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Storyline
David Letterman's comedic talk-show after moving to a new television network. He retains largely the same format as the previous 'Late Night with David Letterman.'
Written by
Tad Dibbern <DIBBERN_D@a1.mscf.upenn.edu>
Plot Summary
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Taglines:
"There is no off position on the genius switch."
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Did You Know?
Trivia
On an early episode of the Late Show, this was 1993 and Dave had just made the jump from NBC, Dave invited Debra Winger on the show to promote her new movie "Wilder Napalm." Debra had a longstanding rivalry with former Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter. Carter eventually married businessman Robert Altman, who himself got caught up in BCCI banking scandal and had to appear in those hearings. On March 30, 1993 the BCCI trial opened in New York City, and Lynda attended the hearings every day, sitting behind Robert with his family to give him support. As this was happening, Lynda's former Wonder Woman co-star, Debra Winger, who played Lynda's sister Wonder Girl on that series in 1976-1977, appeared on CBS's "Late Show with Dave Letterman" to promote her 1993 romantic comedy "Wilder Napalm". On the David Letterman episode Debra reminisced about her Wonder Woman days and also teased co-star Lynda Carter and her husband about the BCCI scandal. At the end of the episode Debra disrobes from the formal dress she is wearing and runs out of the studio wearing her Wonder Girl costume, as Paul Schaffer and his band plays the Wonder Woman theme song, and the audience cheers. You can watch this episode and Debra's Wonder Girl antics on Youtube.
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Quotes
David Letterman:
[
during a typically silly comedy skit]
This is the only thing on CBS right now...
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"Late show with David Letterman" is in many ways superior to other talk shows in late night television. Even if Letterman is the main focus, and often tends to act a bit egocentric, he still (or perhaps it`s more correct to say that the writing does) includes many of the crew members in the sketches. This gives the show an excellent flavour of diversity, and make it even more outrageous and entertaining. The writing is very original and innovative, and is able to grasp with current events in a clever, and at the same time, plain crazy way that will make you burst out in laughter.
But of course, the most important person is Dave himself, a highly individual host with his own, unique style. He is by all due respect not a very good stand up comedian, and might sometimes seem quite uncomfortable delivering his jokes in the opening monologue, but he is well aware that this is not his strength, and keep it to a minimum, 3 or 4 minutes (as a comparison, Jay Leno`s monologues last for 10 minutes) Also considered harsh, sarcastic and unpredictable, Letterman is not loved by everyone, and these traits might sometimes make him a bit unhuman, but at the same time, his unpredictability is also his genius, and what makes him stand out from his fellowships.
His greatest strength is his exceptional ability to ad lib and deliver funny comments to almost any situation, and that is why the writing includes a lot of segments where the camera is capturing the life and people in New York City. In this way, Letterman can easily comment on what he observes and ask silly questions to the people on camera, and the fun will soon appear. Despite his reputation as a bad boy, he is a great ironic, and is able to joke with himself in a way that most comedians can`t. Still, he is just not goofing around all the time, and might appear quite serious when he is interviewing his guests with curios questions, especially those who have something to say.(unfortunately, not many do)
The music director Paul Shaffer plays a major part in the show, and functions as Lettermans sidekick with his funny, and some times not very well thought comments(and yes, i agree, he sometimes looks as a parody in his flamboyant suits) Their relationship is extremely established, and their chemistry is also fabulous, so it`s unthinkable to imagine anyone else as the music director. So, if you wan`t to watch a very special and imaginative talk show with a touch of pure genius, "The late show" is the right vehicle. And if you haven`t become a regular viewer yet, you better hurry up, because it`s hard to say for how long David will keep going. By all means, im not a prophet, but i will guarantee you that David Letterman is too unique to be replaced. Watch the show regularly, and you will understand what i mean.