Name: Staff Favorite Moments: Kathy Mavrikakis On Joaquin Phoenix, Bill Murray And More | Letterman
Uploaded: 2022-05-17T14:44:57.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Staff Favorite Moments: Kathy Mavrikakis On Joaquin Phoenix, Bill Murray And More | Letterman' from Letterman on Comedy Buff. Published 2022-05-17. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Staff Favorite Moments: Kathy Mavrikakis On Joaquin Phoenix, Bill Murray And More | Letterman' from Letterman on Comedy Buff. Published 2022-05-17. Transcript available.

Hi, I'm Kathy Mavrikakis, and I started working at Late Night with David Letterman
as an intern in 1985.
Became receptionist and worked my way up the ladder until 30 years later at the
Ed Sullivan Theater,
I ended as a supervising producer.
Here are some of my favorite and some complicated moments from my 30 years at
Late Night and Late Show with David Letterman.
I had a couple memorable appearances on the Late Night Show.
One of them was as Sister Kathy, and I was with Father Guido Sarducci as we
brought the Vatican Zoo to see Dave.
And so I kept carrying, like, little kittens and little, like, really lame
animals out dressed as a nun.
And I was Sister Kathy to Father Biff.
We're sick of you kicking our butts all the time.
And this time, we're going to kick your butt.
Looks like I haven't got a prayer.
Drop it, punk!
Ah, thanks, Sister Kathy.
Now maybe you'd like to join me in a little tag-team butt-kicking.
Now, now it's tag-team butt-kicking.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
There's a little, a new little character there.
Yes, it's Sister Kathy.
Sister Kathy.
Yeah, that's right.
Now, let me ask you something.
Would you say that Sister Kathy is also tough but tender?
Well, it seems to me that she's more, more, more devout but dangerous.
Ah, I see.
Devout but dangerous.
Didn't you think, though, that Sheena Easton was terrific as Sister Kathy?
I certainly did.
One of my favorite appearances was with Chris Elliott and Jerry Mulligan in
Chris and Jerry Say Let's Have Babies.
And I played a pregnant woman who went into labor while they were making us do
an aerobics class.
Okay, now let's get up on our feet and you at home do the same.
And what I'm going to do is take you through the relaxation exercises that you
can utilize in the final moments of childbirth.
And with me, and around about we go, we go, round about we go, that's it.
And up, up, down, up, and down, and some...
Mr. Elliott.
Yeah?
I think I'm going to have my baby now.
Well, that's kind of a problem because this part of the tape just deals with
relaxation exercises, so you're probably going to have to go.
Okay, and around we go.
Do you have a phone I can use?
Honey, not my phone.
I'm expecting a call.
You can use...
There's a phone booth down by Burger King.
You can use that one.
Okay, let's go.
And we're going to hop again.
And up.
Okay, and let's breathe.
Let's not forget to breathe.
Okay, you girls keep doing that.
I got to take a rest.
When we were seeing how many bunnies can climb into a fountain, and of course,
we went over to the Rockefeller Center Plaza fountains.
And we were waiting there to get into the fountains.
And a security guard said, shut off these cameras.
You're not allowed to shoot here.
I'm going to call the police.
And we just kept following the director's instructions and standing there in
our bunny costumes.
And then John Goodman shows up because Dave said to him, do you want to go get
in the fountain with the bunnies?
And he said, yeah.
And he, you know, you know, I'm not going to say anything.
He was in a very good mood that night and got up on the edge of the fountain
and dove.
And, I mean, dove in this much water.
And somehow it was okay.
We saw the police starting to come up 6th Avenue.
And we literally got in the vans and came back to the theater all soaking wet.
But we were not arrested that night.
You know, here's a guy who don't care.
Oh, he just don't care.
You know, now, oh, no.
He's going to get hurt.
Oh, he's going to get hurt.
Please, John.
Oh.
Joaquin Phoenix came on the show in character for a movie that he was doing.
And he was dressed crazy and he was chewing gum and he stuck the gum under Dave's
desk.
And it was really, really fun.
But then he used the clips of that appearance in the movie that he was creating
at that time.
He maybe brushed with the idea of asking us permission, but never really got
permission from Dave to use clips of the show.
So when he came on to promote the movie, Dave would not stop talking about him
using the clips without permission.
And at one point, he actually says to Joaquin Phoenix, I'm going to get Maverick
Caucus after you.
And I'm a threat then, you know, using my name as a threat.
So now I want some money.
Because we get a call one day and they say, it's the film company, Magnolia Movies
or whatever you call it.
And they say, we just want to let you know that we want to get your approval
that we're using a duck face in the promotion for the film.
And we say, well, what are you talking about?
And he said, well, he's going to be in the trailers that run on the coming
attractions.
And they said, well, no, we never said it.
And they said, oh, yeah.
And also, he's in the film.
And I said, well, we never said.
Nobody ever asked us if Dave was going to be in the film.
You have to license this out.
Give us the license fee.
And they said, that's the last we heard.
So then we went to the lawyers and the lawyer said, yeah, you can, if you want,
you could probably sue these people.
And then your attorney said, no, it's fair use because it's a documentary.
Well, hoo-ha, guess what?
It's no documentary.
It was a theatrical ruse, right?
Okay, yes.
So you're going to sue us?
And I'm in it.
And as you mentioned here, at a pivotal point in the film where, oh, my God,
what has happened?
What has happened?
I go to the show and Letterman crushes me.
Oh, my life is over.
My career.
What have I done?
What have I done?
What have I done?
Well, now you owe me a million bucks.
A million bucks?
A million dollars.
We've made 75 cents on this movie.
That's not my problem.
I don't know how you can sue us for a million.
All of the promotion you got from being on here that night when you were, you
know, when
you're Dr. Drew, oh, my God.
All of that's worth something.
That's free publicity.
So we want a little something for that.
And then my talent fee, you know, it's not my first rodeo.
I'd like a little taste of this as well.
So you and Casey get together with your little buddy and come up with a million.
That's all I'm asking.
How many minutes is the film?
I have no idea.
Who's the little buddy?
What, like an hour and a half?
I think it feels like it's seven hours.
I'm in at five minutes at a pivotal point.
I am the denouement.
Can you call my agent?
No, I'm not calling anybody.
Can I have my agent call you?
No, no, no, no, no.
I don't talk to people on the phone.
We are, it's you and me right here.
Okay, fine.
Mano a mano.
Hey, don't make me call Mavrikakis.
Okay, listen.
I loved all the times I went on to the show and told Dave off.
I mean, I think the staff just loved them.
But my favorite appearance was right after the fatwa was named against Dave.
I came on and interrupted him at the monologue mark.
Oh, God.
Hi, Kathy.
This is a supervising producer, Kathy Mavrikakis.
Hi, is everything all right?
Yeah, I'm sorry.
I don't mean to be interrupting whatever you're doing.
But the staff is very concerned about the fatwa threat.
Oh, that's very nice.
That's really kind of them.
But please don't worry.
I'm fine and I think everything's going to be fine.
But thank you again.
Right, but the concern is that say the jihadist cuts your tongue out today.
Will we continue to be paid through the whole week?
I don't think that's been discussed.
Okay.
But we've come up with a plan to run a bunch of repeats for a month after you've
been killed
or maimed.
You want a copy?
Yeah, sure.
Thanks.
Okay, great.
I just want to keep you in the loop.
All right.
Thanks, Kathy.
Watch your back.
Yeah.
My best of Manny.
About a year after 9-11, we wanted to do something big because it was September,
it was premiere,
and we wanted to have fireworks off the top of the marquee and the roof.
We're going to do something a little bit later in the program.
We have fireworks.
We have fireworks.
Do you like fireworks?
Who doesn't?
Everybody.
And I believe they're going to be set off of the roof of the Ed Sullivan
Theater building,
and fireworks, you know, when you see them in person, there's nothing better
than fireworks.
It's just your jaw will literally drop open.
It's stirring.
And at the end of fireworks, friends will close your jaw for you.
Now, on television, honestly, fireworks, who cares?
Turn on the thing up there on the roof, and let me show you what's going to
happen up there.
This is the roof of the Ed Sullivan.
Look at how beautiful it is, New York City in the nighttime.
And then we got, here's where they're going to be, there's where they're going
to be shooting
them off those things right there.
Look at that.
That display of fireworks right there, that should last, I'm going to guess
that's going to last
about 20, 25 seconds.
And when you're, as you pass out, CBS Pages will close your jaws for you.
When we did it, it was beautiful.
The whole building lit up with fiery sparks, and the roof looked like it was
exploding, and
it was beautiful.
But right after I left, there was a huge crowd of people from all over the
neighborhood, as
far over as 57th Street, coming to the theater to scream because they thought
we were being
attacked again.
And the mayor's office the next day just basically said, you are never going to
have any detonations
in New York City again.
That is it.
Are you ready?
I think so.
Should I put on my seatbelt?
Can we just go up there and do it now?
Okay, let's take a look.
Here you go.
Fireworks.
Fireworks.
One of my very best favorite moments from appearing on the show was with Bill
Murray.
There was always like a meeting in Bill's dressing room before you did it, and
very little rehearsal
because Bill always claimed he'd show up for a rehearsal, but then never really
did.
I played somebody who was kind of looking a little bit like Sarah Palin, but
wasn't,
and it was a town hall meeting, and Bill Murray had the microphone and was
trying to ask if
people would vote for Dave, and then ultimately I wound up getting the
microphone and the joke,
and it was really fun.
Hello.
Hi, Bill.
Yeah, here I come.
Hi.
My name is Linda Sullivan, and I'd like to know how soon will this be over?
You're a very attractive young lady.
You kind of remind me of that Kodiak cutie.
What's her name?
Yeah, you know what I'm thinking about.
Say, you married?
Yes.
You're from a swing state?
Oh, hey, wait a minute.
Just a minute, ladies and gentlemen.
I'm just wondering if perhaps you're ready for a change.
Well, if I had my choice, I'd rather have a beer with that one.
Wow.
Wow.
Wow.
That's, uh, hey, how about that?
Thanks, Linda.
That's very flattering.
Thank you.
You know, on second thought, you're both so creepy.
I'm leaving.
Is the exit this way?
Is it this way?
Can I go?
Yeah, sure.
Is anyone else with me?
You're going?
Let's go.
All right.
Just remember to vote.
Thank you.
Yeah, that's supposed to...
Hey, thanks.
Thanks for coming.
Thanks for coming, everybody.
Thanks.
Thanks for coming.
Just remember to vote.
Well, that was good, Bill.
Yeah, that was swell.
That was kind of fun.
Kind of.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.