Editing David Letterman (section)

=== NBC and Johnny Carson ===
In spite of Johnny Carson's clear intention to pass his title to Letterman, NBC selected Jay Leno to host ''The Tonight Show'' after Carson's departure.<ref>{{cite news| work=The Independent|date=January 24, 2005|title=Johnny Carson, king of late-night chat, dies at 79| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/johnny-carson-king-of-latenight-chat-dies-at-79-488063.html| access-date=July 6, 2009 | location= London}}</ref> Letterman maintained a close relationship with Carson through his break with NBC. Three years after he left for CBS, [[HBO]] produced a made-for-television movie called ''[[The Late Shift (film)|The Late Shift]]'', based on a book by ''The New York Times'' reporter Bill Carter, chronicling the battle between Letterman and Leno for the ''Tonight Show'' hosting spot.

Carson later made a few [[cameo appearance]]s as a guest on Letterman's show. Carson's final television appearance was on May 13, 1994, on a ''Late Show'' episode taped in Los Angeles, when he made a surprise appearance during a [[Top Ten list (David Letterman)|Top 10 list]] segment. In early 2005, it was revealed that Carson occasionally sent jokes to Letterman, who used them in his monologue; according to CBS senior vice president [[Peter Lassally]] (a onetime producer for both men), Carson got "a big kick out of it."<ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.deseret.com/2005/1/24/19873404/tv-critics-genuinely-fond-of-carson| title= TV critics genuinely fond of Carson | date = January 24, 2005 | first = Scott D. | last = Pierce | access-date = May 31, 2022|work = Deseret News}}</ref> Letterman would do a characteristic Carson golf swing after delivering one of his jokes. In a tribute to Carson, all the opening monologue jokes during the first show after Carson's death were by Carson.

Lassally also claimed that Carson had always believed Letterman, not Leno, to be his "rightful successor".<ref>{{cite news| work=Fox News| title=Letterman Gets Jokes From Carson| date=January 20, 2005| url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/2005/01/20/letterman-gets-jokes-from-carson.html| access-date=May 19, 2015| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924162747/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2005/01/20/letterman-gets-jokes-from-carson.html| archive-date=September 24, 2015| df=mdy-all}}</ref> During the early years of the ''Late Show''{{'}}s run, Letterman occasionally used some of Carson's trademark bits, including "[[Carnac the Magnificent]]" (with [[Paul Shaffer]] as Carnac), "Stump the Band", and the "Week in Review".