This Wednesday night, after 33 years on Late Night TV, David Letterman will say “so long” from the Ed Sullivan Theater. He will deliver one last monologue and give one final Top 10 list. So I thought I would make one of my own, on why Letterman was a pioneer in television:
10. Letterman started out as a local weatherman. Normally a talk show host would begin in comedy or broadcasting, not forecasting.
9. He went to the movies. Some talk show hosts only pretend to praise their movie star guests’ films without actually seeing them. Letterman actually saw the movies that his guests came on to promote and seemed to enjoy sharing the best parts with them during their conversations.
8. He fought through every weak Top 10 list and shined during all the strong ones.
7. He was the Late Night symbol of New York City, especially following the events of 9/11.
6. That laugh.
5. He persevered through the whole Leno/”Tonight Show” controversy – coming out the other side a lot stronger than Conan O’Brien.
4. Letterman set the standard for what Fallon, Kimmel, Corden & Co. are doing now: the wild, unpredictable, wacky stunts.
3. Letterman and my pal, Regis Philbin, developed an incredible friendship – so playful and hilarious that every time these two got together it made for must-watch TV.
2. Another fantastic friend: Paul Shaffer. Dave admitted recently he still can’t believe how talented Paul is, getting to hear his music every night.
And the Number One reason why David Letterman was pioneer on TV: He never tried to be anyone else, but rather stayed true to himself the entire time – from local weatherman to daytime, from NBC to CBS. And you can’t top that!