Late Show with David Letterman

American late-night talk show (1993-2015)

Late Show with David Letterman was an American late-night talk show. It was hosted by David Letterman. It was on CBS. The show was on the air from August 30, 1993 until May 20, 2015. The show has won many Emmy Awards and TCA Awards.

Late Show with David Letterman
Created byDavid Letterman
Written byRob Burnett (head writer 1993–1996)
Joe Toplyn (head writer 1996–1998)
Rodney Rothman (head writer 1998–2000)
Justin Stangel and Eric Stangel (co-head writers 2000–2013)
Matt Roberts (head writer 2013–present)
Presented byDavid Letterman
StarringPaul Shaffer
and the CBS Orchestra
Narrated byBill Wendell (1993–1995)
Alan Kalter (1995–present)
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons23
No. of episodes4,261
Production
Executive producersRobert Morton
(1993–1996)
Peter Lassally
(1993-1996)
Rob Burnett
(1996–present)
Barbara Gaines
(2000–present)
Maria Pope
(2000–present)
Jude Brennan
(2003–2015)
Production locationsEd Sullivan Theater
New York, New York
Running time62 minutes (with commercials)
Production companiesWorldwide Pants Incorporated
CBS Productions (1993-2006)
CBS Paramount Television (2006-2009)
CBS Television Studios (2009-2015)
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseAugust 30, 1993 (1993-08-30) –
May 20, 2015 (2015-05-20)
Related
Late Night with David Letterman
(NBC, 1982–1993)

The band of the show, known as the "CBS Orchestra," was led by Paul Shaffer, who before joining the Late Show was on the TV show Saturday Night Live. The announcer was Bill Wendell from 1993 until he retired in 1995. Alan Kalter started announcing in 1995 and did so until the show ended. The show has had many guests including political figures, athletes, writers, actors, directors/producers, and singers.

There were many well-known episodes such when President Barack Obama was interviewed. Madonna cursed many times during an interview on the show. That episode was one of the most censored episodes in American television history. During David Letterman's birthday, actress Drew Barrymore jumped on Letterman's desk and showed him her breasts.

On April 3, 2014, Letterman announced that he would leave the show in 2015. The last episode of the show aired on May 20, 2015.[1] The Late Show with Stephen Colbert came after this, with Stephen Colbert as host. That show's first episode was on September 8, 2015.[2]

References

change
  1. Carter, Bill, "David Letterman to Retire in 2015", New York Times, April 3, 2014. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  2. "CBS sets premiere for 'Late Show with Stephen Colbert'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2015-03-20.

Other websites

change

  Media related to The Late Show at Wikimedia Commons