Christmas Special on Letterman, July 9, 1982
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- Опубліковано 5 гру 2017
- The first of three Late Night Christmas shows, plus a follow-up the following week, with Barbara Gaines and Jude Brennan.
With guests Curtis Sliwa and the Guardian Angels; Jane Pauley; George Miller; and Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, first as Bob and Doug McKenzie, then as themselves. Plus Pete Fatovich as Santa #1, Calvert DeForest as Santa #2, and Ed Subitzky as Santa #3.
The most memorable segment was, of course, Calvert reciting a Christmas tale in front of captive children. From a Q&A with Barbara Gaines in the long-defunct AOL Late Show Online site, February 7, 1997:
Q: One of our favorite moments from Late Night is when Calvert had to read "Twas The Night Before Christmas." Can you give the real behind-the-scenes story about what happened back then?
Barbara: The crazy thing is when the press department put out highlights from the last 15 years on television they included Calvert Deforest saying "Twas the Night Before Christmas." That kills me. The story is this:
It was July 9, 1982, and we'd only been on the air 5 months or so. It was our Christmas in July special. The Guardian Angels were on singing carols and we had this character, Ed Subitsky, as Santa. Stuff like that. Calvert was supposed to recite "Twas The Night Before Christmas" and give out gifts to a bunch of little kids. I put on the prop list that we needed a book. However, I was not specific as to what book. During rehearsal the book wasn't in yet so I just handed Calvert my script. Jude [Brennan], figuring I had ordered the book, didn't worry about it being on cue-cards.
That evening Calvert opens the book and it's a French catechism book, of course - Kathleen [Ankers], the scenic designer, went and found a pretty book - so Calvert says "Oui vey vous. Oh my God!" I laughed, but Jude came running out on the floor and said we're in trouble.
After the show, producer Barry Sand called us in his office and screamed at us, and Dave came by and said he thought it was really funny, so Barry had to stop yelling. But Dave said we had a choice: to tell the story of what happened on the air or be fired. So of course the following [show] we went on the air but they kept the lights down to protect the guilty, and then at the end of the segment, they put up Jude's and my resumes.
(Great thanks to -- who else -- C. Bay for the video.)
This is what made Letterman so unique. The quality was just above cable access. The CBS version was too polished.
I love that he read the word “pause”... following the introduction and his name
I had no idea until this very instant here in late December of 2023 that I really missed the Late Night theme song.
Anything with Larry 'Bud' Melman gets a 'like' from me.
One of the great things about New York City in the 80s was late night television with David Letterman. Classic New York
35:40, what we all came here for
Christmas on July 9? How Lettermanesque!
Don, you truly are a national treasure. Happy Holidays!
"Standing in the Shadows of Love" was the perfect song to end that last segment.
Nothing says the 80's like The Guardian Angels.
Don't mind me, I'm over here in the coffee shop dying with laughter. Had to attempt to explain why to the barista, I think she was a Leno fan....
Thank you for this! I think this was the very first episode I saw.
Oh The special friend
You're the BEST!!!
YES!
I was re-watching the Tom Selleck video I asked about a couple months back and this showed up in my "recommended" list. This is a very high quality version of this episode! (edit I just realized some people might think I am being sarcastic. The 2 versions I've seen have been very "snowy")
Off topic: I am not sure why it wasn't before, but I made sure I get all notifications going forward. Cheers!
Thanks; I wish I had a better quality of this, but of the two sources I have, this was the most presentable. Hopefully someday.
BEFORE Wayne's world, Bill and Ted and Dumb and dumber there was Bob and Doug.
12:28 Curtis Sliwa with the solo.
Dave graduated high school when I was born
This video reminds me of why I had a crush on Jane at the time......
"... as I was saying before..."
The Guardian Angels singing White Christmas.
This aired in July?
Yes.
Just noticed the model house (@10:04); Is that the same model used at SNL for the opening titles of "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood"?
I said the same exact thing....
👂 💚 🎄
Would have been a good idea for them to rehearse Larry Bud's segment so that problem would have been spotted earlier...
They did; all explained in the description underneath the video.
I'm curious about what *exactly* was planned, since the complete poem is awfully long for a single comedy segment, and this was before the "Ask Mr. Melman" era of giving him calculatedly warped things to say.
Problem? What problem? It's hysterical! The sight of the awkward, cue-card dependent de Forest suddenly having to ad lib is one of the sublime moments in television history.
Dace and Rick left SCTV around the same time.
Did Jane Pauley and Dave hook up in college or something? Always seems like a weird energy between them.
No; they knew each other only through their careers in Indianapolis. No hook-ups.
Though friends, they were rivals at TV and radio stations in Indianapolis. He use to play jokes like raising money for then single Jane’s wedding when it was another Jane Pauley. Then making a reference to singer Claudia Polley who worked at the radio station with Dave as being sisters’ with Jane. The catch was that Claudia is black.
Not bad for a birthday present.
Because of the Corona virus lockdown, we all look like these guys now but to think they paid a stylist to do that to them on purpose...I miss the 1980's.
Was there a reason why, other than Dave just being a non sequitar?
He had presented a Christmas show two years earlier on his morning show. In case that show was cancelled before the holidays. It was. So why not do it again?