Name: Paul Shaffer's "O Holy Night" Collection on Letterman, 1983-92
Uploaded: 2018-12-22T01:02:05.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Paul Shaffer's "O Holy Night" Collection on Letterman, 1983-92' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2018-12-22. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Paul Shaffer's "O Holy Night" Collection on Letterman, 1983-92' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2018-12-22. Transcript available.

Paul Shaffer's "O Holy Night" Collection on Letterman, 1983-92

I'll see you next time.
Let me tell you who's on the program here tonight.
We have a good show tonight.
From Monty Python here to talk about his new motion picture and other things,
Mr. Michael Palin.
Will we join us?
And a musician, not only a musician, a fine musician and a talented producer,
Mr. Nick Lowe is here tonight.
And, oh, Academy Award nominee Terry Garr is here tonight.
And, please, ladies and gentlemen, everybody's buzzing about the extra security
here in the studio tonight.
And now you know why.
Mr. Fix-It is here.
All right.
No, stay seated.
Please stay in your seats, for heaven's sakes.
Give us a break.
And who else?
Oh, I'm telling you, this is the kind of thing that makes me proud to be a part
of American broadcasting, or as close as I'll ever get.
Tonight, tonight, on this very program, ladies and gentlemen, we will be
destroying things with a steamroller.
And, uh, it's exciting.
You can, uh, in your living rooms, you can sense the electricity, can't you?
Yes.
You're probably sitting too close to the socket then.
Oh, stupid joke.
Now, say hello to, uh, ladies and gentlemen, Paul Schaefer and the party boys
of rock and roll.
Thank you so much.
We'll have time.
Quick impersonation, David.
A quick impersonation.
Cher.
This is Cher doing Oh, Holy Night on her Christmas special.
Cher doing Oh, Holy Night on her Christmas special.
Paul Schaefer.
And he went like this.
Oh, Holy Night.
That's all.
Boy, that was, that was nice, wasn't it?
Um, we got a good show for you tonight.
What is tonight, Paul?
It's Monday.
What's the date?
Uh, coming up on Christmas time, USA.
It's like having a chronometer here in the studio.
Uh, yeah.
But what's the date?
Bill, do you know the date?
No, I don't.
The 19th of December.
Yes, sir.
We're breathing right down on the holidays in a fine show we've slapped
together for you tonight.
Mary Lou Henner is going to be here.
We have, uh, a woman who has been on this program how many times?
Three, four, twelve.
Gloria Parker is...
Gloria, uh, is going to, uh, favor us with a holiday, uh, number.
She plays...
Do you know what she plays?
Musical glasses.
Did you tell them this, Bill?
She plays musical glasses, and, uh, she'll, we'll be out here, uh, and did you
leave anything
for me to talk about, or?
Uh, how about the guy who wrote the book, Matthew Lesko?
Do you know about him?
Okay, this man, uh, he's been on the show once before, written a fascinating
book about,
uh, Info...
Oh, the name of the book is Information USA, and tonight he's going to tell you
how you
can get free stuff for the holidays.
Wow.
Also, we're going to take a look at some store-bought Christmas decorations, uh,
and now, ladies
and gentlemen, here's...
Wait a minute.
Before you say hello to him, I must say this about, uh, Paul.
We have literally watched him grow up before our eyes on television.
Paul Schaefer, ladies and gentlemen.
Thank you, David.
Thank you very much.
Isn't that nice?
You know what, uh, it is the Christmas season, and in honor of it, I'd like if
I could just
take a little time.
Now, this is very sweet.
You prepared a little something...
A little something, yeah.
...to salute the Christmas season.
Yes, I did.
That's great, Paul.
Go right ahead.
I want to take you back about 15 years ago to Cher's Christmas special.
15 years ago this time.
Which, uh, she had a lot of fun with some guests.
I think William Conrad was on the show.
Uh-huh.
But at the end of the show, she did a very serious version of Oh, Holy Night.
You gotta imagine her.
She's, uh, like on a stage.
It's lit beautifully under kind of a lamppost wearing an old overcoat and snow
is falling.
Let me introduce you.
And the music starts to play.
Ladies and gentlemen, Paul Schaefer now doing his impression of Cher singing Oh,
Holy Night.
Paul?
Beautiful overcoat when snow is falling.
Oh, holy night.
The light so brightly shining on.
You know, that was suddenly.
That's the way it was.
And that's the way it was.
15 years ago.
15 years ago.
Don't you believe, though, if Cher is going to be a serious actress, she needs
a last name?
For example, Ben Kingsley.
Two names.
Two names.
They don't call him Ben.
Gandhi with Ben.
They don't have it like that, do they?
That's true.
A lot of serious actors have one name.
Richard Roundtree?
Two.
That's true.
How about this nutty band, too?
Isn't this some kind of a nutty band?
You have a nutty band, Paul.
Thank you very much.
It is nutty, isn't it?
Paul, now, you know, it's the holiday season.
I want to make a mention of this.
We haven't mentioned it in the last couple of weeks.
Tomorrow is our big Christmas extravaganza.
It sure is.
That will be tomorrow.
What's the date tomorrow?
It'll be one more than what it is today.
That'll be the 19th of December.
We've been screwing around and making our preparations.
A lot of extra work.
Now, Paul, I know at this time of year, you have a little something that's sort
of traditional
that you like to do to share with folks for the holidays.
And it's an impression.
Tell them what it is and then get right to it.
And I think we'll all enjoy it.
Well, around this time of year, I'm reminded of Cher Christmas special about 15
years ago.
And she had her own show.
And she sang at the end of the show, very serious.
And it was a beautiful scene.
Oh, holy night.
Uh-huh.
Snow falling on her.
She's under a street lamp.
And it was, we've had a lot of fun.
But now it's time to get serious.
And it sounded something like this Cher doing Oh, holy night.
Pianos.
Oh, holy night.
The light so brightly shining on.
Giddy out.
You know, that was, uh, so I just, uh, kind of thing.
I heard today that GE originally owned RCA.
We don't care.
We don't want to be taken over by GE.
What are these knuckleheads going to do when they get in here?
Well, they're going to just, you know.
No, they won't.
Look, this is the way I look at it.
They're wimps.
All right?
Listen to this.
RCA brought you compatible color television.
The first network to broadcast in color was NBC.
RCA also brought you the video disc.
All right.
We'll let them have it.
Uh, they developed stereo TV.
Uh, they developed stereo TV.
You know what, what GE developed?
The toaster oven.
Oh, you like that?
Oh.
Uh, here's our good friend, uh, Paul Schaefer.
Paul, say a little.
Watchers and dry.
Thanks so much.
Thanks a lot, everybody.
Well, you know, there's some bad things, but there's some good things.
It's the holiday season.
It is the holiday season.
You know how thrilled I get around the holidays.
You enjoy the holidays.
I hate the holidays.
Can't stand them.
Are you going to do your, uh, your, uh, singing tribute for the holidays again?
Every year I do.
Should I do it now?
All right, let's do it now.
Well, every year I kind of get a little bit nostalgic and reminisce, and I
reminisce
a little bit about Cher's Christmas special of about 15 years ago, when at the
end of
a whole hour worth of comedy and nuttiness, she decided to go straight at the
end and
sing O Holy Night very reverently and almost religiously.
An annual tradition for us, Paul Schaefer has Cher doing O Holy Night.
And it was a very beautiful scene, and the snow was falling, and the piano was
playing
ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.
Cher singing O Holy Night.
O Holy Night.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
That's just kind of, you know, that's what the holidays bring to me, thank you.
Thanks a lot.
What do we got there?
Oh, great.
Boy, look at this show.
Uh, this is one of those shows you say to yourself, I must be in the wrong
studio.
It's, uh, we have here, uh, Bale Bondsman.
Joey Barnum.
That explains why we had to tighten up the security tonight, because
Bale Bondsman mania could break out just like that.
And also on the program, now we've, we've wanted to have this woman on the show
for
four years.
How many times have we asked her?
How many separate communications have we launched from her office to her?
At least 81.
We've, we've asked her to be on the show 81 times.
And finally, apparently through a lapse of judgment.
Anyway, she's here tonight.
And of course, I'm talking about Cher.
Paul, Cher.
Thank you very much.
Hot crowd tonight.
Of course, I do Cher.
Yeah, I know.
But don't, don't do it right now.
It might, it might be fun when she comes out.
Maybe you could do it for her then.
I usually do it around the holidays.
Do it around the holidays.
It's Cher singing Oh Holy Night.
Oh Holy Night.
Yeah.
Let's see what happens.
And don't think we don't appreciate it too, Paul.
Well, we've got a lot of stuff to do.
Let's get right to it.
Anything you want to say before we go, Paul?
Just that I'm up for the show.
I'm feeling good.
I'm back at my show weight now.
Back at your show weight.
Okay.
Now, say hello to our good friend, Paul Schaefer.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
I'm marvelous.
You know, around this time of year, I get into the mood to do...
Are you all right?
Yeah, I'm just checking something.
Go right ahead.
Has the glass been replaced?
Go right ahead.
I don't know.
There's something missing there.
Go right ahead.
Is the glass all right over there?
Well, part of it is, part of it's not.
That's all right.
Go ahead.
Some blank thing.
I just was going to say that I get into that mood of doing my impersonation of
Cher.
Oh, this is the perfect night.
Let me set this up for you.
Would you?
This has become, for us here at Late Night,
Excuse me, a holiday favorite and almost now a tradition.
Thank you.
It's a neo-tradition.
Ladies and gentlemen, now Paul Schaefer doing his impression of Cher singing O
Holy Night.
Paul?
Thank you.
I've added music to it this year.
Oh, great.
We need some lighting for this, too.
Let's bring the lights down.
Yeah, can we have the lights down just a little bit for this?
This was inspired by her television special about 15 years ago.
All right.
It was at the end.
It was a very serious moment.
It was kind of a dark lighting effect.
And it went something like this.
Yeah.
Oh, holy night.
Light so brightly shining on the air open.
Thank you very much.
Yeah.
Thank you so much.
And thank God for that special lighting, because...
It's a neo-tradition.
Is that what you said?
I said a neo-tradition, but I'm in one of those frames of mine where my mouth
is running,
but I have no idea what I'm saying.
I see.
All right.
Let's try some of these magic Christmas pencils, ladies and gentlemen.
One more.
All right.
This is a holiday crowd, isn't it?
Now...
Now, I feel like an entertainer.
I feel like a geek is what I feel.
December 19, 1983.
Paul Schaefer does his imitation of Cher singing A Christmas Carol.
Oh, holy night.
Light so brightly shining on.
The next year, he does it again.
Oh, holy night.
Light so brightly shining on.
Since then, it's become a beloved holiday classic.
Oh, holy night.
And now, coming this December 21, the magic continues.
Oh, hi.
I'm Paul Schaefer.
I've been preparing extra hard to make sure that this year's imitation of Cher
singing Oh, holy night is the best yet.
Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without Paul Schaefer imitating Cher singing Oh,
holy night, Clark Barnes.
Paul Schaefer's rendition of Oh, holy night makes for a very Chery Christmas,
Gene Shatton.
Paul Schaefer's imitation of Cher singing Oh, holy night is Oh, great
entertainment.
You'll love it, Joel Siegel.
Catch all the action, December 21st.
Don't miss it.
Looking forward to that, Paul.
When is that?
Pardon?
When is that?
When will you be doing that?
When will I be doing that?
Next week sometime?
Well, sometime during the Christmas week.
We'll certainly look forward to it.
Thank you very much.
Later in the program tonight, Sean Young will be joining us and four-time sheep-shearing
champ Charlie Swaim will be here.
December 19th, 1983, Paul Schaefer does his imitation of Cher singing A
Christmas Carol.
Oh, holy night, the light so brightly shining on.
The next year, he does it again.
Oh, holy night, the light so brightly shining on.
Since then, it's become a beloved holiday classic.
Oh, holy night.