What a difference 15 years makes.
I have to hand it to Leno and NBC. It's a great idea to air older episodes of Leno's show during this strike. I've been saying for a couple of years that the late night shows should run repeats from years ago when they have repeat weeks instead of an episode we saw just a week or two ago. Leno's doing it, though I wonder if it's more of an NBC decision and not one that Leno made.
Last night he aired an episode from June, 1992, which was only one month after Johnny Carson retired and Leno took over the show (with the controversial Helen Kushnick still producing the show). It's interesting to note the differences between Leno 1992 and Leno 2007.
The most obvious difference is the opening. The 1992 show had the more classic, calm Tonight Show opening, with various curtains opening and the list of guests for the night. Compare that with the opening we have now, since Leno changed the set to more of a nightclub look and feel. It's louder, it's obnoxious, it uses hand-held cameras, and we have John "Stuttering John" Melendez announcing (instead of Edd Hall from the old days). Someone once said that hiring Melendez was a typically "tone deaf" Leno move, and I couldn't agree more.
What I do like about Leno 1992 is that he approaches the show and the monologue in a way he doesn't now. You can tell he comes from a stand-up background, as the monologue is just jokes, with no mugging with the band or doing lame ass comedy bits with the audience or outside. And last night's show was a good example for other late night shows who are worried that the jokes will be "dated" in they ran older episodes. The jokes last night were about everything from Daryl Gates to not being able to catch Saddam to the S& L crisis to maybe Hillary Clinton should run for President instead of baking cookies for a magazine. I think audiences are smart enough to know the shows are older.
Even Headlines, which I didn't even realize he had been doing since the early days, is better. He approaches this too like a comic instead of the way he does now, hammering each joke in such a forced, over the top way he almost ruins the segment. I think that's the thing that stands out the most to me, the calmness. The show is quieter, more classic, but I guess that TV and entertainment in general are different now.
Oh, and Branford Marsalis! I had completely forgotten that the jazz great was the first band leader. When Leno introduced the band after his monologue, I think I actually smiled to myself.
It's great to see these older Leno shows during this strike. And while I can't see Conan running his early shows (I don't think they want anyone to remember how shaky his first year was), I hope that Letterman and CBS can see the entertainment value his older shows would have and air some of those. I haven't watched Letterman since the strike began, but I would definitely watch the older shows if CBS runs them.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-27-2007 @ 3:46PM
Chuck said...
I couldn't agree more. I basically had the same reaction watching last night, and found myself enjoying it a lot more than I have in recent memory. Hard to believe he used to be really funny!
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11-27-2007 @ 4:06PM
Oreo said...
I agree, the step was a lot better. There was 10 minutes of stand up, then a few minutes of Headlines, but then there was 25ish minutes of the first interview! Now a days they have like 15 minutes tops. Then they do the music and talk to him, and then have a final guest. i loved the set up, it felt relaxing and not rushed. i really enjoyed it.
My favorite part was when he did the stand up and talked about President Bush's low numbers, Iraq, and then Clinton running for president. NOTHING HAS CHANGED IN 15 YEARS! :)
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11-27-2007 @ 4:08PM
Chip said...
And Delbert McClinton! How great to see him as a young 51.5 year-old...
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11-27-2007 @ 4:10PM
Raychel said...
I enjoyed the headlines segment more as well. He just let the headlines speak for itself, which is the point of the segment, really. I guess this week we'll get to see the progression of his show into what it is now, which could be kind of interesting.
:)
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11-27-2007 @ 4:10PM
Bob Sassone said...
It was also interesting that the music guest was second, not last.
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11-27-2007 @ 4:18PM
RichK said...
What would be interesting is if Jay's people were taking a look at the ratings of these classic shows, as well as places such as this where comments appear. This may give them pause to rethink how the show is running right now and how to change it so Jay leaves with a bang rather than a whimper.
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11-27-2007 @ 4:24PM
Drew said...
There's not much difference. He wasn't funny then and he's not funny now.
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11-27-2007 @ 5:31PM
Will Teullive said...
It's nice to see Jay's head finally grew into his chin after all these years.
Will Teullive
http://1527rowland.blogspot.com/
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11-27-2007 @ 6:22PM
mrkorb said...
I could have sworn that one of the headlines from this 15 year old show was used in a recent segment. Makes you wonder just how many they recycle every time they do that bit.
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11-27-2007 @ 6:40PM
MacGuffin said...
Wow, that's a face that only a mother could love.
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11-27-2007 @ 6:59PM
TVGenius said...
I can't believe none of you mentioned the fact that Tom Hanks referenced the last writers' strike in his segment. I thought that was hilarious. I'm not a big Jay fan, but it's cool to see these ancient relics. Am I thinking right (I didn't stay up that late) that at the end he probably teased that Dave was up next, right?
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11-28-2007 @ 9:52AM
SamMalone said...
"I haven't watched Letterman since the strike began, but I would definitely watch the older shows if CBS runs them."
I'd rather watch the really old Letterman shows, of course NBC has those.
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11-28-2007 @ 2:11PM
Craig said...
Notice how Leno let the guests talk? Now he feels he has to be funny after every single sentence. Tom Hanks actually told a story without Leno interjecting 15 jokes. The old days were much more enjoyable.
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11-28-2007 @ 4:04PM
Smiley said...
I couldn't agree more. I just took a break to google the blogs to see if anyone perceived what I have over the past two nights. I'm not a big Leno fan but the idea of seeing 15 year old shows really piqued my interest. First of all, Leno today is like a caricature of himself today. All the stuff he used to do in the past that impersonators would exagerate -- he really does those weird things now. Now that he's older his jaw really is humongous. He was so toned down then. Even the non-bandleader Kevin Eubanks looks like a milder version of himself. There's a lot to be said about post 9/11 late night talk show, folks. It's faster than fast; annoyingly self-congratulatory celeb guests name-drop faster than they can plug their new flick; there's very little to sink ones teeth into. Today you hardly see anyone hang around in the chairs to the guest's right. No self-respecting megastar is going to sit off camera while Dave or Jay interviews the next mouthpiece. Or maybe they would and the producers don't dig it. Did I say "interview"? Does Leno interview? -- he cuts off guests in mid-sentence, laughing and trying to be as off-color as one can be on a network show... it's like he tries to make up for all the stuff that he can't say that Bill Maher or John Stewart can say by just acting like a freakin' idiot. If he could stop and take a breath once in a while we might see a little bit of the cool-ness that was the pre 9/11 world. I think everyone including me is just a llittle too anxious. Did anyone notice the color of the curtains and the chairs? It looks like another planet.
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11-28-2007 @ 6:00PM
BOB said...
I love the old reruns. Keep them coming. I guess we can hope the strike lasts a while.
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11-28-2007 @ 9:39PM
BOB said...
I like the "old" reruns. You can play some Johnny Carson reruns also and I would love it.
BOB
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11-29-2007 @ 3:51AM
E.T. said...
I can't stand the Leno bashing, he is way funnier than Letterman could ever be.
Every time I try to watch Letterman I never laugh he's not funny, never has been ,talk about lame skits Letterman has mastered them all.
Forget water boarding put me in front of a TV with David Letterman I would last 2 seconds,soon as I here Paul Shaffer squealing voice, I am done I'll tell everything you want to know!!!
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12-02-2007 @ 4:05AM
Lani said...
I watched the Jay Leno show with Tom Hanks the other
night and was surprised to see thet nice looking tanned Italioan man with the beautiful hair . Yes we all get older bit as a person who jut droppd 50 lbs in heir ate fourties I woud love to see Jay drop anywhere beween 25 and 45 lbs and not wear his hair so neat and possibly get his eyes lifted because he looks like a blind gnome sometimes. Not too long ago I ws watching the show wondering wat was wrog with Jay Leno's eyes and now that I realize we have the same eyes I see he eeds a little work done. I still love him though and no I have not gotten my eyes fixed yet. They are still hlding up and I figure I have another 5-10 years.
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