Late Night or Late Show with David Letterman?
- Thread starter Amasov
- Start date
Dave always seemed way edgier and hard-edged at 12:30. His act was, more or less, the same at 11:30, but not as harsh, let's say, at that time.
I loved that moment in 1985/6 when Dave stormed the GE building (shortly after the company purchased NBC) with a fruit basket and camera crew to meet his new "co-workers." Things like that seemed to vanish when he moved to earlier in the night.
I loved that moment in 1985/6 when Dave stormed the GE building (shortly after the company purchased NBC) with a fruit basket and camera crew to meet his new "co-workers." Things like that seemed to vanish when he moved to earlier in the night.
There is no question, for me. Late Night with David Letterman was one of the most groundbreaking and influential shows of the past 30 years. I went through high school on five hours sleep because I couldn't stand to miss it. The Late Show is still good, but it's much more conventional, and the large theater is not as conducive to the intimate atmosphere and in-jokes of the NBC show.
There was not as much stuff like that after around 1987 when Late Night went to five shows a week instead of four. A lot of the taped peices they had done on Mondays suffered. Dave becoming more well-known in the late '80s had an effect, too, because he couldn't do the remote things with people on the street himself. For the first few years he could go anywhere with a camera and most people had no idea who he was. They just thought he was some strange, obnoxious guy and reacted accordingly.
--Justin
There was not as much stuff like that after around 1987 when Late Night went to five shows a week instead of four. A lot of the taped peices they had done on Mondays suffered. Dave becoming more well-known in the late '80s had an effect, too, because he couldn't do the remote things with people on the street himself. For the first few years he could go anywhere with a camera and most people had no idea who he was. They just thought he was some strange, obnoxious guy and reacted accordingly.
--Justin
He has the best talk show ever. I love the fuck this cheap shit show, I'm going to have fun!
Same here. In that way, Ferguson's show is a lot like Letterman's was back on NBC - a kind of "hey this is just tee-vee, so who cares" attitude.
^ Those were awesome. I started watching Dave in 1985 and it was an amazing, funny, irreverent, creative show, especially when held against the comparatively staid Tonight Show of the same era. (I do love Johnny Carson, so no flames please - Dave was just very fresh and different, ideal for my teenage mindset). I taped Dave every night and watched it the next day after school. So many great bits - Chis Elliott's various characters, Larry Bud, the various Cams (e.g. Monkey Cam), the Velcro/Rice-Krispy/Alka-Seltzer suits, hassling various folks in the studio down the hall, chucking stuff off a 5-story tower, crushing stuff with the hydraulic press, and heckling the Today show's outdoor episode: "My name is Lawrence Grossman, I'm president of NBC news, and I'm not wearing pants!"
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3R8aoPyGyc[/yt]
I still watch Dave and enjoy him, but the show just doesn't compare. The early years of the Late Show still had some of the Late Night wackiness (e.g. Dave working the drive-in window), but they hardly seem to do anything like that anymore. But, I tend to only watch on Fridays so perhaps there's stuff I'm missing.
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3R8aoPyGyc[/yt]
I still watch Dave and enjoy him, but the show just doesn't compare. The early years of the Late Show still had some of the Late Night wackiness (e.g. Dave working the drive-in window), but they hardly seem to do anything like that anymore. But, I tend to only watch on Fridays so perhaps there's stuff I'm missing.
Craig Ferguson's show is the best there is. His interviews are outstanding. He actually cares for his guests.
Late Night was much better than the Late Show. Of course my formative years were 1983 - 1990 and I rarely missed Late Night.
Dave now-a-days is just a grumpy old man.
I agree with everyone that Craig Ferguson's show is the best out there right now, but I'll still put the old Late Night with David Letterman over Ferguson.
Dave now-a-days is just a grumpy old man.
I agree with everyone that Craig Ferguson's show is the best out there right now, but I'll still put the old Late Night with David Letterman over Ferguson.
Dave's done three shows and The David Letterman Show was awesome.
