I miss David Letterman..I really, really miss him and his Late Night television show..I even miss Jay Leno’s Tonight Show, for God sakes..They were great entertaining programs and Dave had the best band going, led by Canada’s own Paul Shaffer..It never got better than that, in my humble opinion..And it was just about a window on the world, not only politics..Conan is OK, he can be funny, especially when he goes abroad and I think he got screwed over. Fallon, the young gun, and making $12 million a year … I just want to punch in the face..Cordon, he’s always shouting and I think he’s over-rated as a celeb although his bit with Paul McCartney in Liverpool was epic..Colbert, I fear, has jumped the shark and Meyers is a lightweight. Don’t even know why that guy has a show..I also didn’t mind Craig Ferguson, the Scottish comedian, I thought he was good. But then, he too got shown the door..The greatest of them all, of course, was Johnny Carson. The king of late night television..During his three-decade tenure, virtually every North American with a television set saw and heard a Carson monologue at some point. At his height, between 10 million and 15 million viewers slept better weeknights because of him..I actually got the chance to see his show live, in the summer of 1976, in L.A. My buddy Whitey and I waited all night at the door in Burbank for tickets..It was well worth it — we got to see the entire show, which was during the Montreal Olympics. No big stars but it was great just to see Johnny do his thing and admonish us for not laughing at his terrible opening monologue..Legendary Carson sets made the careers of people like Woody Allen, Joan Rivers, Jerry Seinfeld, Drew Carey, Garry Shandling, Steve Martin and many more..On any given night, comedian Don Rickles (“Mr. Warmth”), Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin or Bob Hope could show up. Mayhem would ensue and Johnny just rolled with it..“Anyone looking at the show 100 years from now,” said Tom Shales, The Washington Post television critic, at the time of Mr. Carson’s retirement from “Tonight” in 1992, “will probably have no trouble understanding what made Carson so widely popular and permitted him such longevity. .“He was affable, accessible, charming and amusing, not just a very funny comedian but the kind of guy you would gladly welcome into your home.”.But then I go back to another late night show, which was just as good as Johnny, the Steve Allen show..Despite all these attempts to re-invent late night television, Allen always said that it basically came down to a desk and some chairs, nothing more..But then he had brilliant comedians such as Don Knotts, Louis Nye and Tom Poston to call on. The crazy man on the street stunts were hilarious, and no doubt influenced Carson..And even before that, I remember the brilliance of Jack Paar. Check out some of his interviews on YouTube, you will be amazed by the people who appeared on his show..Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro, himself, Senator John F. Kennedy, William F. Buckley Jr., Nobel laureate Albert Schweitzer and Richard M. Nixon, among others..“Anyone who saw him when he was in his prime knew he was a great television original,” Ron Simon, a television curator at the Museum of Television and Radio in New York, told The Washington Post. .“You never knew what was going to happen . . . He was the catalyst for ways the talk shows would go..“The whole idea of intermingling politics with entertainment on a talk show really began with Jack Paar,” Simon said..Now, it’s just a parade of beautiful people, musicians and singers. The problem with late night TV these days is that it has no soul. .It lacks the interpersonal humanity of a Jack Paar, a Steve Allen or a Johnny Carson..These guys could make you laugh. It made your life a little better. .Aside from Jimmy Kimmel, who’s actually not a bad guy and the only late night guy I PVR, it’s a late night wasteland..As for Dave, The Atlantic reported he might have been the last true innovator in late-night comedy and I totally agree with that..In his interview with The New York Times, Letterman says his disorderly streak was honed early on by NBC’s strictures..“[The network] came to us and he said: ‘You can’t have a band. You can have a combo. You can’t do a monologue. You can’t do, like, Aunt Blabby. You can’t do Tea Time Movie Matinee.’ There were so many restrictions. So that was the framework we were handed, which was fine because then they gave us an excuse not to think of that thing to do.”.Letterman came across as someone who had stolen a camera crew and broken into an empty studio, The Atlantic reported. .“Stupid Pet Tricks,” for example, became an audience favourite and reflected his unique brand of caustic humour. .Chris Elliott’s “Guy under the stairs” skits also added to the fresh approach to comedy. His spearing of an aging Marlon Brando remains a comedic classic. .And again, Paul Shaffer and his fabulous band, along with numerous musical guests, many of which can still be seen on YouTube. .As Christmas approaches, I will definitely miss hanging with Dave, hearing that great story of the Lone Ranger (Google it) as told by Jay Thomas, and of course, the spectacular Darlene Love belting out Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)..My generation is fading fast, and soon, it will be gone — but at least we had the best of late night television..It was great while it lasted..Dave Makichuk is a Western Standard contributor. .,He has worked in the media for decades, including as an editor for the Calgary Herald. He is also the Calgary correspondent for ChinaFactor.news,.makichukd@gmail.com
