Staff Favorite Moments: Kathy Mavrikakis On Joaquin Phoenix, Bill Murray And More | Letterman

hi i'm kathy mavrikakis and i started working  at late night with david letterman as an intern   in 1985. became receptionist and worked my way  up the ladder until 30 years later at the ed   sullivan theater i ended as a supervising  producer here are some of my favorite and   some complicated moments from my 30 years at  late night and late show with david letterman   i had a couple memorable appearances on the late  night show one of them was as sister kathy and   i was with father guido sarducci as we  brought the vatican zoo to see dave and so   i kept carrying like little kittens and little  like really lame animals out dressed as a nun   and i was sister kathy to father biff we're  sick of you kicking our butts all the time   and this time we're gonna kick your butt  looks like i haven't got a prayer drop it punk   ah thanks sir sister kathy now maybe you'd like  to join me in a little tag-team butt-kicking but now now it's tag team butt kicking yeah yeah  yeah there's a little a new little character there   yes it's sister sister yeah that's right  now let me ask you something would you   say that sister kathy is also tough but  tender well it seems to me that she's more   more more devout but dangerous ah i see  developed by dangerous didn't you think   though that shane easton was terrific as sister  cat i certainly did one of my favorite appearances   was with chris elliott and jerry mulligan  in chris and jerry say let's have babies   and i played a pregnant woman who went into labor  while they were making us do an aerobics class   okay now let's get up on our feet and you at  home do the same and what i'm gonna do is take   you through the relaxation exercises that you  can utilize in the final moments of childbirth   and with me and around about we go we go  round about we go that's it and hop up down   up and down and so mr elliot yeah i think i'm  gonna have my baby now well that's kind of a   problem because this part of the tape just deals  with relaxation exercises so we're probably gonna   have to go okay in a row do you have a phone  i can use uh honey not my phone i'm expecting   a call you can use there's a phone booth down  by burger king i can use that one okay let's go   and we're gonna hop again and up okay let's  breathe let's not forget to breathe okay you   girls keep doing that i gotta take a rest oh  when we were seeing how many bunnies can climb   into a fountain and of course we went over to  the rockefeller center plaza fountains and we   were waiting there to get into the fountains and a  security guard said shut off these cameras you're   not allowed to shoot here i'm going to call the  police and we just kept following the director's   instructions and standing there in our bunny  costumes and then john goodman shows up because   dave said to him do you want to go get in the  fountain with the bunnies and he said yeah and he   you know you know i'm not going to say anything he  was in a very good mood that night and got up on   the edge of the fountain and dove and i mean dove  in this much water and somehow it was okay we saw   the police starting to come up sixth avenue and  we literally got in the vans and came back to the   theater all soaking wet but we were not arrested  that night you know there's a guy who don't care   oh he just don't care you know no no no he's  gonna get hurt uh he's gonna get hurt please john joaquin phoenix came on the show in character  for a movie that he was doing and he was dressed   crazy and he was chewing gum and he stuck the gum  under dave's desk and it was really really fun   but then he used the clips of that appearance in  the movie that he was creating at that time he   maybe brushed with the idea of asking us  permission but never really got permission   from dave to use clips of the show so  when he came on to promote the movie   dave would not stop talking about him  using the clips without permission   and at one point he actually says to joaquin  phoenix i'm going to get mavrockis after you and i'm a threat then you know using my name  is a threat so i now i want some money because we get a call one day and they say it's  the film company magnolia movies or whatever you   call it and they say we just want to let you know  that we want to get your approval that we're using   a duck face in the uh promotion for the film  and we say well what are you talking about he   said well he's going to be in the the trailers  that run on the coming attractions and they said   well no we never said it and they said oh yeah  and also he's in the film so what we never said   nobody ever asked us if dave was going to be in  the film you have to license this out give us   the the license fee and they said that's the last  we heard so then then we went to the lawyers and   the lawyer said yeah you can if you want you  could probably sue these people and then your   attorney said no it's fair use because it's  a documentary well hoo-ha guess what it's no   documentary it was a it was a theatrical ruse  right okay yes so and i'm in it and i'm in it   and as you mentioned here at a pivotal point  in the film where oh my god what has happened   what has happened i go to the show and letterman  crushes me oh my life is over my career what have   i done what have i done what have i done well  now you owe me a million bucks a million bucks   a million dollars we've made 75 cents on this  that's not my problem that's not my problem   all of the promotion you got from being on  here that night when you were you know when   your doctor drew oh my god all of that's worth  something that's free publicity so we want a   little something for that and then and my  talent fee you know it's not my first rodeo   i'd like a little taste of this as well so  you and casey get together with your little   buddy and come up with a million that's all  i'm asking okay how many minutes is the film   i have no idea who's no no like an hour and  a half um okay feels like it's seven hours   uh i'm in five minutes at a pivotal moment i i  i am the day new ma can can you call my agent   no i'm not calling anybody this is no no no no  no i don't talk to people on the phone we are it's you and me right here okay fine mano amano  hey don't make me call mavrockis okay listen   i loved all the times i went on  to the show and and told dave off   i mean i think the staff just loved  them but my favorite appearance was   right after the fatwa was named against dave i  came on and interrupted him at the monologue mark oh god hi kathy this is a supervising  producer kathy mavrococcus hi is everything   all right yeah i'm sorry i don't mean  to be interrupting whatever you're doing   but the stat the staff is very concerned about  the fatwa threat oh that's that's very nice   that's really kind of them but please don't worry  uh i'm fine and i think everything's gonna be fine   so but thank you again right but the concern is  that say the jihadist cuts your tongue out today   will we continue to be paid through the whole week i i don't think that's been discussed okay  but we've come up with a plan to run a bunch   of repeats for a month after you've  been killed or maimed you want a copy   yeah sure thanks okay great i just want to keep  you in the loop all right okay watch your back my best to manny about a year after 9 11 we wanted to do something   big because it was september it was premiere and  we wanted to have fireworks off the top of the   marquee and the roof we're going to  do something a little bit later in the   program we have the fireworks do you  like fireworks who does it everybody and and i and i believe they're going to be  set off on the roof of the ed sullivan theater   building and and fireworks as you know when you  see them in person there's nothing better than   fireworks it's just your your jaw will literally  drop open it's stirring and and at the end of   fireworks friends will close your door for you now  on on television honestly fireworks who cares but turn on the thing up there on the roof and let  me show you what's going to happen up there   this is the roof of the other side look at how  beautiful it is new york city in the nighttime   and then we got here's where they're going to  be there's where they're going to be shooting   them off those things right there look at  that that display of fireworks right there   that should last i'm going to guess it's  going to last about 20 25 seconds and   when you're when you as you pass out uh cbs  pages will close your jaws for you when we did it   it was beautiful the whole building lit up with  fiery sparks and the roof looked like it was   exploding and it was beautiful but right after  i left there was a huge crowd of people from   all over the neighborhood as far over as 57th  street coming to the theater to scream because   they thought we were being attacked again and the  mayor's office the next day just basically said   you are never going to have any detonations in  new york city again that is it are you ready i   think so can we just go up there and do it now  okay let's take a look here you go fireworks that was great i was very good and you said it  would be nothing i want fireworks every night one   of my very best favorite moments from appearing  on the show was with bill murray there was always   like a meeting in bill's dressing room before you  did it and um very little rehearsal because bill   always claimed he'd show up for a rehearsal but  then never really did i played somebody who was   kind of looking like a little bit like sarah palin  but wasn't and it was a town hall meeting and bill   murray had the microphone and was trying to ask if  people would vote for dave and um then ultimately   i wound up getting the microphone and the joke  and it was it was really fun hello hi bill   yeah here i come hi my name is linda sullivan  and i'd like to know how soon will this be over   you're uh you're very attractive young lady you're  uh kind of remind me of that uh kodiak cutie   what's her name yeah you know i'm thinking about  say uh you married yes you from a swing state hey wait a minute just a minute ladies and  gentlemen i'm just wondering uh if perhaps   you're ready for a change well if i had my  choice i'd rather have a beer with that one wow wow that's uh hey how about that thanks  linda that's very flattering thank you you   know and second thought you're both so creepy i  i i'm leaving is the exit this way is it this way   can i go oh is anyone else with me you're going  let's go all right just remember to vote thank you   yeah thanks thanks for coming thanks for coming  everybody thanks for coming just remember the book that was good bill yeah that was  that was kind of fun kind of yeah

Channel: Letterman

Views: 48,901

Keywords: letterman, david letterman, dave letterman, interview, letterman interview, letterman official, letterman late show, letterman late night, late night, stupid pet tricks, stupid human tricks, top ten, late show, top ten list

Id: ATBWmGMurhM

Length: 13min 51sec (831 seconds)

Published: Tue May 17 2022