Letterman on Johnny Carson

[@peterddb1593]

This is how to do an interview. You ask a person a question and you let them answer. You don’t interrupt, even if they ramble a bit. This was a wonderful memory Dave shared.

[@PeterBondeVillain]

Credit to Regis, this is the best Letterman interview that I've ever seen on camera. Thank you for all of the wonderful, influential years on the tube, Dave! May we share many more.

[@kanereeves4866]

I live Dave. His pod with Norm Macdonald on cam was also a great int with him

[@PeterBondeVillain]

@@kanereeves4866 Hey Kane! I completely agree. This comment is so old that it's written before his interviews on Norm's talk-show. Now, I think both of those are much better than this one. I hope you're doing well

[@scottrackley4457]

Regis changes gears and cadence and then asks a very deep question. He gets an honest answer that way. He's done it to a lot of people over the years.

[@mws755]

you can tell he loved Johnny like a father

[@2dasimmons]

That's so true!

[@danieldougan269]

@Biggus Dickus Carson didn't screw Letterman out of the show. It wasn't his decision to make; it was NBC's decision. There is not a doubt in my mind that Carson would have chosen Letterman to succeed him if it had been up to him. Johnny and Jay Leno were not close. Likewise, Letterman didn't choose Stephen Colbert to succeed him. CBS decided that. Dave said he would have chosen a woman if it had been up to him. And it's not that Letterman dislikes Colbert as far as I know, but he wanted CBS to elevate a woman instead of another white guy.

[@kanereeves4866]

Thank you for this video. In the UK we've never had late night shows work and find it fascinating how Johnny Carson was king for so long. Sounds like a true gent

[@kanereeves4866]

@Mark Johnson its good to hear he didn't join the celebrity cult. Also , from shows I've seen, it seems he always light hearted and didn't really joke about politics often? In the UK we had a TV and radio presenter called Terry Wogan, who was the equivalent of Mr Carson

[@metropunk2236]

The Prince of night time bowing to the King. I admire both men. I spent many, many nights watching both. They both were human too. Having the same weaknesses of many of us. It was an honor to have lived in their time.

[@enriquesinghjr]

Two legends talking about a legend!

[@itsarealearworm]

Dave, Johnny, Regis... all legends

[@itsarealearworm]

e causey haha totally forgot I left this comment but yeah I was joking

[@georgemaster689]

@@itsarealearworm Sadly,two are gone! Dave now looks hideous with a beard!

[@stefanboster5728]

A lovely moment, & as he said, a blessing..

[@danclemente485]

Two legends right there. The Bronx misses you Regis

[@rhapsodyinglue8758]

I’m soo pleased that most people talk about Johnny and Dave. Not Johnny, Dave, and Jay.

[@gregwatson8219]

Dave admitted. He was intimidated by Carson. That not father love. Jay didnt need either. He had Tonight Show. Dave couldnt accept this.

[@balerjohnson3099]

Now Dave is retiring? Its all over now..we are fortunate to have have shared the planet with Johnny and Dave.

[@dttruman]

Sorry, but Dave was good until he became political.

[@jordan3596]

@@dttruman he was always good. Your just a trump snowflake who is easily offended 🤡

[@dttruman]

@@jordan3596 Letterman is no better than SNL who constantly joked about Trump, but won't say anything bad about or criticize Biden, Harris, Waters, the Cuomos, or anybody else extremely liberal.

[@o.k.therapper141]

I gotta agree with Comedians become too political now, and it just gets repetitive and boring

[@morbidmanmusic]

Zzzzzz liberalism ruined it mommy.

[@pronemanoldbutyoung5548]

I always wished I could be a fly on the wall listening to Johnny and Dave off camera. Talking about whatever they would talk about. On camera they were probably totally different swinging back and forth with fully respecting each other. But still, off camera, that conversation…….. we will never know…..

[@darksideofthetube3027]

@Harvey Smith true

[@samdiego1965]

You will be missed Dave

[@ruthecker399]

love dave miss him

[@joemardini4180]

You can tell respect by the tone David Letterman uses. One the biggest missed opportunities for NBC Is not to have chosen him to replace Johnny. Here is an idea, bring him back to replace Jimmy Fallon 😀

[@m.bowman2841]

Shew. This made me a little teary eyed

[@roquefortfiles]

Late night is a joke now. Dave was the last of a classic era.

[@justbluffing2868]

I think it will get better soon !

[@emmaduncan2991]

the thing with Johnny stealing Dave's truck, was an obviously a more successful version, of Dave's effect on Johnny.

[@Bat21bravo]

2 Class acts.

[@paulcooper3207]

i miss johny c...,,,.....,.,...................

[@felixthelmocevallosmorales41]

David Michael Letterman 12 de abril de 1947 76 años.

[@DaveFoster-q1g]

Good camera work

[@liz326522]

Yes, that would be an interesting one for sure...

[@ClapHurts]

I would love to see Regis do a one on one show

[@we5xz-1902]

Regis isn't "one upping" anyone, seems more like he's reminiscing. Something wrong with that?

[@we5xz-1902]

@JK Hbs You prefer Piers Morgan? He's cancelled.

[@shawnuel]

Regis' question led Dave to that poignant last story. What all good interviewers do!

[@felixthelmocevallosmorales41]

John William Carson (Corning, Iowa; 23 de octubre de 1925 - West Hollywood, California; 23 de enero de 2005) fue un presentador, comediante, escritor y productor de televisión estadounidense.

[@jon122569]

Johnny and Dave were a lot alike. Dave is a bit more out reaching. But they have the same kind of souls. I want to know what makes them tick. Kind of fascinating. Johnnys dead I know. But what's with that beard of Daves? I think it's a continuous skit on everyone watching to see what he is going to do after retirement.

[@LeonAllanDavis]

Both were/are yuge introverts. Almost all great comedians are loners.

[@georgeharr15]

me too, ian!

[@AKhellbindeR]

thats right, only time you actually see NY like that is in movies and pictures.

[@cactaceous]

I was lucky enough to have gotten married in a yacht that went around Manhattan a few times. We found a company that rented one for the evening and did it. Pretty much the same route Dave describes. Always loved riding the Staten Island ferry just for the views. That was the inspiration. It is rather amazing. My guests enjoyed it more than me with all the crap one has to do as groom in a wedding.

[@spactick]

I thought NBC had made a mistake the first time I saw Carson on the Tonight Show in 62'. He wasn't as funny as Steve Allen and he wasn't as intellectual as Jack Parr. But I was wrong, he grew into the job tho and turned out to be 'the master' of late night

[@cats0182]

The difference is that Carson was the Tonight Show for 30 years. He left an indelible mark/imprint that was going to be next to impossible to continue. The same can be said for Ed McMahon and Doc Severinsen. Certainly the revolving door with Leno and Conan and Fallon proves that. In my opinion, NBC's biggest mistake was in not ending the Tonight Show franchise when the 3 of them left. Anything that has come after that is just groveling for bucks.

[@theeaskey]

Safe to say letterman never took a cruise on the Circle line.

[@jpracingph]

Whaddaya mean?? He's great.

[@dawnstoehrer8107]

Nice to see you DAVID NICE AND CLEAN NO BEARD HA

[@NxDoyle]

A bondship?

[@jammiedodger]

Jonny died lonely, separated from his wife. The last time Dave saw him appears to have been years before his death.

[@66kaisersoza]

Johnny was incredibly introverted. That only got worse after he retired apparently. Maybe that was his own doing

[@ynotttt]

That was Johnny though. He was a loner in a sense going all the way back. Everyone wanted to get inside Johnny Carson. Very few could.

[@archieandrew9317]

Where's Rickles?😁

[@archieandrew9317]

Hahahaha....anyway

[@mightilyoats2729]

I do not, and will never think, that Carson holding the only keys to success was a good thing. I think he was great, and I found him hilarious outside of the Tonight Show, and incredibly talented in various mediums, but having to have him like you to have success is pretty bullshit. So many comics miss those days, and they're only the ones that made it. And just because you made it, literally doesn't mean you were actually the best. It's a weird kind of illusion, and I'm glad it's gone.

[@randymartinez642]

Johnny Carson is better than David Letterman 20 times better

[@cactaceous]

Not to me or anyone from my generation.

[@TheBatugan77]

@@cactaceous Psssh. GivesAShit? Fk ur 'generation'...

[@vibeofthee80s_]

Really sucks that he was jealous of Jay Leno, but Jay was a prick for backstabbing Conan O'Brien 😵✌ 1/16/23

[@rickarra9396]

2 of 3 already dead. Wow

[@jcoats150]

I wonder if Chinese had President Trump indicted.

[@daleharapat4440]

Carson stole his ideas as did Letterman from Ernie Kovacs.

[@bobareeniobobareenio2935]

Give me a break: Letterman was no Carson ~ ~

[@cactaceous]

He was better than Carson to me.

[@bobareeniobobareenio2935]

@@cactaceous Well, I didn’t like. Him. He was not gracious for my taste. He did not want his guests to have this spotlight and he wanted to be funnier then they were. Jonathan Winters said that while Carson wanted his guests to ‘shine’. Letterman did not and he seemed jealous of them. . The same holds true foe jerry lewis. I’ll take Johnny Carson over those egotistical people any day .. incidentally: Love your screen name . . Heh heh

[@cactaceous]

@@bobareeniobobareenio2935 Letterman let people shine when the person sitting next to him had the ability to shine. When they didn’t, he had to take the wheel. That was his job. It’s all a matter of personality. Peter Lassally, Carson’s producer and later Letterman’s producer, said that Johnny never said what was on his mind when he had a boring guest. He would hold it in and then vent backstage. Letterman said it. Often. That is more my personality. Put a little edge in the conversation. My parents watched Carson and from the age of 8 I was transfixed by Letterman and his lightning fast wit. My mom thought he was too up front and made him seem confrontational. I loved it. You had no idea what he was going to say. When he did it was something terribly witty and he was always very funny.

[@bobareeniobobareenio2935]

@@cactaceous : Well, if you liked him, you liked him . . . After I heard Jonathan Winters comment, I watched with a new eye and saw what he was talking about . But, like I say, if you liked him , I’m glad you had something to enjoy . . . Enjoying is what its all about.

[@daleharapat4440]

Letterman sure became a grumpy, cranky, unfunny old curmudgeon his last few years on the show. He did have some good moments about 10 years ago, but he became this morose, political partisan loon toward the end.

[@jonkline709]

Looking back someone made the right call going will Leno. Letterman what well let’s say a smuck

[@cactaceous]

I'm sorry but Leno was bland, boring and seldom funny. Very seldom. His show was vanilla talk show of the plainest kind. Letterman was original, irreverent, creative, sarcastic, very witty and very funny. Still is. Letterman changed the culture. Leno changed nothing. Most people that dislike Letterman is because of politics which is rather petty.

[@brycebarnes3912]

Regis is dead

[@baxter5431]

Who's kidding who! Carson was a no talent maniac, creating AND destroying TALENTED people's careers on a whim. Just ask his former 4-5 wives what they thought of him. A cruel, cold individual only interested in his own survival & at anyone else's cost. Check out the interview with Wayne Newton & see what he has to say about the "great" Carson.

[@Tmanaz480]

Todd Baxter ... oooh. You're so hip.

[@queensuejesuseschild3136]

Todd Baxter Johnny Carson has been around show business since 1949 he was staring in shows then. Yes Johnny had the run of late nite TV and He was King as they called him but if you didn't make it on the tonight you didn't have what it takes Johnny started a lot of people careers for them on His show. The ones that made it was good everyone wanted to be on the show even Wayne Newton the little cry baby to bad he waited till after Johnny was dead to tell that story he told. Johnny didn't say anything bad about Wayne except he had a baby face and didn't look old enough to be on his own with his parents. Wayne changed his look he started to wear a mustash to look older it looked awful on him he changed his face too because he was nice looking but his face got mean looking and he didn't do much he did some TV shows the verity show like Dean Martin Carol Burnett. Show like that he did those before Johnny Carson's show and he was a good singer but when he grew the mushtash he changed the way he sang I didn't like him after that neither did my mom. Then he went to Vegas and stayed there never went no where else. Yes he had his thing there. They paid him or he would of been pushing carts in a grocery store working there. Because He blames Johnny for his down fall no it was Wayne his self I watched Johnny and he never said anything bad about anyone. He joked about how young looking he was. He looked to be about 13 years old and sounded it too he had a really high voice when he was young. If you Google him on his years before Vegas you will see he looked very young but it was his looks that stopped him because everyone thought he was younger then his age. I hate it when people talk bad about a person after they die. It like let's tell this it will give us our 15 secs in the news and people will believe not. If you talk to Jay Leno and Dave letterman Joan Rivers Johnny gave them their shot on his show and they made it. And was thankful for Johnny given them a spot on his show. Also other singers and comics got their start on Johnny shows even the old comic like Bob Hope George Goble Jimmy Deranty and a whole lot more came as a walk on the show because they was working next door at another show or their own and they'd drop by to say hi Johnny wouldn't even know they were going to come. Dean Martin did it alot because his show was next door. I didn't believe Wayne when he said those things and still don't believe him. Oh his ex wife's never said anything bad about Johnny some got divorce because of health reasons and they stayed close and was good friend. That was his second wife she said in her interview that if she had knew what was wrong with her then there wouldn't have been a divorce and that she would of still been married to Johnny and would be very happy that had been 15 years after their divorce. So you are blowing smoke just like Wayne Newton that once was good but went down the tube still sing his songs from the 1960 and early 70's to bad he didn't put out more album's back then. Now he can retire in to sunset and nobody will miss old newt. Another baby face bites the dust to the here after. Was once good but all the time bad now. To many people give Johnny credit for getting their careers started after you was on Johnny you became in demand. Unless you was like old newt he lost his voice he changed it to sound older too said he was tired of been thought as young and being called a kid. At 21 or so is when he changed his voice for the worse sound crap he couldn't sing in that deep voice he was trying to carry off . So he killed his self Johnny didn't do it I watch old newt back then and he can't blame it in Johnny for his mistakes. Because people know what happen to old newt. We wanted young newt and he did old newt so we stopped buy his records and watching him. Im not afraid to say so either . He also thought he was better then anyone else when he wasnt. I wish old newt would of said that crap when Johnny was alive to defend his self.

[@allewis1376]

Todd Baxter Damn dude tell us how you really feel about Johnny

[@overthemoon9941]

ToddBaxter..But U r correct..off air Johnny had a different personality and not the nice funny guy we loved about him. Letterman admired him but said the evening they were invited on the boat got very unpleasant the more Johnny drank..he did mention that nite a couple times in other interviews too.

[@danc3693]

People are so concerned with what entertainers, actors, etc. are like personally. People tune into a show or go to a movie to see the host or actor do the job they’re paid to do - putting their talents out there for us to enjoy. The fact of the matter is none of us know these people personally yet we behave as though we do simply because we read an interview or see them for a few minutes on TV promoting their next project and telling a funny anecdote - or worse, believe something about them because some other person we don’t know personally said such such about them. Yeah, many people have said Carson had his issues, was difficult and sometime a nice guy but the bottom line for me is he was a helluva a host AND comedian on The Tonight Show - that’s why we all watched.

[@tyanny8199]

so sad what Letterman has become

[@cactaceous]

What did he become? Someone who does not share your political ideology? He's still the same guy. He just went from a Republican to a Democrat. He changed and evolved, you didn't.

[@mrjagriff]

Entitled jerks !! What about the homeless ?