The Late Show with David Letterman is the name of CBS's nightly hour long comedy variety show, which premeired in 1993 and stars David Letterman.
Like other talk shows, the show features at least two or three guests each night. Usually at least one comedian or musical guest. When Letterman's show originally appeared in the early 1980s on NBC (see "Late Night with David Letterman"), it quickly established a reputation for being dangerous and unpredictable, a number of celebrities have even stated that they are afraid of appearing on the show. This reputation was born out of moments like Letterman's verbal sparring match with Cher, Madonna (described by comedian Robin Williams as a "battle of wits with an unarmed woman"), and Shirley MacLaine. The show often featured quirky regular features, such as "Stupid Pet Tricks" and a facetious letter-answering segment on Fridays. Other memorable moments include Letterman using a bullhorn to interrupt the "Today Show" TV program, who was on the air conducting a live interview at the time, and announcing that he was not wearing any pants; interrupting the local news by walking into their studio, and the outrageous appearances by comedian Andy Kaufman. In one highly publicized appearance, Kaufman was slapped and knocked to the ground by professional wrestler Jerry Lawler.
Letterman frequently uses crew members in his comedy bits, so viewers get to know stage hands and writers almost as well as they do the host. Common contributors include bandleader Paul Shaffer, Calvert DeForest, announcer Alan Kalter, stage manager Biff Henderson, scenic designer Kathleen Ankers, George Clarke, local gift store owners Sirajul Islam and Mujibur Rahman, Rupert Jee, owner of the deli next door to the theater, producer Maria Pope, Kiva Kahl the "Grinder Girl", and models Andrea Sande and Nadine Hennelly.
Classic gags included
- Stupid Pet Tricks
- Stupid Human Tricks
- CBS Mail Bag
- Dumb Ads
- Small Town News