plug the new picture book he wrote with Dave, This Land Was Built for You and Me (But Mostly Me): Billionaires in the Wild.

Jay began in the LNDL days... first as an intern. He was a talent researcher, and we knew him best (along with Walter Kim) as a Creative Director, Digital Media. So... Jay worked with lots of memorable remote segments. Jay mentioned a classic, which had civilians pick a new catch phrase for Dave. Remember "They pelted us with rocks and garbage?" (1984) How about, "I'm a sweet little cupcake, baked by the devil." (5/11/89) Hey! Visit my Letterman Catch Phrases web page! In 1985, Today did a live broadcast outside, at Rockefeller Plaza, which Dave interrupted with a bullhorn. Jay got to be on the show dozens of times. One was a "How Many Guys in Bunny Suits?" episode. The Late Show's presence on cbs.com (with extra material) was one of the first of its kind. (That's where I appeared in the Tony Mendez Show.)

Jay was involved with Live on Letterman. It was a concert series, and its episodes appeared on cbs.com in mid-evening. Taylor Swift was one of the musicians who was seen in an evening mini concert, before her Late Show episode appearance, later that evening.

Then there was the historic concert, 7/15/09 [3150], with Paul McCartney performing on the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater. Since the Beatles had their United States debut on the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theater, this had special meaning. Paul, earlier in the day, was seen looking at hallway photos of The Beatles. Anyway, Paul attracted a huge crowd on Broadway for his marquee concert. (YouTube link)

Paul told about something that became a fascinating tradition (but not until the LSDL days): playing on guests with a song that was - in some way - connected to the guest, even though the connection was sometimes fairly obscure. Mike asked Paul about adding horns to the CBSO on LSDL. Paul was apprehensive about this, as rock and roll doesn't generally include any horns. Don Giller, a musician by training, had some specific questions about some songs heard on the show, auditions for the band, etc. Mike asked Paul for a favorite rock song played on the show. The answer: A Whiter Shade of Pale. That one's amazing, in my opinion! Mike asked Paul about the late, great Warren Zevon, who sat in for Paul for a few episodes in October 2000. Don't forget to visit hello-deli.com.

I've plugged a lot of Paul Leslie's podcasts that are related to Letterman, and guess what... Paul interviewed Mr. Mark Malkoff on his Episode #172, on 11/12/18. I suggest going over to paulleslie.com and choosing your source for Paul's interview with Mark. Next... here's Mark's Wikipedia page.

Alright, let's get to the YouTube link for Mike Chisholm's 1.5-hour visit with Mark Malkoff! Also, don't forget to visit hello-deli.com, as Rupert Jee sponsors Mike's podcasts.

Mark has worked with The Carson Podcast, and he played a part in helping Mike get The Letterman Podcast into existence. Mark enjoys wacky stunts: He has 95 keys to cities, he raced across NYC on a tricycle, he spent a solid month on a jet, he visited 171 Starbucks® in a day, and he watched 252 Netflix movies in a month. So there! Oh... he got kicked out of an Apple store, for bringing in a goat.

Finally... I just found this link, in the lefthand navigation column of this very page. It's an epic-length trip report, written by Mike Chisholm, for the April 20, 2015 episode.

Now, 36+ years later, Colleen is hosting a LETTERMAN channel episode, Colleen Boyle Looks Back at Her Classic "Late Night" Surprise.

As I rewatched this, I'm thinking that I should have written a Viewer Mail about Dave's gigantic 1980s glasses. I'd forgotten how many wore those extra-large plastic glasses in that era. Finally (and I had forgotten this), on the May 1, 2015 episode of LSDL, Colleen showed up unannounced in the audience, and managed to get in a pre-show question on Dave's shoes. A bit later, someone on staff realized that it was our old friend, Colleen, asking the question, and they showed her in the audience. So... how about that?!

Other good stuff in this episode included: What's Hal Wearing?, Top Ten Things Overheard in a G. E. Research Lab, the Thrill Cam® loops around and comes in from the back, a call to the Brazilian Coffee House about the Pan Am Game loss, Sean Young, Dave playing horse with a Brazilian waiter, and Jerry Seinfeld. (YouTube link)

• Lee's first memory is a classic... the Colleen Boyle incident on LNDL, on 8/07/86. I have the video, right here. Colleen wrote a viewer mail to Dave about shoes. He and a video crew visited her house, and her brother led them to her room. Then he revealed the location of the Sears® store where she worked. Dave and crew went there to surprise her. Colleen was overcome with nervous giggles.
• Lee liked the Chris Elliott segments, like when he taste-tested dog food.
• Remember when Buzz Aldrin covered the Daytime Emmys in his astronaut suit? 5/23/00 [1410] Visits from Buzz were always great!
• How about this! Lee thought up the idea of bringing a psychic on the show. There were a few different ones, but Deborah Lynn became legendary... appearing on LSDL for about 12 years! (Deborah wanted to be called an intuitive.) My logs look like her first appearance was on 5/09/01 [1603], and in the next month for "Psychic Sandwich." A quick check of the logs shows about 20 appearances, to 2013. Lee doesn't recall her ever getting a single thing right!
• From 5/24/05 [2372], Lee remembers this one: Thurl Ravenscroft, 91, the voice of Tony the Tiger, died earlier that day. / bogus video tribute: "Thurl's services were held in Orange County, California today, then he was buried in a grrrrrrrave."
• A segment that Lee took over after its first airing was Alan Kalter's Celebrity Interview. It ran 2005 to 2009, with Gwyneth Paltrow the first celebrity Alan embarrassed, Clint Eastwood for one, and ending with Nicholas Cage. Joe Grossman wrote one with Robert DeNiro and Dustin Hoffman that never aired. It really crossed the line. Dustin did not appear amused, in the least.

This podcast runs 1 hr. 44 min.! (YouTube link) Bill Carter has many sources of information and perspective on the individuals and situations involved with late night shows, and I felt he was being very forthcoming with details, while at the same time being fair to all involved, and not overdramatizing. Our host, Mike Chisholm, is doing exceptional work with these podcasts. His recall on all things Letterman - and research on every podcast topic - is outstanding.

Oh... Mike says he's going to start giving away Late Show rejection postcards. (shown below) They were sent to people who wanted to be on the show, etc. I've got 25 of these cards! (No... I never tried to be a guest on the show!) The flip side of the rejection postcard says,

Dear Sir/Madam:

Thank you for your interest in THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN.

Unfortunately, we feel that an appearance is not quite right for us at this time.

Once again, we appreciate your taking the time to write and wish you every success in the future.

The Talent Department
THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN

The Late Shift		The War for Late Night

I can't imagine going to New York and not stopping by Hello Deli. Rupert was the last person I talked to in New York, on my final DaveCon trip there, in 2015. He was always so patient and kind to fans of him and Dave. My fan friends and I had huge appreciation for the hospitality we received there, from both of them. I know we all wish them the very best.

Ladies and gentlemen, our prayers have been answered, because Jed Rosenzweig has produced a selection of Letterman t-shirts for our purchasing enjoyment, and the first offerings celebrate Zippy. (Zippy shirt 1) (Zippy shirt 2)

This runs 1.75 hours, and a lot of it is unscripted... just random memories and storytelling. Then Don Giller, whose birthday is today, fills in gaps with details, pictures, etc. While you're listening, open another web browser tab, and visit Rupert Jee's hello-deli.com. Oh... by the way... I just went back and put in code that will open Rupert's site in a new window, when you do the click.

Posted as part of the donzblog is a eulogy by Don Giller. Everyone who knew of Shecky will appreciate this.

The LETTERMAN channel has posted a 14-minute look back at various appearances by Shecky. (YouTube link) This has some priceless stuff. Don't miss it.

Shecky was amused by goofy, old-time music, which would turn up in legendary videos such as Monkey Washing a Cat. Don used that music in a brief video, posted to YouTube this morning.

My episode logs have Shecky turning up in various spots:

LNDL: 1/08/86: "Peace through Dramatization Players" on Elvis's 51st birthday: "Elvis: A Birthday Memory" / 6/25/86: Rick as Elvis / 7/07/86: as an Elvis impersonator / 7/07/86: the ghost of Elvis / 4/16/87: as Elvis, in "Viewer Mail" / 5/07/87: as Elvis, in "Viewer Mail" / 8/24/88: as Elvis, in "Who Asked for It?" / 10/05/88: as Elvis, in "Dave's Grab Bag" / 10/13/88: as Elvis, in "New Gift Items" / 10/21/88: doing the show from the international arrivals area of JFK International Airport (with Rick Scheckman as Elvis, working a food stand) / 11/03/88: Campaign '88 Do's and Don'ts (with Calvert DeForest as Larry "Bud" Melman, plus Rick Scheckman as Elvis)

LSDL: 8/18/94 [218]: Rick Scheckman vs. Carlos the Jackal / 4/29/98 [998]: Dave calls roll (with bodyguard Bill DeLace, Shecky and the Man on Fire for Highland Metals, Inc.) / 9/23/98 [1083]: Rick's new show, Animal Precinct / 2/19/99 [1173]: "Late Show Stagehands Sit in Dave's Chair Naked" / Shecky as cue card boy / 5/18/99 [1220]: 1/05/00 [1354]: "Dave Spends a Day with a POKEMON Fan" / "Dave Spends the Day with a Star Wars Fan" / 2/01/02 [1748]: Dave recognizing Shecky for 20 years with the shows / 2/02/04 [2114]: winner of the audience Super Bowl pool / 2/10/05 [2316]: 3-D Glasses / 6/15/07 [2772]: "Late Show Father of the Year" / 6/08/09 [3128]: a Bruce Willis action movie / 12/07/11 [3590]: Shecky as a rabbi / 2/23/12 [3635]: "Princess Cruises' Late Show Experience" / 8/14/12 [3711]: non-Olympians in the audience / 5/16/13 [3853]: "Behind the Wheel of Fortune"

OK... I thought it would be fitting to list Shecky's appearances on Dave's shows. The LNDL part went OK, as shown above. The LSDL part started OK, as shown above, when I searched my episode logs for "Rick Scheckman." As an afterthought, I did a search on "Shecky" in the Late Show episode logs. Well... he turned up 142 times. I'd like to list them here, but this is going to call for a separate web page!

Mike Carlin of The Hollywood Reporter posted a highly complimentary eulogy on Shecky on March 10.

When Mike Chisholm was preparing for this extravaganza, he asked me for details on Nadine's appearances on Letterman's shows (mostly LSDL). I found a total of 392 appearances in my episode logs, beginning in 1993. I found 196 appearances as one of the two Hi Ho babes, who welcomed Dave onstage, and 196 appearances in other segments, like "Will It Float?," "Sex Club Sandwich," and "Dave and Steve's Gay Vacation." During the podcast, they refer to 400+ appearances for Nadine, so I may have missed a few of them.

Thanks to Mike for a shout out related to background info I provided. It came at around 17 minutes in. Thanks much to Rupert Jee of Hello Deli, who is sponsoring Mike's podcasts. Rupert's not just serving yummy sandwiches. He has a nice variety of Letterman shirts and souvenirs. Visit hello-deli.com! Nadine and Andrea Sande had a number of visits to Hello Deli to present a Deli Platter to a segment contestant.

Here's a very simple web page I put together for Nadine - from my LSDL episode logs - that shows 429 of her appearances.

Finally... Nadine has been in the composite picture at the top of this page since I made it, because I always totally enjoyed her parts in the show.

By the way, Natalie ultimately appeared on LSDL 17 times, from 1994 to 2013. An interesting pattern I noticed in my episode logs is that 13 of her 17 appearances occurred in February, May or November Sweeps.

An interesting thing to me is Jason's emphasis of Merrill Markoe's influence on big picture - and very specific - aspects of Letterman's shows. He calls Merrill a forerunner. Jason also gives major credit to Hal Gurnee for memorable aspects of Dave's shows (like Dog Poetry). Another topic, which I've long known, is the significance of Dave as a reactor or straight man... for example, to crazy characters on the show, like Chris Elliott and Lyle the Intern, or visiting places like Just Bulbs.

I highly recommend this 1.5 hours' worth of memories. Jason had so many interesting topics, and takes on things that Mike brought up. Finally, here's your reminder to visit hello-deli.com. Thanks, Rupert Jee! Finally, Part 2... here's your YouTube link for the interview! (I got so caught up in the podcast that I almost failed to properly link to it. I have no excuse.) Finally, Part 3, you can follow Jason Zinoman on Twitter: @zinoman, on Instagram @zinomanj and on Facebook.

Felicia has all kinds of details on the CBSO, and its evolution over the years! An interesting comment was that her fellow musicians were so talented, that asking them to play a new song was never an imposition. MacArthur Park, by Will, was very special to Felicia. She said he's a genius and gifted.

Don Giller mentioned (in Mike's earpiece, I guess), the Soul Survivors song, Expressway to Your Heart, released in 1967. (I clicked around on several versions, until I found this linked version, which sounds just like something the CBSO would play.) When Mike brought it up, Felicia sang a bit of it for us!

Felicia said that once the band got ear monitors, the jokes they cracked to each other were nonstop and hilarious (and unknown to anyone else).

Felicia says she can draw like Leonardo DaVinci. She especially likes using just a pencil. (She went to art school, and she also studied graphic design.)

Paul's Cape Thing was something Felicia really liked. Don Giller had to jump in and announce that the song was Al Cooper's "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know." She never knew which celebrity was going to put the cape on Paul. My episode logs show that the first episode was on 6/07/02 [1819], and it ran on Fridays, usually, to 6/11/04. (Hey... I have a special web page for Paul's Cape Thing!)

Other topics include Warren Zevon, being in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band, and the last few weeks of LSDL "It felt different," Felicia said, and "We felt grateful." Felicia says she be up for a reunion show.

I'll conclude for now with my sincere thanks to Felicia and Mike for an extremely enjoyable, comprehensive, funny and uplifting 2 hours and 33 minutes of conversation, memories and behind-the-scenes fun facts.

What an ending. It's one of my favorites... A Monkey Sneezing! The premiere, I believe, was on 11/27/08. Time passed, and on 12/19/12, we got A Baby Panda Sneezing. Are you still with me? One mere day later, 12/20/12, we had A Baby Panda and a Baby Llama Sneezing. To welcome in winter, on 12/21/12, we enjoyed A Monkey Sneezing and a Surprise Guest. Winter gave way to spring, and on 5/17/13 we had A Monkey Sneezing: Allergy Edition.

If you'd like to see more Joe Grossman, mosey on over to my Video Archives (alphabetized for your convenience), and scroll down to the Joe Grossman videos. Now, Rupert Jee didn't sponsor this Favorite Moments video, but visit hello-deli.com anyway!

Felicia's first time on Letterman was with Cyndi Lauper, on 5/27/93, on LNDL. Then came a call from Paul Shaffer, to invite Felicia to join the CBSO on LSDL. She was on Episode 1, 8/30/93, and was formally introduced on 8/31/93. She was hesitant for a bit, as she was a busy musician, who didn't watch TV!

This is an incredible interview! The interaction between Felicia and host Mike Chisholm is awesome. Mike has extensive knowledge of - and appreciation for - music, and the questions and topics he brings up are so interesting. Felicia is very forthcoming with stories and memories, and is upbeat and funny. I'll definitely be watching this episode often.

When I complimented Mike on this awesomeness (and asked about Part 2), he replied, "Part 2 is quite a bit longer, and of course it goes into much more Letterman stuff... Some really cool, insightful highlights about the show, and Dave himself." (I don't know yet when the release will be uploaded.)

Thanks much to Rupert Jee of Hello Deli, who is sponsoring Mike's podcasts. Rupert's not just serving yummy sandwiches. He has a nice variety of Letterman shirts and souvenirs. Visit hello-deli.com!

Hey! I'm back with a follow-up, posted on 2/07/23. Dave and Gaines have one of those spinning cages that you use to pick a raffle winner. The Late Show jacket about to be awarded is from 1995. 1,000 $20 tickets were bought. The $20,000 will go to the World Food Programme. Drum roll, please, Anton... Victor Alvis is our winner. (Letterman Channel link)

One great memory is from 6/24/04 [2194]. My episode log says: "Summer Products" / Things didn't go exactly as planned. Dave eats a fake charcoal briquette, which unexpectedly turns his tongue and teeth black. He's a mess. The stuff ends up on his face, and staffers start bringing items to try to help him clean up. He gets a moist towelette. He's given hydrogen peroxide, which he unknowingly drinks. What was that stuff, anyway?"

Hey... I just looked at that date again. I was in San Francisco that day, because I was in the audience the next day. CBS flew me and my friend Dave from Kansas for free, because I won the national Letterman trivia contest CBS ran to promote the week. By the way, Mujibur and Sirajul and Rupert made the trip out there, too. (YouTube link)

This episode was really fun. When Dave started his mini-rant, suggesting the NYE ball should be dropped from space, I remembered him having fun with Felix Baumgartner dropping from space, for real. I got in my episode logs to search on "drop from space." By pure luck, I hit on it with that first search entry. This was the topic in 1/06/14 [3960]. Almost at the same moment that Dave said "Felix," his name popped up in my episode log. A bumper later in the show was logged as "Felix begins his drop from space." By the way, Dave commented that Harry wanted to be waked up for the ball drop, but was disappointed when he saw it. Oops! I almost forgot to paste in the YouTube link.

Before we go, here's a link from my Video Archives, of Dave's Bear Story from 9/22/03. And... here's the Animated Version of the Bear Story.

Hey! Look at this. Somebody cooked up a Dave icon for the LETTERMAN channel.

Before we go further... thanks to Rupert Jee for sponsoring the podcast. Go see him at Hello Deli in New York, at 213 W. 53rd St., and/or visit hello-deli.com Also, keep in mind that you can order Late Show souvenirs, shirts, caps, etc. from the Helo Deli web site.

There are so many different topics covered in this epic interview. One of them is how David's experiences and innovations in assembling an engaged and involved studio audience could apply to a company hoping to build a loyal customer base. There was discussion of the preshow warm-up, and keeping audience members engaged during commercials. I highly recommend watching this episode.

Thanks to Rupert Jee for sponsoring the podcast. Go see him at Hello Deli in New York, at 213 W. 53rd St., and/or visit hello-deli.com. You can order Late Show souvenirs, shirts, caps, etc. from the Hello Deli web site.

I have developed great respect for President Zelenskyy, and I certainly compliment Dave on taking a very real risk by making this trip, and for conducting a thoughtful and fascinating interview - which of course documents tragedy, sadness and courage - that will be a significant part of his legacy. OK... here you go. This video will speak for itself. (YouTube link)

For those who weren't watching LSDL back in the day, I'll explain that these poems were written for insiders in alt.fan.letterman. Marilyn cited memorable events from the past year, and had numerous shoutouts to various staff from the show. The fun thing is, true, devoted fans of the show got most - or all - of those references. I'm watching Marilyn's podcast as I type this, and I'm beaming from the memories it brought.

These poems are masterful. They're written "with the love," as my DaveCon friends would say. The more the reader was invested in the Late Show as a regular viewer, the more the clever shoutouts and references to significant moments on the show, over the previous year, would be appreciated. Be sure to stay with this hour-long podcast, because over the final six minutes, you'll see and hear Marilyn reciting her wonderful, final 'Twas My Night at the Late Show. Thanks, Marilyn!

Speaking of shoutouts, thanks to Rupert Jee for sponsoring the podcast. Go see him at Hello Deli in New York, at 213 W. 53rd St., and/or visit hello-deli.com

The LETTERMAN YouTube channel is looking back at Dave's 33 years on late night TV... especially the 22 years on CBS. They're turning out new videos every few days. One popular theme is to have employees and friends of the show set up "favorite moments" videos, and now it's Rupert's turn.

I think something that led to the great popularity of Rupert's appearances was that a mutual trust developed. Rupert was willing to do silly stuff, to pester civilians (in "Fun with Rupert"), and even do stunts, like skydiving. He was also willing to smart off to Dave, if the plot called for it.

I became part of DaveCon, the annual trip to New York in late spring, with about 15 devoted fans hanging out together for a couple of days, and getting the red carpet treatment from the Late Show staff. We got awesome seats up front, and most years, we were the cast for some ridiculous video for The Tony Mendez Show, with our awesome host, Tony... Dave's cue card man. The video guys, Walter Kim and Jay Johnson, recorded it, and put the episode on cbs.com.

We all made a beeline to see Rupert when we got to town, and he was absolutely great to us. Ultimately, Rupert was the last person I ever talked to in New York, on my last DaveCon trip in May 2015. Well, here you go. Watch closely, won't you. Thanks, Rupert, for being such a wonderful friend and host to so many Letterman fans! Hopefully you reading this have come to understand why Rupert's Hello Deli is #1 on my navigation column, just to the left of here.

Now, (drum roll please, Anton) here's Rupert Jee's Favorite Late Show Moments.

Be sure to watch this. It runs a bit over an hour. Early on, Dave said if doing it over, he'd approach stand-up comedy differently. He's very philosophical about the topic. He said he didn't know what he was getting himself into. He wishes his material would have been more anecdotal and biographical.

What I loved about her was there was no filter in what she said. I had forgotten that she earlier in her life, she was a manicurist, who encountered a number of prominent women. Later, she found her way into stand-up comedy. I know she was hilarious! Sandra obviously enjoyed her appearances with Dave, or she wouldn't have shown up 24 times. Here's the YouTube link.

Mike and Joe have a lengthy discussion of Joe's applications to work for various shows, and his early days working for LSDL. He talks about standard practice for writing the various segments, such as the Top Ten. Fairly early in the day, he'd be called on to pitch a certain number of suggestions. I didn't realize how much pressure there was to be productive. Joe said a fair number of writers weren't retained for a long time. Joe said he wasn't part of meetings with Dave, and actually spent more time with him on camera than in person! Joe's first interaction with Dave was on an elevator, three or four months after he started there. (Dave didn't know who he was at the time.) But, Joe says Dave was very friendly and "socially normal," and the "stay away from Dave" idea came from staff... not Dave. Something that was news to me was that LNDL was more focused on comedy segments than the more guest-oriented LSDL.

To conclude, I just want to state my appreciation for both Joe and Mike, and their two hours together recalling memorable moments, behind-the-scenes happenings, and how the shows were put together! Oh... and thanks much to my friend Rupert Jee for sponsoring the Podcast. Be sure to check out www.hello-deli.com, for Letterman show merchandise and apparel!

Dave decided it would be nice to put the jacket shown here (which he autographed during the video shoot) on eBay, for a good cause. (eBay link) As of this moment, the current bid is $8,100. The organization to receive the dough is the U. N. World Food Programme. I've donated to the program in the past, because Dave has been a supporter of the program for some time. In the left-side navigation column here, I've had a link to the program for a few years now. Dave has had leaders of the organization as guests on LSDL, and the show often ran bumpers promoting donations in its later years... especially after natural disasters in other countries.

I'm at Kansas State University. Since 1967, we've had the Landon Lecture series, which has brought in many leaders, politicians and international figures. As it happens, David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme, gave the latest Landon Lecture at Kansas State on Nov. 3, 2022. Good luck with your bid!

My episode logs show Joe's first appearance on 7/22/04 [2209]. Audience Pan: "Late Show Staff Member of the Week" is Joe Grossman, who carved "jackass" into Dave's car hood. On 9/02/05 [2418], Joe put away the Late Show bear. I enjoyed how Joe would refer to his tattered little notebook, to look up jokes or whatever.

Re: the urine segments, the Herbie Hancock bit was on 8/26/10 [3357]. It went exactly like this:
desk chat: Dave likes the survival shows, like Bear Grylls. There's a guy right around New York, who does most of his work in the Pine Barrens. Each week he's going to appear on the Late Show with a survival tip, which brings us to the new segment, "Ox, the Wilderness Expert." (OK... you guessed it. Ox is really writer Joe Grossman. This is going to be funny, and you can bet he'll walk offstage the wrong way.) Here we go.

(Dave): "Good to see you, Ox. Thank you very much for being here. I hope you're not spooked by being around all this civilization. Now, I know from what little camping I have done you can go a long time without eating, but you have to drink. You have to hydrate yourself, and I understand that's kinda your tip for us tonight. What is your tip, Ox?"

(Ox): "While in the woods, sometimes you might find yourself in a position where you have to drink urine to survive."

(Dave): "Where you have to drink urine to survive?"

(Ox): "Yeah."

(Dave): "And what do you have in the canteen? Is that, in fact, urine?"

(Ox): "It's urine."

(Dave): "Yeah. And whose... it's none of my business... but whose urine is that?"

(Ox): "It's Herbie Hancock's."

[This is hilarious, because the ever-somber Joe just about busts out laughing after delivering that line. Jerry Foley has to cut to Dave for a bit.]

(Paul): "Ha. Ah ha ha! Ha! Ha ha!"

(Dave): "Really? Um... I guess it doesn't make any difference, but how did you happen to get Herbie Hancock's urine?"

(Ox): "You know. The usual way."

(Ox takes the opportunity to enjoy a long drink of whizz from the canteen. He knocks back about a quart.)

(Ox): "Some tasty urine."

(Dave): "Ox, ladies and gentlemen, from the Pine Barrens."

According to my episode logs, Warren appeared on LNDL at least 8 times, and appeared on LSDL 30 times. Often in his appearances on LSDL, Warren would sit in for Paul... for example, when Paul was performing with Carole King, and during Paul's bout with pneumonia.

The October 28 issue of The Ringer has a detailed look back at Warren's final appearance on his show, with photos and video, and Dave's own comments on his last words with Warren. I highly recommend reading this.

Letter #4. If you could choose anyone to be President of the United States, who would you choose, and why? / "President Bill Clinton now is recovering from the heart surgery. I know how difficult that can be. Let's not engage in partisan politics." / Alan Kalter gives an update on his condition. Hillary has been at Bill's side throughout the ordeal. / Alan addresses Hillary: "With Bubba out of commission, why don't you give me a call?" / on and on, until Dave puts a stop to it / "I was just fooling around," Alan replies. "What's the harm in talking?" / A black-suited Secret Service man beats the crap out of Alan to the CBSO's "Secret Agent Man." / Dave calls for an Advil® for Alan.

Another classic was when Rena Smaha (on 8/26/87) staged a monkey tea party. (I have it in my video archives.) One little monkey sensed correctly that Dave was making fun of her, and started getting real aggressive with him... threatening and lurching at him. Dave feigned being scared, and the little monkey fed off that and got even more aggressive. Madeleine's 14-minute video is on YouTube.

In case you're new to Planet Earth, I'll just mention that The Donz has logs of every episode of every Letterman late night show (NBC and CBS). Furthermore, he hs digitized his videotapes of each show, which helps immensely if, for example, he decides to produce a compilation of a recurring segment on the show.

So... if you have a written record of everything that happened over 33 years, you have digital video of everything and a tireless work ethic, an amazing history of Letterman shows is the result. I highly recommend that you click on the links above, for a sample of work that no one else has the determination or ability to produce. Thanks, Donz!

The link above is for the scandalous Top Ten. Here's today's entry, Dave Gets Roasted for His Queen Elizabeth II Top Ten. Hey! How about a shout out to the great Walter Kim?! I got to visit with him a few times when I co-starred in Tony Mendez Show episodes. He and Jay Johnson were always wonderful hosts to us DaveCon participants (which included producing a Tony Mendez Show episode during our annual visits).

Dave keeps hinting that Mary Barclay has left the building, but Gaines insists that's not true. Mary, along with Stephanie Birkitt, was Dave's assistant (and earlier, one of the production staff)... at least as far back as 1998. She wasn't seen on air frequently, but she often got a shout out on her Sep. 29 birthdays. I hope she re-emerges soon! Of course, it's awesome to have Gaines in on the fun.

OK... that was a loss of 24 gallons, and a gain of 310 pounds. A gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. 310 pounds / 8 = 38 gallons of water, which is a fairly big discrepancy with 24 gallons missing from the tank. Also, there had to have been a fair amount of water slopped onto the floor, so the numbers don't line up for this fan.

For my videos on other suits, go to my Video Archives, scroll down to David Letterman, and focus on Suit. Dave also had the Suit of Alka-Seltzer®, the Suit of Chips and Dip, the Suit of Magnets and the Suit of Velcro®. There may have been more that are missing from my archives. It looks like most of the episodes of this stunt occurred between 1984 and 1986.

Here's a fun video with 11,000,000 views, All Alone on Christmas, with Darlene and Macaulay Culkin.

The participants tell about their personal experiences with Norm, and characterize and analyze his approach to comedy. A major focus is Norm's work on his Netflix offering, Nothing Special: Norm Macdonald.

It was leukemia that took Norm, and he knew that his days were numbered. In retrospect, his friends now know why he was so emotional in his interactions with them, toward the end. Norm had the honor of being the last person ever to do stand-up comedy on Late Show with David Letterman, on one of the final shows in May 2015. Norm said,

"So anyways, I'd just like to say, I know that Mr. Letterman is not for the mawkish, and he has no truck for the sentimental. But... if something is true, it is not sentimental, and I say in truth, I love you."

Wait a minute. Hold everything. Don't miss Don Giller's Norm Macdonald Collection on Letterman, Part 5 of 5: 2003-15.

Dave and Paul go surfing. ••• Calvert as Johnny Carson ••• Johnny Carson ••• Top Ten Things We'll Miss about L. A. ••• Bette Midler ••• Dave and Zsa Zsa eat fast food. ••• Traffic with the CBSO ••• Dave and Zsa Zsa get into the pool in the backdrop.

I didn't know this. Jeff wrote the Late Night Anthem! I'll close with the comment that I really appreciate everything Jeff brought to the Letterman shows, and Flunky was perfect! Here's your YouTube link.

This blog is full of details and quotes. It's obvious that Don spent a colossal amount of time bringing all of this history together. Few other people would be capable of what he has produced here. Part 1 is an amazing documentary on the formation of the WMDB, and its members over 11 years.

When I first linked to this blog, there was only Part 1. Not long afterward, I revisited and found Part 2. The Guest Performers and More. This includes links to nine spreadsheets... each with minute details of musical performances on LNDL... available for download.

With my thanks and admiration, here's your link, including Part 1: The Musicians on Late Night with David Letterman, and Part 2: The Guest Performers and More.

I wondered re: the first video in this series if Dave and host are in front of a green screen, as the background is fuzzy. Well... maybe, but from the episode with Mary Barclay, there are subtle differences in furniture placement, lighting, etc. OK... this edition of the video welcomes guests to send questions or comments to Barbara at 765 273-3611.

Marc Karzen took the pictures for the bumpers that led into - and out of - most commercial breaks. I highly recommend Marc's 72-page coffee table book of the bumpers. (Amazon link) (lettermanbumpers.com) (arlenschumer.com)

YouTube has official audio of Bad Reputation. It has 12 million+ hits!

In 2011, the aforementioned musicians came to The Ed to perform the song. It was tremendous... and it was a perfect showcase for Taylor Hawkins' talent and energy. Taylor passed away on March 25, 2022. The YouTube video linked here has almost a quarter million views. I highly recommend it!

Finally, if ever there was any doubt about how much the Foo Fighters mean to David Letterman, I'd just point out that the last song ever heard on LSDL was Everlong, which the Foo Fighters performed as a video montage of 33 years of Letterman rolled.

Writer Rodney Rothman tweeted this week, "This was the first 'remote' I oversaw at Letterman... I was sure it sucked, and I was gonna get fired. Then the opposite happened." It went great, Rodney! (YouTube video)

Here, thanks to Don Giller, is a YouTube video of LNDL #0001.

Then we get into LNDL #1. Bill Murray was the first guest (and the last guest 33 years later). Don Herbert, Mr. Wizard, a childhood hero of mine, was the second guest. (There was an upload glitch in the video near the end.) Steve Fessler wraps the episode with a dialog from Bowery at Midnight. Thanks so much to Don Giller for his tireless work, as usual!!

Here's my log from LNDL No. 0001: opening announcement and warning by Larry Bud, NBC Peacock Girls, Bill Wendell's intro, Dave appears, "What Would You Like to See on Late Night TV?", [all night long: welding], a tour of the set, Bill Murray / Bill dances to Olivia Newton-John's "Physical", a message from the Undersecretary of Education, the first remote: "The Shame of the City," Mr. Wizard (Don Herbert), show ends with Steve Fessler reciting lines from the movie Bowery at Midnight

Note: You can download Don's Viewer Mail database info as PDFs. It will be useful to first read his blog, to learn what he's done. The links are clearly marked, at the end of his blog.