So why didn't Letterman take over "Tonight" from Carson?

[WI_DEM]

It puzzles me because David Letterman had his own late night show for many years following Johnny. He seemed like he was paying his dues and only made sense that he would be heir apparent on "The Tonight Show" especially since Johnny favored him over Leno. I know Jay was his Johnny's designated guest-host when he was absent, but with David having his own show in NY he couldn't do both. What gave Leno the edge?

[fertilizeonarbusto]

1. NBC are a bunch of assh*les

it was their fault.

[physioex]

5. Leno had made NBC tons of money...

They are definitly laughing all the way to the bank. So it really wasn't a bad decision.

[KitchenWitch]

2. Jay Leno basically glad-handed all the brass at NBC

and Letterman did not. Even though Letterman was the heir apparent to Johnny Carson, he did not directly ask for the job.

[BrklynLiberal]

21. Letterman is much more the loner type like Carson was.

Not into the politicking and glad-handing. Leno was willing to kiss ass and meeting with the local affiliate people. Letterman would have none of it. Carson never had to do that crap.

[kick-ass-bob]

3. It was a street fight.

Some backstabbing & such. Don't really remember the details though...

here's a book...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0786889071/103-6341457-8023046?v=glance

[NNadir]

25. Letterman is about 9,875,025 times as funny as Leno.

I've seen Letterman hundreds of time but Leno makes me hold the channel button down. What a boring loser Leno is.

[edbermac]

4. Read the book The Late Shift by Bill Carter, will explain it all...

Jay got it because he was a good ass licker for NBC...Dave shot himself in the foot because he really estranged himself from the top execs at NBC...he'd even post their pictures on a sarcastic skit called NBC Employee of the Week...it was there for him to take, but Dave blew it big time...see kick-ass-bob's post...

[Stephanie]

6. I'm feeling old

http://www.salon.com/08/reviews/late.html

"The Late Shift," New York Times TV industry reporter Bill Carter's blow-by-blow account of the fight between David Letterman and Jay Leno for Johnny Carson's vacated throne, is, if nothing else, the triumph of a species of newshound we'll call The TV Geek.

For the TV Geek (like Carter and Ken Auletta, who writes huge inside-y pieces about the media business for The New Yorker), the medium boils down to stats -- minute-by-minute Nielsen ratings, demographic breakdowns, salary tallies of stars and network executives and all that other stuff that's guaranteed to make a non-Geek's eyes glaze over. If TV were half as un-fun as the TV Geeks make it out to be, the box would've been history by now.

Carter's "Late Shift" (the 1995 paperback edition of which contains a late-breaking Jay-vs.-Dave update) is a scrupulously researched business section article pumped up to book length. Carter wins points for legwork, but his prose is a queasy combination of good gray journalism and faint stabs at "color": "Now on the freeway, Leno could feel the wind racing under the elegant canvas-cloth roof that was unfolded and attached by polished bamboo braces from just behind the backseat to the windshield of the otherwise windowless car."

In "The Late Shift," Carter's research uncovers a Leno who's an emotionally dead Robocomic and a Letterman who's a whip-smart yet monumentally insecure sad-sack. But Carter never gives us a good reason (if in fact there is one) why TV Geeks are so fixated on which of these social clods America's insomniacs like best. Carter does, however, muster a resounding editorial "Gosh!" at the way not-very-nice network execs throw around massive sums of money.

[Darknyte7]

7. As much as I love Dave...

He never really had a good reputation for working & playing well with others. He was labeled a "subversive" in many quarters.

That's the quick & dirty explanation that I'm familiar with anyway...

[tigereye]

11. I much prefer Letterman's smart-assed wit over Leno

although lately, for sheer goofiness with a wink, Conan would get my vote.

[Darknyte7]

16. One of the funniest bits I've seen Dave do "lately"...

Was this bit that he did right before or after the 4th of July, when (to make a long story short) he actually ate a piece Kingsford Charcoal. It was just one of those moments where it wasn't suppose to be a part of the bit, but he just kinda spontaneously did it.

My wife and I were in tears....

[BrklynLiberal]

17. I saw that ! He was sorry he did it. Remember how black his mouth was?

[Darknyte7]

20. He actually had to go to break early...

He actually ate a brickette of charcoal, on a whim!
It was absolutely hilarious.

[BrklynLiberal]

23. I thought it was a phony piece...like licorice or something..Then I saw

the look on his face, and realized it was real charcoal!!!!!
I was rolling.

[ThorsHammer]

8. I don't like either Letterman or Leno

Personally, I find guys like Jon Stewart and Dave Chappelle much better. They dont get a zillionth of the hype, but to me they are 1000x funnier.

[democracyindanger]

13. You must have not seen Letterman in the late 80's/early 90's

Some of the best talk show stuff ever. He's gotten old and doesn't take risks like he used to, but when he was on at 12:30 he was the best, hands down. Stewart owes a lot to Letterman, who owes a lot to Carson, who owes a lot to Paar, and so on.

Chapelle's hilarious, but he's not a talk show host.

[BrklynLiberal]

19. You can do stuff at 12:30 and 1AM that you cannot do at 11:30.

[democracyindanger]

27. yep

[ThorsHammer]

24. Good points

I was still pretty young then, and only started watching the later shows in the mid 90s. I don't find either man funny now, though most people say they were both pretty good back in the day.

I'd like to see Chappelle get one of those later spots. IMO, he'd be much better than Carson Daly.

[democracyindanger]

28. A loaf of bread would be better than Carson Daly

Dunno about Chappelle. Being a talk show host is different than hosting your own skit show. But Chris Rock's HBO series is (was) great. Watching him handle Ward Connerly (Mr. Anti-affirmative action) was priceless.

[Webster Green]

9. Lack of edge gave him the edge.....

He is totally predictable and not funny at all. Just what NBC was looking for, I guess

[lapfog_1]

10. Part of Letterman's sthick

was making fun of the corporate owners of his program... especially
he poked fun at GE when they took over NBC. When the decision was
made to pick a replacement... executives at GE actually stepped in
and picked Leno (even though Johnny had hand picked Letterman over
Leno).

Personally, I think Leno is more a rethuglican and it more "acceptable"
to corporate assholes than Letterman.

[intheflow]

14. Leno is not a rethug:

He said so in Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/_/id/5940005?&rnd=1106681754274&has-player=true&version=6.0.11.847

I think the Letterman corporate mocking was part of it, but there were other factors as well. For instance, Letterman was the only late, late night show NBC had been able to keep on for any length of time. And not jut keep on, but it a profitable show with a faithful following. Also, he was much racier than Johnny... and I think NBC officials were afraid the week night crowd couldn't handle a real "not ready for prime time" celebrity in that slot on any night other than Saturday.

But then, who knows what really goes on in corporate board rooms? :shrug:

[BrklynLiberal]

22. Also heard an interview on AirAmericaRadio with Marty Kaplan on

"So What Else is New". Leno is defintely not Rethug.

[kskiska]

12. Leno's manager, Helen Kushnick, strongarmed NBC

to force Carson to retire (his ratings were getting a little stale) and give her boy Jay the show.

Just four months after guiding Leno into his Tonight Show gig, Kushnick was unceremoniously dumped by NBC in September 1992. The network charged Kushnick--then executive producer--with instigating a booking war with The Arsenio Hall Show, its syndicated competitor. Kushnick denied the allegations, claiming she was a victim of Hollywood sexism.

I remember her response when Jay confronted her. She said, "You like those thick, juicy steaks I cook up for you, but you don't want to know how I kill the cow," or something to that effect.

[yellowcanine]

15. I don't know but Letterman is funnier than Leno and has Johnny Carson's

rapport with the audience in a way that Leno never will.

[AmericanErrorist]

18. Read the book "The Late Shift"

or watch the movie whever it's on TV.

[HeyManThatsCool]

26. Leno screwed Johnny over and Johnny hated him after that

Aside from reading "The Late Shift" I know someone who worked for NBC at the time. Johnny was treated terribly at the end & was strong armed out- because of Leno's ballbuster bitch agent Helen.

Dave had been PROMISED that when Johnny left he would be the chosen one to take over The Tonight Show. He was also Johnny's choice.
Yes, Leno was in fact the guest host often. But Letterman could not guest host because he had his own show.

Johnny was very hurt, angry & bitter over the treatment he got at the end. Leno tried to talk to him & make excuses & Johnny told him to "just shut the hell up and stay away from me".

Dave of course was devestated by the ass pounding NBC gave him. He was offered shows on Fox, ABC & CBS. In the end he chose CBS not just because it was the right time slot but because Johnny told him that would be his best bet.

Dave was one of the last guests during the final week of the Tonight Show with Johnny.
Johnny & Dave stayed close through the years- Johnny told NBC before he left that Leno COULD NOT borrow any of his (Johnny's) bits... but he gave Dave permission to use "Stump the Band" on the Late Show.
When it was time to come back on the air after 9/11, Dave was very scared & unsure whether it was the right time. He called his mentor & father figure, Johnny Carson, for advice. Johnny told him that in times of darkness making people laugh can be the best thing you can do. On that advice Dave came back on 9/18/01.

In the last 2 weeks it was reported that Johnny was writing some jokes for Dave. I think Johnny & his family knew the end was coming & wanted to make sure that one last time everyone knew who Johnny's choice was.



http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/01/19/television.carson.reut/?section=cnn_mostpopular
Carson retired in 1992 after nearly 30 years as host of "The Tonight Show" on NBC and was replaced by Jay Leno. But Carson has always felt privately that Letterman, not Leno, was his rightful successor.