It goes without saying, but there’s some spoilers contained within here. If you don’t want to know the scores, look away now.
David Letterman took his final bow on the hallowed stage of the Ed Sullivan Theatre today (Australian time) signing off his final episode of The Late Show, and bringing to an end a television career that spanned the better part of 35 years.
After airing the last “proper” show yesterday, Letterman’s final hour behind the desk of the Late Show did away with most of the show’s characteristic structure and instead served as something of a career retrospective, with many of Letterman’s famous pals dropping by to lend a hand.
The final Top 10 list – one of Letterman’s signature bits – was packed to the gills with famous faces, all dropping by to help send Dave off in style. Alec Baldwin, Barbara Walters, Steve Martin, Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Carrey, Chris Rock, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Peyton Manning, Tina Fey and Bill Murray all appeared to deliver “Things I’ve always wanted to say to Dave.”
A career-spanning montage of clips – dating all the way back to Dave’s NBC morning show in 1980 – was shown, as Letterman spent the hour largely aiming for laughs, rather than tugging at any heartstrings too hard.
But the show wasn’t without sentiment. Letterman dropped all his trademark formality at the end of the broadcast to earnestly thank his staff and crew, CBS executives including Les Moonves, and finally his audience – both at home, and at the Ed Sullivan theatre.
The Foo Fighters – often cited by Dave as his favourite band – took to the stage to close the show out. Letterman had famously selected them as the musical guest for his first show back from a life-threatening heart attack and subsequent quadruple bypass surgery in 2000.
Final time on this stage…#ThanksDave @Letterman pic.twitter.com/p3B30iTFW8
— Foo Fighters (@foofighters) May 20, 2015
Dave Grohl and co ripped through their classic hit “Everlong,” as Dave bowed out of television and into retirement with a simple, honest, and very sincere “Thank you, and good night.”
David Letterman’s career wasn’t exactly the smoothest of rides, and it certainly wasn’t without its controversies. But for a man who started out as a radio weatherman in Indianapolis, amusing himself by reading wild forecasts for fake cities, you certainly can’t argue that that was a career well spent.
Thanks for everything, Dave. Enjoy retirement.
The final episode of The Late Show with David Letterman airs locally on Channel Ten at 9:45pm.
