Dave In The Morning: The David Letterman Show
Forty-five years ago Monday — June 23, 1980 — “The David Letterman Show” debuted on NBC. The network loved Letterman’s appearances on “The Tonight Show” and wanted to find a home for his brand of sardonic, irreverent humor.
The problem was: NBC gave him a morning time slot, just after the “Today” show signed off. Audiences at that hour simply weren’t ready for Letterman or his laughs. The show lasted just 18 weeks.
Luckily for us all, NBC would later give Letterman another chance. Much later ... on its daily schedule.
A Terrific Idea For A Show ... At The Wrong Time of Day
Nearly everyone remembers David Letterman as a late-night talk show host. But hardly anyone remembers the 18 weeks in 1980 when he hosted a morning talk show on NBC.
A native of Indiana and a graduate of Ball State University, Letterman worked for a number of radio stations before becoming a TV weatherman — in the 1970s, before many weathermen were actual meteorologists.
Letterman tended to flex his humor muscles live on the air. He attracted attention for announcing the high and low temperatures for cities that didn’t exist, for congratulating a tropical storm for being upgraded to a hurricane and for warning viewers of possible hailstones “the size of canned hams.”
He eventually moved to Hollywood and worked as a writer and performer on Mary Tyler Moore’s short-lived 1978 variety series. He continued to struggle until he made his first stand-up comedy appearance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” on Nov. 26, 1978. A smitten Johnny Carson invited the first-time guest to sit and chat a while.“There I was, holding my own with Johnny Carson,” Letterman said later. “I knew then I could hit big-league pitching.”
From the start, Dave enjoyed walking into his studio audience to find humor. He did this even in his first show.
After just two more “The Tonight Show” appearances, he was asked to guest host for Carson. Over the next few months, guest-hosting turned into a semi-regular gig.
NBC executives began searching for a vehicle for their budding comedy star. What they came up with was a 90-minute daytime talk show with an Arthur Godfrey feel. They’d have cooking and homemaking segments — to appeal to the housewife audience — with a dash of humor and celebrity interviews and breaks, every now and then, for news updates from NBC News veteran Edwin Newman.
NBC programming chief Fred Silverman canceled the daytime version of “Hollywood Squares” and was about to do the same to “Wheel of Fortune” before he discovered it was one of the network’s highest-rated shows.
From the start, Letterman and his staff clashed with the network. He hired his girlfriend, Merrill Markoe, as his chief writer and added other writers like Rich Hall — of “Sniglets” fame on HBO — and Will Shriner. “The prevailing attitude was: It’s daytime, no one’s watching, so let’s do something different,” Hall later explained.
“Stupid Pet Tricks” — born from Dave and his producer’s love of their dogs — debuted on his fifth episode.
The producer NBC had assigned to “The David Letterman Show” — longtime quiz show producer Bob Stewart, grew so frustrated he walked off the job four days before the show premiered. Markoe was compelled to handle production duties until a replacement could be hired.
The show debuted on June 23, 1980, and was an immediate ratings flop. Network affiliates began dropping the show in favor of syndicated fare. After six weeks, NBC cut the show back to just 60 minutes.
In October, the network informed Letterman it was canceling the show. Never mind the fact it had guaranteed him he’d have six months on the air.
That’s when Letterman, Markoe and the rest really cut loose with their humor. Their efforts attracted college-aged viewers who’d mourn the show when it finally disappeared. The network took note and signed Letterman to a development deal for another show, to be determined later.
The final episode of “The David Letterman Show” aired on Oct. 24, 1980. For “bumper” art going into and out of commercials that morning, the show used resumés of cast and crew members.
