The Letterman Podcast

Join host Mike as Chris recounts his twice-in-a-lifetime experience, sharing the behind-the-scenes tales of performing not only on Letterman but also on iconic shows like Tonight Show with Jay Leno, America’s Got Talent, and alongside Rachel Ray.

In this episode, Chris takes us on a journey through the thrilling process of being chosen for Late Show, the order of events leading up to their performance, and the unforgettable moments of being produced for a worldwide audience. Hear about his enduring friendship with performing partner Ken, who still works for Kroger, and the joy of returning to Late Show years later for an encore performance.

And now, a special message from our sponsor: The Letterman Podcast is proudly brought to you by hello-deli.com, the exclusive destination for officially licensed Late Show with David Letterman merchandise. Rupert Jee personally packs each order with love, ensuring you get a slice of late-night nostalgia.

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Welcome to Episode 109 of The Letterman Podcast! 🎙️ In this enlightening installment, we’re joined by the talented Jon Beckerman, a Harvard alum and seasoned writer who played a pivotal role in the late-night legacy of David Letterman & Company.

Jon’s journey of comedic destiny began at Harvard, where he became part of the prestigious Harvard Lampoon, rubbing shoulders with some of comedy’s best writers and performers. His career took off when he joined Late Night with David Letterman as a writer a year before the historic transition to CBS. Jon also served as the head writer for the Late Show with David Letterman, contributing to the show’s iconic humor.

In this insightful, heartfelt and vulnerable conversation, Jon shares insights into his mentorship and friendship with Rob Burnett, detailing their collaboration on co-creating the series Ed for David Letterman’s production company, Worldwide Pants. A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to the beloved show Ed.

Joining us for part of the episode is Letterman historian, Don Giller, providing additional layers to our exploration of late-night history.

The Letterman Podcast is proudly sponsored by hello–deli.com, owned by the charismatic Rupert Jee. It’s not just a deli; it’s the official hub for Late Show with David Letterman merchandise. Need a coffee mug that’s seen more late nights than you have? Rupert’s got you covered. Feeling the urge to don the iconic Late Show hat? Look no further.

Rupert Jee, the maestro behind hello–deli.com, invites you to grab a slice of late-night history with a side of humor. It’s the only place where Late Show enthusiasts can shop for official merchandise, carefully curated to survive even the most extended Top Ten Lists.

As we say in the late-night business, skip the cue cards and head straight to hello–deli.com for all your Late Show nostalgia needs. Rupert guarantees a delivery faster than Letterman delivering a punchline—well, almost.

Welcome to another captivating episode of The Letterman Podcast! 🎙️

In today’s installment, we immerse ourselves in the world of Warren Zevon alongside a special guest, his official historian, Adam Unger. What unfolds when two dedicated individuals, Mike and Adam, bonded by their passion for preserving and celebrating the timeless legacies of David Letterman and Warren Zevon, come together?

Join us for a podcast episode brimming with insights, laughter, and a shared journey through the remarkable works of these iconic figures.

As Mike and Adam discuss, we delve into the fascinating story of how Adam became Warren Zevon’s historian. In addition, we explore the archive and noteworthy work he has done for the band Queen, adding another layer to the narrative.

But that’s not all! Our riveting conversation includes the Letterman archivist, Don Giller. The three casually explore topics ranging from Bob Dylan’s Zevon connections to reminiscing about the unforgettable moments Warren graced Letterman’s stage, The Beatles, and much more.

Get ready for a journey through the intersections of comedy, music, and late-night television in Episode 108 of The Letterman Podcast. Let’s uncover the stories that make these legacies truly timeless.

The Letterman Podcast is brought to you by hello-deli.com which is the only source for Late Show with David Letterman merchandise. Rupert Jee packs each order with love, so shop early and often.

For years he followed Johnny Carson's Tonight Show by hosting 'The Tomorrow Show,' a long form conversation television program featuring world class panelists from entertainment, politics, and pop culture. David Letterman was a dedicated viewer of the program and made multiple appearances on the show as a guest.

When 'Late Night with David Letterman' began it replaced the Tomorrow Show and Tom, continuing his broadcasting career, worked on multiple projects, including his radio/television show on CNBC.

In 1994 when it was time for David Letterman to pick the first host for the show that would follow Late Show with David Letterman, Dave knew who he wanted, and on January 9th 1995, The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder was born.

This episode of The Letterman Podcast is hopefully our first of many episodes focused on Tom. We are very pleased that his daughter Annie has joined us for a really nice conversation about her dad, and she shares insights on many of the things we love about Tom, and hints at a few upcoming projects based around him and his incredible body of work. She has also given us her blessing to show footage of Tom and his programs as well, for which we are very grateful. We also show footage of the press conference announcing Tom's move to CBS as well. The audio on that is a little lower because the footage is old.

The Letterman Podcast is brought to you by hello-deli.com your only source for official Late Show with David Letterman merchandise. Run by Rupert Jee himself, hello-deli.com is a wonderful place to buy gifts for yourself and all your friends, family, teammates and rivals.

Please #like #share #subscribe and leave a positive comment for our show. C'mon, do it for Dave. Which Dave, you can choose for yourself.

The chief event of the year was the shocking, yet inevitable news that Rupert and May sold the Hello Deli, and the retirement party that Worldwide Pants threw for them at the Ed Sullivan Theater.

Other highlights from the show included more Late Late show exploration, our summer intern series, finally getting some folks from the control room on the show, among many, many more. This episode includes clips from most of those shows, reflections about the amazing year that The Letterman Podcast enjoyed, and setting goals for 2024 and beyond.

We just wanted to take a moment and thank each and every person who gave some of their time to watch or listen to The Letterman Podcast this year. Your support is invaluable to us, and we will strive to continue to improve our content and how we produce and deliver it moving forward. Seeing the community grow is wonderful. Feel free to come share in the fun in our group on The Facebook, and look for other social media presences to be expanded this next coming year.

Many folks have asked how they can support us. Without being cliché, the best way is to #like #share #subscribe to our program on the platform you consume it--and then all the other ones as well-- and leave positive comments.

The Letterman Podcast has one sponsor and one sponsor only: hello-deli.comThe only source for official Late Show with David Letterman merchandise, hello-deli.com is a must visit! A wonderful source for gifts too! And when you visit there, know that Rupert Jee himself packs and sends out your order with love.

#thanksdave #thanksrupert #letterman #davidletterman #latenight #lateshow #comedy #thelettermanpodcast #latenightwithdavidletterman #lateshowwithdavidletterman #hellodeli #talkshow #comedian #podcast #history #entertainment

In this episode we show over 20 clips of different guests we had on the show during the first six months of the year. Mike also talks about some of the highs and lows the show experienced, and he sets some intentions for the next year as well.

We just want to take a moment to thank everyone who has watched or listened to us this past 12 months. It has been an absolute pleasure bringing this show to you and we look forward to what 2024 has in store for us all!

For those who want to interact with the show even more, check out our group on #facebook

The Letterman Podcast is brought to you by hello-deli.com, your only source for licensed Late Show with David Letterman merchandise. The man, the myth, the legend himself, Rupert Jee runs hello-deli.com and we could not be more proud to have him as a friend of the show.

Please #like #share and #subscribe to this program. It really helps our self esteem.

#thanksdave #Letterman #davidletterman #latenight #lateshow #latenightwithdavidletterman #lateshowwithdavidletterman #cbs #nbc #comedy #talkshow #morty #paulshaffer

In this episode Mike makes a spontaneous, surprise appearance on Sandra Bernhard's radio show, where the decision is made that she will indeed appear as a guest on a future episode of The Letterman Podcast!

He also shares his reaction to the special episode 100 compilation we released over the past few weeks, and shows a few clips from The Letterman Podcast Christmas past!

The Letterman Podcast is brought to you by hello-deli.com, your only source for official Late Show with David Letterman merchandise! Run by our friend Rupert Jee, hello-deli.com is a must see for anybody who wants a Late Show shirt, or mug, and is a perfect place to get a gift for the Letterman enthusiast in your life.

Please #like #share and #subscribe to our show. Everyone who does might one day achieve their goal of riding a pony. #thanksdave #letterman #davidletterman #latenight #lateshow #cbs #nbc #comedy #talkshow #sandrabernhard #sandyland #thecomedystore

A VERY special thanks to Don Giller for spending countless hours sifting through footage from The Letterman Podcast's first 100 episodes, and build the unique narrative that he did.

We also thank each and every guest that took the time to go down memory lane with us, and share thoughts and moments that were meaningful to them.

#thelettermanpodcast is pleased to present the continuation of our 100th episode celebration. The definitive archivist of #davidletterman material #dongiller has gone to painstaking efforts to organize highlights of the hundreds of hours we have filmed so far to create a 4 part compilation of the #behindthescenes moments of the #letterman timeline as discussed on the #podcast In this third instalment, the focus is on the Late Show with David Letterman Years.

From Don Giller:

The Letterman Podcast's host Mike Chisholm asked if I might put something together to help commemorate his 100th episode. Rather than select highlights and best-of conversations, I decided to try to craft a behind-the-scenes narrative of Dave’s talk show history as told by many of Mike’s podcast guests — the writers, producers, musicians, and network executives who worked for and with Dave throughout his 35-year tenure at NBC and CBS. The narrative is distributed in four parts. This week's episode:

Part 3: Late Show on CBS, 1993-2015

The roster of the guests selected include:

Amy Cherin Humes, Assistant to the Director

Bill Carter, Author

Carter Bays, Late Show Writer

Chris Harris, LS Writer

Chris Schukei, Assistant to the Music Director

Craig Thomas, LS Writer

Daniel Kellison, Late Night, LS Producer

Dave Rygalski, LN WriterFelicia Collins, LS Musician

Fred Graver, LN Writer

Gabe Abelson, LS Monologue Head

George Schweitzer, CBS Chief Marketing Officer

Gerard Mulligan, LN Writer and Segment Producer, LS Writer

Jeff Martin, LN Writer

Jeremy Weiner, LS Writer

Joe Grossman, LS WriterJonathan Green, LS Writer

Lee Ellenberg, LS Writer

Matt Roberts, LS Head Writer, Executive Producer

Paul Shaffer, LN and LS Music Director

Robert Morton, LN Producer, LS Executive Producer

Rupert Jee, Proprietor, Hello Deli

Stephen Winer, LN Writer

Steve O'Donnell, LN Head Writer, LS Writer

Steve Young, LN and LS Writer

Tim Kennedy, LS Technical Director

Tom Malone, LS Musician

Tom Ruprecht, LS Writer

Vinnie Favale, CBS Vice President, Late Night Entertainment, East Coast

Will Lee, LN and LS Musician

Some details become blurred from long-dormant memories — a Viewer Mail letter is actually a separate, stand-alone comedy piece; a timeline might be off by a year or two. But the substance of those memories are precise and vivid, and they offer a heretofore untold look into the creation of material as well as fresh perspectives from the personalities that helped mold a culture-defining legacy. Great thanks to Worldwide Pants for granting permission to share some of its owned and licensed content and to Mike for soliciting so much essential history from his guests.

#thanksdave #comedy #talkshow #comedywriter #comedywriting #executiveproducer #edsullivantheater #30rock #paulshaffer #willlee #feliciacollins #morty #conanobrien #billcarter #thelateshift #latenight #lateshow #latenightwithdavidletterman #lateshowwithdavidletterman#rupertjee #hellodeli #davidletterman #lateshow #cbs #worldwidepants