Name: Marilyn Mach Vos Savant on Letterman, March 11, 1986
Uploaded: 2016-07-16T00:00:05.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Marilyn Mach Vos Savant on Letterman, March 11, 1986' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2016-07-16. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Marilyn Mach Vos Savant on Letterman, March 11, 1986' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2016-07-16. Transcript available.

Thank you very much, Paul.
Tomorrow on this program, Gregory Hines will be here.
Stupid human tricks and the world's smartest woman,
the Marilyn Mock Voss, Voss, Savant, Savant.
Huh?
She's so smart, we don't know how to pronounce her name.
That's how smart this woman is.
And she is the world's smartest woman.
Yeah, I'll bet.
Okay, then why is she on this show?
Thank you, Paul, and welcome back, folks.
And as always, thanks to the people who helped us out tonight
with our stupid human tricks.
It was very nice of them to do that for us.
According to an article in this week's US Magazine,
I'm sorry, this week's US Magazine,
my next guest is the smartest woman in the world.
Her IQ, what do you think, Paul, for a smart woman,
smart man, smart anybody?
Well, Jill St. John's was 141.
I got to go with that.
This woman has nearly doubled that.
It's 230 is her IQ score.
Wow.
That's the highest ever recorded.
Please welcome Marilyn Mock Voss, Savant, ladies and gentlemen.
Hi, where are you?
All right, nice to see you.
Please have a seat there.
First of all, tell me about your name, Mock Voss, Savant.
Does that mean something?
Oh, Voss, Savant is my last name.
Voss, Savant.
Mock is just a middle name.
Mock, M-A-C-H?
It's not a pen name, by the way, Voss, Savant.
Savant was my grandmother's name.
Before she married my grandfather's name was Voss, Savant.
Voss, Savant.
But does it have any literal meaning?
It's supposed to mean a wise man or something like that.
Well, that's a coincidence then, isn't it?
Yeah, it's a hell of a coincidence, I think.
Yeah, well, I mean, for the smartest person in the world,
I actually have that name.
Yeah, right.
You know, you think I made it up, but I didn't.
No, no, I didn't think it made it up.
No, you didn't think that.
No, you were thinking negative of me, would you?
Now...
Did anybody ever tell you...
I'm sorry?
Did anybody ever tell you you have sexy teeth?
No, I have not heard that, believe me.
No, I have not heard that.
You do, you have sexy teeth.
No, I don't.
They're better in person.
Yeah, that's right.
Yes, you got sexy teeth.
Some people have them, and some people don't.
I don't know what it is.
No, I have miserable teeth.
I mean, they're healthy.
They're just odd.
They're odd.
You know, I can eat things through fences.
Not that there's any call for that, but...
All right, now, Marilyn, let's get back to you and your head.
What the...
Now, how do we know you're the smartest woman in the world?
Well, you probably don't know that.
I don't think anyone really knows that.
Not that many people have taken an IQ test.
And so I had the highest score on the Benet so far,
but this very small minority of people in the world have taken a test,
and what did Benet know, for heaven's sake?
I mean, back in 1904, he didn't stumble over a Rosetta Stone.
He said, this is what I think I'm going to do,
and everybody's been imitating him ever since.
So you took the test when you were 10?
Yes, just after 10.
Yeah, and now, what do you do for a living now?
I'm a full-time writer.
I was in the investment business for a while,
and I stayed in it just long enough to make enough money
to support myself as a writer.
Now, do you do smart things?
David, if I went to dinner with you, would I say,
my God, she really is the smartest woman in the world?
In about four minutes, I'm going to do something very smart.
What is that?
I'm going to leave.
Geez, don't let me keep you.
We got a guy here who crushes cans with his head.
Well, listen, you know, I saw the Bo Derek episode a couple of times,
and I said, oh, my God, this guy's dangerous.
Yeah.
Dangerous.
Yeah, yeah.
It's fabulous.
I got to see it again.
I'll tell you what, Marilyn, we have to do a...
What do you think we have to do here?
Yeah, I can find out.
Something dumb?
No, we have to pause for a commercial here.
Oh, okay.
And then we'll be back to visit more with the smartest person.
The smartest person.
Tomorrow on this program, ladies and gentlemen,
very talented, funny comedian and actor Michael Keaton will be here.
Comedian Roseanne Barr and Mariel Hemingway will be joining us.
That's tomorrow.
Later on tonight's program, Pearl Burnett will be here,
and also Gregory Hines.
This is the smartest person in the world.
Now, do you feel smart?
I mean, do you think you're really a smart person?
You took the test at 10.
Do you think you're still as smart as you were when you were...
Well, the last time I took a test was a year ago.
Oh, you took the IQ test at 10?
Yeah, I've been taking tests on and off.
Was your score better or worse since the 10?
Well, actually, the last test wasn't normed
because only about 10,000 people took it.
I had a record score on that, so they listed that in the Guinness,
but one out of 10,000 is not, I think,
will maybe come up to something like about 150 IQ.
Yeah.
So you have to wait until, theoretically,
until a million people take it to get 175 or whatever.
But shouldn't you be doing something more important with your life
if you're the smartest person in the world?
Shouldn't you be working on the Jarvik 7 or something?
Well, I kind of have your philosophy...
What a time to have the piano tuned.
We called the guy last week.
He couldn't be here because of the holidays.
Smartest woman in the world.
I'm sorry.
Paul, please.
Well, it's a very deep question.
I sort of have the same philosophy you do on Monday night.
I just don't care.
Okay.
All right.
Well, now, it says here we have some kind of biographical information on you.
Oh, no.
I hope you didn't get all the wrong...
Oh, well.
Well, it came from your office, so I guess you would know.
Oh, it did not.
She is currently seeing five men, it says here,
a famous talk show host, an airline pilot, and a comedian.
Now, who are these people?
I didn't say famous talk show host.
It's just currently seeing five...
A famous talk show host.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Is this smart to be seeing five men?
I am not going to tell you.
I know you're going to ask who the talk show is,
and I'm not going to tell you.
I have had calls from all over the country.
I'm not going to tell anybody.
I told somebody.
I told Robert that...
You know, I think I'm smarter than you are.
I mean, I think you're right.
I don't think you're anywhere near 2.30,
and regardless of what you are,
I'm 10 points higher than you are.
I believe it.
Go ahead.
Ask me anything.
Ask me anything.
I'm much smarter than you are.
This is not the world's smartest person.
All right.
Look, we got one of these.
Do you have one of these?
You didn't let me ask you anything.
I get to ask you something.
I'm sorry.
You know, one time...
Don't I get to ask you something?
Wait a minute.
One time, Marilyn, we had a woman on
who claimed to be the world's fastest typist.
And it turned out she was not
the world's fastest typist.
So I'm a little...
Forgive me if I'm a little skeptical.
Okay.
But you know what I'm saying?
It's just, how do we know?
You know?
Like, uh...
Don't you want me to ask you a question?
Okay, go ahead and ask me a question.
What are you doing Saturday night?
See, now, that's a dumb question.
David, I thought I'd fit right in
with the format of the show.
Everybody knows Saturday nights, I bowl.
Gee, Marilyn, it was nice to meet you.
Thank you very much.
I know you have to run along.
Thanks for being here.
We'll be right back.
The world's smartest person.