Editing Calvert DeForest (section)

===Work with David Letterman===
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In early 1982, DeForest was hired to appear on the new NBC program ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]''. His late-blossoming television career began with a New York University student film project called ''King of the Zs'', by future Letterman writers [[Stephen Winer]] and Karl Tiedemann, who brought him along when they joined the ''[[Late Night (TV series)|Late Night]]'' writing staff.<ref name="nytimes.com" /> The [[Associated Press]] noted: "DeForest's gnomish face was the first to greet viewers when [[David Letterman|Letterman]]'s NBC show debuted on February 1, 1982, offering a parody of the prologue to the [[Boris Karloff]] film ''[[Frankenstein (1931 film)|Frankenstein]]''. 'It was the greatest thing that had happened in my life,' he once said of his first Letterman appearance."<ref name=AP-CBS-obit>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title=Letterman's Larry 'Bud' Melman actor dies |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/larry-bud-melman-actor-dies-at-85/ |date=2007-03-21 |work=CBS News}}</ref>

On ''Late Night'', DeForest played the role of Larry "Bud" Melman. ''Late Night'' talent coordinator Sandra Furton described him as a "[[mascot]]",<ref>{{cite web |title=The Backstory of Letterman Legend Larry 'Bud' Melman |publisher=[[Dangerous Minds]] |access-date=April 25, 2019 |year=2014 |first=Brian |last=Abrams |url=https://dangerousminds.net/comments/the_backstory_of_letterman_legend_larry_bud_melman}}</ref> but Melman had no real fixed or defined role on the show.  He was simply an older, short, portly man with thick black-framed glasses who was seen relatively frequently, especially in the early years. In the first few years of the show, the Melman character was somewhat of an entrepreneur, appearing in ads for "Melman Bus Lines" as well as for "Mr. Larry's Toast On A Stick" ("[[Bread]]'s answer to the [[Popsicle (brand)|Popsicle!]]").  He was also ostensibly the producer of the show as the head of "Melman Productions", although this facet of the character was soon dropped. The character's teenage son, Troy "Chipper" Melman (who rarely spoke, and usually just coughed uncontrollably) was seen occasionally alongside his father in various ads.

Outside the pre-taped ads, Melman would sometimes be given odd chores to perform by Letterman, such as handing out hot towels to arrivals at the [[Port Authority Bus Terminal]]. At other times, Melman would give pre-scripted answers to unlikely audience questions, or appear unexpectedly to heckle Letterman or the audience. Melman also appeared numerous times as "Kenny The Gardener," offering dubious gardening advice to home viewers, followed by a song performed in a tuneless-but-enthusiastic style. Occasionally, Melman would just simply wander onto the stage during Letterman's monologue as if lost, then leave without saying anything.

A hallmark of the Melman character was his seemingly genuine lack of acting polish. Melman's scripted lines were clearly read from cue cards and usually delivered in a forceful shout—but when Letterman or others forced Melman into ad-libbing, the actor's naturally more soft-spoken and polite demeanor came to the forefront. Melman routinely flubbed or mangled lines, but gamely persevered with whatever sketch he was in. He was also noted for his remote interviews in which he would ask the interviewee a question, but pitch the microphone to the interviewee too quickly, resulting in the last part of the question being inaudible to Dave and the audience. As a result of his frequent appearances, he became hugely popular with fans of ''Late Night'', often being greeted with loud cheers and applause before even speaking.

When Letterman moved from [[NBC]] to [[CBS]] in 1993, the Melman name was retired, as NBC insisted that the character of "Larry 'Bud' Melman" was their [[intellectual property]]. However, starting from the first edition of ''[[Late Show with David Letterman]]'', DeForest continued to play exactly the same character he had played on ''Late Night'', now simply using his real name. DeForest often "drew laughs by his bizarre juxtaposition as a ''Late Show'' correspondent at events such as the [[1994 Winter Olympics]] in Norway and the Woodstock anniversary concert that year."<ref name=AP-CBS-obit /> One of DeForest's more memorable skits came on Letterman's May 13, 1994 show in [[Los Angeles]]. The host stated [[Johnny Carson]] would announce the evening's Top 10 list, at which point DeForest appeared as "Johnny Carson." Shortly after DeForest's exit, the real Johnny Carson appeared in what would prove to be Carson's last television appearance.

DeForest continued to appear on Letterman's show until his 81st birthday in 2002 before retiring from acting. He had appeared in 15 outside films or TV shows since he began his association with Letterman in 1982.

Letterman noted after DeForest's death: "Everyone always wondered if Calvert was an actor playing a character, but in reality he was just himself: a genuine, modest, and nice man. To our staff and to our viewers, he was a beloved and valued part of our show, and we will miss him."<ref name=AP-CBS-obit /> When asked how he would like to be remembered, DeForest responded, "Just being able to make people laugh and knowing people enjoyed my humor. I also hope I haven't offended anyone through the years."<ref>[http://www.fadetoblack.com/interviews/larrybudmelman/page3.htm FADE TO BLACK PRESENTS – Calvert Deforest, a.k.a. Larry Bud Melman] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080709053114/http://www.fadetoblack.com/interviews/larrybudmelman/page3.htm |date=2008-07-09}}.</ref>