Name: Peace Through Dramatization Collection on Letterman, 1982-91
Uploaded: 2017-09-24T04:59:55.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Peace Through Dramatization Collection on Letterman, 1982-91' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2017-09-24. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Peace Through Dramatization Collection on Letterman, 1982-91' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2017-09-24. Transcript available.

Peace Through Dramatization Collection on Letterman, 1982-91

Thank you. Welcome back to the show.
Gene Autry is here with us tonight, also survivalist and tracker Tom Brown,
and comedian Diane Nichols will be joining us.
But first, ladies and gentlemen, Late Night is proud to welcome station KWY-TV
in Philadelphia
to our fine family of NBC affiliates.
And here now, in a special tribute to Philadelphia, are the city of brotherly
love players, folks.
Dad, after dinner, can I go play in the famous Penn Center, the spacious bank
and office complex,
and one of the landmarks of Philadelphia's urban renewal program?
All right, Jimmy, but remember, Philadelphia is a center for U.S. education,
culture, finance, and trade.
It's the third largest clothing manufacturer and is a major U.S. shipbuilding
site.
I was shopping today in one of Philadelphia's numerous market districts.
I found parking facilities quickly and easily.
It made me feel proud.
As proud as William Penn must have felt when he founded Philadelphia in 1682.
Oh, boy.
Yeah, maybe it would be nice, Gene.
Let me make one correction here.
The station there is KYW?
Yeah.
Thank you.
KYW.
We're proud to have those folks with us now on the fine lineup of NBC stations.
Thank you very much, Gene Autry, handing me a tissue, ladies and gentlemen.
Mr. Cesar, you know, tomorrow is Election Day, and for a large part of the
population,
it will be the first time that they will have a chance to vote.
I am, of course, talking about America's 18 to 20-year-olds.
Now, to encourage these young people to get out and vote,
we have for you now a long-awaited dramatization by Mrs. Walter Lidner
of the League of Women Voters and her son, Bobby.
Bobby, it's going to be chilly tomorrow.
I want you to make sure and wear a sweater when you go to the polls and vote.
Oh, Ma, going to the polls is for squares.
Besides, what will my one vote do anyway?
I wish your father was still with us.
Wow.
David Letterman in our own home.
Hi, Bobby.
Nice to see you.
Mrs. Lidner?
I don't think I know this David Letterman.
He's the host of America's fastest-rising late-night television show.
That's right, Bobby.
And, you know, myself and all my friends here at NBC,
well, we make sure that we take time out of our busy schedules to go and vote.
And here's a tip for all you young guys.
Girls are always impressed when you call them and say,
I can't talk to you right now.
I'm going to go vote.
I think I approve of this David Letterman.
Bobby, what do you say we go outside and toss around the football
and discuss some of the election issues America will be facing tomorrow at the
polls, okay?
Okay.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen, the League of Women Voters players, Bobby Lidner.
Bobby, come on in here and take a bow.
Very nice, Bobby.
Very nice, Bobby.
And, of course, Mrs. Walter Lidner.
Mrs. Lidner, come on in here.
Very nicely done.
And if you folks take another bow.
Very nice.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen, the League of Women Voters players, very nice.
Bobby Lidner, Mrs. Walter Lidner.
Very nice.
Thank you very much.
The League of...
Thank you.
Very nice.
Certainly appreciate that.
There you are for you.
And Mrs. Lidner, very nice.
Nice to go.
Everybody, everybody.
Very nice.
Very nice, everybody.
One more time.
The League of Women Voters players, Bobby Lidner.
Bobby?
Nice job.
Mrs. Lidner?
Very nice.
Thank you very much.
The League of Women Voters players.
Thank you, everybody.
Good night.
Good night.
Paul Schaefer.
We have a fine program for you tonight.
And you know, Thanksgiving means many things to the gathering of the family,
the traditional meal, the big football game.
But more than anything else, Thanksgiving means the late-night turkey raffle.
In a sense, in a sense, the last 12 months have been just a prelude to this
drawing.
The tension is high, and very soon one of our audience members will walk away
with this beautiful bird, while the rest...
While the rest will be left with dreams of next year.
Well, we're going to be drawing for the turkey in just a moment.
But first, while we're collecting the names of everyone in the studio audience
tonight,
I'd like to present a group of talented young people who have prepared
something to help us all enjoy the holiday.
Now, these kids have done something we can all be proud of.
They've looked at society and seen things that bother them.
But rather than stage sit-ins and violent demonstrations, they're staging plays.
That's right.
They feel the best way to educate the public is through drama.
And they call their group Peace Through Dramatization.
Here is a little emblem right here.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome them and a little play they call
Thanksgiving 1999.
We can eat our Thanksgiving dinner much faster now that we don't have to say
the traditional grace.
Good. Let's dig into these turkey pills.
I remember when Thanksgiving meant a real stuffed turkey.
Turkey? That went out years ago.
Along with such primitive concepts as love and understanding.
Things are better now, Grandma.
Hush and eat your turkey pills.
Well, that certainly was a very moving performance by the members of Peace
Through Dramatization.
And, of course, you recognized our own Dave Siebert and Mary Margaret Bannon as
the pilgrim couple.
Well, I guess we all have to ask ourselves, is this where we're heading?
Well, perhaps, Dave, but it's up to us.
Thanksgivings of the futures don't have to be this gloomy.
Well, we're certainly all grateful for that message and for the fact that you
young people are trying to change things by working within the system.
Well, you know, Dave, we got the idea for Peace Through Dramatization from one
of the greatest radicals of all time.
I don't understand.
Sure. He's a man who had long hair and a beard.
He wore beads and sandals.
His name was William Shakespeare.
Now, hold it. I, uh, I don't know much about Shakespeare, but I, I don't think
the, excuse me.
I, I don't think the guy wore, uh, beads and sandals.
See, I told you they wouldn't understand.
Let's get out of here.
We're wasting our time here.
These people have come here for a turkey rally.
They don't even understand what we're doing here.
Enjoy your turkey raffle.
Well, I have a hunch they'll probably be back later.
The theater is certainly in their blood.
Those were the Peace for Dramatization players.
Let's not, uh, let their actions spoil our time here tonight.
Time now for the big turkey raffle, ladies and gentlemen.
How do you do?
And you, you would be the turkey lady for tonight, would you not?
Oh, nice to see you.
Uh, okay, everybody here has put their name on a piece of paper.
We're going to now draw for the lovely turkey.
Could we take another look at the turkey now, please?
Just so the folks at home know what we're playing for.
There it is.
All right.
We have a drum roll, please, Steve.
All right.
Where do we, there.
Okay.
This would be about a, uh, what do you think, a 12-pounder back there?
George Simons.
Oh, congratulations, George.
You've won.
Just take the, uh, turkey, if you will, bring it on down.
Well, you, you know, uh, we may, we may, uh, excuse me, we may, we may draw for
another turkey a little later if you want to talk this over.
Oh, okay, well, uh, we have to pause anyway for a commercial.
We'll be right back with Albert Brooks.
All right.
All right.
All right.
There you go.
A look at the capability of reverse image television broadcasting.
Now, in just a moment, our beloved Paul Schaefer and myself will be taking an
historic first reverse image walk.
But before that, we would like to introduce to you the piece through dramatization
players featuring the lovely Marie O'Donnell in a little play they call
March Through Progress, a salute to reverse image.
Kids?
Hurry up and finish eating, everybody.
We've got six hours of family television viewing ahead of us.
Imagine, over 30 channels to choose from.
Now that we have cable, television has gone as far as it possibly can.
Aw, I'm tired of watching TV.
Tired of watching TV?
Tommy!
Well, it's always the same old thing.
Sometimes I, I wish I could reverse the image of television.
Reverse the image of television?
I've never heard of such nonsense.
What possible good could it be?
Well, Mom and Dad, it would be just like regular television.
Only the picture would be reversed.
Hmm.
That would be wonderful.
But it's just a crazy dream.
Or is it?
Oh, kid, that was, that was so nice.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Maria, thank you very much.
Gosh, you kids make me proud.
Well, now it's time for what I think...
Gosh, you kids make me proud.
Well, now I think it's time for what I think we've all been waiting for, the
first reverse image walk.
Let me explain that Paul, and, excuse me, Paul and myself are about to leave
the studio and make our way out into the hallway, the murky unknown.
Now, this whole procedure is completely untested.
Once again, everything will be completely reversed, and Paul and I...
Oh, hi, Paul.
I'm right here.
We will not be tethered in any way to the studio, will we?
Absolutely no way will we be tethered.
All right, Paul, let's go on out here.
To the studio.
Boy, this is really...
I think the kids are getting better, don't you?
They are fabulous, the players.
Yes, sir.
We should use them more on the show.
I'll tell you, this is a little bit...
I feel a little shaky.
It takes a minute to get your sea legs, doesn't it?
How do you do, gentlemen?
Is there a tilt to this, too?
Oh, now, look at this.
Look at this.
This is amazing.
Look at that.
Unbelievable.
Yeah, these are...
It's right to left.
It's like Hebrew, right to left.
That's right.
And normally, it's on the whole other side.
Isn't that interesting?
Yeah.
How do you do?
Nice to see you.
High-powered management in there.
Oh, wow.
All right.
Oh, look at this.
Look at this.
This is the makeup room, and everything here appears to be backward.
That's right.
Everything is reversed.
But what about the mirrors?
How do they...
I don't know.
It's just...
Are the mirrors reversed again, twice?
You know, these are questions for which I have no answers.
Kind of applies to the whole show.
Now, look at...
Paul, look.
Look.
Paul.
What?
Are you all right?
Yeah.
All right.
I'm just...
It's a little weird.
You're a little woozy.
Yeah, it makes me...
I'm fine.
Okay, well, let me show you this.
Look at this sign here.
Rehearsal, yeah.
It's complete.
Look, it's backwards.
It all goes, yeah, right to left.
Yeah.
This is crazy, isn't it?
Yeah.
What else do we have out here?
This is a...
Oh, look at this.
The giant 6B.
This is Studio 6B.
We're in 6A.
Look, this is backwards.
That's not the way that's supposed to look.
At all.
Look at this.
This is great.
The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson.
That's completely backwards.
But look.
Look at this, Paul.
Paul, look at this right up here.
Can you see this?
Look.
Ed is sitting in Johnny's seat.
You know, that never happens.
I'm really feeling...
Can we sort of stop this thing?
Because I can't...
I'm walking around here with the reverse thing.
Okay.
Maybe we'll get Paul some fresh air.
What do we do?
All right.
I'll tell you what.
We'll do a commercial.
It'll be all right, Paul.
Just walk around a little bit.
We'll be right back, folks.
Here, come on.
Let's go back over here.
Thank you.
Thank you, Paul.
Later in this program, Charles Panati will be here,
and also comedian John Witherspoon.
Tomorrow on the show, Stephen Wright will be joining us,
and animal analyst Beatrice Lidecker will be here.
You know, the deadline for filing taxes may have passed,
but the debate over tax reform rages on.
To help keep things in perspective,
the late-night piece-through dramatization players
have put together a little play they call
A World Without Taxes.
Kids?
Taxes, taxes, taxes.
Well, looks like we're going to have to tighten our belts around here
for a little while.
And, Billy, that means no bicycle.
No bike?
I think taxes are dumb.
What?
I'm sorry, Dad, Uncle Charlie,
but tha