In the spirit of Halloween, we thought we'd share with you three tricks and one treat from the king of late night, David Letterman. By that we mean three moments from the Late Show and Late Night that turned out to be tricks. You know, a bit of a gag, not so real, totally false.
And then we have one treat. Well, treat for Dave anyway. And just as surprising and shocking as the tricks that were played by Letterman and his friends.
Crispin Glover Knows How to Kick
So was actor Crispin Glover overly anxious when he appeared on Late Night with David Letterman in July 1987? Or was he drug-fueled and out of control? Or was it just a comedy bit gone horribly wrong?
Whatever the answer, Glover's appearance will go down in history as one of the scariest moments in talk show history. After a short interview with Letterman that, at best, was incoherent, Glover dives into a rant about the L.A. press (with quotes like "I knew this was going to happen. And I can tell you because the press - they can do things, they can twist things around.") before challenging Letterman to arm wrestle.
After Letterman refuses, Glover stands - he's dressed in a wig and platform shoes, by the way - and shows Letterman that he can kick by throwing his leg in the air over Letterman's desk. In response, Letterman bolts, Glover sits and the show goes to commercial. When the show returns, Glover is gone and Letterman is visibly upset with the encounter.
In a 2003 Time magazine article, Glover explains that the incident was nothing more than a "Andy Kaufman-esque gag" meant to "bring art everywhere." (And no fear, he's been back on the show several times since.)
Watch the video here.
Richard Simmons' Steamer Explodes
You don't hear about this Late Show appearance too often. But back in 2006, exercise guru Richard Simmons appeared on the talk show to tout a new vegetable steamer - and in the process of demonstrating the new tool, things went terribly wrong.
Or so it would seem.
As Simmons explains how the steamer will work, steam begins to billow out of the appliance. And then, quite suddenly, a burst of flame kicks into the air and sends Simmons running away from the set.
Obviously a set up by the crew, the flash gives Simmons a true start - as well as half the audience. Letterman, the merry prankster, is left laughing behind his desk.
Watch the video here.
Joaquin Phoenix Falls Apart
In February 2009, actor Joaquin Phoenix turned up on Letterman sporting a wild mountain man beard, an unkempt mane of greasy hair and a pair of dark sunglasses (nice suit, though). Letterman did his best to interview the young actor, but it seems all for nothing.
Phoenix mumbles his way through the interview, stumbling on his words, telling Letterman he's making him feel uncomfortable about his appearance and offering little context for much of thoughts. It's obvious that Letterman is just as uncomfortable.
The interview ends with Phoenix standing up and lazily departing, almost going the wrong way. Letterman tells the audience he owes Farrah Fawcett an apology (referring to a similar mumbling interview several years before).
But the joke's on us, it turns out. Phoenix was in the process of shooting a film titled I'm Still Here, in which he plays a self-destructing actor (named, appropriately enough, Joaquin Phoenix). The mockumentary made headlines when it was released. And Late Show fans soon learned that Letterman was allegedly in on the joke during the appearance.
In an Associated Press report, Late Show writer Bill Scheft said, "Dave knew about it and Dave loved it because he could play along." In fact, Scheft claims to have written the line "I think I owe Farrah Fawcett an apology." Watch the interview here.
Drew Barrymore Delivers the Goods
It was a singular moment in time. It was 1995 and actress Drew Barrymore appeared on Late Night to talk about her latest work - and chat about birthdays. After all, Barrymore had recently celebrated one and tonight was Letterman's birthday (or close to it).
As the interview comes to close, Barrymore asks if she can give Dave a gift. Letterman balks, but Barrymore quickly turns and asks band leader Paul Schaffer to strike up a saucy tune.
Barrymore then proceeds to step up on to Letterman's desk, where she slips into a sexy dance. Then, out of nowhere and certainly unplanned, Barrymore lifts her blue sweater and flashes Letterman.
Letterman is truly dumbstruck. Not sure what to say or do, he remains silent while Barrymore quickly bends down to give him a sweet kiss and assure him that it was nothing more than a spur of the moment thing.
Nearly a decade later, on his 60th birthday, Barrymore would return to the Late Show and Letterman would make a request for a repeat performance. Barrymore, blushing, declined.
Watch the moment here.
