FACTS FROM 25 YEARS IN LATE NIGHT
As of Feb. 1, 2007, Letterman will have hosted 4,506 broadcasts of his late night programs: “Late Night with David Letterman” had 1,810 broadcasts and ran for 595 weeks. The LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN has had 2,696 broadcasts, as well as four primetime specials. The first face to appear on both “Late Night” and the LATE SHOW was that of Calvert DeForest (or, as he was known on “Late Night,” “Larry ‘Bud’ Melman”). Bill Murray was the first guest on the premiere broadcasts of both “Late Night” and the LATE SHOW and will be the guest on the Feb. 1, 2007 LATE SHOW broadcast, 25 years after his first appearance on Feb. 1, 1982. Over 25 years, “Late Night with David Letterman” and the LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN have won 14 Emmy Awards and have been honored with a staggering 89 Emmy nominations. Additionally, Letterman’s daytime program, “The David Letterman Show” earned two Emmy Awards and five Emmy nominations. As of Feb. 1, 2007, there will have been 14,772 guest appearances in 25 years on Letterman's late night shows: Late Night – 5,850 guest appearances LATE SHOW – 8,922 guest appearances As of Feb. 1, 2007, there will have been 750 appearances by 521 different sports figures: "Late Night" – 327 appearances by 233 different stars LATE SHOW – 423 appearances by 288 different stars Letterman has presented 110 Stupid Pet Trick segments: "Late Night" – 72 segments LATE SHOW – 38 segments Letterman has presented 73 Stupid Human trick segments: "Late Night" – 30 segments LATE SHOW – 43 segments As of Feb. 1, 2007, there will have been 3,417 music performances and appearances by 1,820 different artists: "Late Night" – 1,099 appearances by 605 different artists LATE SHOW – 2,318 appearances by 1,215 different artists The “king” of “Late Night” appearances was sportscaster Marv Albert with 73 to his credit. Other top guests were: Richard Lewis 48 appearances George Miller, Tom Brokaw 40 appearances Jay Leno 39 appearances Teri Garr, Robert Klein 30 appearances
Regis Philbin holds the title of most LATE SHOW appearances with a total of 95. Other top LATE SHOW guest appearances (as of Feb. 1, 2007) are: Tony Randall 71 appearances Marv Albert 44 appearances Jack Hanna 43 appearances Dan Rather 42 appearances Richard Simmons 41 appearances Tom Brokaw 36 appearances “Late Night’s” top musical guests (including sit-ins with the band): David Sanborn 24 appearances Tower of Power 10 appearances Warren Zevon, Belinda Carlisle 9 appearances Lyle Lovett, Dolly Parton, Lou Reed: 8 appearances The LATE SHOW’s top musical guests (including sit-ins with the band): Warren Zevon 26 appearances Elvis Costello 18 appearances Lyle Lovett, David Sanborn 16 appearances Emmylou Harris 15 appearances Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson 14 appearances Darlene Love, Natalie Merchant, Bonnie Raitt, Tricia Yearwood 13 appearances The very first Top Ten List – "Things That Almost Rhyme with Peas” – was presented on Sept. 18, 1985. In 25 years, Letterman will have presented 3,325 Top Ten Lists on his program: “Late Night” – 1,009 lists LATE SHOW – 2,316 lists Letterman’s fictional Top Ten Office has made its home in 11 different cities. The state of Nebraska earns the distinction of having the most Top Ten Home Offices than any other state, with a total of three. The Top Ten Home Offices from all 25 years are: Milwaukee, Wisc. (the first “Late Night” home office) Lebanon, Pa. Lincoln, Neb. Oklahoma City, Okla. Omaha, Neb. Scottsdale, Ariz. Tahlequah, Okla. Oneonta, N.Y. (the last “Late Night” home Office) Sioux City, Iowa (the first LATE SHOW home office) Grand Rapids, Mich. Wahoo, Neb. (the current LATE SHOW home office)
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Letterman and his writers have published four best-selling Top Ten books, each a collection of the funniest, silliest and just-plain absurd Top Ten Lists taken directly from the late night programs. They are: The Late Night with David Letterman Book of Top Ten Lists (1990) An Altogether New Book of Top Ten Lists (1991) David Letterman’s Book of Top Ten Lists and Zesty Lo-Cal Chicken Recipes (1995) David Letterman’s New Book of Top Ten Lists and Wedding Dress Patterns for the Husky Bride (1996) The LATE SHOW has also produced its own CD, “Live on Letterman,” which was released on Nov. 18, 1997 and featured music performances on the LATE SHOW from artists such as Lenny Kravitz, Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach, Dave Matthews Band and Sheryl Crow.
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The “Late Night” and LATE SHOW theme songs were both written and composed by Paul Shaffer. Letterman has taken his show on the road 18 times in 20 years at 16 different venues.
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On “Late Night,” Letterman donned a number of different “suits.” Most memorable was the “Suit of Velcro,” which he first wore on Feb. 28, 1984. While wearing the suit, he ran, jumped on a trampoline and hurled himself at a Velcro wall, to which he stuck. Other “suits” have included: *Suit of Alka-Seltzer – Wearing protective goggles and an oxygen tank, he was lowered into a 1,000-gallon tank of water, whereupon his suit began to fizz and vaporize. * Suit of Magnets – He attached himself to the door of an oversized GE refrigerator. * Suit of Marshmallows – An attempt to roast the marshmallows by a propane torch failed, so the studio audience got to snack on Dave. * Suit of Chips – Dave was lowered into a glass tank filled with 1,000 gallons of yogurt dip. * Suit of Rice Krispies – He “snap, crackled and popped” after being dunked in a large tub of milk. * Suit of Suet – Dave donned a suit of suet-and-birdseed packets and entered a pen of farm animals (including goats and chickens) that fed on him. * Suit of Sponges – He was dunked in a 1,000-gallon glass tank of water and tipped the scale at 500 pounds. Comedian Chris Elliott played many memorable characters on “Late Night.” Among them: The Guy under the Seats Marlon Brando Morton Downey Jr. The Fugitive Guy The Nervous Guy The Panicky Guy The Regulator Guy The Conspiracy Guy
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