“Sunday Best” on Netflix Tells the Fascinating Story of Ed Sullivan

 

Recently I watched one of the best documentaries I have seen in years. I knew very little about Ed Sullivan and his show, since he went off the air 2 years after I was born. When I think of his show, I think of the iconic appearances by The Beatles in the 1960s and Elvis in the 1950s. I have seen clips of The Doors and The Rolling Stones appearing on his show as well. Censorship played a role on this show. Elvis was to be shot only from the waist up, due to his gyrating hips. The Doors were instructed to change the lyric “Girl we couldn’t get much higher” to “Girl, we couldn’t get much better.” Jim Morrison originally said he would do this, but on the show he sang the original lyric, which was viewed as a drug reference. The Doors were banned from doing the show again. The Rolling Stones were told not to sing “Let’s spend the night together” and change it to “Let’s spend some time together.” Mich Jagger gave in, but he rolled his eyes as he sang the sanitized lyrics.  For 23 years, from 1948 to 1971, The Ed Sullivan Show yielded high ratings for CBS, every Sunday night.

Sullivan was born in Harlem New York in 1901. At that point, the neighborhood was largely Jewish and Irish, with Sullivan being the latter. These groups faced discrimination, and Sullivan was one who wanted to stick up for the underdog during his lifetime.

He worked as a newspaper columnist and a radio host before getting into television. His delivery on television was awkward, but he gained a following as someone who provided a forum for all people via his variety show. Many comedians did impressions of his unique posture and peculiar way of talking, including John Byner, Rich Little, Johnny Carson and Joan Rivers.

Even when it was controversial in the 1950s, especially in the Southern states, Sullivan welcomed many black performers to his stage. Over the years, his show featured Bo Diddley, Fats Domino, Nat King Cole, Harry Belafonte, Pearl Bailey and Motown artists such as Stevie Wonder, The Jackson Five and The Supremes. Sullivan said he despised intolerance since as an Irish Catholic he had faced that in his life. So, Sullivan was an important figure in the civil rights movement.

Sullivan’s show went off the air in 1971 and he died in 1974. His venue was named the Ed Sullivan Theater and was the home of David Letterman and Stephen Colbert’s late-night programs.

 

 

 

 

Worldwide Pants

 

For David Letterman’s morning show (1980), that was produced by a company called Space Age Meats. (Letterman always seemed to have a meat obsession). On his CBS Late Show he did a segment called “Know Your Cuts of Meat.” Space Age Meats is also credited with producing Letterman’s NBC show Late Night with David Letterman from 1982-1990. This was produced in partnership with NBC and Carson Productions. Founded in 1991, Worldwide Pants was responsible for co-producing the final two years of Letterman’s Late-Night show (1991-1993) along with NBC and Carson Productions.
Letterman’s 1993 contract had some things in common with Johnny Carson’s 1980 contract. Carson Productions gave Johnny ownership of his show and projects made by the company (Amen and The Big Chill being two examples). With ownership of his Late Show and other programs, Letterman had many projects to contribute to building his wealth. Other than Late Show with David Letterman, the most successful Worldwide Pants show was Everybody Loves Raymond, starring Ray Romano (1996-2005). Letterman had Romano on his Late Show and wanted to base a sitcom around his life. This was co-produced with HBO Independent Productions and creator/executive producer Phil Rosenthal’s company, Where’s Lunch. The company tried to produce two programs with Bonnie Hunt, The Building (1993) and Bonnie (2015). Both were short lived. Worldwide Pants produced The Late Late Show which had different hosts, including Tom Snyder (1995-1999), Craig Kilborn (1999-2004) and Craig Ferguson (2005-2014). The program Ed was produced from 2000-2004 and aired on NBC. HBO shows produced by Letterman’s company include The High Life (1996) and Foo Fighters Sonic Highways (2014). Netflix shows include The Fundamentals of Caring (2016), My Next Guest Needs No Introduction (2018-present) and That’s My Time with David Letterman (2022). That’s my Time was a great showcase for young up-and-coming comics. Three shows were produced for PBS in conjunction with Sesame Workshop. The Knights of Prosperity was produced for ABC in 2007. In 2024, TBS aired a Worldwide Pants show called Stupid Pet Tricks, a program that was based on a Letterman staple from his Late Night and Late Show. It was hosted by Sarah Silverman.
Other crazy names for Letterman production companies over the years included: Cardboard Shoe Productions, United States Chemical Cheese Productions and Recreational Poultry Productions.

*Some information from Wikipedia and latenighter.com. 

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction

 

When Johnny Carson retired from The Tonight Show in 1992, people wondered what his next project would be. Besides brief appearances with David Letterman, a Kennedy Center Honors Award and a Bob Hope special, he disappeared. Johnny passed away 13 years later, in 2005. When David Letterman retired from his CBS Late Show in 2015, people thought that Letterman would pull the same disappearing act as his idol, Carson. Thankfully, that did not happen, and David Letterman has kept active with various projects. He is still a co-owner of the Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Indy racing team. Since growing up in Indianapolis, he has been a die-hard auto racing fan. He appeared at the “Netflix is a Joke” Comedy Festival in Los Angeles. He makes regular appearances on his official You Tube page, being interviewed by longtime producers Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay. Plus, he has released several seasons of his Netflix show “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.” Since 2018, Letterman has released 5 seasons and 28 episodes. The tagline for the show is “His beard is big. His guests are bigger.” The show has been nominated for a primetime Emmy five times. Its theme song was written and performed by Letterman’s longtime band leader, Paul Shaffer.  This show demonstrates Letterman’s top notch interviewing skills. Even if the viewer is not interested in a specific guest, Letterman makes it fascinating.

His two most recent guests were Miley Cyrus and Charles Barkley. At age 77, David Letterman is no spring chicken. People have suggested that he return to daily TV, or even have a weekly show, perhaps filling in for Jimmy Kimmel, who looks up to Dave like Letterman looked up to Carson. At his stage in life, Dave probably wants a show like he has on Netflix, where he can call the shots and decide how busy he will be. No doubt, he does not need the money. His net worth is a staggering $400 million.

The show is refreshing since Letterman interviews people of all ages and disciplines. It would be easy for him to stick with people only from his age group and talk with nothing but comedians. But he has talked with people much younger than himself who would appeal to a youthful demographic. Examples include: Lizzo, Cardi B, Tiffany Haddish, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and Billie Eilish. That is not to say that he has not interviewed more “seasoned” guests, such as: George Clooney, Howard Stern, Robert Downey Jr, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jerry Seinfeld. In 2018, Letterman interviewed President Barack Obama for this program. That was his first interview since leaving the White House.

His interview with Miley Cyrus had Dave talking with Miley’s mother and sitting with her as Cyrus performed at the legendary Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles.

When he talked with NBA great Charles Barkley, Dave joined him on the golf course and Charles showed Dave around the TBS studios where he acts as an NBA analyst. Letterman joined Barkley and his cohorts on TBS to discuss the current state of the NBA. Dave talked with Barkley’s co-hosts on the NBA show, including Shaquille O’Neal.

It’s refreshing since the show is not just Letterman sitting in a studio interviewing a guest for an hour, although he could make that interesting. Each show is partially in studio and partially on location. It is nice to see Letterman in a long form interview format where he does not need to break for commercials every few minutes like he did with his shows on CBS and NBC.

In 2022, Letterman did another project for Netflix, called “That’s My Time with David Letterman.” This show consisted of six episodes, recorded at the “Netflix is a Joke” comedy festival in Los Angeles. Each episode featured a comedian doing a stand-up set with Letterman briefly interviewing them afterwards. In 2023, Disney Plus released a show called “Bono and the Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman.” This show had Letterman interviewing the duo from then legendary band U2 in their hometown of Dublin, Ireland. Bono and The Edge performed some of their iconic songs, reimagined.

Without a doubt, Letterman will be remembered as one of the icons of late-night television, like his idol, Johnny Carson. 

*Some information from Wikipedia and imdb. 

Bob Newhart: The Master of Dry, Subtle Humor

Comedy legend Bob Newhart just turned 86 years old. There are very few showbiz personalities of his generation that are still around. Some that come to mind are Jerry Lewis and Don Rickles. For over 50 years, Newhart has been a beloved star of television, film and standup comedy. He has always had a calm demeanor, and he delivers his jokes with a quiet subtlety. He is not an over-the-top wacky goofball comic like Jerry Lewis or Martin Short. He can say a lot with just a few words and a deadpan expression on his face. In this way he is similar to one of his idols, Jack Benny. He is known as a clean comedian who does not find it necessary to resort to using profanity. He has released 10 comedy albums. Some may not be surprised that before hitting it big in comedy, he worked as an accountant. He has the analytical, serious personality of one who would work well with numbers.

One odd fact is that he starred in 3 different TV shows that bore his name. Okay, technically 4 shows, but the details on the first show, from 1961-62, are sketchy. IMDB says that he appeared in 8 episodes. But, there are writing credits for 15-18 episodes. The premiere of each show after that was 10 years apart.

In 1972 he launched The Bob Newhart Show (142 episodes). He played a Chicago psychologist named Bob Hartley. The subject matter made for fertile comedy material, focusing on his odd patients and their psychological struggles. This show was a big break for co-stars Suzanne Pleshette and Marcia Wallace.

In 1982 he starred in Newhart (184 episodes). He played the owner of an Inn in Vermont named Dick Louden. His co-stars included Mary Frann, Peter Scolari (who did Bosom Buddies with Tom Hanks) and Tom Poston. Some may recall the quirky trio of Larry, Daryl and Daryl.

In 1992 he starred in Bob (33 episodes), where he played Bob McKay, a cartoonist. This was the shortest lived of his TV shows that bore his name. Various celebrities appeared on the show such as Betty White, Tom Poston, Lisa Kudrow and Steven Wright.

He was a favorite guest of Johnny Carson on his NBC Tonight Show. Newhart was Johnny's frequent guest host, filling in for Johnny a staggering 87 times. After Jack Paar left the show in 1962, Newhart was considered as his replacement, but the job went to Carson. Groucho Marx and Jackie Gleason were also in the running to host the iconic late night show.

In the 1960s Newhart appeared on shows hosted by some of entertainment's biggest stars. He appeared on shows hosted by Judy Garland, The Smothers Brothers, Andy Williams, Perry Como, Dean Martin, Ed Sullivan and Jackie Gleason. He appeared on Dean Martin's show 24 times.

In more recent years he has appeared on a variety of TV shows including The Simpsons, Murphy Brown, Saturday Night Live, ER, NCIS, The Big Bang Theory and Hot in Cleveland.

Newhart has been married to his wife Ginny since 1963, and they have four children.


* Some information from imdb.com.

After 33 Years in Late Night, Letterman Says Good Bye

David Letterman has completed 6,028 shows and he surpassed his hero, Johnny Carson. Johnny worked in late night for 30 years and Dave beat that by 3 years.

Many times, the final episode of an iconic show leaves us disappointed, wanting more. We get our hopes up and we feel let down. That was not the case with this show. It was thoroughly satisfying. It was the right mix of humor, sentimentality, celebrity guests, looking back on classic moments, a lot of gratitude and music.

Last night's finale began with former president Gerald Ford and his quote about Richard Nixon "Our long national nightmare is over". Other presidents chimed in with their renditions of that phrase, in reference to Letterman's show ending.

The star studded top 10 list was a highlight of the night. The category was "The top 10 things I always wanted to say to Dave". The celebrities included:

Alec Baldwin
Barbara Walters
Steve Martin
Jerry Seinfeld
Jim Carrey
Chris Rock
Julia Louis Dreyfus
Peyton Manning (Dave seemed star struck by the athlete)
Tina Fey
Bill Murray

The show had a video that showed a day in the life of Letterman, behind-the-scenes. It showed him arriving in the morning, meeting with writers and producers, chatting with the audience and taping the show. Carson did something similar on his last show.

Dave showed old clips of him with kids and his stint at working the drive through window at Taco Bell. The Taco Bell bit along with his bits with Rupert Jee going undercover and bothering people are some of the best moments from his career. The past several years, he has limited himself to comedy bits in the studio as a rule. Many feel that his show has become stale as time went by at CBS, and it has lacked the edginess that he once had.

Letterman acknowledged his crew and their role in the success of the show. Some may have expected an emotional show but overall it was not. Dave was clearly moved by having his wife and son there and regarding them, he said "Nothing else matters".

Some of the clips and photos were from his days at NBC. After leaving the peacock network in 1993, they did not let him take some of his bits to CBS, calling them the intellectual property of NBC. It is good that NBC gave the ok to use some footage from his old show in his final CBS show. He even had clips from his short-lived NBC morning show.

Dave said a simple "Thank you and good night". The Foo Fighters played one of Dave's favorite songs and the closing credits had pictures of the staff members.

James Corden began his Late Late Show with a tribute to Dave as he featured Sting singing in front of Letterman's New York theatre. He then had Reggie Watts and the band play their version of Letterman's theme song. For his monologue, Corden mentioned how Dave had influenced him and others. He felt honored to follow Dave's final show. It was a classy tribute.

Johnny Carson was legendary and Letterman borrowed a lot from him. He also had Steve Allen (the original Tonight Show host) as a significant influence. I have watched Letterman since high school. For many years it was my dream to work behind-the-scenes in late night. It's a unique television genre with a mix of stand up comedy, funny taped bits, celebrities and music. It's the end of an era.

Paul Shaffer said it best with his final words to Dave: "You changed our lives. We loved every minute of it".

*Photos are courtesy of Late Show Facebook page.

The Career of Comedy Legend Dick Van Dyke

Recently I read Dick Van Dyke's autobiography "My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business". He turns 90 this year and he has had quite an amazing career as an actor, singer and dancer.

He narrated the audio version of his book and I was struck by the fact that he is an introspective man who is religious and cerebral. He often has questioned the meaning of life throughout his journey here on earth. He has had times where he went through an identity crisis, wondering about what he should do with his life. He has considered other careers but ultimately returned to his love of performing.

Early in his career he took jobs as a radio announcer and also worked in local TV in Atlanta and New Orleans.

His pivotal role came in 1961, when Carl Reiner cast him as the lead role in a sitcom he created. He beat out Johnny Carson for the role of Rob Petrie on what later became The Dick Van Dyke Show. Reiner saw Van Dyke in a Broadway performance of Bye Bye Birdie. Reiner had worked with Sid Caesar on the groundbreaking comedy program Your Show of Shows. The Dick Van Dyke show aired from 1961-1966 on CBS. 158 episodes aired in total over the 5 seasons. Van Dyke played Rob Petrie, a comedy TV writer. His wife was played by Mary Tyler Moore. In the book, Van Dyke talked with pride about their collaboration. The show also starred Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie. The show remains timeless and still has a following to this day. No pop culture or political references ensured that the show could stand the test of time. Garry Marshall wrote for many episodes and later he created Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. Van Dyke spoke fondly of his co-star Morey Amsterdam. He had a background in Vaudeville and he actually worked in a Chicago speak easy owned by mobster Al Capone. Amsterdam was a brilliant comic who had a joke for every situation. He was also a musician who wrote words for the theme song for the Dick Van Dyke show. Amsterdam was a financial wiz who was always studying the stock quotes when not working on the show. After the first season, the Dick Van Dyke show was almost cancelled. It was consistently being beat in the ratings by the Perry Como show. After 5 seasons, Van Dyke wanted to continue the show. But, Reiner wanted to go out on top, fearing that the show may get stale.

As a physical comedian, Van Dyke idolized his predecessors such as Stan Laurel of Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. He was honored to perform the eulogies at the funerals of Laurel and Keaton in the 1960s.

Van Dyke met with Walt Disney to discuss doing the film Mary Poppins (1964). He was enthralled by the story and the music. Working with Julie Andrews was amazing and the film was a watershed moment in his life. "I thought Walt Disney hired me because I was such a great singer and dancer. As it turns out, he had heard me in an interview talking about what was happening to family entertainment. I was decrying the fact that it seemed like no holds were barred anymore in entertainment . . . That's why he called me in, because I said something he agreed with. And I got the part".

In the 1970s he entered rehab for an addiction to alcohol. He also had to give up cigarettes due to signs of emphysema. He teamed up with the legendary Carol Burnett on her show and they did a play together.

In 1993 he appeared in an episode of the ABC sitcom Coach, which featured his brother Jerry Van Dyke.

From 1993-2002, he starred in the crime/mystery drama Diagnosis Murder as Dr. Mark Sloan. It co-starred Victoria Rowell, his son Barry Van Dyke, and Charlie Schlatter. He felt strongly that the show needed to be a wholesome program, with no overt sex or violence. people tried to re-tool the show and make it more "hip" but this angered Van Dyke. In his 70s, Van Dyke was the computer graphics specialist for the show.

In 2004 at age 79, there was a final reunion version of the Dick Van Dyke show. It was a curtain call for the cast.

At age 80, Van Dyke was a cast member in the film A Night at the Museum with Ben Stiller.

Spanning a career that has lasted over 5 decades, Van Dyke is still working. He has become a fan of barbershop style singing and regularly performs this style of music.

* Information from imdb.com and the book "My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business" by Dick Van Dyke.

More Late Night TV Changes

Tonight is the premiere of British comic James Corden as the fourth host of the CBS Late Late Show. Last year we saw the debut of Jimmy Fallon as the new host of NBC's The Tonight Show after Jay Leno left. We also had announcements of David Letterman leaving CBS later this year and Stephen Colbert taking over that coveted slot. The CBS Late Late Show has followed Letterman's program since 1995. Tom Snyder was the host from 1995-1999. Craig Kilborn then hosted the show from 1999-2004. The last host was Scottish comic Craig Ferguson from 2005-2014.

Since the arrival of Letterman in 1993, CBS has had a strong comedy presence in late night. For decades, NBC ruled late night with Johnny Carson's show, and the other networks struggled to keep up. The other networks and syndicators tried to compete with Carson with shows hosted by Dick Cavett, Joey Bishop, Pat Sajak, Merv Griffin, Magic Johnson, Chevy Chase, Arsenio Hall and more. From 1972-1989, CBS aired the late movie after the late local news. This started after the cancellation of Merv Griffin's attempt at a late night show. CBS tried various shows during late night such as their Crimetime After Primetime from 1991-1993. This lineup featured various crime shows such as Sweating Bullets, Scene of the Crime, Silk Stalkings, Forever Knight, Fly By Night and more. From 1992-1995, CBS aired Lorne Michaels' sketch show The Kids in the Hall on Friday nights.

* Some information from en.wikipedia.org.

Carson's Cash

In 1979, Johnny Carson was burned out. He had hosted The Tonight Show on NBC since 1962. His lawyer Henry Bushkin told the head of NBC, Fred Silverman, that he wanted out of his contract. A court case ensued and Carson was wooed by ABC. Eventually, Johnny reconciled with NBC and a new contract was signed. The deal turned out to be one of the most lucrative agreements in TV history. NBC knew that Carson's show was a cash cow for the network, so they would do whatever was necessary to keep him. The deal paid a staggering $25 million per year. Johnny had 15 weeks off per year and only had to work three shows per week. His show was trimmed from 90 minutes to 60 minutes. He also would have ownership of his show and the show following his which turned out to be Late Night with David Letterman. This turned out to be a lucrative part of the deal since Carson Productions would earn money from any airings of Johnny's show and Dave's show. Letterman secured a similar deal in 1993 when he signed with CBS. His production company, Worldwide Pants, owns the Letterman show and the show following his, The Late Late Show. That show has been hosted by Tom Snyder, Craig Kilborn and Craig Ferguson. Later this month, the fourth host will take over, James Corden.
Information from the book Johnny Carson by Henry Bushkin.

TV History Profile: Fred Silverman

TV executive Fred Silverman worked for all of the major broadcast networks in the 1970s and made his mark on the history of television.

As the head of the programming department at CBS, in 1971 he called for the purge of all of the rural shows. These included Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, Hee Haw and Mayberry RFD. He was behind many spin-off shows such as Maude and The Jeffersons, which were based on characters from All in the Family.

At ABC, Silverman developed The Love Boat, Eight is Enough, Three's Company, Fantasy Island and the groundbreaking miniseries, Roots, based on the Alex Haley novel.

In 1978 he became the president of NBC. He discovered the talents of David Letterman and gave him his own morning show in 1980. The show was critically acclaimed and won an Emmy. But the ratings were poor and the morning was not a good time slot for Dave's quirky humor. In 1982, Letterman moved his show to 12:35 am, following Johnny Carson. he hosted his Late Night show until 1993, when he left for CBS. Silverman was not a fan of Tom Snyder's Tomorrow show, which followed Carson for many years. Silverman and Carson had a rocky relationship, and at one point, Johnny came close to leaving the network. Fred wanted the original host of the Tonight Show to return to the network. His desire was to have Steve Allen follow Johnny Carson's show, but that never happened. At NBC, Silverman developed memorable sitcoms such as Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life and Gimme a Break. He had some failures at the peacock network as well, with the development of flops like Hello Larry, The Big Show, Pink Lady and Jeff, and Supertrain. He was also in charge during the period where Lorne Michaels left as the executive producer of Saturday Night Live.

Click here for an interview with Fred Silverman as he looks back on the accomplishments during his career.

* Information from en.wikipedia.org and carsonpodcast.com.

Family Affair: Triumph and Tragedy

Family Affair was a hit sitcom that aired on CBS from 1966-1971. It starred Brian Keith as Bill Davis, a wealthy man living in Manhattan. Sebastian Cabot played his distinguished English butler. Bill's brother and sister-in-law were killed in a car accident so he raised his 2 nieces and nephew. The kids moved in with him into his New York high rise apartment. The kids were the 6-year-old twins Buffy and Jody, played by Anissa Jones and Johnny Whitaker respectively. The 15-year-old niece was Cissy, played by Kathy Garver. The show lasted for 138 episodes. It was created by Don Fedderson, known for being the man behind My Three Sons. Family Affair was nominated for many Emmy awards, but never won. Many stars guested on the show such as Eve Plumb (The Brady Bunch), Vic Tayback (Alice), Jamie Farr (MASH), Leif Garrett and more.

Anissa Jones, who played the little girl, Buffy, was known for always having her doll with her. The doll was named Mrs. Beasley and the toy company Mattel turned it into a best selling product. Anissa had trouble overcoming her role as the twin girl with the doll. She auditioned for the role of Iris in the film Taxi Driver. This part eventually went to Jodie Foster. She tried out for the role of Reagan in The Exorcist, which went to Linda Blair. Jones' parents went through a tough divorce in 1965 and there was a custody battle over the kids. As a teen, she got into drugs and shoplifting. On her 18th birthday she got control of $180,000 from a trust fund that was her money from her acting career. Sadly, in 1976 at age 18, Anissa Jones died of a drug overdose. The medical examiner found cocaine, PCP, Quaaludes and Seconal in her system. Her brother died of a drug overdose in 1984 at age 24.

Tragedy once again struck the cast of Family Affair in 1997 when Brian Keith died of a self inflicted gunshot wound.

* Some information from imdb.com and en.wikipedia.org.

CBS Sunday Morning: TV the Way it Should Be

There is a lot of trash on TV these days. But there are still a few gems. On the air since 1979, CBS Sunday Morning has survived for 35 years while other shows have fallen by the wayside. It's truly a magazine show, with a mix of news, human interest stories and plenty of entertainment. This show recognizes the importance of the arts and how they enrich our lives. Many of the stories look at actors, musicians, painters, dancers, writers and the like. Their collection of correspondents is impressive and they include Mo Rocca, Steve Hartman, Bill Geist, Tracy Smith, Serena Altschul, David Edelstein (film), and commentary by Ben Stein, Nancy Giles and Faith Salie. The distinctive trumpet theme which opens the show was a version by Doc Severinsen for many years. Now it is a recording by Wynton Marsalis. The show is 90 minutes in length so they can delve into subjects in detail, unlike most network shows. From 1979 to 1994, the show was hosted by Charles Kuralt. For the past 20 years the host has been Charles Osgood. Every week the show ends with a nature scene which has no music, no bells and whistles, just a restful segment with the natural sounds of the outdoors.

* Some information from en.wikipedia.org.

Letterman Salutes His Old Friend Robin Williams

Last week Letterman was on vacation, airing reruns. Monday night, David Letterman had a nice tribute to his friend , the late Robin Williams. The two had known each other 38 years, since the 1970s when they were struggling comedians in Los Angeles. Dave recalled how he and other comedians were floored by Robin's talent, and it was evident back in the 1970s that he was a cut above the rest. At the legendary Comedy Store in those days, Letterman's contemporaries were comics like Jimmie Walker, Jay Leno, Tom Dreesen, Elaine Boosler and more. Letterman had a nice sequence of clips from Robin's many appearances on the show over the years. Watch a clip from last night's show here.

From working as a TV weatherman in his hometown of Indianapolis to his current CBS late night show, David Letterman has had a varied career, spanning almost 45 years. In the 1970s he moved to Los Angeles and worked as a stand up comic. He landed bit parts "The Gong Show", "Password", "Hollywood Squares", and a variety show starring Mary Tyler Moore. Dave also had a small part on Robin's show "Mork and Mindy". He acknowledged that he was not much of an actor and it he needed a job so Robin helped him out. The second photo above shows Dave on Robin's show (nice leisure suit and medallion)! He became a regular guest host for Johnny Carson starting in 1979. He moved to New York and had many years of success on NBC with his late night show (1982-1993) and his current CBS show which he has hosted since 1993. See 15 of his career highlights in this article from the Hollywood Reporter.

A Swing and a Miss for Mary

Mary Tyler Moore was incredibly successful with her roles on The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She had an outstanding role in the film Ordinary People, directed by Robert Redford. But, in 1978 she launched a variety show on CBS, called simply Mary, that only aired for 3 episodes. Variety shows were all the rage in the 1970s with the successes of programs like Sonny and Cher, Donny and Marie and The Carol Burnett Show. The crazy thing is that Mary's show had a cast that included Michael Keaton, Swoosie Kurtz and David Letterman. There is a You Tube clip of the cast singing and dancing. From the look on Letterman's face, it makes me think he was embarrassed to be involved in the show. Before having his own TV shows for NBC, (his morning show then his late night show), Dave worked in Los Angeles as a stand up comedian and actor. In 1979 he was in an episode of Mork and Mindy.

Watch the cringe-worthy clip of the variety show here.

* Some information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Tyler_Moore, eyesofageneration.com and http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001468/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1#actor.

Like Father Like Son: The Reiners

Last night on PBS, Tavis Smiley's guests were Carl Reiner and Rob Reiner. Both of these men have been immensely successful in show business and it was nice to see their mutual admiration for one another. They pointed out how the Reiner family didn't even own a TV in the early days of Carl Reiner's groundbreaking program, "Your Show of Shows" (1950-1954). The show featured Sid Caesar and it had a star-studded lineup of writers including Neil Simon, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Larry Gelbart ("MASH") and more. The show acted as the blueprint for all comedy TV shows that would follow.

Later, Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks teamed up to do their comedy skit "The 2000 Year Old Man" and are close friends still to this day. Carl Reiner would eventually create the iconic show "The Dick Van Dyke Show" (1961-1966). By the way, Johnny Carson was considered for the title role before it was given to Van Dyke. Carl also worked as a film director on such classics as "Oh God" with George Burns and several Steve Martin projects including "The Jerk", "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid" and "The Man with Two Brains".

Rob Reiner was destined to follow in his dad's footsteps and he had success as an actor and a director. He will always be known for his role as "Meathead" in the classic CBS sitcom "All in the Family" led by the legendary producer Norman Lear. Before that role he had appeared in TV shows such as "That Girl", "Gomer Pyle USMC" and "The Beverly Hillbillies". On the Tavis Smiley interview program, the elder Reiner spoke of his admiration for his son's work, from his TV roles to his film directing jobs on such works as "The Princess Bride" and "This is Spinal Tap". Rob also directed "When Harry Met Sally", "The Bucket List" and "A Few Good Men". The younger Reiner was asked about if it was hard to make it in show biz being the son of a legend. He said it made it easier to get a foot-in-the-door, but once you are in, you better do a good job, or else you will be fired.

*Some information from www.imdb.com.

CBS Television City in 1953

1953 CBS Television City shows, and the studios from which they originated;

ART LINKLETTER'S HOUSE PARTY 41
LIFE WITH FATHER 43
LUX VIDEO THEATER 43
MEET MILLIE 31
MEL ALLEN 31
MY FAVORITE HUSBAND 33
MY FRIEND IRMA 31
PLACE THE FACE 41
RADIO & RECORDS EVENT 31
THAT'S MY BOY 33
THE BOB CROSBY SHOW 33
THE RED SKELTON SHOW 31 (Johnny Carson's big break came on the Red Skelton show. Carson was a writer on the show. Red was injured, and Johnny filled in for him. Red predicted a bright future for the young Carson).

Information from Eyes Of A Generation Facebook page.

David Letterman Announces His Retirement

After working in late night TV since 1982, David Letterman announced yesterday that he will retire from CBS in 2015. Dave hosted the "Late Night with David Letterman" show on NBC from 1982-1993. After the debacle with Carson leaving and Leno stepping in, Dave went to CBS to host "Late Show with David Letterman" starting in 1993. His hero Johnny Carson worked in late night TV for 30 years, from 1962-1992. So, I wondered if Letterman would step down in 2012, which would have been his 30th year in late night.

The conversation will invariably now turn to the question of who will be Letterman's replacement. Unlike Johnny Carson, Letterman has not had guest hosts who step in when he is gone. With Carson, we were able to see people audition to replace Johnny. Leno and Letterman and many others stepped in for Johnny when he was off so we saw how they would do as hosts. When Leno left, Fallon and Meyers had been lined up in advance to take over the late night NBC shows. They had no talk show experience but they had both worked as Saturday Night Live Weekend Update anchors. I wonder if in his last year, Letterman may have some guest hosts.

I think that these people will be discussed as possible replacements for Letterman.

Conan O'Brien
He really got a raw deal with NBC and he's now with TBS. I'd love to see him get the position since he's a top notch interviewer and he has a comic creativity that few others have.

Jay Leno
This is a long shot since he has already hosted for many years on NBC and he's not a young guy, but I wonder if CBS may consider him anyway. He might want to just stick to his stand up and tinkering with his cars.

Jon Stewart
He is a funny guy, but would he want to leave his deal at Comedy Central where he is already making a lot of money and he is in his element?

Stephen Colbert
He is so good with his Colbert Report, so he would probably be considered by CBS, but I don't know if he would want to do a mass appeal show. Plus he would be himself, not doing a character.

Chelsea Handler
She is leaving her show on E! so CBS might want to go with a female host. She is a good stand up and she has interviewed a lot of people on her show.

Craig Ferguson
Often a network will take the 12:35 am host and put them in at the 11:35 pm slot. His humor is too absurd for 11:35, and I often wonder how he stays on the air, with his same bits every night. Hopefully CBS does not do the thing that NBC did with moving Jimmy Fallon to an hour earlier.

Probably the most likely person would be someone not mentioned here. Someone out of left field may get it. CBS may want a young person to battle the young audience being attracted by Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers. When Letterman moved to CBS in 1993, NBC plucked a name out of nowhere to replace him at 12:35, and that was Conan O'Brien. CBS may find a comedy writer or a comedian that none of us would expect.

Wynton Marsalis Joins the Cast of "60 Minutes"

The CBS news magazine show "60 Minutes" has covered important news stories, dating back to its inception in 1968. TV Guide ranked it as the 6th best TV program in history. The list of correspondents reads like a who's who of broadcast journalism legends; Mike Wallace, Harry Reasoner, Andy Rooney, Ed Bradley, Walter Cronkite and more. In addition to their hard news stories, the program has also profiled giants from the world of entertainment.

This Sunday, tune in for the inaugural story by their new culture correspondent, jazz trumpet virtuoso Wynton Marsalis. He profiles jazz pianist Marcus Roberts. Overcoming the obstacle of going blind at age 5, Roberts studied music at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. He now is a jazz professor at Florida State University. Roberts, like Marsalis, has become an authority on the history of jazz. The pair travel back to Roberts' former school to perform for the students. Roberts has an inspirational message to the students. Watch an excerpt here. Marsalis should be a good addition to the show. He has been a tireless cheerleader for the genre of jazz. Growing up in New Orleans, Marsalis is part of a highly musical family, and since the 1980s he has impressed audiences around the world with his performances. He has been a contributor for "CBS Sunday Morning" and PBS jazz specials.

Some information from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/60_Minutes.

The Late Shift: Leno vs. Letterman

Late night TV has been in the news recently. Leno is out, Fallon is in, and Seth Meyers has taken over Jimmy's old time slot. Plus, a book about Johnny Carson was released recently by his former lawyer/manager, Henry Bushkin. Viewers of Johnny's Tonight Show may remember him mentioning his manager, "Bombastic Bushkin".

In 1996, an HBO made-for-TV movie was released about the Letterman/Leno fiasco in the wake of Carson leaving his show. Leno was played by Daniel Roebuck in a fake prosthetic chin. John Michael Higgins played Letterman, complete with double-breasted suits paired with tennis shoes and chomping on a cigar. Letterman made fun of the movie on his show since the guy who played him had red hair. Dave also was puzzled by a scene that had the character in his backyard throwing baseballs at an archery target. Rich Little played Johnny Carson in the film. Little does a good Carson impression, but something seemed off about his performance. For one thing, Little has a different body type than Carson. But, with any film based on real people, comparisons will be made. Kathy Bates seemed to be right on the money with her portrayal of Leno's caustic manager, Helen Kushnick. This film also starred Ed Begley Jr. and Bob Balaban as network executives and Treat Williams as Letterman's powerful agent Michael Ovitz.

Putting aside the questionable acting by some of the participants, this is a good film to check out if you have an interest in the behind-the-scenes aspects of wheeling and dealing in the television industry. It was based on a book by late night TV expert Bill Carter. According to the movie, a prime reason behind Leno taking over for Carson had to do with the hardball tactics by Leno's obnoxious manager, Helen Kushnick. The film showed Letterman as a tortured soul who beat himself up after the shows by viewing tapes and criticizing his performance. By 1990, NBC was looking to replace Carson and Kushnick planted an article in the New York Post saying that NBC wants Carson out and Leno would be his replacement. Letterman really wanted to be Johnny's successor but when it appeared it was not going to happen, he considered deals with ABC, Fox and CBS. ABC would not give him an 11:35 pm show since they were committed to airing Nightline at that time. Fox was just a new network in the early 1990s and it was unknown if they would have a future. For an 11:35 pm show on a major network, CBS was the best bet. CBS had courted Leno, giving him a motorcycle. NBC head of programming Bob Wright really wanted NBC to keep Letterman, whether he had the 11:35 pm show or not. When Leno took over Johnny's show in 1992, Kushnick was his executive producer. She refused to let Jay acknowledge Johnny Carson on his first episode. Helen's brash attitude and underhanded tactics became a problem and NBC told Leno that if she was not fired, he would lose The Tonight Show and Letterman would take over. Leno felt an allegiance to Helen since she had helped him build his career for years, but he needed to keep his job. She ended up leaving show business and suing the publisher of the book The Late Shift. Carson was contacted by Dave for advice on what to do. Johnny said that in light of NBC's treatment of him, he said he would walk away and work elsewhere. That's what Dave did, going to CBS where he had an 11:35 pm show that was successful, although he usually lost to Leno in the ratings. CBS pays Dave well, plus his company, Worldwide Pants, owns the shows.

One thing that was not addressed by the movie is whether or not Johnny had a say in who he thought should replace him. You'd think that NBC would have that as a factor in making their decision, but maybe not.

Fiftieth Anniversary for Fab Four

February 9, 1964: The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, and Beatlemania is born. There were 50,000 requests for the 728 seats in the theatre. 73 million people watch the show that night. Music experts say that once every generation, an iconic group/performer comes along that changes the landscape of the industry. Elvis did it, Michael Jackson did it, and The Beatles did it. On Sunday, CBS celebrates the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' performance. The Ed Sullivan Theatre, at 53rd and Broadway in Manhattan, is now used for Late Show with David Letterman. Sunday at 8:00 pm eastern, CBS will air "The Night that Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles". David Letterman will interview the two surviving Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Various musical guests will pay tribute to the music of John, Paul, George and Ringo. The marquee of Letterman's theatre has been covered to match the one from 50 years ago, when the venue was called CBS Studio 50.

Information from http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/02/06/ed-sullivan-theater-unveiling-special-marquee-to-mark-50th-anniversary-of-beatles-performance/.

New Website, "Late Night TV"

I made a website that looks at the history of late night TV in America. It profiles 20 late night TV hosts. Some had shows that were short-lived, like Magic Johnson, Chevy Chase and Pat Sajak. Others have been around for years, like Johnny Carson and David Letterman. 5 pages are dedicated to the man who will forever be the king of late night, Johnny Carson. The site has about 120 pictures, you tube videos and information about the different shows. Click here to access the site.