Monday, May 21, 2001
Here’s Dave - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER -- The old joke is that so and so doesn’t have ulcers, rather that so and so gives them. The same could be said when talking about David Letterman. Rather than ulcers, for Dave clogged arteries could be more apropos. His bypass surgery of a while back was a huge shock not only for fans, but the entertainment industry as well.
I was never much a fan of Letterman’s. I guess I didn’t understand his humour. In the past I marvelled at the abilities of Johnny Carson. Jay Leno, sort of did that. And failing to comprehend Letterman’s humour, I never bothered to watch. There was a time, when I actually thought Jay Leno was funny. How insane was I.
When Jay Leno was given the coveted Tonight Show timeslot, Letterman fumed as he expected to move from his Late Night show at 12:35 to the saner and prestigious 11:35 time slot. Alas, NBC’s higher ups didn’t tap Dave and off he was to the rival CBS where for something like $30 million dollars a year. CBS held its breath.
Even then, I had not been a fan. Leno was the host of the Tonight Show and thus it seemed that if he was good enough to succeed Carson, he could be good enough for me. Letterman burst on the scene at CBS in the summer of 1993. The ratings were high and because of the publicity, money and the fascination with Letterman, did the show succeed and best the bastion of late night talk, the Tonight Show.
And then came the Academy Awards telecast of 1995. Billy Crystal was probably unavailable; Whoopi was probably as well. So, Letterman was tapped and with greater interest than Steve Martin’s efforts this past year, there was hope that Letterman would be the solid fixture on the Oscar show that Bob Hope was, better yet Johnny Carson had been in the ‘70s and early ‘80s. His performance was uneven. David Letterman was different for the urbane landscape that is the Oscars. The audience was huge, but a pro like Letterman seemed stilted and fazed. Therein I found the humour I thought previous of as weird. I was a fan ever since, thus switched my late night talk allegiance to David Letterman.
The “Uma, Oprah” bit at the top of the Oscar show was terribly unfunny and some have said sunk his fate. No longer would he be asked to host the show, as critics thought him terribly unfit to host the Oscars. The ratings on the Late Show slipped and in 1996 when Hugh Grant was caught with a hooker and had been booked on the Leno show, Letterman slipped to third, while Leno moved to second space. (Ted Koppel’s newsfest, Nightline, was number one at the 11:35 hour.) With Grant on set, Leno turned and without missing a beat muttered: “What the hell were you thinking?” As the audience erupted in applause -- Leno was on top of Letterman.
David Letterman’s creative fortunes slipped. There was a major shake-up at Worldwide Pants, (the production company Letterman controls), and the Late Show wasn’t performing up to speed. Add to that the fact the Tonight Show won the Emmy that Letterman had won the year previous, it was clear that the Late Show was at a creative cross-roads.
Worldwide Pants began to diversify and came the sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond. It reinvigorated the company and Letterman was reaping in the reviews of a comedic renewal at Pants. The show began to pick up speed, as well as that Emmy, which it hadn’t been in contention for three years.
The heart bypass proved a milestone. Falling ill, the world renewed its attention on David Letterman and his show on CBS. People were concerned and when he made his triumphant return the ratings came back. Letterman and Leno are now within spitting’s distance in the ratings race. On the creative level, the Late Show is on top. It’s won the Emmy three years in a row, and it looks healthy and reinvigorated.
Letterman, personally is more scathing and more funny. His bitterness on losing the Tonight Show to Leno was hidden during the seven years he had been on CBS. After the bypass, all bets were off and Leno was equally a target of barbs. His imitation of Jay Leno, is quite funny and adds to the darkness of humour that the show’s taken on since the bypass. Letterman’s pissed off the higher-ups at CBS, including Les Moonves (CBS’ head honcho) with his treatment of their phoneme Survivor. Moonves, was unflatteringly linked with Fidel Castro and a row ensued. He also set the knickers of Dr. Pepper in a knot, with his mocking. Even the country of Colombia joined the fray, which you’ve no doubt read about in recent days.
If you haven’t seen the Late Show with David Letterman in a while, you should. He’s brilliantly funny and he’s remarkably on top of his game. While Leno is good at the ironic, Letterman rips down the borders of taste making us laugh at the stupidity of life around -- importantly, the people that inhabit this world of ours and just ask for it.
David Letterman is the premiere late night talker on the air, bar none. With the exception of Dennis Miller and Garry Shandling, David Letterman is the best there is. He certainly is up there with late Steve Allen, Jack Paar, and the dean, Johnny Carson. Comedians, especially Dave Letterman bring light into a world darkened by political correctness. His show provides an escape that adds colour to a black and white world, a world that without people like him would have more time to cry.
Dave’s got a trunk load of Emmy’s and accolades, as well as the admiration of many in and out of his business. But I doubt he knows that for many friendly and not-so friendly laughs, he’s got the amazing ability to wipe away a stranger’s tear. If nothing else, that’s a fine achievement.
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An archive of Joseph Planta's previous columns can be found by clicking HERE .