The Letterman Wit: His Life and Humor - Softcover

Adler, Bill

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0786702109 ISBN 13: 9780786702107

Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub, 1994

Synopsis

A humorous look at the life of the popular talk-show host follows the ups and downs of Letterman's show business career, combining personal anecdotes, the revelations of friends and colleagues, and Letterman's own humorous observations. 50,000 first printing.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly

Ratings show that Letterman is the most watched talk-show host on late-night television; here Adler ( The Kennedy Wit ) chronicles his rise to the top, from an Indianapolis boyhood to inheriting the mantle, if not the show, of his hero Johnny Carson. Apparently, Letterman's self-deprecating, ironic, sometimes caustic wit was slow to develop: as a youth he played "pranks"--a less sympathetic observer might call them humorless practical jokes--and had a fondness for the zany, as in his later "Stupid Pet Tricks." He began to work in radio during college, appeared on various stations in the Midwest, went to New York City and then to L.A., where he learned that he had no great future as a stand-up comic. He returned to New York City and his first big show premiered in 1982, scoring high. It was galling to Letterman when Carson retired and he was not offered the Tonight Show . As a result, he broke with NBC and signed with CBS. While shedding little light on its subject, the book will attract readers with its humor.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

David Letterman gets the star-bio treatment. Though not a Late Night fans' coffee-table book, it contains plenty of anecdotes and highlights, including excerpts from Letterman's favorite top 10 lists and the real reason behind his switch to wearing suits "like a grown-up" on his new CBS show. As for press accounts in the recent past of Letterman's feuds with Arsenio Hall, Jay Leno, and Bryant Gumbel, there are fleeting but revealing passages about each. Letterman's problems with Margaret Ray, the woman who has repeatedly gained access to his house and persists in portraying herself as Dave's wife, are given fuller treatment--a whole chapter, in fact. Mainly, though, this is a biography of Letterman the person. Neither deep nor superficial, it's an interesting, pleasant read about a notable entertainer and his climb to stardom. Mike Tribby

Edition details

• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0786702109
• ISBN 13: 9780786702107
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 157