David Letterman's Top Ten Memorable Moments in Late Night Television

All hail the very first Top Ten list: "The Top Ten Things That Almost Rhyme With Peas". It debuted on September 10, 1985, and has become a Letterman institution.

So isn't it apropriate to commemorate Dave's 25 years in late night television with the "Top Ten Most Memorable Moments from Late Night and the Late Show"?

I thought so, too. Though I qualify this list as my personal list. There are certainly dozens and dozens of memorable moments – and I encourage you to talk about your own in the forum!

David Letterman, a "born broadcaster" according to his 1991 Peabody Award, failed as a daytime talk show on NBC. His The David Letterman Show was a bit quirky for the morning and never delivered fantastic ratings. But when the comic turned to late night television, all that changed.

On February 1, 1982, Late Night with David Letterman debuted at 12:30 a.m. on NBC, right after The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. There it would develop, at first, a college-age cult following, and then, a solid viewer base. One that seemed to assure Letterman's spot behind Carson's desk after his retirement.

It didn't happen.

And in a series of moves that inspired both a book and a made-for-TV movie, Letterman decided to leave Late Night and NBC. His final show, which included a surprise appearance by Bruce Springsteen, who belted out "Glory Days", was on June 25, 1993.

A little less than a month and a half after leaving NBC, Letterman launched the Late Show with David Letterman on CBS August 10, 1993. As it is today, the show was broadcast from The Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City. Letterman's first guest was the same first guest he welcomed in 1982: comedian Bill Murray.

Letterman brought along all his old co-stars, crew and friends – and said goodbye to such "intellectual property" as Viewer Mail and Larry "Bud" Melman. (They reappeared as The CBS Mailbag and Calvert DeForest, the real name of the actor who portrayed Melman).

It's a Late Night and Late Show tradition: Stupid Pet Tricks. The act actually debuted on The David Letterman Show. It was one of the few = if not the only - acts Letterman brought to late night from his morning show. It also spawned the often quoted qualifier: "Remember, this is not a competition, it is only an exhibition -- please, no wagering."

One actor stands out as a Late Night break-out star: Chris Elliot. Elliot appeared for many years on Dave's show, performing all manner of skits. The most memorable for me, personally? His testing the difference between two cooking oils by chugging the bottles. Eeeyuk!

For others, it's most likely to be his cadre of characters: "The Regulator Guy", a parody of the Mad Max series of films; "The Fugitive Guy", a parody of the TV series, The Fugitive, and his popular "The Guy Under the Seats", in which Elliot would pop up to answer - incorrectly - a question from Dave.

Guests often create the most memorable moments, and three women stand out among that crowd: Madonna, Cher and Drew Barrymore.

Madonna has been friend and nemesis to Letterman, and showed off the latter during a 1994 appearance. She brought along her potty mouth and swore a dozen times during the show - an absolute no-no. Letterman cut to commercial when it was obvious the antics didn't stop. When the show returned, Madonna was gone. (They later reconciled.)

In his early years, Dave was known for pressing his guests' buttons, especially if they seemed in need of pressing. One such incident involved Cher.

Cher grew fed up of Dave's questions and referred to him with a word we can't reprint here. But let's just say it would come first among a list of alphabetized curse words. She, too, reconciled.

And in the "I Didn't See That Coming" category, actress Drew Barrymore joined Dave on a show that aired on Dave's birthday. As a gift, Drew danced on Dave's desk -- and then quickly flashed him. The cameras caught it all (from behind) and Dave was noticeably surprised. He would later quip that it was "the best birthday present I've ever received."

Comedian Andy Kaufman made regular appearances on Letterman. His most shocking: Not more than six months after Dave's show debuted in 1982, Andy appeared with pro wrester Jerry Lawler to promote Andy's stint in pro wrestling. The two fought, Lawler slapping Kaufman and Kaufman throwing water at the wrestler. It was later revealed to be a set-up.

Not a set-up? Crispin Glover's bizarre act in the later days of Late Night. Showing off his martial arts moves, the actor stood up and kicked his leg over Dave's desk, nearly striking him in the head. After commercial, Crispin was gone.

It was a joke gone bad, made during one of Dave's gigs as host of The Academy Awards. Still, it stuck in the public conscious like a terrible -- but catchy -- pop song. And its subject matter -- specifically Oprah Winfrey -- would continue to be a talking point for Letterman in the months, and years, to come.

Primarily, Dave, on air, suggested he and Winfrey were locked in a feud, and as such, Oprah would not agree to appear on his show. Oprah holds that this is silly nonsense, and schedules were the only conflict to overcome.

To end "the feud," Oprah arrived on Dave's doorstep in December 2005. Said Oprah: "I want you to know, it's really over, whatever you thought was happening....There is no feud."

Oprah then presented Dave with an autographed picture of herself and Uma Thurman.

3. Dave's Heart

In January 2000, Dave announced to his audience that he was about to undergo heart surgery - the very next day, in fact - and that he would be out for some time. It turned out to be a quintuple bypass, and Dave was out for more than a month.

But it was his February 21 return that sticks in everyone's memory. During the program, Dave introduced every doctor and nurse that helped him during surgery and recovery, saying, quite emotionally, that "These people saved my life."

2. 9/11

His most memorable quote: "As I understand it - and my understanding of this is vague, at best - another smaller group of people stole some airplanes and crashed them into buildings. And we're told that they were zealots fueled by religious fervor - religious fervor. And if you live to be a thousand years old, will that make any sense to you? Will that make any goddamned sense?"

1. Here's Johnny

During a series of shows taped in Los Angeles in 1994, Johnny Carson surprised the audience by appearing on the Late Show. Though he was going to deliver a joke, the applause was so loud and continuous, that Johnny departed without saying a word - a bigger joke than he had planned. The appearance made headlines and suggested to some that it was Johnny's way of putting his stamp of approval on Dave's show as the true successor to Johnny's late night empire.