I can't remember a time when David Letterman wasn't on television and that's probably due to the fact Late Night with David Letterman premiered on NBC a few months before I was born in 1982. For the next 11 years, David and his staff honed their craft by coming up with daring and innovative comedy material. It was during this time spent at Late Night with David Letterman that he debuted such staples as The Top Ten List, Stupid Pet Tricks, and Small Town News.
When Johnny Carson retired and it was announced that Jay Leno would be his successor as host of The Tonight Show, Letterman decided it was time to leave and parted ways with NBC. He accepted a job with CBS as host of The Late Show with David Letterman which would air in the same time slot as The Tonight Show. Once he began battling with his former friend Jay Leno for late night supremacy his show really began to take off. Letterman never relented from his goof-ball persona that made him a success in his days with NBC and after intense battles he was able to use most of the bits he helped to create while employed by NBC.
He grew up in Indiana and went to college at Ball State University but after working in New York City for the last three decades he has become an honorary New Yorker to those who inhabit the city. It only made sense that when New York City was attacked nearly ten years ago that Letterman was vocal with his frustration but kept his composure in relaying Mayor Rudy Giuliani's message to return to everyday life.
If you're a fan of younger hosts like Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O'Brien (which I am also), you should know that both of them have cited Letterman as huge influences on their hosting technique. His program has always given opportunity to up-and-coming comedians and bands often giving them their big break. Tonight to help celebrate his birthday, Dave will be joined by guests who don't need much help being discovered; comedian Ricky Gervais and his favorite band Foo Fighters.
I'd like to end with a quote that was issued when Late Night with David Letterman was given a Peabody Award:
Once a television wasteland, late night has become a daypart of increased interest to programmers, performers, and viewers. In the past ten years, one show has moved to the position of the leader in late night television in creativity, humor, and innovation. That program is Late Night With David Letterman. As one member of the Peabody Board remarked, "David Letterman is a born broadcaster." He is also a savvy co-executive producer. Along with co-executive producer Jack Rollins, producer Robert Morton, director Hal Gurnee, and musical director Paul Shaffer, Mr. Letterman has surrounded himself with exceptional talent and given them the go-ahead to experiment with the television medium. Particularly noteworthy is the work of head writer Steve O'Donnell and his talented staff. Together, the "Late Night" team manages to take one of TV's most conventional and least inventive forms—the talk show—and infuse it with freshness and imagination. For television programming which, at its best, is evocative of the greats, from Your Show of Shows, to The Steve Allen Show, and The Ernie Kovacs Show, a Peabody to Late Night With David Letterman.
