Penn & Teller's First Appearance on Letterman, June 26, 1985

By request. Their first of eighteen Late Night and nine Late Show appearances.

[@r0bw00d]

Wow, Penn's voice sounds completely different now! Teller's, however, sounds exactly the same.

[@Pentross]

Apparently Penn had throat troubles once and could barely speak and the doctor checking him out realized his voice box is just shredded from yelling all the time. Went on stage anyway, just had the doctor give him a steroids shot to the neck to get rid of the inflammation, and was back to normal a few days later, ‘normal’ being still teetering on the edge of permanently losing his voice

[@TravisHeinze]

Talking for 2 people does that

[@iami3rian394]

I mean, he's also thirty-forty years older.

[@michaelgriffin3537]

@@iami3rian394 true but it's a very pronounced difference. So much that I checked that the video wasn't pitch shifted. He's clearly had issues as mentioned.

[@iami3rian394]

@@michaelgriffin3537 Leonard Nimoy called me the other day. He said that's what happens when you age. In a totally different sounding voice.

[@ambalavanant]

The way Teller acts as if he doesn't know how to act is just top notch. These two are the best entertainers

[@ionutdenes]

Back then, Penn had the ponytail in front

[@philippschmitz1787]

He looked like Dustin from Stranger Things after using Farah Fawcett Hairspray.

[@eth1stclass]

Ah the infamous front pony

[@sebastiencarron1574]

Pony Frontana.

[@Zizumia]

"Wow look how young Penn looks! That's hilarious! And Teller.. looks exactly the same"

[@shino4242]

That man is like Patrick Stewart. e just came out of the womb looking like 50~ and just refuses to age any further.

[@jeffreyfearn5662]

I noticed that as well....

[@toamaori]

AND they have worked together since 1974??? OMG

[@drummeralbertrivera9577]

They were all in their 30s lol

[@applejax1017]

It's crazy that Teller was almost 40 at this point! He was born in 1948!

[@EagleGamer15]

It is mind-boggling to be reminded that there was a time that people didn't even know which was which.

[@TravisHeinze]

You can see Penns talking for 2 people really made his voice hoarse over the years.

[@TravisHeinze]

@estoban kupah I saw one video where they were smoking for a magic trick in the 1980s. I think he might have been a smoker.

[@pemo2676]

@estoban kupah they were real, you can tell by the colour of the smoke from the cigarette

[@shezzuh]

Travis Heinze they both never smoked (only for the routine), never did drugs, and never drank alcohol, they are clean as can be. The voice is simply apart of overuse, aging, and possibly an injury from sword swallowing

[@snowbum6861]

Teller was just as awkward an stiff sitting in his chair then as he is now

[@damiendunn2078]

@@shezzuh thats why penn is a frequent in the Vegas clubs cause he doesn't drink ok lol

[@juliusjohnson2206]

It doesn’t matter we already did the deck switch 😂😂😂😂💀

[@dhansel4835]

I first saw Penn and Teller in 1981 at the Texas Renaissance Festival. I was working with a soft drink distributor. When I had some time I would come from back stage and walked out and saw several of their magic shows. I saw the needle and the string trick. Boy I had never seen anything in my life like that. Penn and Teller was getting their act started back in those days. The next week I took my SLR camera and got some really great pictures of them.

[@jamesbevan9939]

D Hansel Pretty awesome that you got to see them before they hit it big.

[@jessedub]

You should post those pics somewhere online, i thought i saw them early but that was like 87,88, they must have been babies in 1981.

[@sailaab]

the real magic is that... Raymond Teller *stopped ageing* over a quarter of a century ago!

[@iami3rian394]

He's absolutely a vampire.

[@sailaab]

hahaha... now you got me thinking! who knows... ...maybe that *is* true! #shudders

[@jtm232556]

Aging"

[@sailaab]

*+Jay ji* wikipedia.org/wiki/-ji thanks! but i was using a language called English and not some up'bhransh wiktionary.org/wiki/अपभ्रंश#noun like American, Canadian or Pig Latin wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_Latin ° i suppose, non "English" speakers may not always be familiar with English spellings, pronunciations.. that's okay :) ° colour (not color), lift (not elevator), Iraq (e-raak not eye-raak), route (root, not raaut.. like in shout), either (e-ther versus eye-der) realise is spelt as realize by some. in-fact many words ending in "se" are changed to "ze" ° pronunciations like tomato or water are again something that fascinated me often. Americans have more of the "V" sound and often pronounce the "T" more like "d" sound.. vaader ° accents too can be exasperating.. especially if English is one's second language and one watched both British and American TV shows. i myself often end up pronouncing things weirdly. many Brits often a typical twang to towards the end of words which (to me) sounds like the "R" sound. they might (want to) say India.. but it sounds like Indi-R (Indiaar) ° back in India, we've weirdly come up with terms, where none exist/existed. so, we have postpone.. but we invented "prepone" too! (o.O)😏 ° and most desis wikipedia.org/wiki/Desi invariably use the word "revert" out of context. many of us use it when we actually mean "to get back" or "to respond" :( #smh ° so i often get requests to e-mail the queries, to which the other person would _revert_ (to) by the end of the day/week!😕😁 #sigh

[@Krawberry]

sailaab “vaader”, we don’t sound German lol.

[@909sickle]

Teller looks exactly the same. Penn is apparently a different human being.

[@88michaelandersen]

Teller has to get a new Penn every few decades.

[@brokenwave6125]

Not different at all other than being 35 years younger...

[@Megasterik]

@@brokenwave6125 Age is literally just a number for him.

[@MarkWhippy]

You can see the real age difference between them here. Penn looks like the young eager kid and teller really does look like the adult/teacher. But these days it’s kinda reversed. Teller acts like the kid and penn the old teacher.

[@solidkingcobra]

these young men seems like have a great future in magic.

[@ryderfreshwater5651]

Andrew Furrer that’s the joke smh 🤦‍♂️

[@asdfghyter]

@Andrew Furrer Since that would be redundant for such an obvious joke. Why are you so aggressive? Did someone hurt you?

[@thesuperginge1348]

@Andrew Furrer oh please, I'll bite. Can I get spanked, daddy? What's the punishment? Call me a faggot or whatever you Hicks do. Yes. More. Please.

[@asdfghyter]

Andrew Furrer Can you please clarify? What are you warning me about?

[@LeviathanJPTV]

@Andrew Furrer Last warning until what? The only fuckstick here is the one who can't even understand the most obvious joke possible.

[@Skyedoeseverything]

8:28 look at the second of pure terror and concern on davids face when the "knife" goes in. I love penn and teller. They are the best showmans

[@gradeahonky]

It's just about as much as you can get away with before people get pissed off - just under a second of actual concern. Anything beyond that is cruel.

[@MattAlexanderMe]

As soon as the soldering iron was brought up, Teller crossed his legs 😂

[@pschroeter1]

Eddie Van Halen! I'll have to tune in tomorrow.

[@markdaniels7174]

pschroeter1 AND wife Valerie Bertinelli!

[@kdkseven]

Wonder if that's when they met?

[@Danjoker.]

​@@kdkseven They married in '82 I think.

[@robbieg4047]

Funny how Teller is always so quiet yet the man taught a language. Latin nonetheless lol.

[@ThePremiumChicken]

I've met Teller in person after one of their shows and I was speechless when I heard him talk

[@hammeraman]

I met him once too, and he was speechless when he heard me talk

[@y2kblackout]

Deep, baritone voice, right?

[@paddyj7690]

Same here, met him in Vegas, and he just doesn't look like he'd have a voice like that.

[@Fritzyboo]

When Teller isn't speechless, we are

[@jondunmore4268]

So... he made YOU stop talking.

[@Guitcad1]

OMFG! Teller has not aged a day. But Penn, here, is a *_CHILD!_*

[@saulgoodmanshellokittyphone]

Hard to believe that Teller is only a year younger than Letterman. He seems so youthful compared to Dave

[@marioluffy7269]

Looks all chaotic yet they were all in control. Amazing

[@tuz0wils0n]

Thanks, Don! @8:38 -- that is how you get on Late Night eighteen times.

[@naptimegaming1347]

Teller replaces Penn every few decades.

[@JGAbstract]

Penn has started looking more normal, and Teller has started looking less normal and more like a character.

[@mattsheezy5469]

This is magic with the attitude of Punk Rock.

[@JerryGaming2020]

Teller is in time machine.., Still look same in 2019

[@tee4222]

2:53 Weird cut to a sad looking Spanish chef who looks upset that nobody’s ordering food

[@justingould2020]

It looks like the soup nazi from Seinfeld.

[@calebjaymes9710]

He wants sales

[@krisraps]

I LOVE HOW HE NEVER BRAKES THE CHARACTER

[@FloraWest]

I remember seeing this back in the day. So so good.

[@Jay-Kaizo]

Penn and Teller - Fantastic! Timeless acts.

[@timh6011]

Great stuff. Thanks again Don.

[@djphillyb]

I remember seeing this when it was originally broadcasted. It was awesome! But of course, everybody remembers the trick with the cockroaches.

[@stephenpitkin5492]

What beautiful, disorganized precision!

[@kdpowers]

I was watching an episode of fool us where Penn started talking about this and looking at the date… Wow… I was born the day after this was shot

[@James_Edward59]

Someday those Penn and Teller guys will have a show of their own lol

[@firstenforemost]

The band plays the 1969 song Venus by Shocking Blue as they go to break at about 2:47. In a seemingly prescient co-incidence, the song was re-rerecorded by Bananarama and released 11 months later, becoming a #1 hit.

[@vintagevhsarchive]

Good ear. I remember that song and video playing constantly and wouldn't have gotten that.

[@VaughnJogVlog]

Caught that too.

[@weganmerner7014]

I think it may just be years of straining his voice on stage. Obviously hes micd up well now but its still a high energy performance and he wasnt always

[@nathanrye]

THANK YOU

[@MitchellTF]

I love how Teller spends the entire time with his mouth shut...and then just does ONE TRICK and it's awesome.

[@welcomestranger]

What a great spot!

[@Allik27]

I love these two.

[@MarcsStuff42]

"First of all, who is who?" Now are other times 😂

[@gradeahonky]

Holy cow - watching this made me understand the full trajectory of Penn's voice. First a more natural voice. Second, the boisterous show voice he is most famous for. And third, the warn out voice that must be damaged from years of voice number 2.

[@KyleHarrisonRedacted]

Teller looks practically no different but his voice sounds the same. Penn had changed shape and size over the years and his voice sounds very different.

[@dissonanceofcircles5451]

"well it's certainly safe hahaha" Penn's such an asshole, I love it I don't think he can control it 😂

[@JerryGaming2020]

What a journey guys ❤️❤️❤️

[@greatestgoalie25]

This was the day I was born...wow.

[@gregdubya1993]

I was 2 weeks old. Cool.

[@marshallc6885]

Penn and Teller ladies and gentleman.

[@WILLYLYNCH.]

Teller got the classic 80'$ mullet.

[@AimlessMoto]

I was one month old when this happened... damn.

[@cazz8017]

they still do this trick in 2023 godbless them

[@dbmail545]

Wow! 35 years ago. I would not have recognized Penn. Teller is about 40?

[@sailaab]

about ...yes! he is 1948 born

[@razorramon1391]

I remember watching this as a kid

[@icysaracen3054]

80s and 90s were the golden age of magic shows

[@bustdooms2638]

This completely explains why Letterman flipped out bcz he loved them so much

[@e.t926]

What? Why and how he flipped out?

[@bustdooms2638]

@@e.t926 backstage story

[@e.t926]

@@bustdooms2638 ok

[@tevinlandry1885]

Conan pulled a 4 of spades during one of their visits on his show, too.

[@jennareynolds1403]

They always do that same card, as a bit of a wink to the fact that the card is forced. They are letting you in on the secret whenever they draw that card "at random" again.

[@JPBenson84]

Video proof that Teller stopped aging in 1985

[@asdfghyter]

9:32 It contains the hit single "Everybody is young". That sounds fitting for this old video where everyone is so much younger. The question is just how they knew we would watch this 34 years later? :P

[@racafritz]

This is the Penn & Teller I remember. They are still great but, this takes me back. Anyone remember them in a movie called My Chauffeur? Teller plays a Sheik and Penn plays a swindler.

[@sailaab]

i wish i too look like i'm in my 30s.. when *I* reach my 70s... that is, *IF* i manage to reach them/ live till then! (i already am about the age Teller was, during the shooting of this video).

[@jerzeyguy71]

Dave needs to have these two on his Netflix show!!

[@ThatOpalGuy]

Teller is awesome with his straight face.

[@monkeyarms11]

Perfect guests for letterman

[@JackMott]

This is brilliant, they are acting like they are bad, you see all the moves. Doesn't matter though because when they do it well you can't see it even if when you know

[@OlafurArons]

If anyone's curious, the 2nd song in the video is a version of Wilson Pickett's 'I'm in love'. You're welcome.

[@Alina-ym1yt]

...so penn and teller never changed

[@paulhan3314]

Teller is floating while sitting. Wow 😮

[@AdamGeest]

So young

[@wheelz-2997]

Young Penn seems like a different person.

[@justin57153]

How? He just looks and sounds like a younger version of Penn today lol

[@bahardin3992]

Eddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertinelli on Latterman's show..? this could be a start of some thing romantic... 💘💖💞

[@TheDude69]

Awesome

[@pmointernet]

Wow look at their baby faces!

[@tommydowling9]

The day I was born.

[@brianshoubert7803]

Bravo! )

[@therssopacheco8550]

I was born 8 days after this was shown on t.v.

[@sailaab]

it would be magic if you were conceived on the day it aired. (just a week prior to being born)

[@FerrisBueller-lj9zj]

Brilliant

[@odw_99]

8:18 “I’m not a man, I’m a magician”😂😂

[@newfiepacer]

Are you here because of the fool us trick where the guy gets Alison to stab the deck of cards?

[@sammydanger7287]

5:44 a switch of some sort I believe by teller in his left pocket

[@WadeWilson-]

OMG Penn was to different and Teller..... well..... good for him.

[@gb5776]

Penn has been abducted by aliens and replaced with a duplicate. Looks different, but more than anything, sounds completely different. (X Files music) 😁

[@calin9601]

Teller sounds different too

[@gb5776]

Calin Bocu nice 👍

[@VaughnJogVlog]

He says the same things, but sounds totally different

[@iami3rian394]

Thirty years will change how a person looks and sounds.

[@RFHYLAND]

Wonder if they really have not played at Magic Castle since the statement he made on this feature... 🤔

[@clockworkpotato]

pure fun

[@gerardmazzarese9363]

Made me laugh. These guys are good.

[@sailaab]

wonder if Penn had been a heavy smoker (the voice box, throat issues apart) for his voice to become the way it is now!

[@kendohmassif1984]

sailaab he’s totally against smoking drinking and drug taking so I don’t think that would be the reason

[@sailaab]

Kenny ji wikipedia.org/wiki/-ji appreciate those insights. if that be true then iyam truly mistaken and 'twas hasty of me to have "assumed". thanks again and wish you a fruitful yet peaceful week ahead :)

[@lucianonahuelgomez1374]

8:30 David looked legit frightened lol, the good old times😆

[@kurtissac]

woah two months before i was born

[@jameshicks7125]

When I think of magic, I think of "A Magician named Gob" on arrested development. I worked for fifteen years building magic tricks and gimmicks. I know or can figure out how almost any trick is done, and the entire pretense of it whether, "Ya wanna see a card trick?" or "Let's bring out Lydia my voluptuous assistant.." is incredibly embarrassing and cringeworthy. With Penn and Teller it really is a slap in the face to all that crap, and it becomes interesting and hilarious.

[@rickachumusic]

I didn't know that bond villain Jaws did magic

[@avantgardeaclue]

Jesus, 29 YEARS AGO!

[@brokenwave6125]

You're terrible at math...

[@avantgardeaclue]

@@brokenwave6125 I can't count backwards

[@wolferguy]

I hate the fact I'm unable to stay up past ten anymore. Am I missing anything?

[@tomitstube]

i'll never forget watching the news in tampa florida, probably around 1993, barney the dinosaur had become super popular, and fox had just started getting off the ground around the same time. but i'm watching the news, (fox wasn't the right wing propaganda machine it is now) and they cut to a story in downtown tampa, on a street corner they're interviewing barney the dinosaur protestors. it was two guys with signs, i couldn't believe what i was watching. then i recognized them. it was penn and teller. penn is going on about how barney and pbs are warping the minds of american kids, that it promoted all these horrible unchristian things.... fox had no idea, and probably doesn't to this day. these guys are legends.

[@mrevilducky]

I will attempt to find this cast for you

[@tomitstube]

@@mrevilducky that would be awesome. sorry i can't offer more info, the best time stamp i can offer is the backlash to barney. and maybe a tour stop for penn and teller in tampa early 1990's.

[@TegridyElite]

In some aspect, penn is similar to foghorn leghorn

[@Thomasfoolery69]

I think the 4 of spades was the same card conan picked when penn and teller were with the concrete helmet

[@bobjones289]

Comedy gold here.

[@ronanrogers4127]

Sheldon based his character on Teller...true story

[@theanachronisticlife8574]

Nah, Amy’s dad did!

[@TheOffenderBlog]

Penn's voice is so different.

[@heatshield]

👏

[@STOG01]

Ha! Clearly visible paling of the card right before they were about to move to the table setup :) he kept the card up to the 'knife' section. These guys make a good show :)

[@STOG01]

@Robert Duncan It's so unfair that there's two of them?) makes diverting attention so much easier than doing it alone?

[@heatshield]

don, could you make a playlist with all of your Penn & Teller episodes available in one spot?

[@dongiller]

I’ve only uploaded their first appearance so far. Also, I’ve never prepared a playlist for any of my uploads. Would have to first learn how to do that.

[@dongiller]

Also, there’s been a huge uptick in views for this video the last few days. Do you know what’s driving it?

[@heatshield]

@@dongiller don, I subbed to you today and I'm absolutely hooked. You have quite an impressive collection, and I haven't stopped smiling since I found your page. If you click the (three dots) options, or save, like you're about to "save to watch later" you can then hit "change list" or "create new list" . You can then set the list to private or public. I'm a big fan of Penn & Teller and David Letterman, and basically anything from the high water mark of New York city entertainment. Thanks for saving this all for everyone to see. Excellent channel. 👍

[@dongiller]

Thanks! Unfortunately, I’m using an older OS on the desktop computer I use to create these videos. I think the three dots show up on the iPad and laptop. Will look further when time permits.

[@heatshield]

@@dongiller alao, I'd like to tell you that the first appearance (this vid here) is one of my favorite performances ever by Penn & Teller. It had a big hand in transforming the stage presence of magicians from a cheesy amusement, back to true entertainment. The magic world owes them a great debt. Sometimes, rarely, KZbin suggestions are actually worth the time, and your channel is proof of that. Good luck man. Thank you.

[@t2d748]

when run dmc want to work with you, you know you've made it.

[@ongelvin]

Young Teller looks like like [currently young] Tom Hiddleston.

[@ben5966]

Yeah he kinda does lol

[@dakrom7599]

I was thinking the guy from the Big Bang theory