Good Morning, Dave: Fri, 9/12/80

This episode, mere days after the Christmas episode, seems as close to a "typical" episode as anything.  But things seem a bit askew in the beginning when Dave maybe walks out a beat too early, considers doing it again, realizes he can't, and then walks out anyway.

The audience does or doesn't recognize this, and gives him an enthusiastic welcome.

"We have a keen show for you this morning.  Do you know anyone who uses the word keen?"  (The audience applauds)  "No, you don't, you're hoping to win prizes."  These are his people.  Edwin Newman will saunter down from the news department to discuss the '80 election, book authors on the 2 paycheck family (this is daytime, remember), and Dave teases a musical surprise for later in the show.

Dave also mentions that next week begins a contest: have The David Letterman Show in your own home.  (You'll see this in later dates).  But the end of the week (as it was on Late Night) is time for viewer mail.  Among the letters: a request of a replay of a Stupid Pet Trick of a dog playing piano, and a replay of what might be the most famous moment: the end of Sam & Betty Cottonoff's anniversary party, where the sparklers set the confetti on fire.

This clip also made it to the last episode of Jon Stewart's talk show. and to be honest not only was I surprised on the lack of morning show clips up to Dave's retirement, I was especially surprised this didn't make it in somewhere.

By mid-September, there were no scheduled debates for president in what, at the time, was very much a 3 man race of Reagan/Carter/Anderson.  Edwin and Dave talk on why it's a big deal, and what's delaying it.  It's interesting to see this segment after comedy, especially since it comes across as 2 people talking politics, and with dry wit to match.

Next, Dave takes a tour of street food vendors, "A restaurant row for people who like to eat dangerously."  As the camera tilts down from the top of the skyscrapers Dave says, to an ice cream vendor's face "That's one of the high points along 6th avenue, and one of the low points of 6th avenue...so to speak."  Next, a visit to a man selling "perfect lemonade" who is, essentially, shirtless.

Further down the road, knishes (which Dave calls "a wallet filled with mashed potatoes"), and "a man is selling what he euphemistically refers to as 'hamburgers."  He then stops along Rich Hall, one of the regulars, selling "generic meat, for people who know they need meat in their diet, but aren't particular about what kind."

After a brief segment on  how to get to Willard Scott's house (with some family photos that shows how tough it was before Photoshop), Dave interviews Margorie & Morton Shaevitz on the 2 paycheck family.  While it might seem typical for 1980, many folks had grown up in the "traditional" structure.  It's a fairly standard interview except for this moment:

Margorie: Mothers stayed home, and they took care of the kinds of things like washing, cleaning, ironing, kids, the grocery man who didn't show up, or the linoleum man who did, but now...
(audience holding back laughter)
Dave: I think you rang a bell with linoleum there.
(audience free to laugh now)
Margorie: I wonder what the significance of that is?
Dave: I don't know, I think there's an old, cheap, ugly joke involved.

But after Edwin's news update, we're on to the main event: the big musical surprise.  The late Paul Raley, one of the writers and original member of "The David Letterman Family of the Air" comes out and, well...

This video comes from Harve Mann's own page.  Thank you, Harve!  What a pleasant way to start a weekend!