Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 31, 1993 TAG: 9307310288
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: S-11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ERIC MINK NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
On Aug. 30 at 11:30 p.m., CBS premieres "Late Show With David Letterman," to which the host will bring his award-winning writing staff, his ace band and his skewed comic sensibilities but not the copyrighted regular characters and bits owned by NBC.
This bunch will be looking to prove that NBC made a big mistake by not anointing Letterman the successor to Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" instead of Jay Leno.
On Sept. 7 at 11 p.m., Fox makes another stab at late-night with "The Chevy Chase Show." (Remember Joan Rivers' abortive late-night talk show, which launched the Fox network in 1986, and the "Wilton-North Report," which almost killed it a year later?)
In Fox' latest effort, comic actor Chase will try to adapt his successful Jerry Lewis style - making faces and falling down - to the talk-show format.
On Sept. 13 at 12:35 a.m., NBC unveils "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," the replacement for Letterman's old show, starring former "Saturday Night Live" and "Simpsons" writer Conan O'Brien with the backing of "SNL" executive producer Lorne Michaels.
Some 150 of the nation's television critics, arguably the toughest TV audience in the country, got a telling preview of that battle recently in separate sessions with each of the stars here in Los Angeles.
Letterman emerged as the clear victor, appearing at ease, responsive, congenial and, most important of all, extremely funny. He tailored his lightning-fast ad libs to the room, but his style and presence were entirely consistent with his established TV persona.
Letterman delighted the crowd by making fun of his new employer - "CBS for the last 15 or so years has been signing off around noon" - and happily firing barbs at the assembled writers.
When a reporter for People magazine, for example, asked if he would be buttoning his double-breasted sports jacket on the new show, Letterman shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is why People magazine is the greatest journalistic institution in the world today! A tip of the hat to you, sir! Thank God somebody has the guts to come up here and ask the tough questions! God bless you! The Pulitzers are rolling over in their graves!"
He noted with mock excitement a reporter's loud sports coat - "So you won the Masters! Congratulations! Fuzzy Zoeller, ladies and gentlemen!" - and he gently ribbed the New York Daily News' Kay Gardella for asking more than one question: "Now this is three, Kay, if we call on you now. It'll be three, OK?"
And Letterman swiftly turned around a question about his past reluctance to meet with the press. "I've been reluctant to meet thepress? Well, maybe it's (because of) snotty questions like that, pal! There! There he is! GET HIM!"
Letterman also scored major points by extending the Q&A past the network's deadline and often offering serious answers after the jokes.
Leno, in sharp contrast, seemed ill at ease and somewhat defensive in his meeting with reporters. His opening duel with a Boston Herald critic generated nervous laughter as a clearly irritated Leno used harsh sarcasm to try to settle an old score with the paper. It stemmed from a conflict that arose after Leno's disastrous live broadcast the night of the "Cheers" finale.
Leno got back on track later in the session, engaging in some good-natured kidding with writers. But he lost more ground with his terse and surprisingly icy replies to questions about his controversial former manager and executive producer, Helen Kushnick.
Bottom line: Leno's long-standing image as the nice, unflappable guy who just does his job and disregards the chaos around him seemed a little tarnished this time around.
O'Brien's meeting with the press offered some evidence of his subtle, dry wit but little insight into his personality. He came across as nervous and a little shy, and the big question - does he have the ability to host a successful late-night talk show? - remained as unanswerable as it was before he took the stage.
Chase's press conference left several TV writers unimpressed. "I thought he was a bit cocky," said Janis Froelich, TV critic for the Des Moines Register.
R.D. Heldenfels of the Schenectady Daily Gazette said Chase was "pleasant enough" but didn't think the comic advanced his cause. "I don't think he raised any new doubts, but he didn't dispel any old ones."
And Claire Bickley, TV critic for the Toronto Sun, was distinctly unimpressed with Chase's performance. "I thought he was OK," she said. "But he just seemed kind of grumpy and sour. I found him really unlikeable, not very funny and snapping at people. I hope he's a lot nicer to his guests. I don't know if he has the potential to be funny without a script."
Chase, it seems, has a long way to go.
by CNB