Bibliograph

Letterman, the last giant of late night, Jason Zinoman

Type

Label

Letterman, the last giant of late night, Jason Zinoman

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references (pages 305-327) and index

resource.biographical

individual biography

Illustrations

illustrations

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Letterman

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

952206999

Responsibility statement

Jason Zinoman

Sub title

the last giant of late night

Summary

In a career spanning more than thirty years, Letterman redefined the modern talk show with an ironic comic style that transcended traditional television. Yet he is a remote, even reclusive, figure whose career is widely misunderstood. Zinoman goes behind the scenes of Letterman's television career to illuminate the origins of his revolutionary comedy, its overlooked influences, and how his work intersects with and reveals his famously eccentric personality

Table Of Contents

Part I: Education of a talk-show host, 1947-1979 -- Shock jock -- When David met Merrill -- Part II: The anti-talk show, 1980-1984 -- The art of stupid -- Not tonight -- The Harvard takeover -- Part III: The archangel of irony, 1984-1987 -- The founding fathers of late night -- The writer under the stairs -- The Letterman generation -- The two Daves -- Part IV: Writer's block, 1988-1993 -- Comedy is not pretty! -- Meg and Mom -- Part V: The very big show, 1993-2015 -- The agony of victory -- The Oscar myth -- Hinky -- More fun than humans should be allowed to have

Classification