Vintage David Letterman (1987) - Late Night Thrill-Cam 1 of 3

Late Night with David Letterman late 1987. Letterman does his Top Ten list, "What's Hal Wearing" and the Late Night Thrill-Cam. On part 2 he orders out to a Brazilian Coffee House for some flan. Part 3 is very funny, he has a lady on with her two monkeys. One of the monkeys does not care very much for Letterman and keeps trying to attack him. In parts 2 and 3 there's some 1987 commercials, one of them has Joe Piscopo doing a Miller Light Beer commercial.

Late Night with David Letterman was a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to the Late Show on CBS. Late Night with Conan O'Brien then filled the time slot.

In 1991, the show's three production companies — Carson Productions, Worldwide Pants, and NBC Productions — were awarded a Peabody Award, which cited the following: In the past ten years, one show has moved to the position of the leader in late night television in creativity, humor, and innovation. That program is Late Night With David Letterman. As one member of the Peabody Board remarked, "David Letterman is a born broadcaster." He is also a savvy co-executive producer. Along with co-executive producer Jack Rollins, producer Robert Morton, director Hal Gurnee, and musical director Paul Shaffer, Mr. Letterman has surrounded himself with exceptional talent and given them the go-ahead to experiment with the television medium. Particularly noteworthy is the work of head writer Steve O'Donnell and his talented staff. Together, the "Late Night" team manages to take one of TV's most conventional and least inventive forms — the talk show — and infuse it with freshness and imagination. For television programming which, at its best, is evocative of the greats, from Your Show of Shows, to The Steve Allen Show, and The Ernie Kovacs Show, a Peabody to Late Night With David Letterman.

The program ran four nights a week, Monday to Thursday, from the show's premiere in February 1982 until May 1987 from 12:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Friday shows were added in June 1987 (NBC previously, aired Friday Night Videos in the 12:30 a.m. slot with occasional Late Night specials and reruns). Starting in September 1991, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was pushed back from 11:30 p.m. to 11:35 p.m., with Letterman starting at 12:35 a.m., at the request of NBC affiliates who wanted more advertising time for their profitable late newscasts (though Letterman had a different reason for the delay: "With the extra five minutes, I will make certain that my make-up is absolutely perfect!").

Category:

Comedy

Tags:

• vintage
• david
• letterman
• late
• night
• with
• monkey
• thrill
• cam
• top
• ten
• list
• old
• classic
• tv
• show

[BucketFurter]

These were the days when it was still kind of 'underground' to like this show. The best time.

Would somebody please post the whole 'Upstairs' show where it's just Dave & the staff in their offices, with Teri Garr? For that matter, could people post more Dave & Teri clips in general? Thx

[jbranstetter04]

Teri Garr? I remember Teri Garr. I will look in my archives.

[worm082]

that shot of the WTC is really spooky  now.

[hgates101]

...to see what Hal is wearing........its an old Letterman joke that you wouldnt get unless you watched him back in the 80's

[duckab234]

NBC Orchestra? I thought they were "The World's Most Dangerous Band" until the move to CBS...

[Jontehmannen]

HE HAD HAIR?

[Gossage54]

This is the Letterman I remember, funny and edgy. The show had that underground feel I love Late Night pre 1990. Check out some Harvey Pekar spots to see some great spontaneous TV as well.

[ptcrescent12]

TV shows in stereo, was a big thing back then. (LOL)

[whitewitchoz]

This is good quality video....if you didn't have cable back then this was the best thing on TV in that time slot...it had a hip underground feel to it........Damn I feel like I'm 14 again !

[cavalierfan1995]

i still love the time they tested the jumbo screen at shea stadium does anybody have that?

[abehammy]

@lukasnummer1 Yeah but looking at some clips from his old NBC show, I wish I could have been around then to have witnessed it on tv.

[lukasnummer1]

@inrwizards You´re so right. It´s wrong when people always say "this is back when letterman was funny..." or something like that just to critisize. When he´s got a guest he can destroy (like Hilton) or a great one he likes he hasn´t lost a bit, I think. Even Shakespeare said: "The hair that God takes from you during your life, he´ll give you back as humour." Maybe he meant Dave ;-).

[crazy360playa]

letterman is the true successor of johnny carson

[inrwizards]

daves still the man. he has a family, had heart surgery and is in his 60s and yet hes still got it. watch his interviews with joaquin pheonix, paris hilron, the time mccain canceled and the sarah palin joke and u ll see. it also helps when hes got an interesting guest that helps his energy, at this point hes had so many guests its hard to impress him