Remember The Letterman-Gumble Feud? Here’s Where It Started!
Remember The Letterman-Gumble Feud? Here’s Where It Started!
In May of 1985, ‘Today’ Executive Producer Steve Friedman and NBC President Larry Grossman announced that the famous morning show would present a live, one hour ‘Today Primetime’ special in August.
What no one on the ‘Today’ staff knew was that Friedman had also invited David Letterman to “interact” with the live show. “Interact” he did, and this video captures the moment. I don’t know if this clip was part of the ‘Today’ show live feed, or, if it was taped by Letterman for use on his show, but this kicked off a three year feud with ‘Today’ host Bryant Gumble.
According to this 1989 story in the “Spokane Chronicle”, Gumble was outraged and “huffy” demanding an apology from Dave, which never came. The more Bryant huffed, the more jokes from Dave.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1345&dat=19881020&id=x0JYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2_kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5424,584093
The feud finally ended May 13, 1989 when Gumbal made an appearance on ‘Late Night’…a video clip I would love to see!
Although, in the article, Jane Pauley describes the event as an interruption of her interview with ‘Miami Vice’ stars Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas, what we see here is a set with Gene Shalit, Gumble and Pauley. Perhaps there was a second “interaction”?
Enjoy and share!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3R8aoPyGyc
David Letterman interrupts the Today Show Please visit CBS.com for more great Letterman clips.
I vaguely remember seeing a clip of when Gumble was a guest on Letterman and Letterman spray-painted Gumbel’s ankles red. He deserved it, the pompous ass.
Pure Letterman! Thanks for my first several laughs of the day! 🙂
Nobody was doing what Dave was doing in the early days of his Late Night Show.