Farewell to a Late Night Legacy
It’s time to say farewell to a television legacy. On May 20th, David Letterman hosted his final show. He had an amazing 22 year run and now it’s his time to sign off. Letterman debuted on the network in 1993 after over a decade hosting the NBC show “Late Night.” He also served as a weatherman and had a morning show, “The David Letterman Show,” also on NBC.
The show’s opening began with the taped presentation by Obama and George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. The message: “Our long national nightmare is over.” Letterman then begin the last monologue, to the chant of “Dave, Dave, Dave …”. From the start of the finale to the finish, it was a masterful demonstration, with an all-star Top Ten list, clips of memorable moments, and Dave being Dave, self-deprecating and authentic until the end. The Top Ten list included, “The Final Things I’d Like to Say to David Letterman.” Which was presented by 10 stars, including Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Steve Martin, Barbara Walters, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Jim Carrey, Peyton Manning and Bill Murray. And following weeks of speculation about a final musical guest, Letterman’s last show settled on Foo Fighters, a favorite band of his that also appeared on “Late Show” after the host’s quintuple heart bypass surgery in 2000. The band played “Everlong,” a chestnut from 1997 album “The Colour and the Shape.”
“David Letterman has given to all of us a remarkable legacy of achievement and creative brilliance that will never be forgotten,” CBS Corporation President and CEO Leslie Moonves, said in a statement. ” It’s going to be tough to say goodbye, but I know we will all cherish the shows leading up to Dave’s final broadcast in May.” Although this was an emotional goodbye for his loyal fans, Letterman was able to stay composed as he wrapped up the show. David Letterman’s last words on “Late Show with David Letterman,” spoken just before the Foo Fighters played one of his favorite songs, “Everlong,” were: “All right, that’s pretty much all I got. The only thing I have left to do, for the last time on a television program — thank you. And goodnight.” This was a sad night in the television world but David Letterman will forever live on.
Written by: Sandra Costanzo