From the David Letterman Archive

Dominic Late
Press

In February 1982, he was given 12:30 by NBC. Tonight’s show By Johnny Carson, David Letterman is a young comedian who enjoyed rating success (but not rating) through a morning show – imagine him in the same box as Mary-Claude Barrett – which aired for 18 weeks from October 1980.

Although Carson is Letterman’s mentor, the king of night time shows imposes many restrictions on Rookie. In particular, he will be barred from providing a monologue and drawing from the same set of A type guests. These are the ones that provide guidance. Late Night with David Letterman Some of its worst qualities.

Carson’s show had its vibe modeled on that of a chic adult night out, even mocked in the aftermath, which was sometimes the limit of the hostility their adults held to the TV media. The talk show alternated between interviews with the young actress, and the teasing Letterman made no attempt to appear curious, a childish section, during which the presenter would descend on the wall wearing a velcro jumpsuit. Pushes some members of his staff under the light.

Among these employees: Barbara Keynes, who has worked with Letterman since its inception (she was 23 in 1980, aged 33) and was frequently asked to leave her post, behind the scenes, to speak out against him. desire. , With man with the smile of eternal youth.

“I never wanted to appear on screen, which is why Dave wanted to put me on screen. He is impressed by what people do not like. He wanted discomfort,” he said in a recent video conference interview. Late show with David Letterman He left broadcasting in May 2015 to become an executive producer (Executive Producer)

“He never wanted to hire professional actors to act in sketches, so the team members were the right candidates,” Barbara continues of her friend’s hatred of anything she talks about on the show. ” Got the money. Dev knew it. ⁇

The pleasure of ridicule

Top 10 Collections, interviews with regulars such as Phil Murray, Jennifer Lawrence or Martin Short, great concerts, ridiculous paintings by Dave, as well as his set manager Piff Henderson or the owner of the sandwich counter next door to the Rupert G. et Sullivan Theater. Launched last February, David Letterman’s YouTube channel brings together legendary excerpts from his three shows, but tries to keep up with the news.

“It’s important for us to entertain fans by releasing huge hits, but we’ll be thinking about what’s going on in the world right now and trying to link old clips, which makes this content relevant again,” said Walter Kim, who oversees the channel, for Letterman’s production company. In particular, he cites interviews with former Foreign Minister Condoleezza Rice and former Senator John McCain, in which they discussed Vladimir Putin’s malicious ambitions for Ukraine.

By measuring himself against the arduous task of watching more than 6,000 hours of television, Walter Kim can see the freedom that his boss proudly possesses for himself, but also the timelessness of many of his memorable ideas, entirely young.

The Saskatchewan-bearded veteran began the fourth season of his lengthy interview with Netflix in May. My next guest needs no introductionOccasionally shoot animated capsules with Barbara Keynes’ inevitable honesty, both of which make fun of Will Smith’s punch on Chris Rock or Elon Musk’s Twitter capture.

But Barbara’s (you read correctly) photos of the food rocks on Dave’s tablet are reminiscent of the Big Knight Letterman once again with fewer surface vignettes.

“I think it mostly speaks to how much he enjoys spending time at YouTube headquarters,” laughs Barbara, who retired last fall before being asked to help with repair work. The value of these records. “He was in the office with Walter with me one day and he was like, ‘Keynes, we’re recording something.’ I said, ‘No, we’re not going to record anything,’ but we did it anyway, and now he’s really impressed. I do not need.

“He definitely needs you. You have natural chemistry,” Walter replied, recalling how nervous he was when he met Barbara Keynes, who lived on the team on his first day. Late show with David Letterman, In 1993. “Barbara, did you know that you can not retire completely until Dave retires? ⁇

“Oh my God! She’s screaming. Now she understands that we can use it Zoom in, I feel like I’m not done. ⁇