“From the Sunnyside Rail Yard in Queens...”

It is Episode 6,004

April 16, 2015

“And now . . . it’s a Webkinz . . . David Letterman.” The audience is standing before he even dashes across the stage. “Thank you, that is very kind of you,” Dave says, then begs everyone to take a seat. After three cuts to the standing audience, Dave says, “Knock it off or you will wake the people at home.” The monologue topics are New York City construction workers, the gyrocopter that landed on the Capitol lawn, and Hillary Clinton’s Twitter account.

Sue Hum, the costume designer, interrupts Dave to hand him a pantsuit made out of tortilla shells (Hillary Clinton had stopped at a Chipotle earlier that week). She tells him she and her entire family hate him. She walks off stage with the pantsuit.

Brian Teta: There are people who are characters and part of the regular show. I made some appearances on the show, but I was never Sue Hum.

Joe Grossman (Writer): Dave always liked someone who didn’t belong on camera—Larry “Bud” Melman, Rupert Jee, George Clark [building engineer], Sue Hum. It’s always someone who has an awkward presence. I was basically one of those people.

Bill Scheft: We had this concept going that the staff had no respect for Dave during the monologue and no one was listening to him. We did that “B” storyline for years. No other show did that. I feel that the show never got the credit for what the staff was doing. It takes a lot of humility to go out there night after night and have someone on the staff just not pay attention to you. We would do the monologue interrupts where Pat Farmer [stage hand] would come out and say, “While it’s quiet and I have your attention . . . ”

Joe Grossman: Over the years we did a lot of passive-aggressive jokes about how hard it was to work for him. Those were sometimes his favorite things to put on the show, so you have to give him a lot of credit for that.

Jill Goodwin: Other hosts are too precious to put up with that. It was surprising Dave could take it. There would be a tinge of “It is almost too real.” Even if Dave knew it, Dave loved it. He thought it was ballsy and funny. He didn’t take offense at it.

At the desk Dave reads the Top Ten “Questions to Ask Yourself Before Landing a Gyrocopter on the United States Capitol Lawn.” Then he plays a best-of montage in which he makes all kinds of strange noises, faces, and gestures through the years with the classic line “I’m the only thing on CBS right now.”

The first guest is Kevin James, promoting Paul Blart Mall Cop 2. He also announces that he will be returning to CBS in the fall. He does mention Dave leaving at the end of the segment, presenting him with farewell gifts, including fitness equipment, a blueberry pie, and peanut butter. This is more of a regular talk-show appearance, not one enriched by history. An accomplished comedian, James comes prepared with bits that would be fitting during a standard talk-show appearance.

 

Bill Scheft: Kevin James is, I believe, the best physical comic on TV since Jackie Gleason. He can do big and subtle. He did a bit on the show about how he doesn’t play blackjack because he doesn’t like the pressure of having to add and then went into a pantomime of him trying to count up his cards. 

Tom Dreesen is the second guest. Paul plays the classic Sinatra song “Come Fly with Me,” which is appropriate, since Dreesen opened for Sinatra for years. Dave and Dreesen, who have known each other for forty years, discuss the old days at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. Dreesen says he was there the first time Dave ever did stand-up. They show a picture of Dave, Dreesen, and George Miller from back in the day. 

Tom tells a story about going to a L.A. Lakers game where Dave gave the best under-pressure comic response he had ever heard. They’re sitting in the stands and a menacing-looking man sits down next to Dave. He pulls out a hunting knife and says to Dave, “You got any money?” Dave retorts, “No, but ask around.” Dreesen also shares a Frank Sinatra story. He ends his appearance by saying to Dave, “You’re the best friend a guy could have. I wish for you that you get half the joy in your retirement that you have given to the world. I love you, pal.” Dave thanks him; fade to a baseball card of Dreesen on Late Night from April 21, 1982.

Steve Young (Writer): Tom went back to when Dave started out in the seventies. There was a group of stand-ups that all knew each other from Los Angeles. Dave was very supportive of his friends from that era, and had on the show various people, like John Witherspoon, Jimmie Walker, and George Miller. I don’t know if other shows were putting them on, but Dave enjoyed the connections running through the decades. 

Rick Scheckman: Tom Dreesen was an incredible friend of Dave’s. Dreesen was a smart man in the seventies and he befriended all those people at The Comedy Store. Those people became very big and they never forgot him. He eventually became Frank Sinatra’s opening act. He was a sweetheart.

Musical Guest

Dave explains that when Harry was a child he would read him a story and sing him a song every night before bed. He would sing him one of two songs. One was “America” by Simon & Garfunkel. The other was “Stand by Me.” He remembers the night when he put Harry to bed and asked him which of the two songs he would like to hear. Harry’s response? “No song.” So ended Dave’s singing career. He introduces the artist who will perform the Ben E. King classic “Stand by Me.” He says, “To hear Tracy Chapman sing it is heaven.”

Alone with an electric guitar and amp, Chapman stands center stage and performs this loving tribute to Dave and his son. This is the first, but not the last, song that will highlight how important music is to David Letterman and his history with television. Stop reading this book right now, YouTube the performance, and then come back. Be sure to grab a tissue because this is an emotional performance.

Jerry Foley: For Tracy Chapman to sing “Stand by Me,” referencing something deeply personal in Dave’s life, that kind of works center stage—scaled down, darker. It is a private, personal moment.

Sheila Rogers: Tracy was, kind of, all Dave’s idea. I had a great relationship with Tracy’s manager. I think she said yes pretty quickly. If Dave asked for something, you wanted to deliver. That was always what one tried to do.

Sheryl Zelikson: I enjoyed the creativity of those last six weeks and working closely with Sheila and Dave. At the end, Dave had very specific songs he wanted to hear. It was sort of my job to come up with a list of people who could sing these songs.

Jerry Foley: There was a heightened awareness that your opportunities to fix things you screwed up or redeem yourself in Dave’s eyes were shrinking as time was getting shorter, but honestly any time the cameras were on that stage there was a lot of pressure to be sure you had it right for Dave. I can’t tell you it was a greater pressure because of the importance that Dave put on that song. Anytime someone was on that stage, he was so heavily invested, and that was years before there was any talk of retirement.

Rick Scheckman: Dave would say, “I want to hear Tracy Chapman,” and they would book her. They would call the artist and say, “Dave has asked for you.” It was very personal, as opposed to someone coming on and singing their latest single.

Sheryl Zelikson: This is where I can’t remember. I think Dave would say, “I’d like to hear this song,” very matter of factly. And I can’t remember exactly with Tracy Chapman how it happened. I would start to write lists. Who would do a beautiful job with the song? Of course Tracy Chapman would. Given that she had history with the show, she would be perfect. That’s another thing that I kept in mind. Who has history with the show? Who is an artist we debuted on the show?

Jerry Foley: You also have an awareness that these are historical moments. Tracy Chapman is coming in there so graciously and is gonna give new emotion and meaning to that song, as a result of what Dave said to set her up.

Eddie Valk (Stage Manager): He loved the music. During the music, I would stand with Dave and count back how much time was left so he knew when to cross over and thank the guests. I would stand next to him and say, “1 minute, thirty seconds, etc.” I would give hand signals for thirty seconds down. I was never too aggressive with them. You could read when he was in that emotional zone. You learn to navigate where and when to be aggressive, and when to let a moment go. I tried not to be a thorn in his side.

Sheryl Zelikson: I knew this was the song he sang for Harry. He wants someone that’s going to make it special, emotional, and there’s certain artists that just connect that way. Tracy has, besides her beautiful and unusual voice, a very strong and emotional connection when she sings.

Chapman is the highlight of this episode. Her performance puts the lyrics front and center for this tender moment between Dave and his son. For a musical artist to guest on a show not to promote themselves, but to fulfill a wish for the host, is rare in modern television.

Worldwide Pants Tag: “Stop calling me.”