LATE SHOW NEWS by Aaron Barnhart January 27, 1997, Issue 140: Directing Dave: Hal Gurnee ... HBO re-ups Shandling, Miller ... Good night, Thalia! ------ NOTE: If you're not subscribed to the LATE SHOW NEWS e-mail list, now's the time. I'll be sending information out in February about LSN's Third Anniversary Great Graft Giveaway, and you won't want to miss it. Instructions on joining the LATE-SHOW-NEWS mailing list are at the end of this issue. ------ DIRECTING DAVE (Part 1) By Jim Windolf [Note: The following is an expanded version of a report that appears in the Jan. 27 edition of The New York Observer, of which Jim is deputy editor. -- Aaron] On the evening of Jan. 13, the Museum of Television & Radio in New York City sponsored "Directing Late Night," a seminar that included two men who have directed David Letterman: Jerry Foley, who has been "Late Show" director for the past two years, and to his left, Hal Gurnee, the legendary talk show director who proved cool enough to handle Jack Paar in the early '60s incarnation of "The Tonight Show" and who helped turn the talk show genre upside down as Letterman's man in the control booth from 1980 to 1995. When Gurnee (often referred to by the host as "racing legend Hal Gurnee") finally left Letterman's program, he handpicked Foley, a technical director at "Late Show," as his successor. On the dais at the Museum of Television & Radio seminar, Gurnee was robust, confident and frank. In describing how he came up with the ideas for the old "Late Night With David Letterman" inventions such as the Thrill-Cam, Guest-Cam and Monkey-Cam, Gurnee said he did it all to mock longtime ABC executive Roone Arledge and the "sky cam" he used for Monday night football. "Roone Arledge, who claims to have invented *everything,* spent a lot of money on the sky cam," Gurnee said. "It was a disaster. It was stupid." My overall impression is that Hal Gurnee simply had the right attitude for dealing with Letterman. Everything he said suggested he was happy to make things as easy as possible for Dave. He showed a clip of the "Late Night" appearance of Madonna and Sandra Bernhard from July, 1988, when the two were making their lesbian flirtation very public. Dressed in matching white t-shirts, they were going on and on without a break, and Dave was definitely in need of some help. Then the clip showed Gurnee's touch: Right in the middle of their blabbing, he inserted a cutaway show of Al Mahre standing by the stage door, looking absolutely puzzled. It got a big laugh ou;of the audience and made Madonna and Sandra shut up for a moment -- which gave Dave a chance to cut in and get back some semblance of control in the segment. "It was a way of helping Dave," said Gurnee. He added that having the crew on his side -- seemingly a big point for him -- allowed him to get the shot in the first place. "You have to have people out there who have an eye, who have a sensibility." Gurnee was asked more than once to describe especially difficult moments in running the show. He couldn't come up with any. Now it's possible that his memory has whitewashed his 15 years with Dave (it's not uncommon among t.v. people), but I don't think so. It just seems like he is not the kind of guy who gets rattled. Certainly his age and experience must have helped him. Gurnee had done so well by the early 1970s that he retired and moved to Ireland, and was only starting to feel the itch that made him finally return to the States when he met Letterman. (Gurnee said that he and Dave spent their whole lunch together talking about gardening, which Hal did a lot of during his time off; at the end of lunch Letterman said, "So, would you like to be my director?") The only "challenge" Gurnee could think of was dealing with the people at the Rockefeller Center Institute, who own the bit of tourist real estate surrounding the GE Building. Gurnee called them "a bunch of Nazis, really," for trying to get in the way of on-location video shoots for the show, like the one where "Dave" and "Paul" skate on the Rockefeller Center rink. Gurnee also reminisced a little about his time with Jack Paar. "Jack was temperamental, bright, uneducated" -- but he seemed to mean "self-educated" -- "and he's still a good friend of mine." He said he hadn't been with "Tonight" very long when, in 1960, Paar famously quit on stage. The night before that fatal show, NBC had interrupted a joke about a water closet with a seemingly gratuitous news break. The next day, Paar did not let on that he planned to quit. Then, when he walked on stage and seemed on the verge on his monologue he said, "There must be a better way to make a living." In the control room, at Gurnee's side, was a brand-new producer on his first day on the job. "We looked at each other in the control room," Gurnee said, "and the new producer looked at me and said, 'Well, I guess that's it.'" The papers went mad for the story. (As my editor Peter Kaplan told me, back then The New York Times all but ignored television -- with the exception of Jack Paar; when he walked, it made the front page of the Times.) A month later, as Gurnee tells it, Paar was back on the "Tonight" stage. He walked to the front and his opening line was: "Well, I looked around ..." Big laugh. [Next week: Jerry Foley.] READER MAIL A couple of you argued that Tommy Smothers, not Kevin Spacey, is the all-time champion Johnny Carson impersonator. A couple others wanted me to know that Elmer "Grant Tinker" Gorry was actually production manager of "Late Night with David Letterman," where he made his cameo appearances ... Jeff Sawyer thinks he knows the cure for Letterman's bad case of the on-air frumps. "Dave simply needs to put the weight back on. Speaking from personal experience, all the really funny people are at least 10 pounds over. Rosie, Jonathan Winters, Cosby, John Candy, W.C. Fields, Oliver Hardy, Don Rickles, Bob Newhart ... George Carlin is the exception, but he has a beard. Overweight people also appreciate cold rooms. Come on, Dave -- eat up and smile." BREAKING LATE NEWS Garry Shandling and Dennis Miller have both re-upped for new seasons with HBO. Fresh "Larry Sanders" eps won't appear till 1998, however, after the current batch runs out in February. Denny's deal covers 26 live shows plus two specials and being a corporate shill for Home Box Office ... Meanwhile reader Wendy Grossman has seen promos of an upcoming BBC sitcom that sounds suspiciously like yet another "Larry" ripoff ... "Politically Incorrect"'s ratings are stabilizing nicely, although contrary to ABC's shrill and unwanted p.r. pronouncements it's not exactly setting the world on fire. Of course, Letterman took off like a rocket when he switched networks, and he's still recovering ... Tom Heald spotted "Political Incorrections: The Best Opening Monologues from Politically Incorrect by Bill Maher," in the audiotape section of his local bookstore ... Thalia Assuras has been sprung from the graveyard shift on ABC's overnight "World News Now," where she has toiled off and on since 1993. She is joining the new CBS cable network, "Eye on People," as co-anchor of their topical nightly program, "Today's People." A screenshot of Thalia's sendoff Jan. 17 is at ... Manny the Hippie will remain in jail in Ohio on a probation charge at least through June. A judge denied him an early release ... For the 400 or so people who are still on Prodigy, there's an online chat with Letterman bassist Will Lee scheduled for Thursday at 10 Eastern ... And Jon Stewart going to read a book for William Morrow. Oh, I'm sorry -- Jon Stewart's going to *write* a book for William Morrow. Oversight on my part.  Tom Heald's THIS NIGHT IN HISTORY Mo 1/27: In 1918, "Skitch" Henderson is born (as Lyle Russell Cedric). Although hosts came and went, Henderson was a "Tonight Show" survivor for the better part of a decade (1954-57 and 1962-66) as the pianist/bandleader for Steve Allen and Johnny Carson. He now leads the New York Pops. Tu 1/28: In 1982, Tom Snyder's "Tomorrow Show" (at the time called "Tomorrow Coast To Coast") ends a 9-year run on NBC, canceled to make room for some Johnny-come-lately named David Letterman. We 1/29: In 1983, The McKenzie Brothers (Rick Moranis & Dave Thomas) leave "the Great White North" of "SCTV" for a day to tour New York City and host "Saturday Night Live." Th 1/30: In 1995, Kevin Eubanks officially succeeds Branford Marsalis as bandleader on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Fr 1/31: In 1985, "Night Heat" begins a six year run on "The CBS Late Movie." A rather routine cop show, "Night Heat" did feature Tony Rosato, a "Saturday Night Live" 1981-82 castmember. Sa 2/1: In 1982, "Late Night with David Letterman" premieres. Among the "Top Ten things overheard on our first show" (as presented in 1990, on the show's 8th anniversary) were, "It would be a shame if that band leader ever lost his magnificent head of hair," "Oh no! Not Kamarr the magician," and "You can't come here in here, Mr. Snyder, your show's been canceled." Su 1/2: In 1973, Burt Sugarman's Friday night concert series "The Midnight Special" debuts on NBC. VH1 has recently acquired 80 episodes of the show and plans to run them in 30- and 60-minute blocks each night beginning in April. [Thanks to Dave Tanny, Generalissimo Frank Serpas III. Special thanks to Donz5.] [In Vegas? Well then, Tom is scheduled to phone in an interview to some radio show called "Nate@Night" on 105.1 KVBC FM Friday, 1/31/97. Those without gambling addictions can e-mail their comments (or whatever) to Tom Heald at ] THE LINEUPS (with Sue Trowbridge) LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, CBS Mo 1/27 David Schwimmer, Carmen Electra, Sheryl Crow Tu 1/28 Tony Danza, Helena Bonham Carter, elderly cheerleaders the Sun City Poms We 1/29 Dan Rather, Jane Leeves, Tori Amos Th 1/30 Matthew Perry, Natasha Lyonne, Jewel Fr 1/31 Ray Romano, Ice Cube THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, NBC Mo 1/27 Drew Bledsoe, Linda Hamilton, Don McMillan, Carl Perkins and Dave Edmunds Tu 1/28 Mike Holmgren, Damon Wayans, Little Richard We 1/29 Kevin Spacey Th 1/30 Pierce Brosnan, Rod Stewart Fr 1/31 TBA The Tonight Show From Las Vegas: Mo 2/3 Tom Arnold Tu 2/4 Heather Locklear, John Leguizamo We 2/5 Chevy Chase, Wayne Newton Th 2/6 Dennis Rodman, Tracey Ullman Fr 2/7 Martin Short, Pat Boone LATE LATE SHOW WITH TOM SNYDER, CBS Mo 1/27 Robert Olin Butler Tu 1/28 Lou Holtz, radio host David Brudnoy We 1/29 Steve Guttenberg, Carl Perkins Th 1/30 Henry Grunwald Fr 1/31 Helena Bonham-Carter Mo 2/3 Bob Newhart Tu 2/4 Rhea Perlman We 2/5 Don Rickles Th 2/6 Adam Arkin LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN, NBC Mo 1/27 Repeat TBA Tu 1/28 R. Vel Johnson We 1/29 Suzanne Somers, Luscious Jackson Th 1/30 Malcolm McDowell Fr 1/31 Rodney Dangerfield, Presidents of the USA Mo 2/3 Repeat TBA Tu 2/4 Mary Tyler Moore, Billy Burr We 2/5 John Leguizamo, Rod Steiger, The Cardigans Th 2/6 Fran Drescher, Paul Lukas Fr 2/7 Pierce Brosnan, Ed Asner POLITICALLY INCORRECT WITH BILL MAHER, ABC Mo 1/27 Fyvush Finkel, Harlan Ellison, Star Parker, Rhea Perlman Tu 1/28 Meat Loaf We 1/29 Ralph Nader, Jimmie Walker, Stefanie Powers Th 1/30 Werner Klemperer, Drew Carey, Robert Kennedy, Jr., Georgette Mosbacher Fr 1/31 Heather Higgins, Dick Morris, Garry Shandling, Justine Bateman Remember, Garry -- Dick Morris before he dicks you! THE DAILY SHOW, Comedy Central Mo 1/27 Vondie Hall Curtis Tu 1/28 Christopher Guest We 1/29 Jonathan Silverman (and "God Stuff") Th 1/30 Rodney Dangerfield LATER, NBC Mo 1/27 Tommy Davidson with guest TBA Tu 1/28 Tommy Davidson with Steve Guttenberg We 1/29 Tommy Davidson with guest TBA Th 1/30 Tommy Davidson with guest TBA CHARLIE ROSE, PBS Mo 1/27 David Bar-Ilan, Southern political roundtable Tu 1/28 Elmore Leonard, Jacqueline Bisset We 1/29 Isaac Stern, ex-Sen. Alan Simpson Th 1/30 Winona Ryder Fr 1/31 Jim Lehrer, Diana Vreeland roundtable LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN RERUNS, CNBC Mo 1/27 Dana Carvey, Garry Marshall (R 10/31/96) Tu 1/28 Molly Shannon, Scott Thompson, Barenaked Ladies (R 12/31/96) We 1/29 Robert Pastorelli, Louis C. K., Tracy Nelson (R 1/1/97) Th 1/30 Jim Fowler, Colin Quinn, Fountains of Wayne (R 1/2/97) Fr 1/31 Janeane Garofalo, Don King, gourmet Emeril Lagasse (R 1/3/97) SPACE GHOST COAST TO COAST, Cartoon Network Fr 1/31 David Byrne and Donny Osmond (R) Spacey has returned to Friday nights, with repeats on Saturdays. THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW, HBO We 1/29 Lori Loughlin, John Stamos, Butthole Surfers Larry thinks Lori Loughlin is stealing from him and Hank falls for a woman with a child. DENNIS MILLER LIVE, HBO Fr 1/31 ? (repeat or hiatus) Fr 2/7 Chevy Chase (discussing white people) HOWARD STERN, E! Mo 1/27 What's My Color?, Gary's Domestic Nightmare Tu 1/28 Kato Kaelin (I), Jay Leno (I) We 1/29 Kato Kaelin (II), Jay Leno (II) Th 1/30 Micro Matt, Grillo's Play Fr 1/31 Monica Shows Implants, Corky SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, Comedy Central Mo 1/27 John Lithgow / Anita Baker Karen Black / Cheap Trick & Stanley Clarke ... and some other oldies. Also on late nights: NIGHTLINE, ABC CHARLES GRODIN, CNBC CARSON'S COMEDY CLASSICS, Family Channel MAD TV, Fox SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, NBC ====================================================== AARON BARNHART IN THE KANSAS CITY STAR This week: ... "Telling '2000' stories" (show review) In the archive: ... "CBS claims it's happy courting older viewers, buuuut ..." (feature) ... Arsenio Hall returns to the tube (news story) ... Overheard at the TV critics' tour in Pasadena ... "Tuning in to digital TV" (hyperlinked page-one feature) How to find my articles in the Star archive: (1) Go to . (2) Under the "Additional search criteria" heading, type Aaron Barnhart in the "AUTHOR" entry blank. (3) If you're looking for a specific story from the list above, try typing a word from the headline into the top entry blank. (4) Click the Search button. (5) When your search results are returned, you can view the stories by clicking on the button that looks like a tiny newspaper. Currently the Star Library is not friendly to plain jane Web browsers like Lynx. ====================================================== Entire contents Copyright 1997 by Aaron Barnhart. All rights reserved. Distributed by e-mail and BBS to over 10,000 readers weekly. Late Show News is made possible with the generous assistance of ECHO, New York City's premiere online service. Send news for and comments about this newsletter to aaron@tvbarn.com