Staff Favorite Moments: The Skit That Bombed | Letterman

"Late Night" writers James Downey and Andy Breckman look back at "Your Tax Dollars At Work" piece. (From "Late Night," air date: 8/17/83)
#jamesdowney #andybreckman #letterman
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Welcome to the Letterman KZbin Channel, home to all your favorite clips from Late Night and Late Show - as well as conversations with the writers, producers and performers who helped make it all happen. These highlights have been artisanly-produced, carefully-curated, and chosen completely at random by an old computer that used to pick numbers for the New York Lotto back in the 90’s.

[@chiefscheider]

"Is it getting hot in here Paul, or..." "Only if you're a comedian." Gotta love Mr Shaffer 😄

[@aldland2040]

Who was the real mastermind behind this bit? You guessed it: Frank Stallone.

[@sharxfan16]

“Losing the will to live” and the impromptu congratulatory handshake were the two best moments In the entire piece, and totally spontaneous. A clinic in how to save a bombing bit.

[@markjones952]

We need a Jim Downey podcast. More Jim Downey!

[@adrianmiller1971]

This is one fo the best behind the scenes pieces ever seen. Plus you could feel the bond the audience and Dave had, over a material fail that migth have sunken any other show.... Dave knew he could count on the audience to take any ride with him, because he was the greatet of all late night hosts....

[@kevinwatts661]

Two legends. Jim, of course, for SNL. And I'm forever in Andy's debt for creating Monk.

[@madnessbydesign1415]

The mark of a true comedian is that when it all goes badly, they lean in. Letterman was amazing at it. Many thanks to Dave and the staff for so many years of brutally funny Television... :)

[@keithpennington8259]

So perfect to have the back story. That was so darned funny. Dave is a comedic genius with his impromptu commentary and the part of Jim and Andy shaking hands afterward brought tears of laughter to my eyes here at work. Three legends with a low mark that still brought me to tears of laughter. And it was good to see Jim and Andy still smiling and laughing about it. So so so funny!

[@greenspringvalley]

Whoever put this together from the story to the clips did an excellent job. All of the "Staff Favorite Moments" are excellent.

[@Huttsjr]

When Dave announces the conclusion of the piece with the last card, the audience starts to applaud, and Dave says " You folks are on the wrong coast" just as I was thinking that reaction of the crowd was like the old Johnny Carson "Karnak the Magnificent" bit back in the day. I actually, did a spit take when he said that! Dave, you'll always be the Late Night King!

[@michaelrafales2782]

Two of my absolute favorite writers of all time!!!

[@Youngstown529]

David Letterman is not only the best late night host of the 1980s, he is the best late night host of all time. We miss you Dave!

[@markh.]

Carson would beg to differ.

[@Youngstown529]

@@markh. Carson is dead and was nowhere near the revolutionary that Letterman was.

[@TL2354]

@@Youngstown529At what age did your useless mother drop you on your head?

[@npxmnpxm]

I remember fondly in those early years the sense of being "in on the joke," even--and maybe especially--when things bombed.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

The Trojan Cow was actually amusing, to me.

[@bgheadjack]

Punk rock comedy. The greatest show ever

[@rumdonkey7826]

You gotta get these guys together with Dave to talk about the early days!

[@SeanAllocca]

I am happy thinking that this is not the only segment these guys have filmed for us on KZbin. I look forward to more.

[@plaws0]

Wow. Wow wow wow. BOY do I miss those days!!! Thank you, Pants people.

[@byamrcn]

Wow, the thing retains its stench even after 40 years. Fun to get the story behind it!

[@petewhite85]

love these Staff Favorites

[@demitasse22]

This is almost like Surprise Inspections on Late Night

[@Marqk-]

Downey nailed it

[@robclarkson5356]

Laughed all the way through this clip, thanks

[@cs5845]

This was wonderful. Keep doing this type of content!

[@DieGroteske]

This was also the night Captain Beefheart was on, as referenced by Dave at 9:21. What a weird show, yowza. :)

[@JillKnapp]

Good catch!

[@PokerPillar]

I love these Staff Favorite Moments. Thank you.

[@dkrom]

I’d love to hear Downey and Breckmans’ stories from their time at SNL (on the SNL channel). Although it looks like they had a lot more fun at Late Night with David Letterman.

[@ThePastaFazool]

Andy rocking the WFMU shirt for his buddy Ken! nice job andy.

[@123JWJWJW]

Doing the back story first was great to set it up. I don't know if I would have laughed quite so much...That was a definite save. I liked how they were real professionals and could take a really big bomb and turn it around to make a joke of the bomb rather than allow themselves all to be pulled in.

[@jimwaters1562]

Love this! So funny. That’s what separates Letterman from the rest. He makes his unfunny bits funny.

[@cl759]

That's the beauty of live, anything can happen and everyone still has a good time

[@jacoscofield5150]

Thanks for posting ! I needed a laugh !

[@brucegilbert7243]

One, (1), person started to applaud after the first card and then realized they were all alone.

[@pwk22]

Fun to watch bits that were weird and edgy from the old Letterman show.

[@ryanellis4474]

Downey and Letterman are national treasures. I will pray for America. Please pray for me. God Bless you.

[@JillKnapp]

God, I love this so much.

[@elinblackburn7345]

i’d like to find out what that audience did with their lives that was so great

[@playinragz8183]

When life was normal and so were most humans.

[@wbrodyjr]

I laughed. This was great.

[@gustafsone]

You know, as fantastic that Dave is at "saving" an absolute bomb, I have to say that Paul and the band really gave some amazing assists with the music cues as well!

[@davidsandall]

The space photo joke is very funny because its pretty accurate.

[@ELMS]

Priceless.

[@dhotnessmcawesome9747]

Come on! The ballerina bit was gold.

[@joshuab360]

Is that Norm Mcdonald at the end of the video? The guy with the pen in his mouth when the guys are shaking hands. It looks like him.

[@kerryrobinson9947]

Dave panicking ... Never! 😁

[@proudbirther1998]

the Trojan Cow WAS FUNNY!!

[@davidfuller764]

That was painful but amazingly fun

[@hinthegroove9740]

Life was so much better when this broadcast first aired and Dave had a lot to do with that 😊

[@nathanbabiuk6286]

I award you no points and may God have mercy on your soul!

[@RobertChanTV]

So good

[@garypaquin9571]

Today’s comedians are to self-important to weave comic gold out of a bombed bit. Dave and Johnny Carson thrived on it. Paul Schaffer contributed one line and it was brilliant.

[@greenspringvalley]

The failed Letterman bit is a typical Stephen Colbert bit. The phrase "Some bigwigs in Washington" would have gotten a big applause on Colbert. Letterman bits are about things like cookies and water balloons....never politics or current events.

[@Rob_Kates]

True, Johnny and Dave were funny with good jokes, and often funnier with bad jokes. Johnny would do his Tea for Two dance if he had a bad joke. Dave would joke about his nickel and dime, dog and pony show.

[@the406seadonkey6]

@@greenspringvalley This country's internal politics are just a bit more of a threat then they were back in 1986 dude. Stop being butthurt and wake up.

[@demitasse22]

Have you watched Seth Meyers lately? He messes up all the time and it’s satisfyingly similar to this.

[@toreckman8899]

@@demitasse22 must happen every night. He’s never funny. PS. Why would someone in search of a comedy program tune into a political activist hack?

[@elinblackburn7345]

racing legend hal gurnee

[@NoellaScott]

Dave's shows were at their best when things went off the rails

[@WilkinsonX]

The joke is that all the jokes are really bad. Totally brilliant and ballsy to do this live for a full segment.

[@Studeb]

I've never heard Jim Downey being referred to as James, for a few seconds I was wondering is he had a brother. :D

[@coffeeabuse]

Was that Steve O'Donnell and Merrill Markoe there in the background at the end?

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

It was Steve O'Donnell, but definitely not Merrill Markoe.

[@clarkschuyler8245]

Tonight on you asked to see it: "I'd like to see more stories on bits that bombed."

[@aeg_music]

I think a good show needs to have bombed skits every now and then. Kind of pushing the envelope a bit.

[@brianmoore5498]

Downey really seemed to crazy age

[@JohnLee-ue6gy]

This bit walked, so Norm McDonald could run.

[@vlady8me]

Ever hear of the song Cocaine Decisions by Frank Zappa?

[@arpeggi2999]

How did you have leftover are card from rehearsal if you didn't have rehearsals?

[@JohnLee-ue6gy]

DRESS, I imagine he meant presentation for Dave or the writers' room, no dress rehearsal to see how the audience received it.

[@PatrickKeating]

Yes he meant during the writers pitch meeting he offered it, and it got turned down. So the fact that he offered it up to save this whole segment just shows how ridiculous it was.

[@odradekk]

Conan comes from this stuff

[@SamCanada1]

Comment added...

[@ForbinColossus]

I wonder they were writers for 1982 to 1983 only? Where does a comedy writer go after Dave?

[@pillbelichick]

James Downey? The writer???

[@PluralArch]

Who's "Don?"

[@misterfinnster3562]

It's still better than anything Leno ever did.

[@snowdog03]

😬

[@Jack1843]

Johnny and Dave were best when their material was bombing

[@StephenS-2024]

Trojan Cow..... That's funny. George C. Scott.....not funny. Hell, Campbell Scott isn't even funny. Campbell's soup? Solid laughs.

[@MrGpschmidt]

Heinous.

[@greenspringvalley]

This is a typical Stephen Colbert bit. The first "woke" bit on TV.