Bumped

Jay Leno: Unlimited

Back in 1992, NBC offered David Letterman his own prime time show in an effort to keep the star after bestowing The Tonight Show upon Jay Leno. It could’ve been The David Letterman Show, weeknights at 10 p.m. 17 years ago. But Letterman didn’t want prime time, he wanted Johnny’s time. He wanted 11:30. So when Dave cracks on Jay’s new TV Guide grid box nowadays, he’s cracking on Jay’s dubious commitment to the tradition of late night television. It’s a joke, but he’s seriously disappointed.

Around the same time NBC big wigs tried to give Dave his own 10 o’clock show in the early ’90s, a network affiliate in Waterloo, Iowa wanted to give Jay his own prime time spot thanks to promising early Tonight Show ratings. But the Iowa bumpkin wasn’t even factoring in Letterman—he just wanted to run Jay’s Tonight Show twice each night to save some cash. And that’s the difference, isn’t it? When NBC attempted to bump Letterman up, they wanted to save money, sure—but they also wanted to keep a genius in the ranks. When the Waterloo station manager suggested putting Jay on during peak hours and at 11:30, he was just being lazy. The Jay Leno Show makes sense if you’re trying to suck cash out of an uncertain medium. Still, it’s a white flag and it’s tremendously disheartening for anyone who still has hope in late night talk shows. That many couches in a row, five nights a week is too much. It’s self-cannibalizing, diluting. It’s a quick fix for a genre that’s all about longevity. Nobody expects Ben Silverman to think ahead. Jay Leno, though? Has he learned nothing?

Leno is a striver. For pretty much every comedian on earth, hosting The Tonight Show would be good enough. Not Jay. He’s a worker who mistakes tenacity for excellence; he’s never the best but, boy, can you see the sweat on his brow. Granted, he’s led in the ratings for 14 years now, but a legacy isn’t defined by a couple tenths lead in the 18-49’s. Letterman’s got the legacy down, especially if he can make it to Johnny’s 30 year mark. Leno’s got little legacy to speak of, so this seems like a desperate move to define something—to be somebody. Ultimately: pitiful. Carson-era Tonight Show producer Peter Lassally once described Leno as a “limited talent.” That assessment still holds true in 2009. Limited act; unlimited space.

[Further reading: “How Leno Won. Again.” The Daily Beast, “Leno Discusses His Prime Time Plans,” The New York Times]

Andy Kaufman was bumped once. Sorta. June 23, 1980; The David Letterman Show. Andy strolls onto the sunrise set with big eyes, launching into what felt like just another talk show story. But this talk show story is about sleeping on fire escapes for fun. Unusual, yet strangely believable. Then, after about a minute of ridiculous set-up, Dave cuts him off. “Perhaps Andy Kaufman will be back here tomorrow,” offers the host, straight. The next day, Andy came back.

Andy Kaufman’s June 24, 1980, appearance on The David Letterman Show is something to aspire to. A masterpiece of the form. Every person who dares to sit in a talk show seat should watch it at least once. Sticking with the previous day’s aborted homeless schtick, Andy comes out dazed. Fluid leaks from a nostril. He’s been sleeping on fire escapes, after all. A minute and thirty-two seconds go by before he attempts a full sentence. A minute and thirty-two seconds. Dave vamps, Andy squints, the audience loses it.

Bumped is about the five minute late night showcase. The opportunity for ridiculousness. The opportunity for around-the-fire storytelling. The opportunity for a glimpse. These small spotlights give famous people the chance to entertain in a unique way. Bumped hopes they take that chance.

Andy Kaufman [The David Letterman Show, 06.24.80]