Name: 5th Anniversary Special on Letterman, February 7, 1987
Uploaded: 2020-07-10T00:06:50.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video '5th Anniversary Special on Letterman, February 7, 1987' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2020-07-10. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video '5th Anniversary Special on Letterman, February 7, 1987' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2020-07-10. Transcript available.

5th Anniversary Special on Letterman, February 7, 1987

And now the show is soaking up the praise.
Here we go.
I'm actually surprised to be here after five years.
But, no, I still enjoy doing it. It's a lot of fun.
It's the most fun I have, really.
With the proper holiday spirit. Let me just try.
The show is comedy disguised as a talk show,
featuring some of the most inventive and zany humor on television.
For five years, loyal fans have learned to expect the unexpected.
Oh, come on now. These animals are not being hurt anyway.
The show's offbeat humor is perfectly suited to its after-hours time slots,
and Letterman has no interest in taking it to prime time.
Now we can do pretty much anything we want,
and NBC has been real supportive about that,
because they know as well as we do that nobody's really watching.
Actually, more people are looking in on the late-night lunacy than ever before.
Recent ratings were the highest in the show's history.
But newfound success hasn't changed the irreverent tone.
It's difficult to keep any kind of humor going, as I prove on a nightly basis.
But I think as long as you try and make fun of yourself as much as you make fun
of other things,
then it's going to be okay.
I've got the suit of chips on here.
I'm going into the tank.
Paul, it's like a party at your house.
Although the Letterman show is now on a Monday to Thursday schedule,
starting June the 8th, the growing legion of late-night addicts
will be able to satisfy their comedy craving five nights a week.
I think it'll be better for the show,
because Friday there's a bigger potential viewing audience,
more sets in use on Friday, and it should help us.
And I think also it'll help people get their weekend off to a really bad start.
The fifth anniversary special will include some new hijinks
to complement the highlights from the past.
And while a sixth season is a sure bet,
Letterman jokingly says that once the network gets a load of this show,
they may have to think twice.
From New York,
where we're all so excited we're vibrating,
actually shaking like an old washing machine.
It's the Late Night with David Letterman,
fifth anniversary special,
with Jay Leno,
Carol Leifert,
Chris Elliott,
and Stupid Petrix,
plus Paul Schaefer with some very special musical guests.
And now, my co-host for the past five years,
J.V. Letterman!
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen.
My name is Dave Letterman and welcome to our fifth anniversary special.
And wait a minute here.
Let me just remind you of something.
When we started this program five years ago, having your own talk show really
meant something.
Okay?
It's a special day here at NBC and a special feeling.
I got a telegram this afternoon from Lauren Green and the message said, "Dear
Dave, congratulations on your 35th anniversary."
And I thought, "Gosh, that's awfully special because... Anton!"
Thank you.
You know, what I'm really looking forward to, of course we have the big show
here and immediately after the big show, NBC is throwing us a huge party and
what all of us on the staff are going to do, we're going to get really drunk
and then we're going to tell the new guys from GE how we actually feel about
them.
So that'll be...
And now I'll tell you kind of a cute little anecdote that has been
inspirational to me over the last five years.
When we started this show, somebody I know came up to me and they said, "Dave,
in all honesty, your new show doesn't have a chance in hell of surviving."
First of all, you're not funny.
That's a given.
That's right off the top.
You're not funny.
Secondly, you have really goofy looking teeth.
Thirdly, you have the worst toupee in show business.
Well, it's five years later and I just want to say to that person, "You were
wrong, Mom."
Okay?
You're not taking the night off, are you?
What a program we've slapped together for you folks here tonight.
And we're going to begin it tonight as we do many nights on our regular
broadcast with a top ten list from the home office in Scottsdale, Arizona.
And the category for the top ten list tonight is Top Ten Ways Our Show Has Changed
in the Past Five Years.
The category, once again, for those of you scoring at home, Top Ten Ways The
Show Has Changed in the Past Five Years.
Here we go, number ten.
Shirts and shoes now required of audience members.
Number nine, no more coast-to-coast hookups with Rona Barrett.
Number eight, Paul no longer has to moonlight as wrestling referee.
And thank God for that, Paul.
I'm glad about that.
Number seven, home viewers no longer need special glasses and cumbersome
harness to enjoy show.
We like to think that's a real breakthrough.
Number six, misspelling and show logo corrected in '86.
That's right.
Number five, original Dave character played by Dick York.
Yeah, I remember that.
Well, we're going back now, huh?
Number four, you'll be glad to know this, Studio Greasefire is largely a thing
of the past.
Number three, this is obvious, we ran out of new ideas around '85.
Number two, we now no longer need to resort to cheap tricks to get applause.
And number one, the America's Cup is back in the United States where it belongs.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
Number five, the America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
The America's Cup is back in the United States.
And up here with me, in the keyboard section, a couple of my idols.
This is a really big thrill for me.
From the Rascals, Mr. Felix Cavallari on organ.
And the headhunter himself on Fairlight Synthesizer, Mr. Herbie Hancock.
Okay!
So we've got to add a little dance here.
And by the way, nice job holding your applause.
So...
I think we've picked up some time there, Paul.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Where is it then?
You know, we think that tonight the show is going to be a mixture of the old
and the n