In 1980, right before getting his first late-night program, David Letterman hosted an extremely short-lived morning talk show on NBC. It's no surprise that the show didn't succeed -- Dave's edgy, self-mocking humor was clearly not meant for morning TV, and the comedy bits made a poor match for such Today Show-style subjects as "the two-paycheck family." Instead of Paul Shaffer and the band, he had the low-key "Frank Owens and the Symphony Orchestra," and instead of jokes about the news, he had actual news updates from reporter Edwin Newman.
But while it didn't work in its time, The David Letterman Show is fascinating to watch today. The program employed many of the same staffers who went on to create Dave's late-night shows on NBC and CBS, and you can see lots of similarities. If not for the outdated references, he might as well have delivered the monologues last week.
Some retro TV fans have just posted one of the episodes online, so check it out. You can watch the first segment above, and the rest here.
Via TVTattle.com
Previously:
Kiefer Sutherland's Jailhouse Education
David Letterman and Gillian Anderson Relive Their Makeout Session