Life, Love and Laugh
6. Animals, too.
Animal acts have been a part of television since the medium was invented, but it took Letterman to give an honest name to what they did: "Stupid Pet Tricks."
5. He brought rock 'n' roll to talk shows.
Thanks to Paul Shaffer and the World's Most Dangerous Band -- succeeded by the CBS Orchestra -- rock found a place on late-night talk shows. No more Skitch and Doc; now the band could match the musical acts.
Moreover, Letterman's musical bookings were often more cutting-edge than the competition.
4. He was the 'alternative' talk show.
When "Late Night" hit the air in 1982, it was the heart of the Reagan era, a time of three networks and middle-of-the-road broadcasting. Letterman was something out of left field, which made sense at 12:30 a.m. ET, a time when only college students and night people were awake.
But even after moving to CBS at 11:30 p.m., Dave held on to his college-radio credibility. refreshing in this Age of Earnestness.
3. He let celebrities be themselves.
Talk shows have gotten increasingly slick since the days when Jack Paar would ramble through an interview with Oscar Levant. It's all about sticking to the blue cards and telling polished stories.
2. For a guy known for irony, he's been remarkably sincere.
1. He created the modern comedy voice.
Letterman has never been for everybody. Leno's humor was broader and attracted a larger audience, and Jimmy Fallon has surpassed the "Late Show's" ratings by being the anti-Dave: childlike, welcoming, fawning.
But, observes O'Brien, don't sell Letterman short.
"Not one single writer/performer in the last 35 years has had Dave's seismic impact on comedy," he wrote in Entertainment Weekly. "It's tempting now to take Dave for granted. Do not. Dave was a true revolution."
His most striking personal moment came when he returned to air after the 9/11 attacks. In a voice vibrating with emotion, he struggled to put his grief into words.
"We're told that (the terrorists) were zealots fueled by religious fervor," he said. "And if you live to be a thousand years old, will that make any sense to you. Will that make any goddamn sense.
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- Hal 3