Name: David Letterman Honors Steve Allen, TV Hall of Fame, April 21, 1986
Uploaded: 2016-08-23T20:06:23.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'David Letterman Honors Steve Allen, TV Hall of Fame, April 21, 1986' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2016-08-23. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'David Letterman Honors Steve Allen, TV Hall of Fame, April 21, 1986' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2016-08-23. Transcript available.

Ladies and gentlemen, David Letterman.
Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. I am Dave Letterman.
And if you're anything like I am, and by the way, that seems pretty unlikely.
When you hear the words Hall of Fame, you think of Cooperstown, New York,
Canton, Ohio, and the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.
What a shrine this vine-covered edifice really is when you start to think about
it, you know?
I'll keep my remarks brief because they have to load in the auto show when we're
done here tonight.
My earliest memories of television, I was a small boy in a room in my home, and
I would sit in front of an old black-and-white television.
I think it was an RCA or GE.
And the truth of the matter is I could sit there hour after hour after hour and
just laugh and laugh and laugh.
You ever laugh until your sides actually ache from laughing so much?
Well, maybe it hasn't happened here tonight, but it could.
And I remember this very clearly as if it were yesterday.
One evening, my mom came into the room where I was seated in front of the
television set, and she said,
Dave, why don't you turn that thing on?
So, um, I turned the television set on, and ladies and gentlemen, I began to
laugh even harder because the face on the screen
was the man who was one of the most creative, original, comedic minds of our
time.
It was also the face of a man who has meant a great deal to me personally and
professionally, Steve Allen.
Steve Allen was born on December 16, 1921, in New York City.
His father and his mother were both vaudeville performers.
Dad was a singer-straight man known professionally as Billy Allen,
and Mom was an excellent comedian called Belle Montrose.
In the course of growing up, young Stephen was a student at 16 different
schools,
including five high schools and two colleges, which, by the way, is still a
record.
Mother and son eventually settled in Arizona,
where Steve spent two years at Arizona State Teachers College,
and in 1945, after a stint in the United States Army,
and time at radio station KOY in Phoenix,
Steve traveled to Los Angeles to seek his fortune in big-time radio.
It was at KNX that he created and starred in a half-hour music talk show.
The show expanded to an hour,
and was the most popular and some say funniest nighttime show in Los Angeles
radio history.
But it was another show that really established Steve Allen
as a true pioneer and a household name.
The Tonight Show, which Steve created,
began locally in New York in 1953,
and went on the NBC network in 1954,
opening up the late-night time period
and changing the viewing habits of a nation.
Thank goodness.
Steve introduced many new faces on that show,
including Steve Lawrence and Edie Gourmet,
good, good, good, splendid,
and Andy Williams.
And Andy Williams.
In 1956, Steve added to his already ambitious schedule
by taking on the Sunday night primetime Steve Allen Show.
It went head-to-head against ratings giant The Ed Sullivan Show
and ended up neck-to-neck with him for the next three years.
On that show, Steve reached into his bottomless well of humor
and came up with hundreds of wild and wonderful premises and characters.
Mr. Question Man, this answer reads,
that's in the belfry.
The question?
The question is,
all right, Tex, where is Masterson hiding?
He also uncovered a remarkably diverse group of peculiar people
who would become individually famous
as a result of a segment of the show called
Man on the Street.
We'll find out now as we meet our first man on the street.
Here he is.
Gordon, listen to me.
What, what do you think of Calypso music?
I hated Slim.
What do you like best about Spring, sir?
Well, I just composed a little poem about it.
Would you like to hear it?
Uh-huh, sure.
Okay.
Well, that's a general idea.
Do you have a telephone?
Yes.
Well, good.
Are you listed in the phone book?
Yes.
Mm-hmm, fine.
Now, if you wanted to call your number,
how would you go about it?
Well, I wouldn't call my number.
Why not?
I know I'm not home.
I know.
Yes, that's a very big pearl.
What kind of an oyster did that come out of?
A very unhappy one, Steve.
Do you have a retail outlet here in Hollywood?
No, I have an emotional outlet here in Hollywood.
How do you do, sir?
And what is your name?
My name, Jose Jimenez.
Oh, yes.
Merry Christmas to you.
Merry Christmas to you.
Merry Christmas to you.
If you really want to know what's happening,
if you want to know the score,
never mind about the six o'clock news,
just head right out the door.
Conduct yourself a little personal poem
with a who and a where and a why.
Do just like Steve Allen did,
interrogate the average guy.
On your feet.
Too sweet.
Go and meet the man on the street.
The man on the street.
The man on the street.
We all were as anonymous as anyone around us.
Until Steve Allen took his microphone outside and found us.
The man on the street.
The man on the street.
Just take your notes, we'll give you quotes that you can repeat.
We're very grateful for that people stay on his feet.
And the question for the man on the street tonight is,
how do you feel about Steve Allen being inducted into the Hall of Fame?
And here is our first questionee, Gordon Hathaway,
the original yuppie, also known as Mr. Louie Nye.
Hi-ho, Steve Aarino.
If it were up to me, I'd give you a Cleo,
a Tony, an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar,
a Pulitzer, a Christopher,
a Peabody, and a Purple Heart.
Because purple is my favorite color.
You deserve them all, Mr. Everything.
Mr. Dayton Allen,
why should Steve Allen be in the Hall of Fame?
Well, a friend of mine,
whispering into one of my ears,
why Steve Allen?
I answered back by mouth,
why not?
After 37 years,
Steve knows everything about television.
In just four days,
he fixed my set.
Mr. Bill Dana,
now,
and the shy Latino,
you remember him.
What's his name?
My name,
Jose Manny.
I'm glad you like my name.
I've got to say,
I don't think Steve Allen
should be in the Hall.
I think he should be allowed in here
like everybody else
so we can tell him
how much we love him.
Now,
let's ask Pat Harrington's
alter ego,
Guido Ponzini.
I was there
in Italy
when Steve Allen
shot the Hall-in-One
on the 14th Hall
at the Verona
Golf and Country Club.
That is a very,
very famous hole
and that is why
Steve Allen
should be in
the Hall of Fame.
Now,
here's the one and only
Mr. Gabe Dell.
Good evening,
Steve.
Hello,
I've always had
a warm heart
for you,
Steve.
You see,
he is no fly-by-night
entertainer.
No,
no,
no,
no,
no.
Show business
is in his blood
and it's the best.
Mr. Tom Poston,
how do you feel
about this honor?
I remember
Steve Allen.
He was always
asking me my name
and I would say,
anyway,
I'm happy to say
this award
is well-deserved
and this group
should be proud
to honor
such a memorable guy
as
A final opinion now
from the stout-hearted
Mr. Don Knotts.
Don,
are you nervous?
No.
Why should I be nervous
to be here
honoring Steve Allen
tonight?
Steve's the one
who should be nervous.
I'm driving him
home after the show.
The man on the street
The man on the street
The turkey, turkey, turkey
Man on the street
Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.
Thank you.
Nice job, gentlemen.
And I think we could all
watch Gene Rayburn
dance all night.
I just,
the way that man moves.
Well,
and now, ladies and gentlemen,
back to the Steve Allen saga.
Next,
The Man
and the Legend.
Human tea bag time.
Here we go.
In the period
from 1959
through 1974
often called
by media historians
the brass age
of TV comedy,
Steve Allen's contribution
stood out like an original
in a sea of carbon copies.
Under many different titles
and auspices,
the entertainer
continued to present
his own unique brand
of wit,
humor,
and spontaneity.
And now,
ladies and gentlemen,
tea is served.
But how do you feel
about sex
on television?
Are you serious?
Never more serious.
Well,
I would just say this.
I think you'd have to be
awfully careful
of the antenna.
That would be my...
But mainly in the news tonight,
another crash,
a freeway mess,
another coup
Steve has constantly
pursued many avenues
of expression,
two of the most prominent
being writing
and composing.
For 20 years,
Steve had nurtured
an idea for a series
featuring various characters
from history
conversing in their own words
on a variety of subjects.
And in 1977,
the program finally
reached the public
on the PBS network.
It was called
Meeting of Minds.
Steve is the first one
to admit the series,
which won both
the Peabody and Emmy Award,
would not have been possible
without the outstanding
conceptualizing,
writing,
and acting abilities
of his wife
of longstanding,
Jane Meadows.
Recent years have found
Steve active as ever,
hosting numerous specials
and syndicated series
devoted to comedy and music
and bringing his
on-camera skills
to the production
of a new series
based on one of his
most famous songs,
The Start of Something Big.
As with any performer
in the public eye
for such a long time,
there are moments
that we remember,
images that we recall
with affection
that kind of sum up
the person in the spotlight.
And my most vivid impression
of Steve Allen
is one of grace,
dignity,
complete control,
and dazzling mastery
of a situation
that I would like to share
with you folks now.
Good evening,
this is your old
Indian sportscaster.
Your old stupid jerk,
Bill Allen,
bringing you,
bringing you,
how are you,
the complete sports
roundup in the world
of sports
for all you jerky sports
out there in sports land.
Well, what's new in sports?
I'll tell you what's new.
The 1958 ouch baseball season
is getting in the way
with the annual...
Good night, folks.
All right, here we go.
the annual spring training warm-up.
The big league teams
are all at the spring training
headquarters around the country.
Let's see what's happening.
So for his remarkably facile mind
and quick wit,
for his outstanding contributions
towards the creation
and development
of new forms of TV programming,
for the legacy of laughter
and nurturing of new talent,
and for the deep-seated
and active interest
in matters of social,
political,
and intellectual consequence,
the Television Academy
is proud to induct
into its Hall of Fame,
Mr. Steve Allen.
Thank you very much,
and David,
I'll get you for this.
I appreciate it very much.
It's taken about 40 years
to live through
the professional experiences
which my friend David Letterman
has been kind enough
to refer to tonight,
and now I am allotted
a minute and a half
to say thank you.
It would take
at least an hour and a half
to properly express gratitude
to all of those
who have made such
important contributions
to the body of my work,
or the work of my body,
or whatever it is
I'm talking about.
But I must thank,
first,
those wonderfully funny guys
that you've just seen,
Louie Nye,
Tom Post,
and Gabe Dell,
Don Knotts,
Dayton Allen,
Pat Harrington,
Bill Dana,
and our friend Gene Rayburn.
They were just terrific.
One of the reasons
the shows we worked on
were so funny
is that each of us
was genuinely amused
by all the others,
and we loved each other.
We had fun together,
on or off stage,
and we still do.
They,
and our writers,
of whom there were
dozens over the years,
were all major league
practitioners
of the art of comedy.
And the shows we did,
like those of
Milton Berle,
Jackie Gleason,
Sid Caesar,
and others,
were programs
you could watch
with your children.
A certain French cardinal
of the 16th century,
the 18th century,
rather,
when asked what he had done
during the revolution,
said,
I survived.
Survivors in any field
eventually come to seem
part of the national family,
I suppose,
but one survives
because one has been
permitted to do so.
So we survivors
are grateful for the welcome
that you all have
for so long a time extended.
I wish there were time
to thank all of the
production people
who have made
such significant contributions
to the early show,
the early gang,
Bill Harback,
Dwight Hemian,
Nick Vanoff,
and the dozens of others.
And I thank Jane,
of course,
not just because
I married Dora,
although that's not
a bad idea either,
but because her support,
her sound editorial judgment,
and her talent
have so often
made a crucial difference.
There are so many
more important components
to the drama
of modern life
that it would be
perfectly understandable
if a week or so
from now,
those of you watching
around the country
were not able
to recall the names
of all seven recipients
of the Television Academy
special citation.
But whether you remember
this or not,
I will not forget it.
And for that,
I thank all of you
as I thank
our dear friends
Steve and Edie
for wanting
to be here tonight.
Thank you.
Thank you.

David Letterman Honors Steve Allen, TV Hall of Fame, April 21, 1986

Ladies and gentlemen, David Letterman.
Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. I am Dave Letterman.
And if you're anything like I am, and by the way, that seems pretty unlikely.
When you hear the words Hall of Fame, you think of Cooperstown, New York,
Canton, Ohio, and the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.
What a shrine this vine-covered edifice really is when you start to think about
it, you know?
I'll keep my remarks brief because they have to load in the auto show when we're
done here tonight.
My earliest memories of television, I was a small boy in a room in my home, and
I would sit in front of an old black-and-white television.
I think it was an RCA or GE.
And the truth of the matter is I could sit there hour after hour after hour and
just laugh and laugh and laugh.
You ever laugh until your sides actually ache from laughing so much?
Well, maybe it hasn't happened here tonight, but it could.
And I remember this very clearly as if it were yesterday.
One evening, my mom came into the room where I was seated in front of the
television set, and she said,
Dave, why don't you turn that thing on?
So, um, I turned the television set on, and ladies and gentlemen, I began to
laugh even harder because the face on the screen
was the man who was one of the most creative, original, comedic minds of our
time.
It was also the face of a man who has meant a great deal to me personally and
professionally, Steve Allen.
Steve Allen was born on December 16, 1921, in New York City.
His father and his mother were both vaudeville performers.
Dad was a singer-straight man known professionally as Billy Allen,
and Mom was an excellent comedian called Belle Montrose.
In the course of growing up, young Stephen was a student at 16 different
schools,
including five high schools and two colleges, which, by the way, is still a
record.
Mother and son eventually settled in Arizona,
where Steve spent two years at Arizona State Teachers College,
and in 1945, after a stint in the United States Army,
and time at radio station KOY in Phoenix,
Steve traveled to Los Angeles to seek his fortune in big-time radio.
It was at KNX that he created and starred in a half-hour music talk show.
The show expanded to an hour,
and was the most popular and some say funniest nighttime show in Los Angeles
radio history.
But it was another show that really established Steve Allen
as a true pioneer and a household name.
The Tonight Show, which Steve created,
began locally in New York in 1953,
and went on the NBC network in 1954,
opening up the late-night time period
and changing the viewing habits of a nation.
Thank goodness.
Steve introduced many new faces on that show,
including Steve Lawrence and Edie Gourmet,
good, good, good, splendid,
and Andy Williams.
And Andy Williams.
In 1956, Steve added to his already ambitious schedule
by taking on the Sunday night primetime Steve Allen Show.
It went head-to-head against ratings giant The Ed Sullivan Show
and ended up neck-to-neck with him for the next three years.
On that show, Steve reached into his bottomless well of humor
and came up with hundreds of wild and wonderful premises and characters.
Mr. Question Man, this answer reads,
that's in the belfry.
The question?
The question is,
all right, Tex, where is Masterson hiding?
He also uncovered a remarkably diverse group of peculiar people
who would become individually famous
as a result of a segment of the show called
Man on the Street.
We'll find out now as we meet our first man on the street.
Here he is.
Gordon, listen to me.
What, what do you think of Calypso music?
I hated Slim.
What do you like best about Spring, sir?
Well, I just composed a little poem about it.
Would you like to hear it?
Uh-huh, sure.
Okay.
Well, that's a general idea.
Do you have a telephone?
Yes.
Well, good.
Are you listed in the phone book?
Yes.
Mm-hmm, fine.
Now, if you wanted to call your number,
how would you go about it?
Well, I wouldn't call my number.
Why not?
I know I'm not home.
I know.
Yes, that's a very big pearl.
What kind of an oyster did that come out of?
A very unhappy one, Steve.
Do you have a retail outlet here in Hollywood?
No, I have an emotional outlet here in Hollywood.
How do you do, sir?
And what is your name?
My name, Jose Jimenez.
Oh, yes.
Merry Christmas to you.
Merry Christmas to you.
Merry Christmas to you.
If you really want to know what's happening,
if you want to know the score,
never mind about the six o'clock news,
just head right out the door.
Conduct yourself a little personal poem
with a who and a where and a why.
Do just like Steve Allen did,
interrogate the average guy.
On your feet.
Too sweet.
Go and meet the man on the street.
The man on the street.
The man on the street.
We all were as anonymous as anyone around us.
Until Steve Allen took his microphone outside and found us.
The man on the street.
The man on the street.
Just take your notes, we'll give you quotes that you can repeat.
We're very grateful for that people stay on his feet.
And the question for the man on the street tonight is,
how do you feel about Steve Allen being inducted into the Hall of Fame?
And here is our first questionee, Gordon Hathaway,
the original yuppie, also known as Mr. Louie Nye.
Hi-ho, Steve Aarino.
If it were up to me, I'd give you a Cleo,
a Tony, an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar,
a Pulitzer, a Christopher,
a Peabody, and a Purple Heart.
Because purple is my favorite color.
You deserve them all, Mr. Everything.
Mr. Dayton Allen,
why should Steve Allen be in the Hall of Fame?
Well, a friend of mine,
whispering into one of my ears,
why Steve Allen?
I answered back by mouth,
why not?
After 37 years,
Steve knows everything about television.
In just four days,
he fixed my set.
Mr. Bill Dana,
now,
and the shy Latino,
you remember him.
What's his name?
My name,
Jose Manny.
I'm glad you like my name.
I've got to say,
I don't think Steve Allen
should be in the Hall.
I think he should be allowed in here
like everybody else
so we can tell him
how much we love him.
Now,
let's ask Pat Harrington's
alter ego,
Guido Ponzini.
I was there
in Italy
when Steve Allen
shot the Hall-in-One
on the 14th Hall
at the Verona
Golf and Country Club.
That is a very,
very famous hole
and that is why
Steve Allen
should be in
the Hall of Fame.
Now,
here's the one and only
Mr. Gabe Dell.
Good evening,
Steve.
Hello,
I've always had
a warm heart
for you,
Steve.
You see,
he is no fly-by-night
entertainer.
No,
no,
no,
no,
no.
Show business
is in his blood
and it's the best.
Mr. Tom Poston,
how do you feel
about this honor?
I remember
Steve Allen.
He was always
asking me my name
and I would say,
anyway,
I'm happy to say
this award
is well-deserved
and this group
should be proud
to honor
such a memorable guy
as
A final opinion now
from the stout-hearted
Mr. Don Knotts.
Don,
are you nervous?
No.
Why should I be nervous
to be here
honoring Steve Allen
tonight?
Steve's the one
who should be nervous.
I'm driving him
home after the show.
The man on the street
The man on the street
The turkey, turkey, turkey
Man on the street
Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.
Thank you.
Nice job, gentlemen.
And I think we could all
watch Gene Rayburn
dance all night.
I just,
the way that man moves.
Well,
and now, ladies and gentlemen,
back to the Steve Allen saga.
Next,
The Man
and the Legend.
Human tea bag time.
Here we go.
In the period
from 1959
through 1974
often called
by media historians
the brass age
of TV comedy,
Steve Allen's contribution
stood out like an original
in a sea of carbon copies.
Under many different titles
and auspices,
the entertainer
continued to present
his own unique brand
of wit,
humor,
and spontaneity.
And now,
ladies and gentlemen,
tea is served.
But how do you feel
about sex
on television?
Are you serious?
Never more serious.
Well,
I would just say this.
I think you'd have to be
awfully careful
of the antenna.
That would be my...
But mainly in the news tonight,
another crash,
a freeway mess,
another coup
Steve has constantly
pursued many avenues
of expression,
two of the most prominent
being writing
and composing.
For 20 years,
Steve had nurtured
an idea for a series
featuring various characters
from history
conversing in their own words
on a variety of subjects.
And in 1977,
the program finally
reached the public
on the PBS network.
It was called
Meeting of Minds.
Steve is the first one
to admit the series,
which won both
the Peabody and Emmy Award,
would not have been possible
without the outstanding
conceptualizing,
writing,
and acting abilities
of his wife
of longstanding,
Jane Meadows.
Recent years have found
Steve active as ever,
hosting numerous specials
and syndicated series
devoted to comedy and music
and bringing his
on-camera skills
to the production
of a new series
based on one of his
most famous songs,
The Start of Something Big.
As with any performer
in the public eye
for such a long time,
there are moments
that we remember,
images that we recall
with affection
that kind of sum up
the person in the spotlight.
And my most vivid impression
of Steve Allen
is one of grace,
dignity,
complete control,
and dazzling mastery
of a situation
that I would like to share
with you folks now.
Good evening,
this is your old
Indian sportscaster.
Your old stupid jerk,
Bill Allen,
bringing you,
bringing you,
how are you,
the complete sports
roundup in the world
of sports
for all you jerky sports
out there in sports land.
Well, what's new in sports?
I'll tell you what's new.
The 1958 ouch baseball season
is getting in the way
with the annual...
Good night, folks.
All right, here we go.
the annual spring training warm-up.
The big league teams
are all at the spring training
headquarters around the country.
Let's see what's happening.
So for his remarkably facile mind
and quick wit,
for his outstanding contributions
towards the creation
and development
of new forms of TV programming,
for the legacy of laughter
and nurturing of new talent,
and for the deep-seated
and active interest
in matters of social,
political,
and intellectual consequence,
the Television Academy
is proud to induct
into its Hall of Fame,
Mr. Steve Allen.
Thank you very much,
and David,
I'll get you for this.
I appreciate it very much.
It's taken about 40 years
to live through
the professional experiences
which my friend David Letterman
has been kind enough
to refer to tonight,
and now I am allotted
a minute and a half
to say thank you.
It would take
at least an hour and a half
to properly express gratitude
to all of those
who have made such
important contributions
to the body of my work,
or the work of my body,
or whatever it is
I'm talking about.
But I must thank,
first,
those wonderfully funny guys
that you've just seen,
Louie Nye,
Tom Post,
and Gabe Dell,
Don Knotts,
Dayton Allen,
Pat Harrington,
Bill Dana,
and our friend Gene Rayburn.
They were just terrific.
One of the reasons
the shows we worked on
were so funny
is that each of us
was genuinely amused
by all the others,
and we loved each other.
We had fun together,
on or off stage,
and we still do.
They,
and our writers,
of whom there were
dozens over the years,
were all major league
practitioners
of the art of comedy.
And the shows we did,
like those of
Milton Berle,
Jackie Gleason,
Sid Caesar,
and others,
were programs
you could watch
with your children.
A certain French cardinal
of the 16th century,
the 18th century,
rather,
when asked what he had done
during the revolution,
said,
I survived.
Survivors in any field
eventually come to seem
part of the national family,
I suppose,
but one survives
because one has been
permitted to do so.
So we survivors
are grateful for the welcome
that you all have
for so long a time extended.
I wish there were time
to thank all of the
production people
who have made
such significant contributions
to the early show,
the early gang,
Bill Harback,
Dwight Hemian,
Nick Vanoff,
and the dozens of others.
And I thank Jane,
of course,
not just because
I married Dora,
although that's not
a bad idea either,
but becau