Tonight, we bid farewell to David Letterman after 33 years on Late Night Television.
I was there for the first year of Late Night w/ David Letterman on NBC in 1982. As a devotee at 11 years old to Johnny Carson, Dave was a nice contrast. The two titans were from the Mid-West. One had a playful persona on air (Carson), and one had a cranky persona (Dave).
It took awhile to get a handle on Dave's humor, but something interesting was there. As he started to spread his wings and get comfortable, Dave proved to be very adept at bringing edgy comedy to the masses, and my generation loved him for it.
In 1986, GE bought NBC. Dave thought it would be nice to head over to GE Headquarters with a fruit basket. Hilarity ensued. This kind of Daredevil comedy was something new to network TV. I was hooked.
Dave also had guests on that Johnny wouldn't touch. Back to the Future's Crispin Glover was on the show, and his antics frightened Dave to leave the set on-air. This moment was early in my VCR usage, and I wore out the tape on this moment.
I hear from many people that they didn't like Dave because he was mean. I never really found him to be that way. He just didn't care for celebrities who were on his show just to push a show or album. He had no tolerance for people who didn't bring anything to the table. That's why he loved having Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Jim Carrey, and many others on multiple times, because they always brought all they had on their appearances.
The Dave I know isn't mean, he's a generous, kind, and yes cranky man. The moment I think of immediately is when he had Dan Rather on the Late Show just after 9/11. Dan Rather started to cry. Any other host, or TV person would keep talking to Dan on-air to milk the moment. Dave went straight to commercial to give Dan time to recollect himself. That is a man who cares more about people, than about ratings.
Thanks Dave
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