David Letterman on Donahue January 25, 1985

on network television something happened to me and it kept happening night after night and pretty soon it altered my life I couldn't get off an hour on an airplane without somebody talking about it here's the as it wound down one of the last incidents on network television I have a tape of it for you now that I want to show you watch this for months and months we've had this silly Phil Donahue countdown calendar here take a look at it right here it's right behind us and as you know we're we're all through with it so now we have to get rid of it so we're gonna give it away tonight let me give you some information about the calendar it's 8 feet by 8 and 8 feet 9 inches the material is canvas the printing process is 3m scan a mural I think that's obvious it was this was actually made in California the SCANA mural process cost us 2,100 bucks the photo processing cost us 150 of course we had to have it fireproof that was another 75 the air freight was $70 the trucking expense $66 shop costs $100 city sales tax 190 140 and the grand total is two thousand six hundred seventy seven dollars forty cents I'm grateful and more than a few folks are wondering how in the world you respond to something like this and I'm happy to do it now I'm pleased to introduce on our program the first David led with David Letterman calendar and here it is the photo cost us nothing the glue the glue cost us nothing the calendar which is made of paper is 89 cents the tax is 7 cents for a grand total of 96 cents and I am pleased to welcome now the man who makes everybody else famous David Letterman right [Applause] [Applause] [Music] here is a man who is succeeding at a place where not everybody has enjoyed that experience late night a very very difficult time period and in order to succeed in that time period he has dropped watermelons off of buildings you've had elevator races in this building have you yep you've also interviewed the chefs where famous people eat yeah that's true we've been that you know let me tell you something we have we're planning something and this is such a great idea and and because of the building we're in the restrictions here at this building 30 Rockefeller Plaza are so stringent they they hardly let you do anything without huge meetings and in thug-like guards carrying revolvers and so I we have such a great idea now and I'm just positive that they're not gonna let us do it that I'm gonna tell it to you now and and if we ever get to do it then it'll be exciting we're right across the street here in New York from the Exxon building huge major industrial economic complex and and I guess we hate that don't we well I don't know just pretend you hate it and but what we're interested in it really is they're building they have an enormous building right across the street what we're gonna do is get a very high-powered spotlight at night and we're gonna train it on the Exxon building and do shadow puppets you know I think this is a great idea I like that and that is a conservative idea next to some of the things that you have done here you have brought a zany and creative enthusiasm to late-night television and it certainly has rewarded you well thank you for your ratings are good you're hot and yeah I don't know about hot say ha don't say hot in the studio [Applause] you know you it is also true that you have you have the problem that you should have a problem which you share with Mario Cuomo and Edward Kennedy no yeah people always ask you the same question that the question as you know that they continue to ask some all Kennedy I'm the governor is he going are they going to run for president so I'm going to ask you are you going to replace Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show no no I don't think so I don't think so there was a you know the money is real good but I don't know if I could handle the domestic problems but see no you know there was there was a time when I just sort of stumble into that quite by accident I about five or six years ago Johnny Carson was negotiating a contract and there was discussion whether or not he would return and I think at the time the president of the network was Fred Silverman and and because of that there was extra speculation going on and I was just lucky enough at that time to start hosting the show coincidentally and so suddenly I'm living in a lean-to at this point in Laurel Canyon and in California and I got my mail one day and there were clippings from newspapers listing me as a possible replacement for Johnny Carson if in fact the negotiations broke off and he went somewhere else right and I just I who did this was to me this was the best thing that ever happened to me because you know heretofore I was literally just you know telling jokes to drunks I being a being a candidate is flattering that's okay right true and then obviously now you have the diplomatic problem of not appearing to be breathless for the job it's gonna be tough it is the as I don't have to tell you it's the throne for all of all the talk shows this was looking as you get well I won't I won't pursue it any further well III don't think it's gonna happen and I'll tell you why I think that first of all I don't think he's ever gonna leave and and secondly I don't know that the kind of show we're doing now is anything NBC is moving closer to a reasonable time in their lineup you know so I just the way things look now I don't think if that job were to open up tomorrow that I might be considered as a second or third but I don't think I would be their first choice well I'm not everyone would agree but let me just review briefly who David Letterman you grew up in Indiana yep proud of it like you don't believe I'm proud of it well first let me give this audience those of you who get up at 5:30 in the morning we're gonna have to send David to you on VCR one of the truly hilarious many hilarious running features of his program is the favorite pet stupid pet tricks stupid pet tricks listen this is what happens when you work with animals david icke if you to call me I'd have told you baker Carolyn [Applause] nice to see it now you got yourself a dog here don't you what kind of an animal is this he's an English bulldog English bulldog and his name is rocky hey Mack evolve and what exactly is he what exactly is rocky doing there Carolyn okay and what is what is this what a lovely disposition what is rocky gonna do Carolyn Rocky's gonna well Maggie's going to jump first oh I pull it and yes okay he's gonna you gotta jump for the toy and you're gonna and he's gonna pull it swing okay go ahead Carolyn and rocky is swinging in on the toy one more time you ready I like how the saliva sort of flies all over my suit okay [Music] [Applause] this is a very good idea this show whoever whoever are the geniuses behind these ideas you certainly have taken us away from the desk and couch and take you've taken the you've taken your camera outside yes taking it everywhere and annoyed many many people you know what impresses me too you take a lot of risks with this kind of thing I assume you've got your own stupid pet stories that did as its do Wallace does all of this get on the air oh yeah we we save darn little if anything everything that we do pretty much ends on up on the area the the pets usually go pretty much as planned because these are actual dogs who have spent most of their life with with the owners and and that was you know that was the way rocky is gonna be anytime yeah we haven't had any real peculiar experiences with the pets we've you know we've had them take a you know and that sort of thing but that's you know I don't think that really is a problem for anybody I started to say that you're an into your Hooser and as a Broad Ripple High School that's right broader political and also uh Ball State did you did you graduate I graduate it's not an offensive question oh no I know it I know no I did I have a degree from Ball State that's the offensive partner no no and you're there's nothing necessarily unusual about what you did you put everything in the car and came to Los Angeles and said I'm gonna take a swing that has I'm not sure you were all together convinced that you could do stand-up when even when you went to LA no when I started out when I was in college I wanted to be you pretty much this was this audience understands that I wanted to be a broadcaster I wanted to work at wlw in Cincinnati well it's a clear channel fifty thousand watt radio station and it you just used to boom into Indianapolis and they produced a lot of really good broadcasting talent in that area and that's what I wanted to do is be a disc jockey at a radio station like that and I went to college and ended up doing television and after about five years got got very tired of it because I wouldn't get in anywhere I couldn't get a really good job you know I was working in Indianapolis and nobody else was interested in hiring me so I I just said well let's try something else and I think you're you came here and got an opportunity to do a stand-up at the combat LA yeah I originally went to Los Angeles has a writer it see it's more palatable to tell your family that you're gonna be a writer than it is to tell them that you're gonna do stand-up comedy you know they think you're looking for circus work or something that way so but the like within the the first week I was there I started doing the stand-up comedy at The Comedy Store and it was horrible experience just terrible but you didn't duck you didn't bomb at the place you by my understanding is you didn't knock him dead but you weren't a flop isn't that so would you I wasn't a flop in that I left the stage in a conscious state but there was not what you call laughter coming from the audience it was very traumatizing I've never done it before the The Comedy Store is is dark it's cavernous and not cavernous but dark like a cave everything's black and they train this intense light on you white light and I had never experienced anything like it and for seven or eight minutes I did my little routine and the people you know continue to order their drinks and I went home later but I kept doing it and it got a little easier and a little easier but I really from what I understand you really were terrified and that's a very honest thing to say it is a mystery to perhaps me to even myself who knows what it's like to be scared as to how you can be terrified and funny too and and and if you know and why do so many people do this and more than more importantly do it well does it help to be scared well I was talking to someone in the elevator and they said are you scared and I said sure I'm scared I think anybody any reasonable person is scared and I think that my theory on this is people who go into stand-up comedy either got too much reinforcement as a child or not enough so they're always seeking to duplicate that via the stage they're there looking to get as much as they got as a kid or they're looking to get what they didn't get as a kid I don't know if they'd hold the water now but I've actually you know I thought that up for your show Phil hold water I want to show you David Letterman at work in Indianapolis oh no no I'll just be there I believe this is this this is more than a decade ago oh no oh you should also know you should also know that this young man was not approved by the United States meteorological society that's right roll tape Indiana at one time yesterday seems a little important once you take a look at the cloud cover photograph made earlier of the United States today and I think you'll see that once again we've fallen to the prey of political dirty dealings and right now you can see what I'm talking about the higher-ups have removed the border between Indiana and Ohio making it one giant state personally I'm against it now that is about 12 13 years old so it's like one of the monkeys did not yes from Liverpool it's the Dave Clark Five thank you that wasn't that was not a steady job it was I had it you know it was interesting I had that job I got it as a summer vacation relief announcer and every every year they'd look for they'd have auditions to replace me and I and I went through five years of watching two or three times a week them auditioned my replacement and they believe it or not they never found anybody who is even that good we are in New York City with the host of late night David Letterman and we'll be back in two mods [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] yes ma'am how did you get lucky enough to get a second chance after you failed during day time well that's a good question I I was believe me I was lucky to get the first chance and you're referring I had a morning show that was on for I don't know 10 weeks 12 weeks I'm not sure maybe maybe more than that I don't know I really thought it when that went off the air I knew I had to get through the back of the line and I just assumed that it would be a long long time before I came back on American television at any rate and it was just one of those things had worked out where NBC found themselves in a position that they felt like they might be making a change and they said now let's try this kid one more time also at that period of time I think there was a transition in the administration at NBC some people left some other people came in and I again I was quite lucky you you you phrased that perfectly yes ma'am are you married well tonight a girl for you see no you know that's I'm pleased by that notion and is she here can you get her iris you know I'm not married but I've been with the the same girl for a long period of time and when when I get married it will probably I mean it will be it will be to this this one person but that doesn't mean we still can't have a look at your daughter no this is only a joke and and and just barely a joke are you are you good friends would Paul Shaffer off the air yes I am I I like Paul quite well he's a very interesting man very talented musician and I consider him to be a friend of mine you know now that you're just such a big hit at late night do you think embassy you put you back a prime time no I don't see that happening I don't know what I would do in primetime television did you know Phil before you came to New York before you started this whole countdown who are you friendly yeah I knew Phil yes I didn't know him we met twice and I don't know that he he weren't friendly no I met him I met him twice once at a we worked for the same company he was I believe in Dayton and I was in Indianapolis working for the same broadcasting chain I met him in Indianapolis and then I talked to him once on the phone when I had a radio show years ago did you know him before you came to New York that's not what he said do you like how it's done yeah I think Howard is as inventive I think he's uh he's he's what what radio oughta be he's doing some things that I think are very interesting yeah I have a lot of a lot of regard and respect for Howard how badly do you respond physically on the air when you know this interview is going nowhere and probably never will are you trying to tell me something feel about I just want to go home i I want to I want to adjourn the audience to say I'm sorry it's my fault there'll be a small cash reward for you in the mail and I just want to call it off and go home I feel like you know some days it's gonna happen other days it's not I know that's the wrong attitude if you see it go down the drain you're supposed to jump on there and do everything you can to beat life back into it but I get so embarrassed I just think let's just come back tomorrow and try it another day you still let him in you're a very good-looking guy and you look terrific in person my question is let me take my gum out of my mouth my question is how do you feel being back-to-back with Johnny Carson do you feel that it has helped you or that you made it on your own first of all let's talk about your hat all right [Applause] now I how much was the hair about $22 all right it's very nice you look very nice ma'am no it's a you sure I would rather be on after Johnny Carson than almost anybody in television I think that's a you know this man's a legendary he's done it successfully for 2023 2024 years or whatever yeah that if he got to be on after somebody that that would be my first choice yeah David I watch the show a lot and that was wondering what motivates you to go out and ask people what they're carrying in their in their pockets or in their suitcases or in their bags well we're always we're always looking for different things to do with the camera on the streets of New York and what the man is referring to is something called for lack of a better name mister curious and we just we just go out we hide the camera in the in a truck and I just stop people and I ask to look through their personal belongings and and they're wonderful they'll they'll pretty much show you anything you ask to be shown David I like to know if you've ever started acting and if we will see you in any films anytime in the future no I never studied acting I've done a little of it to know that it's something I'm no good at it and and I probably I flatter myself that I would like to try it someday but I don't i realistically I don't know that it would happen people aren't that stupid yes mr. Letterman yes I'd like to know what kind of schedule you're on I understand you're on at late night want to talk about is your taping time start before that or is it a live show yeah well we consider it to be a live show we never stopped the tape I think in three years we've stopped it twice so we've treated as it's alive shall we tape it at 5:30 in the evening I come in around 11:00 and stale about 8:00 and like that mr. Letterman I don't know if you roley's were a place to a question for me all right I understand you would your last day wait a minute where do you get that first of them but first of all and your last name really strikes me I was wondering if it had anything to do with the postal service in your hometown do you you're not a writer right I don't know it's the the last name I was born with and I don't know if there's any connection you mean maybe there's a lawsuit in this for me I don't know um I was just wondering how much input do you have in the show as far as writing it or is a lot of it ad-lib or we have a staff of writers we've been really lucky since the show's been on we've had really bright writers and the head writer for the first year on the show was the the woman I spoke of to you ma'am about the getting married - and her name is Meryl Marcone she's on doing other things right now and the the writers do the majority of the ideas coming up with things in the scripted thesis she obviously has made in a very important professional contribution to the success of the launching of late-night oh absolutely and so I will assume that her leave-taking from the show probably had more to do with for what is it okay how is it what's it like working with the woman you live with well it's it's a day-long fistfight and that and that's the reason that uh that she went on to other things it just it got to be you know you get up in the morning and he'd go at it you'd all through the day you'd come home at night you'd go at it and you go to bed now she doesn't see the tape she doesn't see the tape until it's on the air right do you come home and say we died oh sure you do yeah yeah yeah absolutely and so what if she gets another room then if she she gives you space for the rest of the evening yeah oh yeah she's very understanding about it when she was head writing we she would see a tape so she knew what I was talking about and when she left the show now she's at arm's length from it so it's it's much better now yes sir I was in Indiana when you were yes sir finally got back to New York you were very legitimately funny then oh thank you watched all your weather do you want to syndicate those tapes No no I don't think so nice nice to see what were you doing in Indiana oh yeah I have a question I watched the NBC News when are you having Marv Albert on again Marv comes on Marvis the does a lot of sports casting for NBC and local sportscaster here at channel 4 in New York and is terrific and he comes on I guess roughly once every six weeks with the videotapes that he's compiled and he's a great guy in a terrific broadcaster not only do you do crazy things but I watched the other day you had your guest in a dentist chair speaking as if they were had helium coming back does anyone object to doing this kind of thing yeah the guest is that you're talking about I believe was Jane Pauley and she was not she was not keen about doing it the premise of this show was we let the audience vote what what elements they wanted to see on the program and and one of the choices would you like to hear the guests speak normally or would you like to hear them speak as if they had been inhaling helium and surprisingly enough the audience wanted to hear how they would sound you know what about the fan mail is that real because it's crazy I mean it sounds like letters someone wouldn't actually sit down and write no I know but that's the nature of our audience I'm sorry to say yeah those are actual letters they come come in then we answer our mail every Thursday night yeah I must say that they they are making an attempt to write something that they think will get on the air so it's a little different from normal run-of-the-mill show response mail you said that you don't think NBC would consider you for the Johnny Carson show if they did consider you for the Johnny Carson show would you take the job oh jeez I don't know this the the show I have right now has been so much work and really a lot harder than I thought it was going to be and and we're doing pretty well now and so I sort of liked the way the setup is now see if you take over for Johnny Carson people who are just coming to this country who whom have never seen the show they're getting off boats and planes here in New York they're going to have an opinion they've never seen it before but all of us suddenly is not as good as Johnny was so and you're gonna have NBC vice presidents coming out of the woodwork which is believe me where they come out of so I don't know if I would really want that all that pressure what are you feelings about Grace Jones I've know very little about grace she's been on the show a couple of times and she she's an interesting woman a very very interesting woman very interesting how's your dog Bob Bob is uh Bob is good Bob and I are he's in the office upstairs today and he's very good thank you for asking I'll tell him we do how many miles do you run a day where and what time I was like we have a potential sniper here fill like about four and a half and just through my neighborhood and it was I get up and did it this morning there's a lot nice do you pick the people personally that you have on your show and if you don't has there anyone has anyone been on there that you didn't particularly care for oh not really not we've had a few you know here and there that didn't turn out - we have a group of people whose who make the decisions for the guests and so forth in and I can have as much input as I went into it or or not you know but I tried to leave it up up to those people because they you know they know what they're doing do you have a wardrobe consultant or do you put your [Laughter] what moves you to ask the question I suppose the formality of his clothing and the brain I know it sigh you're right I have trouble there I have two very nice people who helped me with the clothing and they pick it out and they make sure that it looks nice and so forth but the real problem is me I just don't know what you ought to be wearing you know I just you look great see I think I think you look great and even this guy looks ok but I just I [Applause] [Music] Family Feud 7:30 tonight on channel 4 I want to show you a picture I'm not sure the year this is difficult it's gonna be difficult for you to put our God David Letterman oh my god would you be able to guess which one now what's not the love here Wow next let me see you close-up look [Applause] that is your senior yearbook picture in the year was 1965 I look like somebody that you'd later find out was John Hinckley's best friends gee buddy oh my god yeah they used to go downtown together and cause trouble in the continuing effort of our show to speak to issues about which I know you care very deeply and going straight at the question of what was David Letterman really like I'm pleased to predicta introduce your former director of productions from Broad Ripple High School here's Jeanne Poston come on in here James [Applause] yeah now you wonder if this is true right you think this is a gag gene what does this mean director of predominant drama and ripples axe which David was in in 1963 and 1965 right gene G now come on I know it flatters you to say I knew all along but did you did did you could you see was there anything to work with here in 1960 nothing to work with now Phil I would have to say to be honest Phil I think there were people on the staff that yes recognized in Dave at the time that there was a talent there I don't think that the school necessarily fostered it I think his peers as his peers today appreciate David and what David does David was one of those young men that was always on the verge of getting into trouble but never did really all over the edge you know and that's appreciated you know from a student like that buddy what he didn't have starring parts did he or did he well not starring parts at least they weren't written that way but can you believe that David would take them and yeah or you would North in fact in one show I think it was called first family calamity was it Dave gee I don't know I guess the smart thing to do here is play along yeah Gina I think that was I recall at pretty much it sure yeah a very small part but then Dave makes a big part of it he walk that stage and then uh it was he he was not a straight-a student I don't think misterpost oh do you have the transcript here I'll tell you what we do have this is hard to believe you were David you were in high school you were a hall monitor what Thanks so you would is that so mr. now now wait a minute ake exception with this this woman claiming that I was a think the hall monitor at least in broader vote perhaps gene here can back me up on this but these were the people we took these positions just to get out of any organized classroom activity we could go sit in a darkened hallway and doze or do whatever we didn't we didn't we didn't think no sir it was just a you know a short vacation this 1965 was reasonably tranquil time for America i mean we it's true we had seen our share of pain but it was closer to the 50s certainly than it was to the later 60s and i think david apparently then demonstrated some talent in terms of attracting attention when he walked on the stage even though his part didn't necessarily or and you're retired now i don't think you're at resurrect uh-huh it's different now is it not mr. Poston I mean that the high school experience for everybody is were different planets today isn't that so I yeah went away we are I think if David had been in school today with the talent that was demonstrated when he was in school in the 60s would be more recognized so I I think so from the standpoint that there is even though we think that the schools are going back to basics at Broad Ripple High School in particular there is a center for humanities a Center for the Performing Arts and there's a great deal of emphasis placed upon that in trying to recognize talent in young people and fostering that talent and I think that's encouraging in today's education any any talk of naming a wing after me Gina hold on not yet yeah yes I saw a hand there I'll move over there in just a moment if you joined us late this good-looking couple on stage includes that only David Letterman but the man who was his former director of productions that's a very uh Gus title now this this man was responsible for most of the the musical productions that took place at the high school and this was a real a proud unit for for the the high school it was one one thing that they always pointed to with pride was this man's choirs and musical productions and so on and so forth and I must say that I was was never as a a singer in any of them I was I was on in in one I think as a stooge I had a huge role and in one name came to mind when they saw the role in the script and so I got it but but for me to be associated with this man he's flattering me now because I I didn't have the great musical the idea for your comedy and whatever you were gonna do with your life had to have had some well I'm not sure it was born in these ripples or whatever they were called but you must have found that you enjoyed this oh yeah I always wanted to be a part of it it was you know it was it was the one of the elite groups of the school sure so and and some of my friends were in them and I always thought would what am I you know I'm just kind of a blotter here in society and so I I wanted to be a part of them but I can remember being in a couple of music classes and being you know eighty-sixth early on and and then kind of you know later I would weasel my way back into one of the shows in some capacity yes I want to know how you honestly felt when you first heard that you had to share your home here at 30 rock with Phil well we were very excited we first of all we had we'd been here about two and a half years when we heard the news phil was coming at and right away we thought well this there's somebody else we can annoy we can go down and bother we can go down and bother Phil and no it was quite exciting everybody in the building you talked to pages you talked to technicians it was a real you know people any kind of new infusion of energy is very welcomed in this particular in this business I guess you seem to have such control over your guests more or less as far as questioning them and more or less intimidating them have you ever had a guest on your show that you felt was hard to question and intimidated you in turn yeah I do I get it I get intimidated real easily by people I don't none of the names come to mind right off the top of my head but I remember our second or third show we had Andy Rooney on from 60 minutes and I'd always been a great admirer of Andy Rooney's and to the extent that I would get copies of videotape copies of television programs he had put together because I thought he was doing some terrific work in the line of documentaries and so we had him on and he intimidated me and it just went from bad to worse and got ugly and just stupid after that but that's one example but it happens all the time and I'm just sick about it I don't yes Dave especially with dr. Ruth I mean you go through about five different shades of red what is the problem well dr. Ruth Westheimer is a woman who has a radio show people call in and ask her very explicit problems about sex and and she answers them very explicitly and she comes on our show and and this woman will say anything and she couldn't be a sweeter person couldn't be a nicer person but I can't even begin to I don't want to say what she says but it takes it gives one pause for thought certainly you must yeah you better be watching this program called Late Night with David Letterman material logic and there must be some pride in we have to wonder how many other people in your work men and women who are working very hard in education around the country now with television cable and all the opportunities for talent to be expressed Mike I wonder if they're looking more enthusiastically than perhaps you were moved to look because of the nature of the world in 65 toward future Letterman's and I think they are Phil I really do I think educators are looking at future Letterman's now the next question is will those future Letterman's necessarily will that talent reflect itself at that time in their lives I don't know I'm asking I'm not sure there's one answer to this do you know what I mean I had a he didn't jump out of a cake in the sense of calling attention to himself in your high school and yet it's clear he's good he had a talent which is very unique and probably was not necessarily expressing itself before you at good old Broad Ripple high no I don't think that we actually can ascertain and know that this talent is going to develop I think his family knew of David's cleverness his friends did and someone the staff did because he was always thinking he was always ahead of things except of course in chemistry well you know he never did fail a subject David was not it was not really unusual from the standpoint he did enough the grades were not always indicative of what he got out of the classwork it's true kind of a mediocre blamed we'll be back we'll be back with Jean post on the David Letterman Mo [Applause] Larry was in 1965 here's the man who has developed an audience says no other person has and in late night this is an amazing success story and he's going to be thrilled again as I give you proudly his fraternity brother from Sigma Chi at Ball State here is Jeff Lewis come on in here Jeff [Applause] [Music] [Applause] my god yeah do I win something is that the deal you get a mobile home in it Jerry was he popular with girls was it one steady girl did he have a lot of girlfriends did he get home on time at night give us the halls picture come on that's a lot no he was not popular with girls he had one steady girlfriend and he wasn't popular with her I helped him get home late past the hours many times so he didn't get home on time what else is this one of those special 90-minute shows bill I feel like Ralph's evidence were you how about you did you think this chap was going to hit it like this no doubt about it you really did think so that question no kidding yeah well you're the kind of buddy to him you know he was a kind of buddy to have in college this man was the the mr. campus this man was president of anything we had he was president he was a very astute politician and pursued a career in politics this was this was your blue chip mr. big man on campus so this was a great friend honey day yeah he pretty much you pretty much ran things in Muncie well what there is to run well yeah why was a short career Jeff was it an animal house thing or was it at times it was yes at times even funnier yes I was wondering has anyone ever become abusively angry after you make a fool out of them on TV well you know I've been accused of making fools of people and certainly never my intention to do that and some people have been angered yeah but and I always feel very badly because it's an entertainment show and we're we're certainly not trying to hurt people's feelings unlike this broadcast do you do you go to the reason does he go to reunions at Ball State has a period of a couple of homecomings one in particular right now yeah that's right I was and that was under considerable duress and that caught the real real concern among certain members of the administration he was going to get up on stage and make fun of them oh yeah we certainly don't want that to happen Oh in yeah no go ahead come on Phil could you tell me where you your staff came up with mr. bud Melman where did they find that man he Larry as an actor he is I will say in his mid-60s and began acting full-time of a couple of years ago a very interesting man very interesting life and he had appeared in some student films done at NYU and some of our writers had used him in one of those and through that connection we hired him for our show I wanna know if they've kept in touch over the years or they just seen each other now this is the first time we've seen each other and I would guess two years but yeah two years I would think wouldn't you I ran into you on the street when you were a nursing Bob one afternoon yeah are you sitting there thinking of ways to get even with Phil for this no no that's not quite what I'm thinking are you planning on doing a book at some point I see no point in that I you know I don't I'm not sure I would even read that book so you have a special on Saturday that's right NBC better you better do your home well your work here well this is will be our third anniversary program and believe me no one is more surprised than I that we made it to three years and it will be 11:30 in the Saturday Night Live time slot this Saturday and we're very happy with the show and it will be a compilation of things that we've done over the the last three years and I think it'll be a pretty good broadcast yes ma'am did he ever think of having your space between your teeth fixed that that has been a Jeff has wondered that too for a long time haven't you Jeff I'm not gonna tell ya I I was telling a woman over here earlier I you know you grow up and you have you're just you and you don't realize things about you until somebody else points them out and one day this was in Los Angeles I was up for a television show that NBC was doing and they were going to hire me with the provision that I had my teeth fixed and I said fixed what what are they talking about and I went home and I looked in the mirror and from that point on I've been I realized immediately what they were talking about and right well I don't know about that but but thank you for that but it no I haven't considered having them change if you need a very good dentist I will get your son's name and we I won't forget and we'll be back in just a moment [Music] [Applause] [Music] Jeanne Poston retired former director productions broadripple high school and Jeffrey Lewis Sigma Chi what's not to love about these two thank you both for making this more fun for us in Brooklyn a space between the teeth is called race between the teeth they call it passionate teeth I got one oh yeah one too much great I'd like to know what the point of this was are we here to boost your ratings oh that's what I want to know - that's a very good question bill was kind enough to ask and I was certainly happy to oblige yes Dave not curious to know what you do for a relaxation thank you I do a lot of reading do a lot of running and pretty much it yes it seems as if it's been about 16 years since you've graduated and so forth your family proud of you are you proud of yourself provided and promotional fees paid by the following the Drake a landmark hotel in the heart of Manhattan for reservations outside of New York State call 800 DRA ke and Y in New York State called two one two four two one zero nine zero zero with a life expectancy of sixteen point five years this is the space vehicle that could transport you into the 21st century for fine cutlery made according to professional standards see the new Harvard cutlery collection at participating True Value Hardware stores and home centers how do you get to show yet we're on limousine no I Drive I know you join me in thanking all our guests and wishing David Letterman continued success [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause]

Channel: Don Giller

Views: 86,585

Keywords: David Letterman (Celebrity), Donahue, 1985

Id: s0KsV2jGKPM

Length: 46min 35sec (2795 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 28 2015