David Letterman on Donahue January 25, 1985

David Letterman on Phil Donahue's daytime show taped January 23, 1985, broadcast two days later.

[@blu48]

I think Letterman respected Phil Donohue immensely. RIP Mr. Donohue. Classiest most informative daytime show that ever aired.

[@Picklesnot-co3k]

💯‼️

[@johnogrady2418]

Phil got THAT Girl!

[@growthandunderstanding]

Amen!

[@TheSkapaw66]

With Phil passing today, I did a search and came across this clip. Double good!! Phil really involved his audience which is unique to this day. Dave was/is so good with an audience.

[@scurfie2343]

I would rush home from my college class to watch the Letterman morning show. it was outstanding.

[@dunebillyofswanbeach4294]

I agree that the Letterman morning program was fantastic. He would feature the musical guests multiple times over the 90 minutes. Loudon Wainwright was terrific.

[@NoellaScott]

I worked for Phil (and Marlo, indirectly) for a few years. He's a great guy, and she's lovely, too. He's a broadcaster even when you're sitting alone chatting with him.

[@Picklesnot-co3k]

Thank you for sharing that.

[@10Hammers]

I loved Donahue. When TV was still worth watching.

[@troyevitt2437]

He had interesting guests, launching his show with-GASP!-America's Most Hated Woman, Madalyn Murray O'Hair who had just gotten MANDATORY prayer taken out of tax-funded public schools by the Supreme Court. I'd seen the MMOH episode several times before realizing that was Phil's FIRST show. The rumors soon started that if a kid VOLUNTARILY prayed or had a Bible in their locker, schools had to punish them. No, they just had to stop MAKING KIDS pray while a faculty member prayed on the PA system. Oprah started with meaningful guests, too, and then Geraldo took the genre' downhill with, as some have said, "Nazis and Satanists".

[@trekkiejunk]

"When TV was still worth watching." For every great Letterman or Donahue 40 years ago, there were countless more duds. You just don't remember the duds. Just like today. There is some amazing TV being made now, and countless trash. Always been that way, and always will be.

[@derekwischmann6123]

Amen!

[@StephenEdwards-yr4kg]

What would that calender (actually both) be worth now I wonder. Wondering what ever happened to them.

[@ExodusPessoa]

Here Here

[@vickilanger1228]

Rest In Peace Phil Donahue🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 Thank You For Wonderful Memories✨️✨️✨️✨️🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@georgeshelton6281]

I've never seen David Letterman this young. I didn't say this to David Letterman. Do you sometimes keep on getting a thrill/feeling that Hollywood CA. history is repeating itself? 🙄

[@HAL_9000__]

Awww God bless you Don Giller. THIS is gold. What a great show. I LOVE how Phil would let the audience ask questions.

[@georgeshelton6281]

I've never seen David Letterman as a 17-year-old. It was definitely unearthed to me.

[@35diamondgirl]

I watched Letterman religiously during the '80s, and I watched Donahue when I could, but I didn't know this existed until I stumbled upon it now. I remember that David was already being talked about as a possible successor to Carson, but he was always careful to deny or defer when asked about it. He handles the surprise guests here with self-conscious grace (which might explain why he dislikes being surprised), and the audience with (as someone below comments) disarming charm. Thank your for uploading this.

[@troyevitt2437]

As Donahue intimated, my VHS VCR was primarily for taping Letterman at his 12:30 timeslot starting in the 10th grade, then watching it after school. In a foreshadowing of the Seinfeld episode where he taped a ballgame, I was always telling other people at school, "Don't tell me about Letterman, I taped it." How they managed to watch until 1:30 AM and then be up for school was beyond me. Once I had a real social life, I did the same thing with Farley/Spade-era Saturday Night Live.

[@NormAppleton]

Good stuff, eh?

[@cyclo1224]

Thanks for these Don. Its like im sitting home with my mom on a day she called me in sick to school watching the guy she watched every night. i miss her very much right now.:) DAVE RULES!

[@balexsmith7952]

I remember seeing this episode while I was home sick from the fifth grade. I had been a HUGE fan of Dave’s daytime show (when I was far too young to be watching it probably), and when I found out, via Donahue, that Letterman was still on television, and thriving at that, I called my mother (on our land line) at work and said, “how dare you not tell me!” 😂 Different times. R.I.P. Phil Donahue. Along with Big Bird, Fred Rogers and David Letterman, my daytime television idol of the late 70’s and early 80’s.

[@dongiller]

Dave’s still among the living.

[@markybgoode]

Oh man, Letterman in his youth. Both Phil & Dave are my TV heroes!

[@Rob_Kates]

Phil and Dave, 2 legendary broadcasters.

[@omalone1169]

Letterman was a racist, a sexist, a misandrist, a capitalist, a cis-genderist and monosexualist.

[@sharonjones2775]

And Larry King and Barbara Walters…THEE best!

[@jasonhardie111]

Two of my favourite hosts, i always tried to watch every show of theirs.

[@JackSilbert]

This is perhaps the best interview with Dave I've ever seen (and I've seen a whole bunch over the decades). Much more relaxed and honest than he normally is!

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

It's good, but his Howard Cosell interview is better, and funnier. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJbHpHaso893hdk

[@beholden1663]

Oh gosh, look how young Letterman looked in 1985. Dave was 38 years old in this video. Today Dave is 77 years old. This was the early day of Dave’s late night show. Rip Phil❤️

[@vanmoody]

Back then we didn't know Dave could grow so much facial hair. He now looks like Grizzly Adams with glasses.

[@RobMyself]

I remember this. I was 20. Yes, it's scary 😂

[@johnogrady2418]

Dave's THIRD year...

[@elizabeththomson9373]

Love Donahue . Was my favourite talk show host when I lived stateside

[@dunebillyofswanbeach4294]

I remember David Letterman’s morning program. It was the absolute best show that I ever saw on daytime television.

[@lurx2024]

I remember watching Letterman in the morning. I considered him a legend even back then.

[@simplehibiscuslife1188]

Love both of these Dudes! Phil was a pioneer. 💗

[@zachthebulldog]

Great - thanks for posting. I´m a huge Letterman fan!

[@marioiacolucci]

Cool!

[@Tribeca40]

29:20 and 39:28: "This is your life, David Letterman". Great clip from "Donahue"! Loved Dave in this entire video. Saw this show when it actually aired. If I recall correctly, this was Phil Donahue's first regular show that aired from New York. Thanks for sharing, Don..

[@brianarbenz1329]

There was none other like Phil. The most influential broadcaster of the last hundred years. RIP. Thanks for all you did (except breaking my heart by marrying Marlo!)

[@charleswinokoor6023]

What a great show. Letterman was never so authentic and down to earth as he was that day. And Donahue deserves enormous credit for pulling the whole thing off.

[@acousticshadow4032]

Donahue was the master of getting the best out of his guests; letting THEM shine.

[@aussienate5765]

Letterman was the best for a long time he was the only late night talk show we had on tv in Sydney Australia we were lucky to have the best

[@wecontrolthevideo]

Dave never liked being interviewed but he’s pretty comfortable talking with Phil.

[@m.e.d.7997]

Agree. I noticed that. I think most people were very comfortable with Phil.

[@m.e.d.7997]

Phil also does a great interview with Johnny Carson in 1970 and Johnny is great with Phil. Genuine, funny, and seems relaxed with being questioned. I usually found Johnny uneasy to a large degree when he was being interviewed.

[@nothx962]

Letterman looking 14 and 50 at the same time.

[@jnadle1]

It was only a couple weeks into shooting the new episodes at NBC 8G in New York. He moved his show there to be close to his wife, Marlo Thomas.

[@bulafritz]

Letterman, Donahue and Larry King were all one of a kinds who couldn't be replaced. So now there's nothing to watch.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

That's fairly accurate. I haven't watched a talk show since Dave left the air. I've seen lots of Conan and Seth Meyers clips on KZbin, but nothing else interests me. But to be honest, I quit watching Letterman the last few years as he seemed to be just phoning it in. I watched the last few weeks of final shows however.

[@rgrndu]

Dave’s show was so good back then.

[@hermanblume275]

Heckuva job, Don. This stuff is great!

[@daudidaudi]

I'm surprised on how intelligent this audience was. America wasn't so dumb before.

[@rberka555]

You can look at any audience from the 70's and 80's and see something's different. My money's on pesticides and vaccine adjuvants goofing up our brains.

[@driversteve9345]

That's been the name of the game all along! Make your average citizen dumb as a rock so that they can easily be controlled! :(

[@acousticshadow4032]

It's a NYC audience, where it was all happening at the time. They were hep.

[@holysmokes4259]

This is the generation that was first told money trickles down and they believed it. Not that intelligent.

[@acousticshadow4032]

@@holysmokes4259 ...which beats the generation that put a conman in the oval office in 2016.

[@exiles_dot_tv]

4:26 Dave makes a joke about not saying "'hot' in this studio" "One of the most talked-about incidents in Donahue's history came on January 21, 1985, soon after the show moved to New York. On this day's program, seven members of the audience appeared to faint during the broadcast, which was seen live in New York. Donahue, fearing the fainting was caused by both anxiety at being on television and an overheated studio, eventually cleared the studio of audience members and then resumed the show. It turned out the fainting "spell" was cooked up by media hoaxer Alan Abel in what Abel said was a protest against what he termed as poor-quality television."

[@omalone1169]

i did wonder about that moment. if the audience were aware then well done

[@ZefTillDeath8878]

It was interesting to see Dave in this format. The audience surprisingly asked good questions for the most part. They must not be regulars on Donahue.

[@t.b.g.504]

RIP Phil Donahue.

[@marcyfan-tz4wj]

i'm thinking of phil hartman who did world class impression of phil donahue. i wish he was still around...two great phils, one great dave.

[@Loisjean8]

I really enjoyed this , thank you !

[@KelleneHubbard]

😢😢Phil lived a Great life with Marlo ☺️😁. I hope Marlo is doing well ❤️‍🩹🙏.

[@m.e.d.7997]

Makes me so nostalgic for the good old days.

[@renhoek3851]

Thanks again Don, love you :)

[@driversteve9345]

46 minutes of a talk show? That's unheard of today! We get 20 minutes of a show and 40 minutes of commercials today!!!

[@barbarabrennan1753]

I watched the daytime Letterman show. Takes me back to my normal days. When life was not twitterized. Where were you when Letterman was daytime. What would Dave or Phil do if they had been thwarted from doing what they loved.

[@jaliscodiss]

I was in the ninth grade when Letterman was daytime. I was 20 when this episode of Donahue aired. The first time I heard of Letterman was when he was on the cover of the Miami Herald TV Guide in 1980

[@johnogrady2418]

Those New York accents are beautiful!

[@indieshack4476]

I remember the 90's skit on Letterman when he fashions mash potato on his head to look like Phil's white hair and he goes to pick up Phil's paycheck!

[@laurab391]

Loved watching both guys on tv.

[@gravyedwards9853]

Love this interview! Dave is still funny but also giving a more serious interview! ❤

[@tomhilterbrant1286]

Terrific show.

[@Rebecca-gc9gw]

I watched a video of Merrill Markoe’s favorite moments of LNwDL. In the comments someone wrote “Dave will never be a groom to Merrill and Merrill will never be his bride.” It stuck my heart when he talked about her as his bride. 😭Although, I approve of her selection of current partner. I love the song “Mexican Radio”

[@allendracabal0819]

I didn't know until I saw your comment, and did some follow-up research, that she has been in a relationship for more than 20 years. I am happy for her.

[@allendracabal0819]

I see, though, that her boyfriend had nothing to do with "Mexican Radio". It was recorded and released before he joined the band.

[@Opedanderson]

Donahue had the best talk show

[@stephendavis6066]

Dave was always Dave... that's talent!!!

[@lookingatthemarkets]

Dave's wearing a Chris Chan shirt

[@nomadcowatbk]

Did the goodwills in VA get donations from NYC?

[@culwin]

Chris Chan cosplay

[@ZenFox0]

That’s funny. Polo shirts were all the rage in the 80s to early 90s. Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, and eventually Gap and Old Navy sold them by the millions.

[@barbarabrennan1753]

Bits with Dave's mom were cute. Nice of him to include her.

[@mschwes5376]

His mom at the Olympics was the best! Followed closely by the pie episodes.

[@James-ll3jb]

If you look at the very early years of the original Tonight Show you can see how much of Letterman's wit and "creativity" is owed the late, great Steve Allen😊

[@dongiller]

As Dave had repeatedly acknowledged, and that Steve, in one of his books, had appreciated.

[@James-ll3jb]

@@dongiller Sad not to hear it mentioned here...

[@yaleblor]

this is great stuff

[@glen4326]

Donahue was a great communicator. as is Dave Letterman. I miss the clear, intelligent and funny speaking. Things back then were more real, everything is very phony today. I want to know what Phil thought of the world today.

[@genegjr]

Paul Shaffer filled in for the Roots Band on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon just for one night in 2003 😮😊

[@wadebarnett2542]

Did you mean 2023?

[@genegjr]

@wadebarnett2542 yes

[@realestatephotovideoshawns8926]

Dave just said 86ed in 1985.... crazy!

[@joadbreslin5819]

That term has been around since the 1930s. Crazier!

[@floofytown]

Geez, he's so disarmingly genuine.

[@omalone1169]

i am triggered by this word

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

Phil or Dave?

[@Kedeas]

The plant at 45:03 was a real Buzz Kill. Later she reminisced about drowning puppies for fun.

[@samsungtelevision695]

What a cup of sunshine. Gross vibes

[@qixxxz]

Jay Leno, sent her from the future.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

Debbie Downer's bastard sister.

[@ComedyJakob]

Hey, look at Dave, he almost talked about marrying Marrill Markoe

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

Merrill was/is hilarious. I wish they could have made it work, they seemed like a great couple. Identical style of humour. Self deprecating with lots of sarcasm.

[@pronemanoldbutyoung5548]

There must be hundreds of people still around, that watched Dave doing his peculiar and funny weather reports, and then saw him years later on NBC late night with David Letterman. I find that fascinating.

[@macintosh46]

When America was America!! Good times!!

[@GjpgrD]

Dave's friend Jeff wrote a cool book about their college yrs called "The Sweetheart Of Sigma Chi." The girlfriend he mentioned in college was eventually Dave's 1st wife Michelle - Jeff was at their elopement & tells a very funny story about it.

[@ralphus44]

Two totally cool guys in the primes of their careers.

[@mikewhite4560]

Good in-depth DAVE! Phil was the best. Would have succeeded if he gave away CARS...

[@privatepenguin3137]

I can't believe The Late Shift was released 25 years ago today 🙄

[@annek1226]

I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to be in the audience of both these gentlemen’s shows! At the time I was at Phil’s he was still doing the show in Chicago and his guest that day? Harry Reemes! The guy who stared opposite Linda Lovelace in Deep Throat! What do you ask him? As for Letterman, the guest were John Goodman and Heather Locklear who David spent the entire interview trying to humiliate! Not my favorite host at all! What you see on screen is not what you get in real life! He never gave you the feeling he enjoyed the work. Never interacted with the audience even once! It was his last year on his contract.

[@dongiller]

I think you mean Phil, not David, who you say tried to humiliate.

[@ericmuschlitz7619]

Clues to where Carmen Sandiego is today.

[@BigBluePlanet]

Interesting discussion about whether he'd be the successor to Carson.

[@SecsSells]

bigblueplanet Interesting that DL bluntly answered no.

[@m.e.d.7997]

Joan Rivers was the permanent guest host at this time. But I do not think she ever would have gotten the show for herself. They would have continued stringing her along in that respect. Just interesting they thought that Dave was to be a replacement. And I remember we all did. Jay Leno was awful. Shoulda picked Dave!

[@julierood1228]

Donahue show was cutting edge back in the day. The original feminist!

[@katoffeevhs9798]

so cool to see letterman in 1975

[@dongiller]

‘85.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

@@dongiller - Maybe he's referring to his weatherman clip, which was pretty funny.

[@dongiller]

@@OMGWTFLOLSMH Conceivable.

[@georgeshelton6281]

I should've looked it up when Phil Donahue passed away. 😪

[@tubularbill]

And Letterman was right. NBC went with Jay Leno.

[@geraldking4080]

Dave and Phil are wearing the same glasses. I wore the same until about Y2K.

[@diannegazzola1957]

David Letterman looks much better without the beard

[@jamesten]

The Drake Hotel - one of the sponsors - was razed about a decade ago. I like the audience members - plucky New Yorkers sounding like they're mostly from Queens. I remember this being broadcast - particularly when Dave's frat brother was brought out and the two men kind of shrugged at the bizarreness of it. Happy times.

[@lauraenright5639]

Was it the Drake that was "a Dunfee classic"?

[@shawnuel]

Is it just me or is Donahue a pretty bad interviewer?

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

@@shawnuel - It's just you. He's considered a pioneer.

[@johndong3110]

NBC Dave was the best

[@mattrogers9574]

He seemed bitter in his CBS, years. I don’t blame him, but it showed in his work.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

@@mattrogers9574 - Mostly because he could no longer wear running shoes with his suit.

[@nothx962]

Phil was such a cool dude 😎

[@xgum]

that Rocky the Bulldog clip was a really good idea for an example clip from the late show. very tumultuous outlay of comedy, dave's show could be paced like splitting wood, with the occasional incidental audience uproar

[@dongiller]

That was from Dave’s Late Night years on NBC (1982-93). Dave’s Late Show years were on CBS (1993-2015).

[@Emy53]

Dave always looks great in a suit.

[@davidrya88]

Asking if Mario Cuomo was going to run for President, Cuomo brothers still in the news 35 years later.

[@m.e.d.7997]

Where did the years go?

[@joadbreslin5819]

Let us know when you find them.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

Check the lost and found.

[@jfjoubertquebec]

I love the people's accents

[@thwipp89]

interesting interview and candid questions from the audience. dave wasn't nearly as snarky here as he generally was in interviews, especially later in his career.

[@culwin]

I can't wait to get some Harvard cutlery!!!

[@troyevitt2437]

Stupid Pet Tricks to this day has me saying, regarding elections and sports events, "As Always, Folks, This is an Exhibition, not a Competition. Please, no Wagering".

[@andrewmiller4573]

"CABIN BOY?????" C'MON DAVE!!!! OSCAR WORTHY PERFORMANCE!!!!!

[@dongiller]

Eight years before it was filmed.

[@privatepenguin3137]

@@dongiller He had Mork & Mindy under his belt by this time! (...and who WOULDN'T want Mindy under their belt!)....insert Anton Fig rimshot!

[@dongiller]

Badaboom.

[@fasterhamster]

I saw Fig in a group photo on the cover of a used Ace Frehley record dressed like a space person. 😂

[@rwdplz1]

David Letterman's wardrobe by Christian Weston Chandler

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

More like, by Stevie Wonder.

[@Whoknowsuknow]

It's interesting to see how impressed everyone was with what by now would be standard late night hijinks.

[@ZenFox0]

I remember that era. Dave might be considered tame or passé now, but prior to his arrival on the scene national shows tended to be of the Johnny Carson format, Donahue/Oprah format, or the slightly more edgy Tom Snyder or ridiculous Jerry Springer format. Dave’s brand of juvenile irreverence (paired with his disarming charm and self-effacing humor) was new and fresh at the time, and taking his camera crew out on the street to talk with everyday New Yorkers in an unplanned and unscripted manner was funny and something new. A lot of shows since have done it (like Jay Leno’s “Jaywalking” or Jimmy Kimmel’s version), so it’s no big deal now. Maybe part of that had something to do with cameras becoming portable enough in the 1980s to take around the building or onto the street. I can imagine a lot of people thought Letterman’s show was kind of stupid, but the fact that it wasn’t over-rehearsed or canned made it feel spontaneous, and its silliness made it a fun way to end a long day.

[@CapnSlipp]

35:49 _“None of the names come to mind…”_ In his later years, Letterman made it more obvious that this is one of his go-to jokes. Completely lost on this audience, in this era.

[@finnibertlunchiken7792]

3:02 "you've also interviewed the chefs where famous people eat". I personally would be very interested to know exactły where those chefs are that people seem to eat at.

[@joadbreslin5819]

When you host your own unscripted hour-long show and all your questions come out smoothly and well-worded, then, sure, go ahead and pick on Donahue.

[@bredmaster]

Love Dave's Chris Chan shirt.

[@acastl5871]

That second to last question tho

[@BenSkyLakewood]

Dave is funny

[@bradford_shaun_murray]

cool glasses

[@clete3977]

The New York accents in the audience are fascinating. To think that a person could be taught to speak like that. I believe only 23 letters of the alphabet are vocalized in New York. I must take it on faith that Elementary school children ask why there is a red strike through the R in their alphabet table. Teacher explains it is a useless letter and to disregard it in all forms of communication. So the word "first" becomes "feist". "Mister Letterman" becomes "Mista Lettaman". "Personal" become "poysonal". "Consider" becomes "considda". "Work" becomes "woik". They are kind of adorable, like a pet trying to talk.

[@FloatingAppleProductions]

Didn't he actually shine a light on a building and have someone do shadow puppets on em?

[@dongiller]

Yes, a month later, February 26, 1985. Good memory!

[@timothyarts8969]

No political talk.....just entertainment

[@brianallen2358]

Thanks Don. What was the origin of the calendar?

[@dongiller]

It began on September 5, 1984, when Donahue announced he was moving his show from Chicago to NYC in November. Dave decided to count down his arrival.

[@brianallen2358]

@@dongiller Such a simple explanation, I'm having a laugh at myself. Thank you very much.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

@@dongiller - I think he did another countdown calendar gag with Oprah coming on the show after teasing her for years about not ever being a quest on the show?

[@dongiller]

@@OMGWTFLOLSMH That was his “Oprah Log,” where he kept track of the days she hadn’t called him back.

[@GothGuy885]

wonder if Gene Poston is/was related to Tom Poston the Actor?

[@lenoreandreas4000]

This. Is YOUR LIFE! 😂

[@jadaaleeshamindexpert7365]

Damn i wasnt born yet

[@stevenholton438]

Damn!