David Letterman on Later with Bob Costas, January 12, 1989, Unedited

The full, unedited interview, including pre-and post-footage.
There were three cameras utilized, each with its corresponding videotape: one focused on Dave, one on Bob, and a center shot covering both. I synced the first and third together as a split-screen because one camera captured footage and angles the other didn't and vice versa, as you'll see. (I didn't have the isolated camera on Bob.)
The taping took place on January 12, 1989, the night after Dave had taped his own Late Night, which had included a two-segment appearance with Bob; a performance by Was (Not Was); Don the Police Dog with his trainer Janet Noble; Chris Elliott; and Inna Gorbatov, a Russian translator, on to help explain the cancellation of the Soviet hockey team and who then translated the night's Top Ten list (Least Popular Pepperidge Farm Cookies). Thus the references before the start of the interview to Bob, Was (Not Was), and Inna.
The hour-plus taping was edited down to two 23-minute shows that aired on January 31 and February 1, 1989, in anticipation of Late Night's 7th Anniversary special, which was broadcast the following night, February 2 (the special had been taped ten days earlier, on January 23).
(Paul Shaffer taped his interview with Bob just before Dave, and that aired January 30. I'll put that up after it's digitized.)
The audio mix has Dave on the left channel, Bob on the right. The silence immediately after the interview is due to the mic signals being turned off.

[@batesy1970]

Costas is maybe the best interviewer of all time. What a great interview. This show was so solid. I always looked forward to it. This unedited footage is absolutely a gift. Thank you Mr. Giller.

[@bobwalton4630]

This is when Dave was at the peak of his powers. His "zero effs given" attitude shines right through every minute of this interview.

[@Targemq8]

Mr. Giller, I know you get comments like this all the time, but thank you for this channel, and for the care you take with curating and editing the material. It's been an especially wonderful comfort during the quarantine.

[@dongiller]

Thank you so much, Margaret. It’s deeply appreciated.

[@captainscentsible1811]

Im always in shock cbs never tossed a few shows on netflix. I truly think they never will. Maybe in 10 years or more. That's my guess.

[@alandoane9168]

@@captainscentsible1811 They have their own streaming service.

[@keefriff99]

@@captainscentsible1811 The sad fact is there’s probably little financial incentive for them to do so. These archives exist more for historical record than actual entertainment at this point.

[@illygah]

​@@dongiller is to Late Night as Florentine to Renaissance. Theirs' is the will that builds the sanctuary.

[@scottmumford8295]

Man, that was fascinating. The "you are there" raw footage makes all the difference. MORE PLEASE!

[@CinemaDemocratica]

I could watch this over, and over, and over, and *over* again.

[@Rob_Kates]

From 1988 to 1992, NBC had the ultimate late night lineup with Carson then Letterman and then Costas.

[@thegameshowguy1]

Yep. 11:30 with the "Tonight Show", 12:30 with "Late Night", and 1:30 with "Later". Obviously, Carson, Letterman and Costas are way better than Fallon, Meyers, and Lilly Singh.

[@johnking5174]

@@thegameshowguy1 How could NBC late night shows tank in quality over the past two decades? Even with Leno and O'Brien on in their respective shows say in the year 2000 it was far better than the drivel trash Fallon and Meyers offer now right?

[@davidsthubbins176]

I like Jimmy Fallon, but there's something I just don't get. Dave wasn't the right guy for The Tonight Show, but Jimmy is????

[@johnking5174]

@@davidsthubbins176 1991 and 2014 are two very different eras for NBC and two very different NBC executives who made the decision. That is why.

[@dalebennett5855]

@@thegameshowguy1 LLC

[@fasteddie9529]

This is great stuff - I remember watching this when it first aired. Later with Bob Costas was always a high quality show.

[@claudec2588]

Best interview with Letterman that I've ever seen.

[@WorksOnMyComputer]

That is the best interview of Letterman I've seen. The behind the scenes stuff actually really helped tell a little bit more about the man.

[@JimArnold6]

I had a chance to hang out with Bob Costas for about a half hour around the time frame this video was made. I'm not a sports fan, but loved his Later show. First off, he could not have been nicer to a 20-something kid. When I complimented him on his vast knowledge base to speak with a wide variety of guests, he could not take credit. It was all the research by the producers, he insisted. I didn't really believe that then or now.

[@jamesanthony5681]

Are/were you in show business?

[@markhildebrand2417]

Bob Costas is one of the best interviewers ever. He asks questions that are intelligent and interesting then he lets the person answer the question in full without interruption or having to answer the question himself like a lot of interviewers do.

[@user-yn7yo1co3k]

Amen!

[@markjackson6431]

Vince McMahon would disagree

[@Leboman2010]

This was a great view behind the scenes and also a fantastic interview. "Late Night With David Letterman" came on the air when I was 19 and working 3rd shift in a restaurant. It was great to be there more or less as a fan and viewer of Letterman his entire 33 years on late night television. I became a fan of "Later With Bob Costas" as it followed Dave's show. I'm grateful that such a great number of videos are available of Dave's show and guests through his entire career, so when I need a Letterman fix, I've got a vast collection of videos here.

[@TylerSorensen]

This is a treasure. Thanks for uploading!

[@brainsareus]

two smart guys

[@plaws0]

Too bad the audio at the end is missing. Even so, this is PRICELESS. Thanks so much for putting it together. Dave in his prime and at his best.

[@sdm12342002]

Dave's outfit is fantastic. Thanks for posting this.

[@dianewinters8628]

I really enjoyed the in between commercials banter as well as the actual show. I knew of Bob Costas but don't ever remember watching the show. He did a good interview.

[@bradsnider6095]

I really, really, REALLY enjoyed that. The split screen made it possible to watch Dave’s body language. Very cool.

[@v8vrooooom]

Cool raw footage!! Interesting interplay

[@brainsareus]

yeah.. but, is it really raw footage, or is it just set up to look like it. a fake-out, perhaps?

[@dongiller]

brainsareus It’s legitimate, raw footage.

[@kjkiefcakes1847]

@@brainsareus the person that uploaded this is the foremost letterman archivist yet known to man

[@briankelleywastaken]

@@brainsareus I am really curious to know how one simulates Bob Costas calling for commercial breaks

[@Obiter3]

This was an unexpected pleasure, I remember watching this when it aired. Thx Don 🍻

[@Bill_Woo]

Thanks for ALL of the footage. It really empowers the experience.

[@tastyjay]

Thanks for obtaining and posting. Extremely interesting.

[@DJRitty]

this was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen...wow...so revealing and much info here. Love this unedited version.

[@AnthonyGuidetti]

Boy I would love to see this format of behind the scenes footage when Howard Stern and Tom Snyder were on.

[@collegeman1988]

You’d have to find a different channel for that.

[@monkeytrousers]

Great interview. Thanks for the upload!

[@christopherbell4543]

I can't thank you enough Don Giller.

[@jimikeech4420]

This unedited is amazing.

[@rangeelashah9931]

I LOVE RAW FOOTAGE AND FULL COVERAGE! THANK YOU! MORE OF THIS

[@ireneruthfox]

Always loved Dave's sense of humor.......Quick wit, for sure. Miss him.

[@randyj420]

Interesting to see. Love seeing behind the scenes. Enjoyed this interview again, after all these years. Cheers.

[@israelmorales3708]

Thanx again & deeply appreciated Mr Giller

[@katoffeevhs9798]

wow!! this is a really cool unique upload

[@-dash]

Not sure how I got here. I was born 6 years after this aired. I’m not complaining though- this is a solid interview.

[@padraig29]

This was great Don. Brilliant work, kind of wish it was longer. Loved the spilt screen and it was really cool to listen with earphones(switching from right to left) 👂asmr. Thank you for the cool vid

[@JeremyPresner]

I love the stuff during the commercials; can't believe Dave asked Bob to question him about Bryant Gumble !

[@sbdsbdshow]

Many thanks for these.

[@sbdsbdshow]

I meant ALL of them you've posted.

[@davemichael401]

I love this ... Dave is truly missed. Thank you for this great video.

[@mikestevenson576]

Bob slid that Bryant Gumbel stuff in so effortlessly.

[@celebtrvl]

thank you Donz

[@brucehanson6427]

Thanks Don, as usual very enjoyable

[@jamesten]

Remarkable spool of tape. The split screen reminds me of something you might have seen on Late Night in 1988 or some time thereabout. I watched the two-parter when it came out (edited, of course).

[@jrpipik]

What a great find.

[@MrPlutoUSA]

That was very interesting, thanks!

[@APisceanSlant]

Awesome upload!

[@tosderg]

you are truly the greatest hero of the ages.

[@thetotaljosh]

indeed...no artist or world leader could compare to a late night comedian.

[@ConstantContext]

excellent Don, top notch stuff as always, one of the must subscribe Individual using KZbin Archivist Style, so thank you

[@dongiller]

I'm not sure what that means, but thanks. :)

[@ConstantContext]

needz to be read aloud for the auditory imagination to resonate the simultaneity required for the placebo of visual closure required by your tactile bias

[@ConstantContext]

KoolKate TheLez needz to be read aloud for the auditory imagination to resonate the simultaneity required for the placebo of visual closure required by your tactile bias

[@joes9954]

Late(r) to this party but what a great way to watch this. I remember when this originally aired and it was twice as much fun.

[@JeremyPresner]

thanks DonZ for posting!!!!!!

[@porterredkey948]

Letterman is my HERO! He is a true Hoosier!

[@rwdplz1]

Wow, great find!

[@TaborTalk]

wow!!! Raw unedited footage - cool!

[@JoshMarowitz199]

This video especially, among your countless others, reinforces your status as a national treasure.

[@DuilioBallatore]

I've been watching your astonishing videos. It is clear that you have all episodes of the late show and maybe late night. But this... People do not realize how rare this is and how hard it is to find around. Even audio tracks are splitted! I am so much amused.

[@dongiller]

I have everything. Here’s a blog post on my complete Late Night Collection - donzblog.home.blog/2019/01/16/the-journey-begins/ And thanks!!

[@waynej2608]

@@dongiller Yes, ty. This is very cool. Brings back memories. I'm a huge fan of Letterman and Costas. Costas was a wonderful interviewer, his enthusiasm is always contagious. Great sports commentator, too. Thanks, again!

[@MrGpschmidt]

I remember this too. Great interview. Costas was always a good host too. I want Bob's sweater.

[@seanodeli7031]

Later was an awesome show

[@khaledorr]

This is just gold

[@krisscanlon4051]

My God I miss these days of my youth...amazing that year alone for this kind of enjoyment.

[@Football__Junkie]

“Well, I don’t really want to say without Larry being here, .... but he was raised by poodles.” 😂😂

[@untexan]

The Home Run Derby bit near the end absolutely sent me. That show was such good bad television.

[@jakehopgood7446]

thanks

[@MikeydeLaraCovers]

The best thing about this is the in between. Dave and costas just talking like real people who have the same gig? So dope.

[@chuckdieselkicksdisks2380]

Very cool. Def a rarity

[@eddieloius4592]

wow what a great find for me. Thanks Don Giller! I wonder if these things that you post will stay up?

[@Rob_Kates]

Dave had an Up with People reference. Weird, wild stuff.

[@erichaynes7502]

Great post, I was a night owl back in the late 80's/early 90's and would watch this after swing shift while stationed in AWACS at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Once I got to Homestead Air Force Base in Miami(1990-1992) I had to work day shift so I rarely got another chance to watch this show, then I went overseas to Osan Air Base, South Korea and I don't believe they ever showed this on the one tv station we got over there, which was called Armed Forces Radio and Television Service(AFRTS). Now it's just called the Armed Forces Network.

[@ObamaFromKenya]

@Eric Haynes Eric were you at Homestead for Hurricane Andrew🤔

[@erichaynes7502]

@@ObamaFromKenya Yep, I woke up late one Sat morning Aug 92.. went to Publix and it was unusually crowded. I went back to my apt. and turned on the TV the weatherman was saying a hurricane was coming our way. It wasn't veering north or south it was moving straight west towards Miami. I initially didn't believe it would happen. All day Saturday my friends/co-workers were calling the TV was tuned to the weatherman all day. Later that night my friend and I went back to the Publix parking lot..as we walked next to the closed stores I stopped in my tracks and said "It's all over". We got recalled early Sun morning, our unit was a mobile unit we packed our vans/trucks up all day. One of the Miami news channels flew a helicopter that filmed us packing out. We convoyed out at dusk towards Tampa across alligator alley. The kid driving the truck next to me started falling asleep as we approached the sunshine skyway bridge..We got to MacDill AFB around 5am, we parked our trucks and they had set up cots for us in the base gym. I slept in the racquetball court..woke up around 2PM Monday morning there was a TV in the Gym lobby the news showed the carnage that had been Homestead. Went back a few days later my car had no windows I drove it around for a couple of weeks like that, which was pretty normal. The water rose all the way up to my Motorcycle handlebars but amazingly the Hurricane didn't knock it off it's center stand. My apartment had 2 windows knocked out my neighbors wall caved in . Telephones came back on in about a week but the power was out for weeks.

[@bucksdiaryfan]

everything with Letterman during this period was sarcasm... but that's how his career caught fire, not "doing" a talk show, but rather doing a parody of a talk show

[@ajn465]

That was way too cool!

[@NevadaBoss]

This is priceless stuff..if there was a god, you'd be doing his work, Don. One forgets just how sharp, witty and quick Dave was in The Day..

[@alandoane9168]

He still is.

[@kanealson5200]

21:20 Bob Costas, funny remark. Costas could be quite good. Dave appreciates even the cutting remarks. This is a great, real interview with Dave giving sincere, honest answers. I was surprised that he wasn't being distant and absurd.

[@dr.smithx9120]

Broadcasting Gold.

[@ClintWrede]

Given the 2-camera presentation of the excellent video you've created here, it's quite funny that they joke about how "they have the split-screen technology" to broadcast two shows at once.

[@dongiller]

Ha! I had to sync them up manually, too. Here's an upload where I literally synced two shows airing at the same time -- Late Night and Live at Five -- kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3TZpZ9_i7t1i6s

[@dongiller]

And here's the 360° show split-screen -- on the left as it aired; on the right with the rotation in reverse, resulting in a stationary camera view. -- kzbin.info/www/bejne/gaLYZ2WGZ690pKs

[@crashburn3292]

Just fascinating. Dave may be the most self-deprecating humorist ever. Now I know why he loved Rodney Dangerfield and Norm MacDonald. And Dave asking to talk about Bryant Gumble was amazing. Obviously Dave wanted to put that to a rest.

[@Lethgar_Smith]

Bob clearly is basing a lot of his questions on most of the same ones that were covered in Dave's Rolling Stone interview from their June 85 issue with Dave wearing a baseball jersey on the cover.

[@farbekrieg355]

dave comes across as surprisingly honest, while not the greatest human he doesnt try to present a public face

[@alandoane9168]

Much more so today, when he's far more comfortable being himself.

[@willvanrooy6878]

0:54 David cigar smile. A classic.

[@tomz500]

This is great! How did you get this?! I'm a huge Letterman fan from that era. As a teen I stayed up and watched Dave every night. Then I'd come home from school the next day and sleep on my bed.

[@dongiller]

I knew someone who sent this to me. It was a three-camera show: one on the guest, one on the host, and one from the center capturing both. I had acquired the isolated center and guest cameras sometime in the mid-late ‘90s. They were separate videos. Decades later, I manually synced them to put this together.

[@alandoane9168]

@@dongiller Bless you for doing so. This is such a great chunk of broadcasting history, and a real insight into both men.

[@alramone1]

wow great

[@Fitz_42]

I feel so sorry for Dave. He was so good, but felt so miserable at the same time. I can’t believe he went through 32 years of Tv while being so miserable.

[@alandoane9168]

It was the only thing he ever wanted in life. Evidently he felt it was all worth it for decades. That misery probably explains some of his bad behavior. Hopefully he's happier now.

[@jamesanthony5681]

Miserable? He was cranky, especially towards the top NBC execs that he often referred to as weasels or dopes. I'm sure he didn't like to be told how to do his show by those guys. That's part of the reason why he never succeeded Carson.

[@moaningpheromones]

@@jamesanthony5681 pinheads - too funny. can i call you a cab?

[@terrywright8731]

Fantastic. Where did you find this?

[@dongiller]

I knew someone. :)

[@ginor8416]

Dave is a talk show gunslinger. He was an on the spot comedian and had the quiet intellect to seamlessly make an circumstance funny. This is rare. Carson had it, Letterman had it and Leno had it. All the rest wish they had it

[@ginor8416]

In Jays defence, he was working for NBC

[@jamesanthony5681]

You lost me when you said Leno had it.

[@BookClubDisaster]

I was with you until Leno. Leno was actually funny in his early days but he became so bland and corny and brown nosing once he started hosting The Tonight Show. ALL of his Boston edginess was gone.

[@ginor8416]

@ryan, he inherited Carson’s audience, of course he toned it down. His stand up is still great

[@davidsthubbins176]

It's interesting to see Dave all nervous before the interview starts. If he was still nervous once it started, I sure can't tell. The dude was just born to make wise cracks on TV.

[@KBTime]

Very cool! But I looked it up and wonder -- Costas seems to have not appeared on Dave's show after '96. What happened?!

[@jamesanthony5681]

Besides being on different networks? Letterman called Don Oylmeyer an idiot after leaving NBC.

[@edub9930]

Man was he quick with the witt!

[@josephlange4487]

I’m sure his morning show started out an hour and a half, went to an hour, then a half hour. It was always fantastic. I loved it and was horrified to see it dropped.

[@dongiller]

You have the 90 minutes to 60 right. The first six weeks were 90. Starting with Week 7, it was reduced to an hour. There was only one show that was only 30 minutes long, due to news coverage of one of the national conventions. But all other shows after Week 6 were an hour long.

[@vincentmurphy9252]

Saw Dave daytime show I was on high S. Was so funny you knew then the guy had talent maybe it was 80

[@GeorgiaOverdrive]

Good lord, I still wonder where you got that raw footage

[@dongiller]

It was sent to me years ago. That’s all I’ll say. :)

[@fenwayify]

Letterman makes it plain on how much he dislikes being interviewed or promoting himself or even hearing himself talk. Despite his success, I've always picked up on a measure of self-loathing from him. He's quick to mention his faults, before someone else does and sometimes when it's not noticed or even doesn't exist at all. He's quite prickly here, like if he got any more annoyed he might become combative, despite the good natured understanding of Costas. He retains some of that testy nature today, but I think he's been humbled by his own failures on a personal level, as well by the life-altering heart surgery. In my view, he's become a kinder, more appreciative person over the years. I like him better now...

[@angbradshaw2609]

I am pretty sure raising his son, Harry, had something to do with him becoming a seemingly kinder human being.

[@instantkarma8800]

I'm sorry I usually love your videos, but there is certainly something wrong showing Dave on one part and then Dave and Bob Costas plus, the audio is not that great. Thanks for uploading of David Letterman's shows I love it.

[@dongiller]

Of the 80.3K + viewers of this upload, you’re the first to complain about its uniqueness, a never-before-seen unedited video of this interview as well as the time and effort it took to sync two, again, never-before-seen full-length, unedited isolated cameras. I’m sorry it didn’t meet your expectations.

[@KBTime]

If you read the description, that’s how the two sets of tapes (different angles) were made. Syncing them up takes a lot of effort and this is actually pretty fascinating. These are raw materials (pre-broadcast, pre-editing) that they public wasn’t meant to see. It’s amazing that they were saved in the first place. If that seems odd, the full shows as-aired are easy to find online. But this is a first take of history; thank you Donz!

[@brewer921]

How did you get this?

[@dongiller]

I knew people.

[@1994jhg]

Where did you get this footage?

[@dongiller]

I knew people.

[@user2144]

Hi Don. Do you know what the producer handed Dave at 1:01:30? Dave then put it in his left coat pocket.

[@dongiller]

I don’t, sorry.

[@johnmckenzie4639]

Donz and P & K, I believe that's Dick Ebersol, former SNL executive producer and future head of NBC Sports.

[@bcpme8637]

My guess is personal belongings. A pack of gum. A money clip. Hotel key. Something that the producer offered to hold as it may have caused a bulge in his jacket.

[@kamuelalee]

Wonder who's Ina (spelling) that Dave and Bob refer to at 1:54?

[@alandoane9168]

Read the description.

[@kamuelalee]

@@alandoane9168 Ah, Inna Gorbatov, author. Yeah, thought their comments about her were interesting.

[@JCNDCIII]

This is great. Really enjoyed Later with Bob Costas. Terrible sweater he has on.

[@mykingdomforak9]

That particular sweater was a common style, overall, in 1989.

[@davanmani556]

Marilyn Quayle went to school with David. It was mentioned that he treated her bad when he was a senior and she a sophomore. He says it was made up.

[@davanmani556]

21:12 is true. Mitch Hedberg came in 2000.

[@DeanofSmoking]

So kind and emopatthetic in the end #Bobcostas

[@stevekay1925]

Dave was right about his glasses 👓

[@Bill_Woo]

Jeez, he must be spotting Johnny 30 IQ yet all people (out there) have is resentment for him, calling him a jerk, etc. How sad, at how far they miss the boat. AAR this is the second smartest and wittiest of all time. Above Gleason. Yes, above Cavett (and much, much mentally quicker). In the end, yes, I'd be pretty damn proud to be second place of all time ... to Steve Allen.

[@briankelleywastaken]

Some people did have genuinely bad experiences with Johnny, though. Like Joan.

[@DeanofSmoking]

"I was a young black boy" LOL.

[@user-vg2eg7oo5n]

Stolen from Steve Martin's act and first movie, "The Jerk".

[@davewestner]

17:29 Ed Neumann? Nooman? Not having any luck figuring out who that is/was. Haven't seen an entire morning show episode so not sure what the connection is

[@dongiller]

Edwin Newman. Google is your friend.

[@davewestner]

@@dongiller thanks and yeah, tried google first but came up with a few people, hence the ask.

[@michaelmcdonald8452]

That binoculars lady was a bit humorless. Dave didn't need to feel bad about that.