Dave Puts An Audience Member Behind A Camera…
On February 13, 2014
- TV History
Dave Puts An Audience Member Behind A Camera…
It’s been a year since I first posted this, but now seems a good time for us to take another look. NBC’s ‘Late Night With David Letterman’ debuted at 12:30 AM, Monday, February 1, 1982 replacing Tom Snyder’s ‘Tomorrow’ show. This clip is from his second night on the air. At the end of the first week, the ratings were 30% better than Snyder’s. The night after this clip, baseball great Hank Arron was on and after his time with Dave, a camera followed him backstage where Marv Albert did a “post interview, interview” to see how it had gone, just like a post game interview.
What I miss is the fun we had! We discovered that the electric outlets were cross wired causing shocks. I purchased one of those trick light bulbs–it could be placed in your mouth and if you had foil in there and touched it to the bulb’s base–it would light. In front of a group of techs, I said there was a major electric issues in all studio outlets. To prove my point, I placed the light bulb in my mouth, placed one hand on a camera pedestal and the other hand on the front row audience metal safety bar while pushing the foil with my tongue into the light bulb’s base causing it to light. Everyone jumped back! It took a few seconds for them to realize I was having fun.
Love that TK44.
“TK44, ladies and gentlemen!!!!” [applause]
You can tell Dave is One of Us deep down inside!!!!
I also remember him namedropping the Ikegami HDK790s upon their arrival at the Ed….
Thanks for posting this. I love the lesson on TV Camera Operation, featuring my friend from Ithaca College and NBC, PAMELA SCHNEIDER BUTLER !!!
It would be fun if someone at CBS could track this person down and have them back on again.
NABET hounded the audience member into signing on. She retired last year, group 7 tape supervisor.