Today marks David Letterman's 30th aniversary in Late Night Television. Yes it was this day in 1982 that these images were first chucked into the airwaves, a world where all the phony glitz of showbiz was revealed for what it is.
From the creepy opening from ex night nurse Calvert DeForest to the glitzy Rainbow Room opening the early signs of Letterman's ground breaking humor are in full display in this first show.
Letterman's humor and style have evolved in the three decades since this aired. I could sight the top ten changes in Dave's style but I'll just stick to three.
1. Tightness
Many argue that Dave has gotten tame as time progressed. THe reasons for the argument is that the outlandish expariementing that Dave attempted in the early NBC days is not evident in the current show. In addition the show's move to 11:30pm in 1993, plus the advent of cable with comedians like Jon Stewart and Bill Maher makes Dave seem like a creature of the past.
However the modern Late Show still makes a lot of moves out of left field and in many ways Dave contains the same edge as the modern comedian but has never lost his goofiness. The big differences is that what would have been a silly expariment that would last several minutes, perhaps even the entire show are not cut down to thirty or sixty seconds. In addition the easy going style seems to have given way to more sharper improvised wit. Instead of a host that seemed to be stunned about the sillyness of what was going on he takes command of it. He has gotten much better at imrpvoising stories, and taking up host chat reminisant of his TV heroes Jack Parr and Regis Philbin.
On NBC guest would not show up or leave early leaving Dave with nothing to do but be very silly in the chaos. That dosent' happen much any more, but when it does happen like when Jaquin Phoenix's stunt apearence was backfiring he siezes the moment to make very exciting television.
2. Adapting to Success
The stage and budget is much bigger but Letterman has always maintained an underdog attitude to the show. For the most it has been justified. Having visited Studio 6H in Rockerfeller Plaza I was amazed how cramped it is. Waiting out in the hallway to enter the studio makes you that you are in the 7 1/2 of the building in "Being John Malkovich". Inside insn't much larger either. I visited the studio in 2000 the night after I had been to David Letterman's current home at the Ed Sullivan theater and the level of luxuriousness and size was light years ahead of where they use to be. Letterman thrived in the cramped suroundings and busy activity of his environment at NBC. However he adapted to the suroundings of 51st and Broadway quite well brining the same energy to the bigger stage.
Now it has helped that Letterman is not the #1 show. Being #2 has helped Letterman keep some cynical edge.
3. The brain works
Letterman has adapted to success by controling his cynicism. In the NBC days the chances a serious guest would get on would be long. Today it is common for a government official or someone making innovations to come on the show. He still has a skeptism and even a pesimism at times and challenges the guests, but it is in a more consturctive fashion. In many ways he has learned from the man he was grooming to be his sucessor, Jon Stewart in the art of challenging the establsihment.
He is now free to express his views and has become friends with the Obama administration, but also the UN's World Food Program and other environmental cuases. He does have a genuine fear of things going wrong. He also has a sense of patriotism which has been obvious since 9/11.
No comments:
Post a Comment