Fri, August 6, 2004
"Don't cancel Once and Again!"—11:22 PM
This Thursday night, The Late Show with David Letterman bid a fond farewell to retiring writer and long-time colleague Gerard Mulligan. Woe be I, the world-weary time-shifting TiVophile, eternally behind the times and out of the loop. I wouldn't have found out for another whole week if I hadn't happened to catch the synopsis on my way to a Seinfeld rerun.
I'll miss Gerry Mulligan. I'll miss his flinty-eyed smile and his salt-and-pepper beard. Where Seinfeld is a comedy engineer and Norm MacDonald is a comedy alchemist, Mulligan is like a late-career comedy pharmacist – experienced enough to know what goes with what, even if he's not particularly proud of the combination. (I guess that makes Letterman the kid goofing off in the back of comedy shop class.) I'm reminded of this passage from Marshall Sella's exploration of comedy's impact on our last presidential election. Mulligan and the reporter are talking about how political figures are fitted into comedic archetypes by writers and late-night hosts:
Just then, a writer popped his head around the door to mention a news item of the day; he was wondering which way to go with it. Mulligan rolled his eyes. "Add the word intern and we're home."
This, of course, is the house joke: the staff has been sick of Monica jokes for ages. "Interns still kill," Mulligan said in the jargon, "and it's a shame."
It's hard to say whether Mulligan's writing will be specifically missed, but I'll really miss his appearances on the show, pretending to be dressed up as various figures ranging from politics (Janet Reno) to world events (Hussein) to nature ("Gerry the Cicada"). He was such a hoot. Thankfully, many of these appearances (and quite a few from the years before my viewership) were recapped in a commemorative video montage on Thursday's episode. I was delighted to see that my favorite moment – the Raëlian house party in which Gerry played every part – was lovingly featured. Now, the show is in the chubby hands of the Brothers Stangel; we'll see how they do on their own.
Brandon — Sat, 8/7/04 2:18am
Mulligan's long been a favorite of mine, and I was both glad that I caught his farewell and sad to seem him go. I wonder if his absence will be felt in terms of the show's overall comedy quality (apart from his appearances, which of course will be a great loss).
It also got me thinking about when Dave will retire. My best guess is 5-7 years from now, but honestly, I can just as easily see him leaving sooner or staying longer. He seems like a "go out while I'm still near the top of my game" kinda guy, but at the same time, he doesn't strike me as someone who might easily embrace retirement the way Johnny Carson has.
But talk about a sad day... that one's gonna take a chunk out of me when it comes. I can remember watching Dave as far back as 1985. His retirement is going to make me feel old in a way few other things have.
(Also - in reference to the "Don't cancel Once & Again" line - anybody else in the camp that "Once & Again" was a great, highly underrated show that ABC completely bungled, or am I alone on that one? Well, not completely alone; my wife Christi loved it too.)
Bee Boy — Sun, 8/8/04 7:06pm
Not just old, but lost. I've given thought to Dave stepping down as well – he tends to bring it up every once and again – and it will indeed be eerie. I didn't know Johnny well enough to feel his departure too deeply, but a world without Dave will just seem unfamiliar.
There's also the question of who steps in. When Johnny left, Jay took over, but Dave's Late Show started brand new. Who will fill Dave's chair when he goes? Kilborn? Ellen? Or will CBS just shutter the theatre and get back out of late night talk?
"michwagn" — Sun, 8/8/04 8:22pm
Would Jon Stewart want The Late Show? Or maybe Chris Rock would be interested in trying to find a way to make that work. I don't want to think of a late night world without Dave. You know? I think Seinfeld could really shine in that kind of format, I think he'd be a really interesting interviewer - he's got more money than God, he is very aware of how Hollywood works and he got to do whatever he wanted in spite of it. But he can't be that much younger than Dave. Maybe they could lure Conan...?
Or, CBS could just have a loop of Natalie Portman just doing stuff, watching TV, weeding the garden, etc.
Bee Boy — Mon, 8/9/04 12:05am
Now that I'd watch!
I really hope Stewart wouldn't be tempted into that slot. As much as I love him, he can only do what he does in the sort of "rogue" outsider context that cable affords. Comedy Central may not be the ultimate and final headquarters for his best stuff – perhaps HBO – but a major network would impose too many concerns of liability and censoring.
(By the way, Dave's got about 7 years on Seinfeld – give or take a couple weeks. Which is a lifetime in TV.)
Brandon — Wed, 8/25/04 2:14am
Okay, Gerard Mulligan retired and then Dave took a two-week vacation. Now he's finally back on, and as I was watching Dave wincing and groaning multiple times during a lousy multiple choice Olympic bit and an outright crappy Top 10 list with the U.S. women's softball team tonight, my thoughts returned to this entry and the concerns over Gerry's absence.
Now granted, it's only one night, and the multiple choice bit and the Top Ten list have both been showing their age for quite some time, and the guest Top 10 lists are always hit and miss, so I'm not about to declare the Stangel brothers incompetent. Let's hope this was just an off night.
Brandon — Thu, 8/26/04 2:02am
Okay, another underwhelming night of comedy. Is anyone else seeing a noticeable drop-off in quality, or am I just nuts?
Bee Boy — Thu, 8/26/04 1:33pm
Sadly, the TiVo surgery forced me to say goodbye to the last few weeks of Letterman without watching them, so I can't confirm at this point. Is Paul still out? Because the Paul-based banter has been more and more integral to the comedy in the last two years or so.
Brandon — Thu, 8/26/04 2:15pm
The new shows just started back up on Monday, so you've only missed three nights (which is why I'm trying not to overreact, though maybe I've already failed at that). Paul is back, and they've been bantering, but it hasn't been enough to salvage things.
Anonymous Coward — Sun, 3/26/06 2:43pm
Gerard, a former school teacher, felt like the luckiest guy in the world writing for Dave. If he exuded an "I don't care if you get it" attitude, it's because he didn't. His close relationship with Dave insured his not having to go back to teaching and a teachers salary and he was just as happy as a guy who found a million bucks could be.