This is the interview that Conan has always said saved his whole career as a late show host. i love these two legends so much man. they were there for each other. Dave found Conan so we could find him. god bless u my man for giving us hours and hours of laughter, fun and pure joy
If you weren't around, you have no idea how popular Letterman was at this time. Letterman rarely was a guest. And if he was, he played it very cynically. Here, you see a genuine Letterman recognizing talent and effort. But when Letterman came on, it made major major mainstream news. Alot of eyeballs turned to his show that hadn't before. And for me, who really was a fan of Conan from the start, after the way Letterman endorsed Conan, I was all in for Conan. Conan also had a huge confidence boost in himself and it showed after. People also need to know about Letterman going on Jon Stewart's original last show around 95 when it got cancelled. Letterman gave him huge words of confidence. And Letterman also brought on Stewart after the cancellation (like he did with Norm) when he didn't have anything to promote. Basically a confidence booster and exposure. That's why when Letterman retired, you see genuine appreciation from all the people. Leno? Nobody cares?
Dave did for Conan what Johnny Carson did for him. Publicly endorsed him by coming on his show, showed him great respect and love... not for any reason other than because he saw potential and he liked him and knew what it would mean to him. Love seeing things like this. It had to mean the world to Conan.
I liked that. Everyone needs support, especially when working in TV. Carson supported and protected Letterman. Conan never had that in 1993 when he started Late Night, so Letterman stepped in to that role.
Johnny also screwed Letterman over by giving the Tonight Show to Jay Leno instead.....and YES it was solely Johnny Carson's decision who would replace him. NBC had input but the final decision was with Johnny.
@@TrumpIsYourDaddy4everJohnny didn't make any choice to choose the replacement for him. The network itself picked Leno to replace him because he was successful in occasionally guest-hosting for Johnny, and it made NBC think Leno would be a safer choice to replace Johnny than Letterman would be. And meanwhile, Letterman was constantly insulting, making fun, and having beef with several NBC and GE executives and he couldn't fight hard enough to secure his future position as The Tonight Show host, as he had thought the show would obviously be his when Johnny retired. He clearly killed his own chances of inheriting The Tonight Show from Johnny, over Leno.
Letterman did for Conan what Carson had originally done for him when Letterman got the Late Night Show. Conan was bombing in the ratings, and NBC was on the verge of cancelling Conan's show (or replacing him as host). Letterman saw Conan for the incredible talent he was and, regardless of the fact he was now on a different network, he wanted to do anything he could to help him out (something that Leno wouldn't have done in a million years, because Leno only cared about himself). In this one simple act of kindness, Letterman created an interest in Conan's show and the rest, as they say, is history.
Letterman in full control steering the interview making Conan look good and endorsing him all the while. What a pro and someone you would want in your corner
@cleverusername9369 I love that in the last second, after Dave shook hands with Andy, Andy squeezed Dave's arm as a heartfelt gratitude. What a flawed but genuine human being Letterman is.
Just amazing seeing Letterman here in his prime. His quips and sharp wit on full display, while the crowd is in the palm of his hand, all the while endorsing Conan.
He didn't go on anyone else's show until he left "The Late Show" and even then, it's pretty rare even if he's promoting something. Like Conan said, Dave coming on the show really saved him from an almost guaranteed cancellation.
I don't think Conan wants to impress Letterman, this is a thing that Kimmel would try to do... Conan knows (not in bad way but in a realistic way) that he doesn't stand a chance, I think he is just trying to keep his sh*t together lol
And I think he succeeded: Letterman was cracking up regularly at Conan's quips. You can also bury raw genius behind nervousness so much. Conan was destined for greatness :-)
He was nervous for the first year or two at least - the tell-tale sign is that strange little giggle he lets out, which you never hear again after the first few years.
Conan takes Letterman’s old job, Letterman comes on and supports Conan. Conan takes Leno’s old job, Leno willfully sabotaged Conan. What’s funny about this is Letterman always had personality of a jerk and Leno the personality of a nice guy but they’re actually opposite.
@@MzKitka lol Leno has over 180 cars, but yeah...what he did yo Conan was a jerk move...but Conan surviving that legitimizes his late night legend status...still amazes me that he has far less sub on his YT channel then other late night bums
4:45 "How DID you get this job, by the way?" 😂 And how Conan responded jokingly he was fourth, that's comedy. That's class. That's where Conan finally got into the next gear.
Conan once said that this was the most important Day for the Show at that time, because it was meant to be cancelled and the approval from Letterman was their rescue. Man I miss Letterman.
Yeah... and it's so good to feel that it was at Letterman's own will because he was the biggest TV personality at that time, he didn't have to do anything for anyone, specially for NBC... it's so refreshing to watch two talk show hosts not being phony and to see Conan overwhelmed by the gesture - they cut when Letterman walks in, it shows a really surprised Conan, the one that gives this squeaky weird laugh when he's legit off guard, awesome.
2:38 that moment when letterman being the biggest TV at the time , endorsed Conan, saying that he is funny and creative... meant a lot to Conan and his staff
Letterman was number one in the ratings for a while, but never bragged about it. The instant that Leno got a bigger audience NBC promoted it. Letterman promoted being 3rd, which was hilarious.
I love how these 2 have such mutual respect for each other. I mean they were on rival networks. Even bigger was when Conan actually told his audience to watch Dave when he was doing his final show.
I loved Conan asking that! I hated that Patton Oswalt looked very annoyed by it at the beginning, he was Conan's guest on the day of David's departure and must have thought "hey, come on, I'm here today". He eventually got into the homage but it was weird.
It's always a pleasure to watch professional interviewers be interviewed. Conan and Dave are both amazing interviewers, and good at being interviewed themselves. It's like we get two hosts, and also two interviewees, at the same time!
Dave's distaste for Jay Leno long predated Jay getting "The Tonight Show." But look at now - Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, and Stephen Colbert all appear on each other's shows and do bits together, and they're directly competing with each other. At least in this clip, Dave and Conan were in different timeslots. "The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder" hadn't even started yet, so CBS didn't even really have a show in Conan's timeslot. Now James Corden appears on "Late Night with Seth Meyers," and Seth and James did a bit on The Emmys together. It really was personal between Letterman and Leno and had very little to do with being competitors. Jay appeared on "Late Night" back in the '80s while he was still Johnny Carson's guest host, but I think Dave was just trying to play nice to Jay when he already hated his guts.
@@danieldougan269 That's really not true, Dave sad before that on the comedy circuit they were friends and people alwasy looked up to Jay. He was the guy- the headliner. Things changed when Jay was trying to get the tonight show. Allegedly... How much of that is being hater because jay won.
“Yes, it was a What Would I Do With A Talk Show. I was fourth.” The way Conan didn’t back down to Dave’s dig at how he got his show but instead made a joke out of it is one of my favourite moments about this interview. 4:41
@@patrickoreilly6471 He wasn’t uncomfortable at all. He even talked about how he used to visit Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show multiple times a year. He was completely relaxed, in control, killed it, and helped Conan O’Brien get the show going in a positive direction in terms of ratings.
Dave did this show when Conan was struggling with the ratings of the show and critics were a trying to steamroll him. This helped Conan and his staff to get a morality boost.
That was 19 minutes and 24 seconds of top notch television entertainment. One of the medium's top performers in the prime of his career, in the prime of the medium. So much energy.
You don't see interviews that long anymore on Late Night. cuts into their cheap political joke time. Maybe 2 segments for a few guests, but the segments are 7 minutes long, at the most.
*Good thing about this clip is: it´s uploaded by Team Coco* and not some random person, who might be banned by youtube, due to violation of copyright issues. So... *the clip will stay there as a historical statement*
Don't think I've seen David with that kind of pep in ages. He clearly was an instant fan of Conan's comedy. I always got the feeling that Dave was more upset when others were wronged then when he was wronged. Just watch his interview with Norm Macdonald after Norm was fired.
8:40 with an irreverent NBC joke Conan made Dave laugh honestly and hard, and at this precise moment you can see him truly relax and smile realizing he just might actually deserve to be sitting there and have a shot at this Late Night thing...
"We're gonna take a quick break and make a lot of money for NBC" Dave loved the quip because after being denied the Tonight Show he basically told NBC to shove it. A very witty barb he fully appreciated because him coming back for an appearance on Late Night would mean a lot of eyeballs on the show and more add revenue NBC. He saw the irony.
I remember as a kid, my father had me set the timer to the VCR because he worked nights so he could watch the Carson/Letterman small claims court proceedings on Letterman's truck being towed and damages, with Judge Wapner... I remember my father watching it when we were on our way out to school in the AM and as my sister and brother and I left, we could hear our father laughing hysterically.. We miss you Pops!
Conan's mannerisms are so much different here than they are now. His laugh is way more high pitched and school boy-ish. He's way more jittery and not as composed as he is now, also.
Pantam Dreamscapes eh, this is a hyper focused Conan here. He’s been through a lot of changes in his delivery and broadcasting habits but he’s a decent comedy broadcaster.
Part of it is that Dave is one of his personal heroes, as we all know. Conan also has talked about how he really felt on the verge of failure for *years*... His fans know he's struggled with anxiety and feelings of inadequacy like a lot of these folks, and he says it was literally years before he felt like he'd actually "made it" and even now he's still not sure sometimes :) it's part of what makes him so awesome and hardworking. But a lot of it is just that he really was young! He was, what, 30 or 31, here? He's had such an amazing career, Conan is one of my personal heroes.
I didn’t care for letterman growing up (I was too lazy to change the channel) but now I understand why he is great. I remember watching Leno and just waiting for it to be over so I could watch Conan.
"Late Night with David Letterman" is, I think, the finest stage in Dave's career before he got to be pontificating, surly and bitter. The NBC days were the best.
@@icessoup its was about who would get to host late night. and carson wanted letterman to host it. if i remeber it right. Well kinda like the late night with conan debacle. the results was the same lenon had the late show and letterman and conan stood without jobs
After listening to Inside Conan where Conan emphasises how hard they had to fight to make the show unique from the ironic humor of Letterman's show, it makes Dave's praise of the show's different identity so heartwarming. Best believe Conan and all his production staff were pleased to hear that.
Often forgotten was that it wasn't long after this (a little over a year later) that Jon Stewart's show got cancelled and Dave was his last guest, telling him not to be discouraged. Dave was/is a cranky SOB but when he offered such praise, it came from a real place (and his assessment was often spot on).
This was really good of Dave to do this for Conan. The man who once had his job came back to show him that he believed in him. That’s exactly what Conan needed to believe in himself and continue to try his best. It really payed off cuz Conan is the best
aww this is such a special moment for Conan and his crew. it was a joy to listen to them reliving old days on the podcast! David obviously means a lot to Conan, and David seems to appreciate that, which is really nice to see 😊
Hala Abdullah late answer and maybe you already found it but it’s called Conan O’Brien needs a friend and you can listen to it on Spotify for example. It’s great
For folks who don't know...Conan made a point to say this and he has repeated it many times over his career. He views THIS appearance by Letterman on his show as what saved the show from being cancelled early on. He has said that after this for whatever reason, his show started to gain a solid footing and he has talked about this over the years more than once.
Watching Dave acknowledge Conan, the audience, and Andy in equal measure lets one know what a true professional he was. A legend, as everyone else has already said. And a standard set not likely to be met, again.
This is probably one of the biggest jewels in Conan's belt as a Late Show host. Something that he can brag about that no other late show host can ever have.
I remember two weeks before Conan was supposed to take over the Tonight Show, Leno held a rally and had his followers march on the NBC building in order to disrupt the transfer of power.
30 years later and "cover me, I'm taking a nap" made me have to pause to chuckle so I didn't risk choking on my drink. These guys are somehow timeless.
"It was a 'what would you do with your own talk show'... I was fourth." Off-the-cuff brilliance which showed Letterman that Conan was indeed carrying on the kind of legacy he had started at the Late Show.
I loved Conan back in the day and still do. The one thing I like about the old days, however, is his more natural laugh. Of course, after laughing nonstop for the better part of 3 decades, it must get old. Keep up the great work Conan (and Andy) {and Max, wherever you are}.
I only came here because on Conan podcast, he said that Letterman came on the show on February 94, and for him to remember that exact month and year is fascinating to me
Anyone remember that Conan used to be a writer on the Simpsons. Back when it was good. And then he left to do Late Night and the Simpsons kind of went downhill from there. Well, Conan and Brad Bird.
A legendary episode. I any of you went through the whole "Late Shift" era, you will remember how great it was that Letterman came on Conan's show and gave it the stamp of approval. Class act all around that Letterman
*16:30** After 28 years Conan you yourself wouldn't have thought back then I'm 1994 that you would be a cultural phenomenon in the Late Night show circuit* *I wish you all the very best in your next endeavour for the HBO* 👍👍
Hearing Conan talk about this moment 30 years later about how much he appreciated David‘s appearance and how much good it did for his incredible career, this makes it even more fun to watch this episode! And what I hadn‘t realized for quite some time: He was a Harvard Student ... not that bad of an achievement ...
Dave mentioned his morning show. I had never seen anything like it! I was 17 at the time, and I consistently skipped school just to watch him. I even remember one particular episode where they filmed from a viewer's house. The pranks and stunts and bits that he did were absolutely unprecedented.
As a Conan fan for over 20 years, and as fan of comedy in general, I'm so grateful to Letterman to have done this all those years ago. This was a seminal moment in the history of comedy. Letterman made sure that the suits left Conan alone for a while until you know what happened but the Conan brand had the room to (and eventually managed to) establish itself amongst us irreverant fans thanks to Dave Letterman cause he saw in Conan what we do/did long before everyone. If it didn't work out, I'm sure Lorne Michaels would've found other use for Conan but this was pivotal.
I know Conan, smartly, doesn't read comments on the internet but it's a shame because so many people love him and have been inspired and enriched by his work. And I know he struggles with his self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy. I just hope he has some inkling of what a tremendously positive influence he's had on his fans. It makes me sad to imagine Conan O'Brien ever doubting his impact on his fans. I'm sure he knows, though. He hasn't stopped yet, so he must know.
Dave really enjoyed the “Any chance she’ll get a show in the twelve thirty slot?” and his retort was absolutely incredible! Two giants sparring while holding each other in absolute respect & reverence.
Leno inherited a good sized audience from Carson. Letterman was on the air quite a long time but had to make his own space. Conan in a similar situation but was able to embrace the modern internet/media better than any of them. Much respect to Letterman and Conan.
This was the tipping point for Conan. You can see why, coz Dave Letterman sing praises to Conan show and it pivoted the trajectory it took to be a success.
You can literally see Conan shake with nerves through the entire segment. God bless the last of the greats of television late night. Everyone since are pale in comparison.
The adoration in Conan's face is one of the purest things I've ever witnessed. This interview is 100% legendary.
Abigail Lunetta agreed I know right lol
His interview with Paul McCartney is very similar.
I noticed that too.
Shut up
It's like interviewing comedy's version of God lol, especially for Conan, but for a lot of comedians of that era (and the next).
This is the interview that Conan has always said saved his whole career as a late show host. i love these two legends so much man. they were there for each other. Dave found Conan so we could find him. god bless u my man for giving us hours and hours of laughter, fun and pure joy
Exactly. Conan cut his episode short to tell people to switch over to Letterman's final episode. This is an important interview in Late Night history.
Lorne Michaels found him, Dave endorsed him.
@@EmpyreanLightASMR Conan mentioned this episode was a huge morale booster and you can see the shift halfway through. He's finding his wings again.
If you weren't around, you have no idea how popular Letterman was at this time. Letterman rarely was a guest. And if he was, he played it very cynically. Here, you see a genuine Letterman recognizing talent and effort. But when Letterman came on, it made major major mainstream news. Alot of eyeballs turned to his show that hadn't before. And for me, who really was a fan of Conan from the start, after the way Letterman endorsed Conan, I was all in for Conan. Conan also had a huge confidence boost in himself and it showed after.
People also need to know about Letterman going on Jon Stewart's original last show around 95 when it got cancelled. Letterman gave him huge words of confidence. And Letterman also brought on Stewart after the cancellation (like he did with Norm) when he didn't have anything to promote. Basically a confidence booster and exposure. That's why when Letterman retired, you see genuine appreciation from all the people. Leno? Nobody cares?
Was always disappointing Letterman never got on Craig Ferguson's show.
Dave did for Conan what Johnny Carson did for him. Publicly endorsed him by coming on his show, showed him great respect and love... not for any reason other than because he saw potential and he liked him and knew what it would mean to him. Love seeing things like this. It had to mean the world to Conan.
I liked that. Everyone needs support, especially when working in TV. Carson supported and protected Letterman. Conan never had that in 1993 when he started Late Night, so Letterman stepped in to that role.
Johnny also screwed Letterman over by giving the Tonight Show to Jay Leno instead.....and YES it was solely Johnny Carson's decision who would replace him. NBC had input but the final decision was with Johnny.
@@TrumpIsYourDaddy4everJohnny didn't make any choice to choose the replacement for him. The network itself picked Leno to replace him because he was successful in occasionally guest-hosting for Johnny, and it made NBC think Leno would be a safer choice to replace Johnny than Letterman would be.
And meanwhile, Letterman was constantly insulting, making fun, and having beef with several NBC and GE executives and he couldn't fight hard enough to secure his future position as The Tonight Show host, as he had thought the show would obviously be his when Johnny retired. He clearly killed his own chances of inheriting The Tonight Show from Johnny, over Leno.
@@TrumpIsYourDaddy4everyou should probably do some research because you could not be more wrong.
True class 👍
David letterman believed in Conan. Well he was not wrong.
Dave is such a mensch.
Carson-Letterman-O'Brien
Letterman did for Conan what Carson had originally done for him when Letterman got the Late Night Show. Conan was bombing in the ratings, and NBC was on the verge of cancelling Conan's show (or replacing him as host). Letterman saw Conan for the incredible talent he was and, regardless of the fact he was now on a different network, he wanted to do anything he could to help him out (something that Leno wouldn't have done in a million years, because Leno only cared about himself). In this one simple act of kindness, Letterman created an interest in Conan's show and the rest, as they say, is history.
Wasn’t wrong. And also just so kind and supportive of people. Conans thanks to this when David retired was beautiful.
@@thebonesaw..4634 -- I'm surprised Conan did bomb on that show. He's so good on his current show.
Letterman in full control steering the interview making Conan look good and endorsing him all the while. What a pro and someone you would want in your corner
What an amazing mentor. Like you say, Dave took full control, and he was showing Conan how's it's done. Conan is clearly his protégé
@cleverusername9369
I love that in the last second, after Dave shook hands with Andy, Andy squeezed Dave's arm as a heartfelt gratitude. What a flawed but genuine human being Letterman is.
Just amazing seeing Letterman here in his prime. His quips and sharp wit on full display, while the crowd is in the palm of his hand, all the while endorsing Conan.
The time when Letterman was really big. At this time he didn’t go to other shows except conan‘s show
And it stayed that way until his retirement... plus he had a beef with Oprah lol wonderful
He didn't go on anyone else's show until he left "The Late Show" and even then, it's pretty rare even if he's promoting something. Like Conan said, Dave coming on the show really saved him from an almost guaranteed cancellation.
conan has said many times, dave coming on the show, the one in this video, literally saved his career and stopped his show from getting canceled
He also appeared on Jon Stewart’s last "John Stewart Show" in a similar fashion.
@@IBuiltDaArk he did have a talk show on netflix for 2 years. it's still up.
Conan is visibly nervous... he admires Letterman so much and badly wants to impress him...
#TeamCoco
Nevermind Conan being nervous, talk about Andy being nervous lol. His hands are shaking in like every shot, and he didn't chime in at all.
I don't think Conan wants to impress Letterman, this is a thing that Kimmel would try to do... Conan knows (not in bad way but in a realistic way) that he doesn't stand a chance, I think he is just trying to keep his sh*t together lol
And I think he succeeded: Letterman was cracking up regularly at Conan's quips. You can also bury raw genius behind nervousness so much. Conan was destined for greatness :-)
I have not noticed he was trying to impress badly, huh
He was nervous for the first year or two at least - the tell-tale sign is that strange little giggle he lets out, which you never hear again after the first few years.
Its great to see how Conan developed from a shy host to a legend he is now. The king of late night right now.
Yeah
Agree 💯💯💯💯💯
@Spodo bbb lmao
He got less shy, but failed to get any funnier.
@@jedijones and no one agrees with you
the 15 people who dislike the clip are jay leno and his cars.
+ his chin
How dare you say that about Jay. He probably has way more than 14 cars
@@danb9447 no one gives a damn
@@danb9447 Well it's up to 26 now.
wolverineiscool You missed the joke
Conan takes Letterman’s old job, Letterman comes on and supports Conan. Conan takes Leno’s old job, Leno willfully sabotaged Conan. What’s funny about this is Letterman always had personality of a jerk and Leno the personality of a nice guy but they’re actually opposite.
Conan
AMEN
Leno needed another classic car, I guess.
@@MzKitka lol Leno has over 180 cars, but yeah...what he did yo Conan was a jerk move...but Conan surviving that legitimizes his late night legend status...still amazes me that he has far less sub on his YT channel then other late night bums
20 years of late night wars in one paragraph! Well done.
4:45 "How DID you get this job, by the way?" 😂 And how Conan responded jokingly he was fourth, that's comedy. That's class. That's where Conan finally got into the next gear.
Dave has an incredibly accurate eye for talent. He's helped out the careers of many funny people.
And musicians!
Norm!!!
Bill burr, Brian regan
Craig Ferguson
Ray Romano
The interview that turned Conan's career around.
Conan once said that this was the most important Day for the Show at that time, because it was meant to be cancelled and the approval from Letterman was their rescue.
Man I miss Letterman.
Yeah... and it's so good to feel that it was at Letterman's own will because he was the biggest TV personality at that time, he didn't have to do anything for anyone, specially for NBC... it's so refreshing to watch two talk show hosts not being phony and to see Conan overwhelmed by the gesture - they cut when Letterman walks in, it shows a really surprised Conan, the one that gives this squeaky weird laugh when he's legit off guard, awesome.
Yeah, R.I.P. Letterman
@@ThePurpleMushroom hes alive you idiot
@@ThePurpleMushroom LOL he's not dead
@@ThePurpleMushroom he will probably live to 110 with all the baby blood he drinks with Obama, Jay Z, Oprah, and Alex Soros.
2:38 that moment when letterman being the biggest TV at the time , endorsed Conan, saying that he is funny and creative... meant a lot to Conan and his staff
Letterman was number one in the ratings for a while, but never bragged about it. The instant that Leno got a bigger audience NBC promoted it. Letterman promoted being 3rd, which was hilarious.
Conan’s face said it all!
If this didn't happen, there would be no Jordan Schlansky ..
all hail king jordan
Or Sona
I've binge watched all the Schlansky clips here in YT so many times.. They never get old! :)
@@CapteinRiggs Which skit is your favorite?
Ive got news for you, there is no jordan schlansky. 😱
I love how these 2 have such mutual respect for each other. I mean they were on rival networks.
Even bigger was when Conan actually told his audience to watch Dave when he was doing his final show.
I loved Conan asking that! I hated that Patton Oswalt looked very annoyed by it at the beginning, he was Conan's guest on the day of David's departure and must have thought "hey, come on, I'm here today". He eventually got into the homage but it was weird.
Dave talked about conan on kimmel
It's always a pleasure to watch professional interviewers be interviewed. Conan and Dave are both amazing interviewers, and good at being interviewed themselves. It's like we get two hosts, and also two interviewees, at the same time!
Dave's distaste for Jay Leno long predated Jay getting "The Tonight Show."
But look at now - Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, and Stephen Colbert all appear on each other's shows and do bits together, and they're directly competing with each other. At least in this clip, Dave and Conan were in different timeslots.
"The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder" hadn't even started yet, so CBS didn't even really have a show in Conan's timeslot. Now James Corden appears on "Late Night with Seth Meyers," and Seth and James did a bit on The Emmys together.
It really was personal between Letterman and Leno and had very little to do with being competitors. Jay appeared on "Late Night" back in the '80s while he was still Johnny Carson's guest host, but I think Dave was just trying to play nice to Jay when he already hated his guts.
@@danieldougan269 That's really not true, Dave sad before that on the comedy circuit they were friends and people alwasy looked up to Jay. He was the guy- the headliner. Things changed when Jay was trying to get the tonight show. Allegedly... How much of that is being hater because jay won.
“Yes, it was a What Would I Do With A Talk Show. I was fourth.”
The way Conan didn’t back down to Dave’s dig at how he got his show but instead made a joke out of it is one of my favourite moments about this interview. 4:41
Letterman is such a pro here. Came prepared with great stories and jokes, and couldn’t have been a more perfect guest. Well done.
And if you watch, you can see how uncomfortable Dave was being a guest. Yet he killed for Conan. Two legends.
@@patrickoreilly6471
He wasn’t uncomfortable at all. He even talked about how he used to visit Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show multiple times a year. He was completely relaxed, in control, killed it, and helped Conan O’Brien get the show going in a positive direction in terms of ratings.
As Conan has said, this was such a huge boost for him, and a genuinely kind and classy act by Letterman-the behavior of a friend.
Dave did this show when Conan was struggling with the ratings of the show and critics were a trying to steamroll him. This helped Conan and his staff to get a morality boost.
*morale boost
@@rowanmelton7643 yes, but mortality would've been funnier. just sayin. :P
@@rowanmelton7643 no actually, before this Conan was throwing small babies through the window but after Letterman it was pens only!
@@leaffinite2001 lmao 😂
That was 19 minutes and 24 seconds of top notch television entertainment. One of the medium's top performers in the prime of his career, in the prime of the medium. So much energy.
You don't see interviews that long anymore on Late Night. cuts into their cheap political joke time. Maybe 2 segments for a few guests, but the segments are 7 minutes long, at the most.
*Good thing about this clip is: it´s uploaded by Team Coco* and not some random person, who might be banned by youtube, due to violation of copyright issues.
So... *the clip will stay there as a historical statement*
Don't think I've seen David with that kind of pep in ages. He clearly was an instant fan of Conan's comedy. I always got the feeling that Dave was more upset when others were wronged then when he was wronged. Just watch his interview with Norm Macdonald after Norm was fired.
8:40 with an irreverent NBC joke Conan made Dave laugh honestly and hard, and at this precise moment you can see him truly relax and smile realizing he just might actually deserve to be sitting there and have a shot at this Late Night thing...
"We're gonna take a quick break and make a lot of money for NBC" Dave loved the quip because after being denied the Tonight Show he basically told NBC to shove it. A very witty barb he fully appreciated because him coming back for an appearance on Late Night would mean a lot of eyeballs on the show and more add revenue NBC. He saw the irony.
I remember as a kid, my father had me set the timer to the VCR because he worked nights so he could watch the Carson/Letterman small claims court proceedings on Letterman's truck being towed and damages, with Judge Wapner...
I remember my father watching it when we were on our way out to school in the AM and as my sister and brother and I left, we could hear our father laughing hysterically..
We miss you Pops!
awwww that's so cute 😊
And now it’s here on UA-cam. I love this platform
❤️☺️ your dad was awesome
Conan's mannerisms are so much different here than they are now.
His laugh is way more high pitched and school boy-ish. He's way more jittery and not as composed as he is now, also.
Pantam Dreamscapes eh, this is a hyper focused Conan here. He’s been through a lot of changes in his delivery and broadcasting habits but he’s a decent comedy broadcaster.
Part of it is that Dave is one of his personal heroes, as we all know. Conan also has talked about how he really felt on the verge of failure for *years*... His fans know he's struggled with anxiety and feelings of inadequacy like a lot of these folks, and he says it was literally years before he felt like he'd actually "made it" and even now he's still not sure sometimes :) it's part of what makes him so awesome and hardworking. But a lot of it is just that he really was young! He was, what, 30 or 31, here? He's had such an amazing career, Conan is one of my personal heroes.
I didn’t care for letterman growing up (I was too lazy to change the channel) but now I understand why he is great.
I remember watching Leno and just waiting for it to be over so I could watch Conan.
I never liked Leno. Even less after all of that mess.
"Late Night with David Letterman" is, I think, the finest stage in Dave's career before he got to be pontificating, surly and bitter. The NBC days were the best.
@@HelgaCavoli what mess did Leno do?
@@icessoup its was about who would get to host late night. and carson wanted letterman to host it. if i remeber it right. Well kinda like the late night with conan debacle. the results was the same lenon had the late show and letterman and conan stood without jobs
Haha, same!! I’d have the volume down as I waited for conan 😂😅
What he's saying at 2:40 still holds true to this day. Conan is a unique among the late night shows!
After listening to Inside Conan where Conan emphasises how hard they had to fight to make the show unique from the ironic humor of Letterman's show, it makes Dave's praise of the show's different identity so heartwarming. Best believe Conan and all his production staff were pleased to hear that.
Poor young Conan looks so nervous having his idol on his young TV show. Great moment!
Yea poor guy with full potential who was making a name for himself, duh 🙄 lol.
Often forgotten was that it wasn't long after this (a little over a year later) that Jon Stewart's show got cancelled and Dave was his last guest, telling him not to be discouraged. Dave was/is a cranky SOB but when he offered such praise, it came from a real place (and his assessment was often spot on).
This was really good of Dave to do this for Conan. The man who once had his job came back to show him that he believed in him. That’s exactly what Conan needed to believe in himself and continue to try his best. It really payed off cuz Conan is the best
holy crap he looks so young but he sounds the EXACT same
Best part about this is I'm not sure which you're talking about..
@@SCOLTON97Archive he's talking about the one who used to be an NBC talk show host.
@@SCOLTON97Archive the ginger one
De_V the one with a blue tie?
@@yes-fx3pq no, the one with a penis
aww this is such a special moment for Conan and his crew. it was a joy to listen to them reliving old days on the podcast! David obviously means a lot to Conan, and David seems to appreciate that, which is really nice to see 😊
Which podcast is it?
Hala Abdullah late answer and maybe you already found it but it’s called Conan O’Brien needs a friend and you can listen to it on Spotify for example. It’s great
@@jackdaw99 thanks buddy you're awesome
Takes a lot of spine & confidence to so openly support a competitor. Two of the all time greats.
For folks who don't know...Conan made a point to say this and he has repeated it many times over his career.
He views THIS appearance by Letterman on his show as what saved the show from being cancelled early on. He has said that after this for whatever reason, his show started to gain a solid footing and he has talked about this over the years more than once.
Watching Dave acknowledge Conan, the audience, and Andy in equal measure lets one know what a true professional he was. A legend, as everyone else has already said. And a standard set not likely to be met, again.
The whole damn thing. I’m watching the whole damn thing
The long run...
Wtf does that mean? everyone watches the whole damn conan
This is probably one of the biggest jewels in Conan's belt as a Late Show host. Something that he can brag about that no other late show host can ever have.
Honestly, young Dave Letterman was easily the funniest talk show host ever. I used to race home from work to see his show.
Oh, wow. A POSTIVE example of a transfer of power. How refreshing.
I remember two weeks before Conan was supposed to take over the Tonight Show, Leno held a rally and had his followers march on the NBC building in order to disrupt the transfer of power.
Conan really appreciated this stamp of approval from Dave. :) Nice to see this in full.
Damn 25 years, remember this like it was yesterday...me and my brother were rabid late night fans, never missed an episode...good stuff
30 years later and "cover me, I'm taking a nap" made me have to pause to chuckle so I didn't risk choking on my drink. These guys are somehow timeless.
"It was a 'what would you do with your own talk show'... I was fourth." Off-the-cuff brilliance which showed Letterman that Conan was indeed carrying on the kind of legacy he had started at the Late Show.
Finally! A commercial break on UA-cam that coincides with when the actual commercial aired.
😂 Yes
I loved Conan back in the day and still do. The one thing I like about the old days, however, is his more natural laugh. Of course, after laughing nonstop for the better part of 3 decades, it must get old. Keep up the great work Conan (and Andy) {and Max, wherever you are}.
I only came here because on Conan podcast, he said that Letterman came on the show on February 94, and for him to remember that exact month and year is fascinating to me
I remember and loved Dave's mom...and now I find out she was 73 years old at the time.
Letterman is now 72.
2-28-94, the night that Conan says, Letterman saved his career! If so, we all say, "Thanks Dave"! :)
omg Conan is so handsome!!!
I was always waiting for this clip. It's such a pivotal moment for the show
2:29 Has to be the kindest, most effusive compliment I've ever seen Letterman pay someone on TV, Conan must have been totally blown away.
we all know this is the interview that saved Conan!
all of us coming to see this CAUSE we already saw Conan said that
Love these two. Watched Letterman with my parents when I was a kid in the 90s. Watched a lot of Conan through my teens and 20s. Legends.
Anyone remember that Conan used to be a writer on the Simpsons. Back when it was good. And then he left to do Late Night and the Simpsons kind of went downhill from there. Well, Conan and Brad Bird.
Snogard he wrote for Saturday Night Live (along with Bob Odenkirk of Better Call Saul) before he got this show as well.
Brad Bird was working on The Simpsons?
David Letterman's episode of "Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend" is out now. apple.co/TeamCoco
2:05 That's what Jay said...
I don't do apple podcasts, but did hear on earwolf. Great conversation.
Conan net worth 2019 : $85M
Mine 2019 : $85.00
@@nealdamkjer192 damn, let me hold $5.
Why do you have ads on your videos ?
A legendary episode. I any of you went through the whole "Late Shift" era, you will remember how great it was that Letterman came on Conan's show and gave it the stamp of approval. Class act all around that Letterman
Letterman is so naturally funny. He can say almost anything and make me laugh.
So glad David and Conan started this trend of hosts coming on eachother's shows! Crossovers are my favourite thing to watch nowadays!
*16:30** After 28 years Conan you yourself wouldn't have thought back then I'm 1994 that you would be a cultural phenomenon in the Late Night show circuit*
*I wish you all the very best in your next endeavour for the HBO* 👍👍
You can tell how nervous Conan was by the amount of times he was sipping his cup.
One of the most important episodes in late night history
David knew Conan was special. He was right. Conan is so well established now. David was right. Conan has said he owes his career to David.
This brings a tear to my eye. Two LEGENDS.
Class personified
Hearing Conan talk about this moment 30 years later about how much he appreciated David‘s appearance and how much good it did for his incredible career, this makes it even more fun to watch this episode! And what I hadn‘t realized for quite some time: He was a Harvard Student ... not that bad of an achievement ...
At 2:51-2:56 is probably the proudest I've ever seen someone while staying humble, man I loved that. Good for you Conan!!!!
Definition of cool humbleness. I give it the Fonzie 👍🏻
came from "conan thanks david letterman" video 😄
You can really tell how excited Conan is during this... loved what this interview did for Conan and in turn, late night television
Dave mentioned his morning show. I had never seen anything like it! I was 17 at the time, and I consistently skipped school just to watch him. I even remember one particular episode where they filmed from a viewer's house. The pranks and stunts and bits that he did were absolutely unprecedented.
Thanks for a quality version. 1 of the 2 best.
I want someone that looks at me as Conan looks at David 😹💕
a heartwarming and crucial moment for conan! awesome
As a Conan fan for over 20 years, and as fan of comedy in general, I'm so grateful to Letterman to have done this all those years ago. This was a seminal moment in the history of comedy. Letterman made sure that the suits left Conan alone for a while until you know what happened but the Conan brand had the room to (and eventually managed to) establish itself amongst us irreverant fans thanks to Dave Letterman cause he saw in Conan what we do/did long before everyone. If it didn't work out, I'm sure Lorne Michaels would've found other use for Conan but this was pivotal.
Conan 😍 so good -looking in here & a contagious Smile.
right? i was surprised that he was actually such a looker
Conan looks so chirpy. No wonder, Letterman was there pretty much to save his (and Andy's) career. Bless them all!
My Favorite two guy in nostalgiatic scene.
I love so so so much.
LEGENDS. ALL THREE OF 'EM.
Man, this is almost 30 years ago. I keep forgetting the 90s were that long ago.
“It was a theme writing contest. It was ‘What would you do with a talk show.’ ..... and I finished 4th.”
😂 gets me every time
I love the banter between the two. It’s 2021, and watching this always makes me laugh and smile.
It's always nice to go back to this video, and see a living legend sitting there, just being awesome. David and Conan are good too.
I know Conan, smartly, doesn't read comments on the internet but it's a shame because so many people love him and have been inspired and enriched by his work. And I know he struggles with his self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy. I just hope he has some inkling of what a tremendously positive influence he's had on his fans. It makes me sad to imagine Conan O'Brien ever doubting his impact on his fans. I'm sure he knows, though. He hasn't stopped yet, so he must know.
I think he knows all the love now :)
Dave really enjoyed the “Any chance she’ll get a show in the twelve thirty slot?” and his retort was absolutely incredible! Two giants sparring while holding each other in absolute respect & reverence.
Leno inherited a good sized audience from Carson. Letterman was on the air quite a long time but had to make his own space. Conan in a similar situation but was able to embrace the modern internet/media better than any of them. Much respect to Letterman and Conan.
Wow Conan was so new. You could see how much he’s mastered the host role since then
Almost brings a tear to my eye - beautiful interview!
This aired on the night I was born!!!
You have no idea how OLD that makes me feel.
Goddamit your parents missed this because of you
@@shudini985 😁😂
When were you born?at what time.
@@ashishdhingra5198 February 28, 1994
daaaamn the QUALIITY
Thank you so much for the upload, Team Coco.
Enjoying this from the Netherlands 😁🇳🇱
Ik ook!
Conan has said this interview kept the show alive, when the critics were killing the show.
Critics are idiots. Conan's writing staff in the 90s was one of the best ever.
Conan's laugh seems uninhibited and booming with raw energy which is still relevant
Shout out to Dave, what a real one ❤
Dave is such a legend. He had to have known how significant his appearance on Conans show would be. What a moment!
This was the tipping point for Conan. You can see why, coz Dave Letterman sing praises to Conan show and it pivoted the trajectory it took to be a success.
Omg the pencil bit🤣🤣🤣 core memory
You can literally see Conan shake with nerves through the entire segment. God bless the last of the greats of television late night. Everyone since are pale in comparison.
Letterman and Conan are by far the two best late night hosts of all time. Even for a guy in a third world country, their impact is immeasurable.