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The Late Show with David Letterman

514 statements
99 feature instances
13 referencing feature instances

The Late Show with David Letterman	type	TVTItem
The Late Show with David Letterman	label	The Late Show with David Letterman
The Late Show with David Letterman	page	TheLateShowWithDavidLetterman
The Late Show with David Letterman	comment	The Late Show with David Letterman is an American late-night Talk Show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the Late Show franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993. The show's music director and leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, was Paul Shaffer. The head writer was Matt Roberts and the announcer was Alan Kalter.In 2014, Letterman announced his retirement and the final episode of Late Show aired on May 20, 2015. The show was then succeeded by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015.In 2002, Late Show with David Letterman was ranked No. 7 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. As host of both Late Night and Late Show for more than 30 years, Letterman surpassed Johnny Carson as the longest running late-night talk show host in 2013. That same year, Late Night and Late Show were ranked at #41 on TV Guide's 60 Best Series of All Time.
The Late Show with David Letterman	fetched	2023-12-08T02:47:07Z
The Late Show with David Letterman	parsed	2023-12-08T02:47:07Z
The Late Show with David Letterman	processingComment	Dropped link to AffectionateParody: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Late Show with David Letterman	processingComment	Dropped link to Cher: Not a Feature - IGNORE
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The Late Show with David Letterman	processingComment	Dropped link to DickTheBruiser: Not a Feature - ITEM
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The Late Show with David Letterman	processingComment	Dropped link to LetsMakeADeal: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Late Show with David Letterman	processingComment	Dropped link to Madonna: Not a Feature - IGNORE
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The Late Show with David Letterman	processingComment	Dropped link to TheFrugalGourmet: Not a Feature - ITEM
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The Late Show with David Letterman	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_1c3d047e	type	The Rival
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_1c3d047e	comment	The Rival: Jay "Big Jaw" Leno became this after he beat Letterman out as Carson's successor on Tonight, and Dave moved to CBS to compete directly with Leno in the 11:30 PM slot. The bad blood resurfaced in 2009 after some of the worst Executive Meddling of all time caused Leno to first move out of The Tonight Show and then back in after less than a year because of failing ratings. Letterman joined many others in accusing Leno of "reneging" on his previously-announced "retirement," although the move had been largely forced on Leno and he only returned after his ostensible successor, Conan O'Brien (who had earlier succeeded Letterman himself on NBC's Late Night show), had already decided to leave. Despite the bump in Letterman's ratings the events caused, he still tends to come in behind Leno's. Although Leno has gotten mileage out of occasional Letterman scandals (notably revelations of Letterman's affair with a staffer), he has been much less inclined to attack Letterman than Letterman has been to attack him. The former friends' relationship remains strained, although Leno has expressed willingness to mend fences. For his part Letterman has expressed grudging respect for Leno's skills, characterizing him as a great standup comic. Letterman has never considered himself as such, which is why he stopped touring basically as soon as he could get a TV show. During a 2012 interview with " fellow Leno victim" Conan O'brien, both got their shots in, Letterman stating that in the 70s all the stand up comedy circuit admired Leno's talent, but all knew that deep down he was just 'a big brat' whenever he wanted something. Lampshaded to hilarious effect in a promo aired during Super Bowl XLIV.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_1c3d047e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_1c3d047e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_1c3d047e
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_1e5df5	type	Heh Heh, You Said "X"
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_1e5df5	comment	Heh Heh, You Said "X": From "Top Ten Reasons Mills College Students Don't Want Men Attending" (May 18, 1990)
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_1e5df5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_1e5df5	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_1e5df5
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_1e7c47ab	type	Stealth Pun
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_1e7c47ab	comment	Stealth Pun: A staple of Letterman comedy, especially in Top Ten Lists.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_1e7c47ab	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_1e7c47ab	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_1e7c47ab
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_23e32a30	type	Genre Deconstruction
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_23e32a30	comment	Genre Deconstruction: Letterman's entire schtick is based around deconstructing the traditional TV talk show and its conventions.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_23e32a30	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_23e32a30	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_25ae077	type	Disposable Intern
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_25ae077	comment	Disposable Intern: In one episode of The Late Show a man who had invented a new super-powered pogo stick is demonstrating it outside the theater. Dave has the man pogo stick over a row of interns, since even if he does accidentally hurt one it won't matter.note However, on close inspection one can see that while the jumper is jumping in a straight line the line of interns is on an angle so the final one(s) won't be hurt even if he doesn't make it.
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_25b5600	type	Captain Ersatz
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_25b5600	comment	Captain Ersatz: Chris Elliot's running characters The Fugitive Guy (The Fugitive) and The Regulator Guy (The Equalizer).
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_25b5600	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_25b5600	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_25b5600
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_2a090d00	type	Lampshade Hanging
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_2a090d00	comment	Lampshade Hanging: His explaining away jokes that didn't work.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_2a090d00	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_2a090d00	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_2a090d00
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_2c13a6ce	type	Complaining About Things You Haven't Paid For
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_2c13a6ce	comment	Complaining About Things You Haven't Paid For: Dave sometimes jokingly tries to preempt complaints from the studio audience saying things like "You didn't pay anything to get in here, you know." Also at the midpoint of the show, Letterman would announce the guests booked for the next episode. Sometimes the audience would boo softly if it was a big name guest, leading Dave to say "Oh? Something wrong with tonight's show?"
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_2e5e04c0	type	Must Make Amends
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_2e5e04c0	comment	Must Make Amends: In October of 1993, Bill Hicks made his last TV appearance before his death, on Late Show, and performed a set that didn't make it to air due to its content. Bill was, uh, not pleased with this, and made no secret of his bitterness during his final months. Sixteen years later, on January 30, 2009, Dave discussed the incident, took the blame for the decision, and had an interview with Bill's mother, Mary Hicks, where he profusely apologized. He then presented Bill's unaired set in its entirety.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_2e5e04c0	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_351b8442	type	Disney Owns This Trope
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_351b8442	comment	Disney Owns This Trope: When Letterman left for CBS, NBC threatened one over the "intellectual property" of Stupid Pet Tricks and the Top Ten list, until both Letterman and Leno's mockery embarrassed them out of it. Among the problems with the lawsuit: Top ten lists had been done for years by people before Letterman, and Letterman actually owned the Stupid Pet Tricks property from an earlier show of his. Then-current NBC anchor Tom Brokaw made a surprise appearance during Letterman's first CBS monologue and took one of the cue cards, claiming the jokes were NBC intellectual property. Letterman quipped that he couldn't believe Brokaw used "intellectual" and "NBC" in the same sentence. After asking Johnny Carson if he can use "Stump the Band", Johnny quips "Stump the Band? Sure, I can hardly claim that as intellectual property!".
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_351b8442	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_35a858b3	type	Cluster F-Bomb
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_35a858b3	comment	Cluster F-Bomb: In 1994, Madonna dropped the F-word at least 13 times, which were all censored, during her interview, and tried to get Letterman to smell her panties.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_35a858b3	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_36e63b81	type	Rule of Cool
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_36e63b81	comment	Rule of Cool: From the January 5, 1994 show:
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_38d12399	type	Teens Are Monsters
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_38d12399	comment	Teens Are Monsters: "Dwight the Troubled Teen" skits.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_38d12399	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_3f89452c	type	Sad Clown
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_3f89452c	comment	Sad Clown: He's famously guarded about discussing his private life, but in interviews during his final weeks on the air he candidly talked about his long struggles with depression and alcoholism when he was younger.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_3f89452c	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_42064d3c	type	Left It In
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_42064d3c	comment	Left It In: Letterman frequently says "We'll edit that out later." They never do.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_42064d3c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_42064d3c	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_434d893c	type	Funny Foreigner
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_434d893c	comment	Funny Foreigner: Foreign correspondent Graham Fenwick-Jones, who spoke almost without exception in impenetrable British slang with no subtitles.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_434d893c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_434d893c	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_440fc032	type	Drum Roll, Please
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_440fc032	comment	Drum Roll, Please: All upcoming gags receive this, sometimes to intentionally anti-climactic results. Dave often also asks Stupid Pet Trick contestants if they want a drum roll or if they think it will scare the pet.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_440fc032	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_440fc032	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_46bf638a	type	Worked Shoot
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_46bf638a	comment	Worked Shoot: Letterman's infamous interview with actor/comedian Andy Kaufman and pro wrestler Jerry Lawler has been confirmed as a staged event in the intervening years, though only Lawler and Kaufman knew what was going to happen. As a result, Letterman's look of surprise when Lawler and Kaufman started fighting each other was completely genuine. Dave's disastrous chat with Crispin Glover, on the other hand, appears to be all too real. Dave wasn't in on Joaquin Phoenix's bizarre in-character appearance in 2009, but Joaquin's subtle laughing at a couple of Letterman's quips probably tipped him off as to what was going on (He was pretending to have a Creator Breakdown invoked as a commentary that Celebrity Is Overrated). In a later appearance Phoenix pointed out that he actually broke character at the very end, getting up and shaking his hand with surprising energy compared to the lethargic interview.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_46bf638a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_46bf638a	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_4a8c4e5f	type	Big "WHAT?!"
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_4a8c4e5f	comment	Big "WHAT?!": Anything that results in a look of mock horror and him proclaiming "WHAT! WHAT!"
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_4a8c4e5f	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_504a1991	type	Body Horror
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_504a1991	comment	Body Horror: "Things More Fun Than Reading The Sarah Palin Memoir" consists of Body Horror Stock Footage, mostly from old movies.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_504a1991	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_50ca4422	type	Unresolved Sexual Tension
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_50ca4422	comment	Unresolved Sexual Tension: Between Dave and Julia Roberts, of all people. Also with Gillian Anderson in this appearance.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_50ca4422	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_50ca4422	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_510e5a9	type	Sassy Black Woman
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_510e5a9	comment	Sassy Black Woman: Parodied without mercy with "Pat and Kenny Read Oprah Transcripts," with the very white, very male Pat and Kenny doing Dramatic Readings of transcripts of Oprah's interviews with celebrities, which always start with "Girl, girl, girl, girl, girl..."
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_510e5a9	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_51a3ba7	type	We Used to Be Friends
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_51a3ba7	comment	We Used to Be Friends: For all the vitriol Dave directed towards Jay Leno in later years, the latter had actually been a frequent guest when Dave was still with NBC. They seem to have fallen out at some point before Jay was selected to host The Tonight Show, but that incident certainly drove the final nail in the coffin of their friendship.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_51a3ba7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_51a3ba7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_51a3ba7
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5313c266	type	Bookends
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5313c266	comment	Book Ends: Bill Murray was Dave's first interview guest on both Late Night and Late Show. Guess who his final Late Show interview guest was? What's more, Letterman introduced Murray for the last time using virtually identical language to when he introduced him for the first time:
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5313c266	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5313c266	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5313c266
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_54428f7b	type	Ashes to Crashes
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_54428f7b	comment	Ashes to Crashes: Paul Rudd described his surreal experiences with his father's ashes in Ireland. Yes, he got "Lebowski'ed".
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_54428f7b	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_54428f7b	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5473668f	type	Logo Joke
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5473668f	comment	Logo Joke: The first airing of Late Show was prefaced with the CBS ID of the era playing as normal, except Dave said "This is CBS" instead of the usual V/O guy, and he actually appeared midway through the ID.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5473668f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5473668f	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_59204dfb	type	Greeting Gesture Confusion
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_59204dfb	comment	Greeting Gesture Confusion: In 2012, he took to fist-bumping some of his guests, specifically the "exploding" variety. Most of the time his guests are confused - often thinking he's going for a traditional handshake - but every once in a while someone (who has probably been prepped beforehand, or is a regular viewer) joins in on both the bump and the explosion, at which point Dave is both impressed and amused.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_59204dfb	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5be7bcfa	type	Older Than They Think
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5be7bcfa	comment	When Letterman left for CBS, NBC threatened one over the "intellectual property" of Stupid Pet Tricks and the Top Ten list, until both Letterman and Leno's mockery embarrassed them out of it. Among the problems with the lawsuit: Top ten lists had been done for years by people before Letterman, and Letterman actually owned the Stupid Pet Tricks property from an earlier show of his.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5be7bcfa	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5be7bcfa	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5be7bcfa
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5d86966a	type	Man on Fire
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5d86966a	comment	Man on Fire: When the movie of the same name was coming out, Dave would have a guy running around the stage screaming with his shirt on fire until he ran to the back and the fire was extinguished.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5d86966a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_5d86966a	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_632f6b5b	type	Guest Host
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_632f6b5b	comment	Guest Host: Letterman became famous as Johnny Carson's guest host on The Tonight Show. Much later in his career, Letterman would have heart surgery and a bout with shingles that led to famous guest hosts for his show, like Regis Philbin, Bruce Willis, Bill Cosby, Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon, Elvis Costello, Adam Sandler, Tom Green, Megan Mullaly, Vince Vaughn, and Bonnie Hunt.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_632f6b5b	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_632f6b5b	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_6406a19c	type	Politicians Kiss Babies
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_6406a19c	comment	Politicians Kiss Babies: In a joke about New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Letterman said when running for office Christie "got confused. Kissed a blintz, ate a baby!" Another Letterman gag: in "Top 10 signs [then Presidential candidate] Herman Cain is losing it."
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_6406a19c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_6406a19c	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_698068be	type	"Balls" Gag
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_698068be	comment	"Balls" Gag: One of Letterman's recurring jokes were his observations about the squirrels in Central Park — which inevitably led to some sort of Double Entendre about what they were doing with their nuts.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_698068be	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_698068be	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_6d7bc0f	type	Fake Band
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_6d7bc0f	comment	Fake Band: In 1999, Letterman used the faux Boy Band "Fresh Step"note Named for a brand of cat litter to mock groups like the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC.*
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_6d7bc0f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_6d7bc0f	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_6ef9d3fe	type	Christmas Episode
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_6ef9d3fe	comment	The show's Christmas Episode always featured a few regular bits: Paul Shaffer reminiscing about an episode of the Sonny & Cher variety show and Cher's performance of "O Holy Night," complete with an imitation; Jay Thomas telling his famous story about an adventure with Clayton Moore of The Lone Ranger, followed by Thomas and Dave competing to see who could knock a meatball off a pizza on top of a Christmas tree by throwing footballs at it; and a special performance by Darlene Love singing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," Letterman's favorite Christmas song.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_6ef9d3fe	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_71e514b5	type	Don't Try This at Home
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_71e514b5	comment	Don't Try This at Home: During Stupid Pet Tricks, "Please....no wagering", which in turn is subverted by Stupid Human Tricks's disclaimer "Go ahead and wager."
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_71e514b5	featureApplicability	-0.3
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_71e514b5	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_722d0026	type	Vanity Plate
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_722d0026	comment	Vanity Plate: Letterman's company, Worldwide Pants, has a vanity plate that is memorable for the non-sequiteur phrases announced during the display of the plate.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_722d0026	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_722d0026	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_722d0026
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_74d46396	type	OrphanedPunchLine
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_74d46396	comment	Orphaned Punch Line: Once he and Paul had been talking about "Ventriloquists' Week" and he threw in, "Wednesday we'll be having Dick Cheney and George W. Bush!"
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_74d46396	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_74d46396	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_74d46396
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_762b9223	type	Played for Laughs
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_762b9223	comment	Played for Laughs, of course. Dave once cut up a John McCain speech to make it seem like McCain was calling Franklin D. Roosevelt his "close personal friend."note McCain was eight years old when FDR died. Dave even once called it "Great Moments in Unfair Editing."
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_762b9223	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_762b9223	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_762b9223
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_7f3be191	type	Impossibly Cool Clothes
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_7f3be191	comment	Impossibly Cool Clothes: For a while in the 80s David had a number of special suits. Sitting in a giant bowl he was doused with barrels of milk while wearing a Suit of Rice Krispies; Hoisted by a crane he was placed in a giant glass of water wearing a Suit of Alka-Seltzer; And perhaps most famous of all - he jumped off a trampoline on to a wall while wearing a Suit of Velcro to see if he'd stick. He did. As Letterman himself freely admitted, these were inspired by Steve Allen, who during his run as host of The Tonight Show, once sat in a giant tea cup with warm water and 200 lemon wedges while wearing a Suit of Teabags.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_7f3be191	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_7f3be191	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_7f3be191
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_7fbe9a30	type	Freak Out
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_7fbe9a30	comment	Freak Out: Dave was witness to Craig Nicholls from The Vines having one of the biggest freak-outs ever during a 2003 appearance, creating some incredibly uncomfortable television in the process. Even Dave couldn't play that one off. note It later turned out Nicholls is autistic, which would plague his live appearances multiple times.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_7fbe9a30	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_7fbe9a30	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_7fbe9a30
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_808cbaeb	type	Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_808cbaeb	comment	Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Jokes aside,Explanation For those who don't know, "Jaywalking" is a Vox Pops skit used by Letterman's rival Jay Leno as part of Letterman's subversion of the form, as a rule #1 is almost never the funniest joke in the Top Ten List. The studio audience will be applauding anyway.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_808cbaeb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_808cbaeb	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_808cbaeb
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_820ac351	type	It Amused Me
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_820ac351	comment	During the Tonight Show controversy between Conan and Leno, Dave took many, many shots at NBC and Leno. When Dick Ebersol complained, Dave publicly responded that he was only doing it because he enjoyed it tremendously.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_820ac351	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_820ac351	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_820ac351
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_86b21114	type	Badass Boast
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_86b21114	comment	Badass Boast: After 2008 Republican Presidential Nominee Senator John McCain told Letterman that he couldn't appear on the show in September 2008 due to his campaigning schedule,note Keith Olbermann appeared instead only to turn up on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Letterman proclaimed, "The road to the White House goes through me!"
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_86b21114	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_86b21114	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_86b21114
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_8bb8d21f	type	Big Budget Beef-Up
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_8bb8d21f	comment	Big Budget Beef-Up: CBS lured Letterman away from NBC with a huge pay raise, along with seemingly unlimited resources and technological advances, starting with moving him from a cramped studio at Rockefeller Center to the fully-refurbished Ed Sullivan Theatre on Broadway, and he responded by turning the show into more of a spectacle than Late Night had been.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_8bb8d21f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_8bb8d21f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_8bb8d21f
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_90dd217f	type	Little Known Facts
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_90dd217f	comment	Little Known Facts: "Fun Facts".
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_90dd217f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_90dd217f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_90dd217f
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_931fc523	type	Back for the Finale
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_931fc523	comment	Back for the Finale: The show's final top ten list was delivered by frequent guests and good friends of the show, such as Jerry Seinfeld, Steve Martin, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tina Fey, and Bill Murray, who was Dave's first guest on NBC in 1982 and on CBS in 1993; and Foo Fighters, a frequent musical guest on The Late Show, also came back to perform "Everlong", just as they did years prior (and cancelled a tour to do it) after Letterman's heart surgery.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_931fc523	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_931fc523	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_931fc523
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_94721d54	type	Your Favorite
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_94721d54	comment	Your Favorite: Dave once had his Mother on the show to demonstrate how she made his favorite snack â€” Fried Bologna Sandwiches.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_94721d54	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_94721d54	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_94721d54
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_95496a1d	type	The Announcer
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_95496a1d	comment	The Announcer: Bill Wendell (1993-95, as a carryover from Late Night), Alan Kalter (1995-2015)
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_95496a1d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_95496a1d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_95496a1d
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_9622c172	type	Christmas Carolers
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_9622c172	comment	Christmas Carolers: During many a Christmas season he'd bring on a group of carolers to sing the "Top Ten Least Favorite Christmas Carols" (which are traditional Christmas carols reworded to reflect current political satire topics).
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_9622c172	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_9622c172	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_9622c172
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_9dfd7154	type	Fridge Logic
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_9dfd7154	comment	Fridge Logic: Invoked this in a joke about the Angelina Jolie movie Salt, saying that it is so compelling you don't realize that it makes no sense until you are walking back to your car.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_9dfd7154	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_9dfd7154	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_9dfd7154
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_9edfdf1f	type	Studio Audience
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_9edfdf1f	comment	Studio Audience: Often had a love/hate relationship with Letterman in the mid-1980s; they're all adoration, all the time nowadays.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_9edfdf1f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_9edfdf1f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_9edfdf1f
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a10d8339	type	The Show Must Go On
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a10d8339	comment	The Show Must Go On: While New York City hunkered down for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, the show was recorded without a studio audience and a skeleton crew. A mannequin was "operating" one of the cameras and an intern held up handwritten text cards for the Top Ten List. (Jimmy Fallon, also in NYC, did a similar show.)
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a10d8339	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a10d8339	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a10d8339
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a1154544	type	Grumpy Old Man
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a1154544	comment	Grumpy Old Man: Dave has composed tweets in mid-show, in full Grumpy Old Man mode commenting sarcastically about how "this is so much easier than a phone call" and spelling out the words "Hash Tag" in the tweet itself. Once during a segment in the audience, the first two people he talked to were an advisor and an analyst.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a1154544	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a1154544	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a1154544
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a188ac4b	type	Overly Long Gag
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a188ac4b	comment	Often used to the point of being intentionally unfunny and arguably bordering on Lampshade Hanging.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a188ac4b	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a188ac4b	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a188ac4b
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a19e40f2	type	Memetic Psychopath
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a19e40f2	comment	Memetic Psychopath: Invoked, as Letterman for a time had a bit called "Dr. Phil's Words of Wisdom", which were quick out of context clips from his show intended to make him look as bad as possible, including such quotes as "Let's just kick her ass," "Children hate me," and "I would eat some Fruity Pebbles if I got hungry enough." Usually, Dave would end the bit by saying, "Someday they're going to close down that little parlor game and put that man in jail."
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a19e40f2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a19e40f2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a19e40f2
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a65288e2	type	Ascended Extra
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a65288e2	comment	Ascended Extra: Many members of he production staff and crew have become familiar faces to viewers and even been utilized in bits, such as stagehand Biff Henderson, production assistant Barbara Gaines, and former director and producer Hal Gurnee and Robert Morton, respectively.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a65288e2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a65288e2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a65288e2
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a806691d	type	Casanova Wannabe
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a806691d	comment	Casanova Wannabe: Announcer Alan Kalter.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a806691d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a806691d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_a806691d
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_aa8d0ef0	type	Spell My Name with a "The"
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_aa8d0ef0	comment	Spell My Name with a "The": The show's title was during Dave's tenure was indistinctly spelled as either "The Late Show" or just "Late Show", although the latter ultimately seemed the prefered spelling, as it was spelled that way on the show's graphics. His successor Stephen Colbert's tenure in contrast always spelled the show's title as "The Late Show".note It was averted for humor though with episodes Stephen recorded from his home during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, where it was called "A Late Show".
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_aa8d0ef0	featureApplicability	-1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_aa8d0ef0	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_aa8d0ef0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_ab89e132	type	Men Are Uncultured
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_ab89e132	comment	Men Are Uncultured: From "Top Ten Reasons Why Mills College Students Don't Want Men Attending" (May 18, 1990)
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_ab89e132	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_ab89e132	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_ab89e132
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_b01abe4f	type	Catchphrase
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_b01abe4f	comment	Catchphrase Whenever the subject of drinks comes up, "I don't think there's a man, woman, or child alive today who doesn't enjoy a refreshing beverage." "How we doing on time?" "I wouldn't give my troubles to a monkey on a rock." (When a joke set-up has a fairly obvious punchline coming up) "I think we can all see this one coming down 2nd Avenue." (Wiggling some blue cards) "If these weren't actual letters from actual viewers....could I do this?" "Did we open the thing?" (in reference to the Top Ten List theme song/graphic. Letterman has said this on practically every episode for years).
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_b01abe4f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_b01abe4f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_b01abe4f
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_b53077b3	type	Take That!
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_b53077b3	comment	Take That!: To absolutely anyone and anything you can possibly imagine, including himself. During the Tonight Show controversy between Conan and Leno, Dave took many, many shots at NBC and Leno. When Dick Ebersol complained, Dave publicly responded that he was only doing it because he enjoyed it tremendously.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_b53077b3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_b53077b3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_b53077b3
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_b871de85	type	Annoying Laugh
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_b871de85	comment	Annoying Laugh: He often employs this deliberately.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_b871de85	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_b871de85	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_b871de85
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_ba236071	type	It Makes Sense in Context
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_ba236071	comment	"It's always the horn section!"
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_ba236071	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_ba236071	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_ba236071
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_bc00493f	type	Precision F-Strike
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_bc00493f	comment	Precision F-Strike: In re Leonard Tepper walking out in a giant squirrel costume:
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_bc00493f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_bc00493f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_bc00493f
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_bc867843	type	Jumping Out of a Cake
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_bc867843	comment	Jumping Out of a Cake: Bill Murray on the second-to-last Late Show episode.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_bc867843	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_bc867843	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_bc867843
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_beb932ca	type	Big Applesauce
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_beb932ca	comment	Big Applesauce: New York-based, in contrast to the L.A.-based (prior to 2014) Tonight Show.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_beb932ca	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_beb932ca	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_beb932ca
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c2393191	type	Show Within a Show
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c2393191	comment	Show Within a Show: Chris Elliott's The Fugitive Guy complete with opening and closing credits, theme song, 'Tonight's Episode' Quinn Martin type titles, and a final episode in which Dave and Chris hunt down The One Legged Man.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c2393191	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c2393191	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c2393191
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c4d09d24	type	Couch Gag
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c4d09d24	comment	Couch Gag: The opening introduction for Dave ("And now, a man who...") was different for every episode. Until September 2001, New York City was always introduced differently ("From New York, pony rentals not included..."). After the show's first post-9/11 episode, New York City was introduced as "The greatest city in the world". The gag would be revived towards the end of the show's run as introducing the show from pretty much anywhere.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c4d09d24	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c4d09d24	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c4d09d24
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c54f70a7	type	Insignificant Anniversary
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c54f70a7	comment	Insignificant Anniversary: Early in the show's run Dave announces with great fanfare that it's the 1,000th show, along with a large graphic. Dave then says "oh, wait, that's a typo. It's actually our 100th show." A much smaller "100" graphic is shown, along with a much more subdued fanfare from the band
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c54f70a7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c54f70a7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c54f70a7
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c75df49a	type	Shout-Out
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c75df49a	comment	The World's Most Dangerous Band --> The CBS Orchestra. note (The band didn't really have a name until around 1987, when Letterman pointed out that the line "with Paul Shaffer and the band" in his opening announcement sounded weak compared to "with Doc Severinsen and the NBC Orchestra" on The Tonight Show. They went with "Paul Shaffer and the NBC Orchestra" for a few shows before debuting "The World's Most Dangerous Band". That makes "CBS Orchestra" a Shout-Out, Call-Back and Take That! all at the same time.)
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c75df49a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c75df49a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c75df49a
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c87737d9	type	Vacation Episode
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c87737d9	comment	Vacation Episode: The crew once spent a week in London, which also marked the only time the series has seen the light of British terrestrial television - BBC2 aired those episodes. He did a week of shows in Hollywood in 1994, during which Johnny Carson made a couple of cameos that turned out to be his final television appearances.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c87737d9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c87737d9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c87737d9
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c8b1b8b4	type	Comic Books
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c8b1b8b4	comment	Comic Books: Bizarrely, Letterman was in an issue of◊ The Avengers in 1984. A parody version of Letterman ("David Endochrine") was murdered (along with his audience) by The Joker in Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Funnily enough, David Endocrhine was voiced by Conan O'Brien in the animated adaptation, and come 2015, the cast of Avengers Ageof Ultron would feature heavily... on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c8b1b8b4	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c8b1b8b4	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c8b1b8b4
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c914e68d	type	Cigar Chomper
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c914e68d	comment	Cigar Chomper: For many years Letterman was known for his love of cigars, although he's apparently given them up.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c914e68d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c914e68d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c914e68d
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c9597a03	type	Self-Deprecation
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c9597a03	comment	To absolutely anyone and anything you can possibly imagine, including himself.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c9597a03	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c9597a03	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_c9597a03
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_cbd6f9a9	type	One Extra Member
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_cbd6f9a9	comment	One Extra Member: On the "Small Town News" segment, one of Dave's self-described favorite categories of news is things like "Classical Trio performs" with a picture of 4-6 members.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_cbd6f9a9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_cbd6f9a9	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_cbd6f9a9
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_cc7fae30	type	Outside-Context Problem
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_cc7fae30	comment	Outside-Context Problem: As part of the show's Rule of Funny, many times someone will just walk over to Dave, say something insulting, and promptly disappear and never be seen or referenced again.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_cc7fae30	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_cc7fae30	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_cc7fae30
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_cfeb01b3	type	Title Confusion
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_cfeb01b3	comment	Title Confusion: The Late Show is often mistakenly referred to as Late Night and vice versa. In reality, Late Night still exists at NBC and is hosted since February 2014 by Seth Meyers. Oddly enough considering that Conan O'Brien had a 16-year stint hosting the show after Letterman. It gets worse...during the second to last episode's monologue, Dave showed a series of clips from local CBS station newscasts (his own network no less) noting Dave's retirement from The Tonight Show.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_cfeb01b3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_cfeb01b3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_cfeb01b3
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d34f8215	type	Coattail-Riding Relative
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d34f8215	comment	Coattail-Riding Relative: Dave makes the occasional joke about his uncle Larry trying to capitalize on his success.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d34f8215	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d34f8215	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d34f8215
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d429d0f6	type	Canada, Eh?
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d429d0f6	comment	Canada, Eh?: Paul Shaeffer is a proud Canadian who wears the "Snowflake" lapel pin that signifies him as a Member of the Order of Canada at all times. When Michael J. Fox made an appearance without his own pin, Shaeffer called him out and Fox made sure to wear it for subsequent interviews.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d429d0f6	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d429d0f6	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d429d0f6
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d4c98786	type	Writing Around Trademarks
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d4c98786	comment	Writing Around Trademarks: Due to NBC owning the names (but not the formats) to several of Letterman's skits. The World's Most Dangerous Band --> The CBS Orchestra. note (The band didn't really have a name until around 1987, when Letterman pointed out that the line "with Paul Shaffer and the band" in his opening announcement sounded weak compared to "with Doc Severinsen and the NBC Orchestra" on The Tonight Show. They went with "Paul Shaffer and the NBC Orchestra" for a few shows before debuting "The World's Most Dangerous Band". That makes "CBS Orchestra" a Shout-Out, Call-Back and Take That! all at the same time.) Viewer Mail --> CBS Mailbag. The Top Ten List --> The Late Show Top Ten List. Larry "Bud" Melman --> Calvert DeForest (his real name).
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d4c98786	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d4c98786	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d4c98786
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d7fc9fd0	type	Vitriolic Best Buds
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d7fc9fd0	comment	Vitriolic Best Buds: Dave has had this relationship with several guests, most notably Regis Philbin and Charles Grodin.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d7fc9fd0	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d7fc9fd0	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d7fc9fd0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d99a228f	type	Unusually Uninteresting Sight
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d99a228f	comment	Unusually Uninteresting Sight: A recurring Letterman gag is to see "How many guys in X costumes can fit in a Y?", trying to get a rise out of passers-by. People seldom react.
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d99a228f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d99a228f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_d99a228f
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_dd45df38	type	Unfortunate Names
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_dd45df38	comment	Unfortunate Names: For a month in 1995, Dave was absolutely obsessed with a gas station employee from Saskatchewan named Dick Assman. Yes, you read that right. He eventually even got the guy on the phone, first talking to his business partner before saying "I'd love to keep talking to you, but your name isn't silly enough."
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_dd45df38	featureApplicability	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_dd45df38	featureConfidence	1.0
The Late Show with David Letterman	hasFeature	The Late Show with David Letterman / int_dd45df38
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_e409de66	type	Manipulative Editing
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_e409de66	comment	Manipulative Editing: Played for Laughs, of course. Dave once cut up a John McCain speech to make it seem like McCain was calling Franklin D. Roosevelt his "close personal friend."note McCain was eight years old when FDR died. Dave even once called it "Great Moments in Unfair Editing." Sarah Palin was also a frequent subject of this during the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election. In one instance, Dave manipulated a Palin speech to make her sound incompetent (hyphens indicate jump cuts): "It's so clear I have—no—experience; John McCain should—get rid of—me."
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_e4f5affb	type	The Chew Toy
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_e4f5affb	comment	The Chew Toy: Poor Alan Kalter (aka The Announcer).
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_e52a0409	type	Calling the Old Man Out
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_e52a0409	comment	Calling the Old Man Out: Kirstie Alley got one over on Dave when she appeared on the Late Show in 2011. Having been a Woobie for Letterman in the past, particularly during her run on Dancing with the Stars, she brought with her Dave's cruelest jokes and repeated them back to him. The audience booed the jokes. May count as a Crowning Moment of Awesome for Kirstie.
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_e5421161	type	Expy
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_e5421161	comment	Expy: Jay Leno's "Headlines" is the exact same bit as Letterman's "Small Town News"...except Leno copies the articles (other people's works) and sells them in book form. Letterman's "Small Town News" predates "Headlines" by approximately 10 years. It can be argued that they both stole the concept from Steve Allen's incarnation of The Tonight Show. To his credit, Letterman has always credited Allen for inspiration for a number of the Late Night/Late Show spots such his Suit of Alka-Seltzer being an Expy of Allen's Suit of Teabags.
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_e818a2eb	type	Top Ten List
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_e818a2eb	comment	Top Ten List: Perhaps Letterman's best-known Trope. An attempt to eradicate all of those insipid "top ten lists" forever, from the inside, by making lists so intentionally lame that the phenomenon would die on the spot. Ironically, though, the Top Ten actually became one of Letterman's most popular bits, and is his hallmark to this day.
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_e895b19c	comment	Sideboob: On a Very Special Episode, the audience (and later all of Manhattan via the Jumbotron) gets a quick shot of Drew Barrymore's side boob, while Birthday Boy Letterman gets to enjoy the full effect.
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_e90b789a	type	Lovely Assistant
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_e90b789a	comment	Lovely Assistant: Grinder Girl and Hula Hoop Girl in "Will It Float?" The pair may also be an example of Ascended Extras as well â€” both originally showed up in an earlier recurring sketch called "Is This Anything?", during which the audience was treated to a few seconds of someone's offbeat act, after which Dave and Paul would decide whether the act was "anything" worthwhile. ...They really liked Grinder Girl and Hula Hoop Girl.
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_ea5c413d	type	Biting-the-Hand Humor
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_ea5c413d	comment	Biting-the-Hand Humor: He's poked plenty of fun at CBS since his channel hop.
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_eb7c34cf	type	Crossover
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_eb7c34cf	comment	Crossover: The late Jeff Smith almost out-Lettermans Letterman in this clip. Edward Woodward appears in this clip as Dave calls the number in The Equalizer's In-Universe ad. Star Trek: The Original Series' George Takei narrated "Chris Elliot: Television Miracle". How do you top Drum Solo Weeks I & II? With Drum Sulu Week!
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_ee3ea61e	type	Fourth-Wall Mail Slot
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_ee3ea61e	comment	Fourth-Wall Mail Slot: "CBS Mailbag", in which he reads mail from viewers.
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_f9f2c33	type	Running Gag
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_f9f2c33	comment	Running Gag: Often used to the point of being intentionally unfunny and arguably bordering on Lampshade Hanging. One of Dave's more notable phrases, used when a joke falls flat, is "Not a match, the board goes back" â€” a phrase that should be familiar to anyone who has ever been thanked for playing Concentration. The "Countdown until Bernie Madoff's Release". "It's always the horn section!" This exchange: Constant reference to his unruly hair, often pretending it was actually a wig. Whenever Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert are guests, David will ask them why the Academy Awards keeps snubbing Barbra Streisand. (answer: She's ineligible because she didn't make a movie that year)
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_fdd2bdbf	type	Santa's Sweatshop
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_fdd2bdbf	comment	Santa's Sweatshop: One Top Ten list ("Top Ten Elf Complaints") implies this trope. Entries include "Santa's union-busting goons killed a guy last spring," "Workman's comp doesn't cover mistletoe lung," and "dead elves just tossed out on tundra."
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_fe0330fb	type	Brick Joke
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_fe0330fb	comment	Brick Joke: A joke relatively late into his run involving newly installed button on Dave's chair. He's told to press it - cue Dave getting blasted out of the building (everyone is then told he's okay). A couple of episodes later, Dave reveals that said button is still there. He pushes the button, and we think we know what will happen next, but instead, the head of the orchestra is blasted outside. Another push of the button, though, and Dave's right behind him.
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_fea27091	type	Buffy Speak
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_fea27091	comment	Buffy Speak: Any time he'd ask about a segment, "Did we open the thing?" or "Did we open the deal?"
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The Late Show with David Letterman / int_ff9e9dde	type	Once a Season
The Late Show with David Letterman / int_ff9e9dde	comment	Once a Season: Every time Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) comes along, Dave mentions what year it is on the Jewish Calendar (for example, 2014 was 5774), and that he's still writing the previous year on his checks, with Paul saying "You crazy nut." He makes similar jokes about the Chinese New Year, mentioning that it's the year of some particular animal, and say that he's still writing the previous animal on his checks. The show's Christmas Episode always featured a few regular bits: Paul Shaffer reminiscing about an episode of the Sonny & Cher variety show and Cher's performance of "O Holy Night," complete with an imitation; Jay Thomas telling his famous story about an adventure with Clayton Moore of The Lone Ranger, followed by Thomas and Dave competing to see who could knock a meatball off a pizza on top of a Christmas tree by throwing footballs at it; and a special performance by Darlene Love singing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," Letterman's favorite Christmas song.
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