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Last night, CBS aired the final Late Show with David Letterman...a bittersweet moment for sure as many of us remember fondly the Late Show as well as NBC's Late Night with David Letterman and before that, the short lived, ill-fated David Letterman (morning) show also on NBC. I was a huge fan, less so now...not so much because of his obvious left leaning political bent of late, but because he strayed from the path of comedy for what appeared to be a quote-unquote, message.


When he started in late night back on February 1, 1982, I wrote a review for my college newspaper and admitted my bias, but I also carefully documented what I believed were attributes Letterman possessed which would propel him to stardom...and ultimately what late night television might hold for this weird former TV weatherman from Indiana. I was well aware of Letterman from the stand-up circuit and (even) his brief stint as a regular on the summer replacement series, the Mary Tyler Moore Variety Show earlier that decade.


Letterman's message toward the end, I believe, was that he believed the world was unfair and by golly, he was going to expose those he felt responsible. Many, including Letterman himself, say he was a victim of the internet age and had an inability to "connect with the kids," as Jimmy Fallon and to a lesser extent Jimmy Kimmel have excelled. Even the recently retired Jon Stewart as well as Stephen Colbert (Letterman's replacement scheduled to take over later this year) were able to form a strong bond with the audience which had eluded Letterman. But no, technology never slowed Johnny Carson.


There were also some who believed Letterman became so bitter after losing Carson's Tonight Show to Jay Leno that he went the curmudgeon route as a defense mechanism...again, not so...Letterman remained brilliant for years, even when he was routinely losing in the ratings to the more popular, Leno. No, it appeared Letterman soon became more concerned with pleasing the social and political elite in this country, often the very same people he used to mock in his former NBC (Late Night) show.


Many of Letterman's routines, while closely resembling bits aired earlier on Your Show of Shows with Sid Caesar or the original Tonight Show with Steve Allen, became cult classics. Although oft-times straying from straight comedy to more "message-oriented" humor, many of these routines remained strong through the end. Obviously the most popular was the Top 10 list...a bit that allowed Letterman to simultaneously get laughs AND promote his message. As a tribute...the Top 10 things I noticed about the Letterman finale...


#10...not to worry, Dave, unless Colbert takes his buffoonish O'Reilly character with him, your legacy is secure...


 #9...you led off the show with a string a presidents, your "all-star" Top 10 had some big names, your wife and son even appeared, but the "studio audience was devoid of special guests...


 #8...I understand being a liberal, you can surround yourself with other like minded (uh, white) folks without incurring media scrutiny (see Jon Stewart), but still...


 #7...they say your finale had the "biggest audience for a Late Show" since 1994...what happened between then and now...


 #6...the "World's Most Dangerous Band," and their leader Paul Shaffer, although they received a brief mention or two, deserved a much more featured role in the finale...


 #5...well, Dave, as Terry Bradshaw might say to Frank Caliendo doing an impression of you, "not funny, Dave, not funny."


 #4...very, very happy to see Biff Henderson...


 #3...where was Chris Elliott?


 #2...really? Foo Fighters? Well, since they cancelled a tour once to appear on your show...


and the #1 thing I noticed about the Letterman finale...


I wasn't on it...bummer...thanks for the laughs Dave...