Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, August 30, 1993 TAG: 9308280112
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FRAZIER MOORE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
Every Letterman devotee will be watching tonight as NBC rebroadcasts the very first edition of "Late Night with David Letterman." Originally aired Feb. 1, 1982, this precious artifact will be on display in Dave's old slot at 12:35 a.m.
Oh, yeah: Also tonight, CBS unveils "Late Show with David Letterman." This means CBS is finally making good on its relentless "Same Dave, better time, new station" campaign the network launched when Letterman jumped from NBC in June.
With guests Bill Murray and Billy Joel, the "Late Show" premiere starts at 11:35 p.m. In this long-awaited faceoff, Dave goes up against NBC's "Tonight Show" with host Jay Leno, who will welcome as his guests country singer Garth Brooks and "Beverly Hills 90210" heartthrob Luke Perry.
Or maybe you heard.
But despite what CBS says, WILL this be the same Dave you've known and loved on "Late Night" since 1982? Everyone - well, almost everyone - changes and grows over time. Hasn't Letterman evolved, too?
Lettermaniacs conducting comparative analysis tonight between Dave Now and Then will learn for themselves. And they may discover the big difference can be summed up in two words: Dave's cigar.
What will you see on NBC's "Late Night" rerun?
You'll see preternaturally odd Larry "Bud" Melman kicking off the hour with "a word of friendly warning" about Letterman, "a man of science who sought to create a show after his own image, without reckoning upon God."
You'll see "Shame of the City," a recurring feature where Letterman exposes New York's sordid underbelly. In this first outing, he boldly uncovers urban blight in the form of a Manhattan deli sign with not one, but two misspelled words.
You'll also see guest Bill Murray (yeah, the same Bill Murray) perform that aerobics favorite "Let's Get Physical."
You'll see a Brooklyn man recite from memory dialogue from a Bela Lugosi film.
What you won't see is a cigar.
Dave fidgets with some pencils.
But there's no cigar.
"I think the viewers are going to be amazed at how he's changed over the years," Dave's executive producer, Peter Lassally, said last week. "It's a completely different persona. Then, he was a homespun philosopher. Now he's tough, just bristling with energy."
Like the man said: Dave's cigar.
It was unknown on Friday whether Letterman would smoke a cigar tonight on "Late Show," since the program is recorded just hours before airing.
But let the record show that on Dave's REAL first hour for CBS - a run-through taped last Wednesday that may or may not eventually air - he puffed half a stogie.
So what's the deal with those cigars? Letterman was asked recently.
"There's no getting around it, it is a nasty habit," he told The Associated Press. "I would not try to defend it. But sometimes if you get a nice cigar and you're by yourself and nobody's screaming at you to put it out, it can be like a short vacation."
Whether or not in Dave's lexicon "by yourself" includes sitting at a desk hosting a late-night talk show for an adoring audience of millions, the latter-day Letterman does light up when he's on the air. And band leader Paul Shaffer has never screamed at him to put it out.
So it doesn't take much imagination to see that a cigar for Letterman symbolizes his hard-won stature in the TV world. That cigar stands for confidence, command, potency. Night after night.
Sure, Dr. Freud, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Or even just a short vacation. But sometimes it's much more: the nasty habit of a talk show host at the height of his powers.
Look for that cigar on "Late Show" tonight.
by CNB