Details

Release year: 1992

Storyline

The Late Show with David Letterman is an hour-long weeknight comedy and talk-show broadcast by CBS from the Ed Sullivan Theater on Broadway in New York City.

Top credits

Cast

David Letterman — Self - Host, Self, Various, Host, Self (host), Self - Guest
Paul Shaffer — Self - Musical Director, Self - Band Director, Musical Supervisor, Self, Self - Musucal Director, Self - Musical Supervisor, Self - Bandleader, Self - Guest, Bandleader, Pianist, Self (bandleader), Self - Announcer, Self - Band Director-Musical Supervisor, Self - Band Leader, Self - Band leader, Self - Host, Self - Interviewee & Musical Director, Self - Musucal Guest, Various
Alan Kalter — Self - Announcer, Various, Self - Annoncer, Self, Self - Annonuncer, Assault Victim, Chasing After Regis Philbin, Hosting 'Alan Kalter's Celebrity Interview', Scratching a Lottery Ticket, Self (announcer), Spock, Ugly Duckling
Biff Henderson — Self - Stage Manager, Self, Self - Quality-Assurance Questioneer, Self - Disruptive Staffer, Self - Visiting Yankees Spring Training, Alcohol Breath Analyzer, Biff Henderson, Blue Card Chaser, Phone-Talking Broadway Play Visitor, Quick-Witted Son of a Bitch, Self - Academy Award Previewer, Self - At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Self - Celebrates Thanksgiving, Self - Chocolate Referee, Self - Cookie-Searching Staffer, Self - Disruptive Staffer #2, Self - Disruptive Stage Manager, Self - Drives a Go-Kart, Self - Explains Climate Change, Self - Female Fossil Eater, Self - Giving Back-to-School Advice, Self - Grocery Bagging Contest Starter, Self - Guy in Cold Open Sketch, Self - Hang'er Out'er, Self - Helps Amanda Peet to Calm Down, Self - Hidden Camera Prankster, Self - Host of 'What's in the Green Room?', Self - Host's 'What's on the Ipod?', Self - Interviewer, Self - Interviewing Audience Members, Self - Model for Lego portrait, Self - Modelling for Balloon Portrait, Self - Olympic Contestant Interviewer, Self - Overlooks the 'Slip 'n Slide', Self - Reporting from the Super Bowl in Arizona, Self - Reports from the NBA Finals in Salt Lake City, Self - Resident Genius, Self - Richard Simmons Impersonator, Self - Slam Dunk Obstacle, Self - Stage Manager Bringing Out Christmas Ornaments, Self - Stage Manager Interviewing Audience Member, Self - Stage Manager Interviewing Audience Members, Self - Stage Manager Modelling for Cheese Sculpture, Self - Stage Manager Presenting 'What's in the Green Room?', Self - Stage Manager Saving 'Lady' from Falling Off Balcony, Self - Stage Manager Starting Grocery Bagging Contest, Self - Stage Manager: Visiting Greenwood, Wisconsin, Self - Thanksgiving Dinner Guest, Self - Top Ten List Presenter, Self - Topless Staffer, Self - Visiting Set of 'Cop Out', Self - Visiting the 'Larry Crowne' Set, Self - Visiting the World Series, Self - Visits Super Bowl, Self - Visits Superbowl XXXIX, Self - Wax Celebrity Identifier, Shoe Thrower, Skunk Eater, Starfleet Recruiter

See all 5629 credits →

Awards

9 wins & 68 nominations

See all awards →

Did you know

• On the show, people in the audience are often wearing coats, or appear "bundled up". This is because the temperature of the Ed Sullivan Theatre is kept at 58 degrees during taping, supposedly at Dave's insistence.

• In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks (specifically the World Trade Center attack in New York, downtown from where "The Late Show" is taped), David Letterman was reported to have said that he didn't know if anything would ever be funny again. Most American programming (including "The Late Show") was suspended in the aftermath. However, on September 17, "The Late Show" was one of the first comedy shows to resume regular programming. The starting guest that night was Dan Rather, and the emotionally-charged episode is considered one of Letterman's finest.

• One of the series' most memorable moments occurred in the mid-1990s when Johnny Carson made a surprise walk-on appearance. David Letterman stood up and let Carson sit at his desk for a moment, with the intent of having the The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962) veteran deliver a joke. The audience went crazy and applauded for so long that Carson never got to say a word.