Editing Late Show with David Letterman (section)

==Production==

===Studio and set design===
[[File:Michelle Obama on the Late Show with David Letterman.jpg|thumb|Letterman interviewing [[Michelle Obama]] in 2012]]
The show was taped at the [[Ed Sullivan Theater]] at the corner of [[Broadway (Manhattan)|Broadway]] and [[53rd Street]] in midtown Manhattan during its entire run. Formerly called CBS Studio 50, it had been home to several TV programs over the years, most notably ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]''. Letterman made use of the immediate neighborhood surrounding the theater for his show on occasion, closing off the portion of 53rd Street that goes past his studio for various stunts. Nearby merchants gained fame after making frequent appearances on the program, including [[Rupert Jee]], owner of the [[Hello Deli]] at 213 W. 53rd St., and [[Mujibur and Sirajul]], Bengali immigrants who worked at a souvenir shop close to the studio.

The stage layout followed the same basic structure Letterman employed on ''Late Night'': the house band appeared on the far left, followed by the performance area and then the interview set.

In May 2015, days before Letterman retired, [[Seth Stevenson (journalist)|Seth Stevenson]] described what it was like to attend a taping of ''Late Show'':

{{Blockquote|It felt almost regal to enter the Ed Sullivan Theater beneath a lit marquee on 53rd and Broadway instead of through some unmarked, dented metal door on an industrial block of Hell's Kitchen. The theater for ''Late Show with David Letterman'' seats 450 people instead of 100, and its rococo balcony offers a glorious vista over the sprawling stage where the [[The Ed Sullivan Show#Beatles|Beatles first performed in America]]. Instead of bathing us in washed-out, piped-in music, or a half-hearted pop quintet, Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra rocked us with a wall of sound, including a horn section that blasted riffs clear to the theater rafters ...

It was hard not to sit in that ''Late Show'' studio audience and feel—for the first time—indispensable. Letterman puts on a show. He presents fully-rounded entertainment, and he feeds off the energy in the room. This is a big, brassy venue with a live orchestra, instead of a cramped black-box studio with somebody's [[iPod]] plugged into ceiling speakers. And Letterman needed us there.<ref>{{cite web|title= YouTube Killed the Studio Audience: What I Learned from Going to Tapings of Every Late-Night Show | url= http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2015/05/late_night_s_live_tapings_what_it_s_like_to_be_in_the_studio_audience_for.2.html|work=Slate|date= May 10, 2015 |first=Seth |last=Stevenson |access-date= May 11, 2015}}</ref>}}

Pieces of the set were later acquired for use on ''[[The Chris Gethard Show]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/article/chris-gethard-show-rescued-letterman-set-221282|title=The Chris Gethard Show rescued the Letterman set|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|date=June 23, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/letterman-late-show-bridges-saved-chris-gethard-show-article-1.2269210|title=David Letterman's 'Late Show' bridges rescued by 'The Chris Gethard Show' - NY Daily News|first=Kirthana|last=Ramisetti|website=nydailynews.com|date=June 24, 2015 }}</ref><gallery widths="240" heights="180" perrow="4">
File:Late Show with David Letterman proscenium.jpg|View from the [[proscenium]] of the Ed Sullivan theater
File:Late Show with David Letterman - Ed Sullivan Theater stage.jpg|View of the stage with David Letterman's desk and guest seats
File:Late Show with David Letterman - Ed Sullivan Theater balcony view.jpg|View from the balcony
</gallery>

===Same-day tapings===
When Letterman was not on vacation (which he took roughly ten weeks per year<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/article/2002/03/15/dave-new-world/ |title=A Dave New World |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=March 15, 2002 |access-date=May 15, 2011}}</ref>), he and his crew worked four days per week, taping Friday's show earlier in the week.<ref name="taped">{{cite web|url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/04/03/when-the-hell-does-letterman-tape-his-shows/ |title=When the hell does Letterman tape his shows? |first=Joel |last=Keller |publisher=[[TV Squad]] |date=April 3, 2006 |access-date=May 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060405034819/http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/04/03/when-the-hell-does-letterman-tape-his-shows/ |archive-date=April 5, 2006 }}</ref> From October 2001 until May 2004, Friday's show was taped on Thursdays. From 2004 to 2010, Friday's show was taped on Mondays.<ref name="taped" /> During this time, the Friday's show's monologue topics, [[Sketches featured on Late Show with David Letterman|sketches, and other segments]] were chosen for their lack of topicality, with few if any references to current events or any subject which would run the risk of seeming dated. However, in late 2011 ''Late Show'' reverted to the practice of taping the Friday show on Thursdays, helping the Friday shows become more topical and relevant.

===Episode structure===
{{more citations needed section|date=September 2009}}
The show's opening credits featured a series of shots of New York City as the CBS Orchestra performed the ''Late Show'' theme (a livelier variation of the more jazzy ''Late Night'' theme). The announcer presented the names of that night's guests, as well as Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra, then introduced Letterman. On rare episodes, the show began with a [[cold open]] as Letterman, dressed casually, briefly interacted with a celebrity or performed a short sketch backstage before the traditional opening sequence began. As with his previous shows, the copy for the open included [[non sequitur (literary device)|non sequiturs]] about New York and Letterman, though the former would change after the [[September 11 attacks]] to simply "the greatest city in the world".

In the last few years, Alan Kalter included himself in the introduction. In addition, Letterman took to dashing across the stage either just before, while, or just after Kalter introduced him. In years prior, Letterman would be greeted by two female models, sometimes in costume. For an extended stretch of episodes, one of the models would be performing with several [[hula hoop]]s, while the other would be wearing a metal suit and operating a [[grinding machine]] against her abdomen, a carry-over from their first appearance on the sketch, "Is This Anything?"

Letterman would then walk out on the show stage to perform his stand-up [[monologue]], which occasionally began with a reference to something an audience member said to him during the pre-show question-and-answer session. The jokes were based on pop culture, current events, and politics. He then introduced one or two video jokes such as a running gag or fake commercial/public service announcement. The monologue was followed by Letterman's introduction of Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra. Beginning in 2009, a commercial break replaced Letterman's trademark 'crossing to the desk', which he had done since the early years. Letterman then chatted with the audience and Shaffer, sometimes relating an anecdote from his personal life, sometimes discussing his anticipation of a particular guest; a [[running gag]] may have been featured.

In 2005, after the death of Johnny Carson, it was revealed that Carson had made a habit of sometimes sending jokes to Letterman which Letterman would then incorporate into his monologues. The January 31, 2005, episode of the ''Late Show'', which featured a tribute to Carson, began with a monologue made up entirely of jokes written by Carson since his retirement.<ref>{{cite web | date=February 11, 2009 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carson-feeds-jokes-to-letterman/ | title=Carson Feeds Jokes to Letterman | publisher=CBS News | access-date=October 19, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/123709/letterman_pays_special_tribute_to_carson/ | title=Letterman Pays Special Tribute to Carson | work=redOrbit | date=February 1, 2005 | access-date=October 19, 2012}}</ref>

Letterman read the [[Top Ten list (David Letterman)|Top Ten List]] at this point before turning to guest interviews with a celebrity, politician, or other public figure. On most episodes, the first guest stayed on through the commercial break and continued the interview.

Following the first guest was a short segment to bridge two commercial breaks sequentially. In earlier episodes, Letterman would return to his running gag during this break, or retry a failed stunt from earlier in the show. Later episodes included a brief comedy announcement from announcer Alan Kalter while showing the audience cheering.

The final segment consisted of a live musical performance, a comedian performing a [[stand-up comedian|stand-up]] routine, or another guest interview. Musical guests included artists from [[David Bowie]], [[U2]], [[Neil Young]], [[Coldplay]] to indie bands like [[Grizzly Bear (band)|Grizzly Bear]], [[Gorillaz]], [[MENEW]], and [[Animal Collective]]. The [[CBS Orchestra]] frequently accompanied musical guests in performing their songs. Episodes occasionally concluded with Letterman recommending viewers stay tuned for ''[[The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder|Tom Snyder]]'', ''[[The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn|Craig Kilborn]]'', ''[[The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson|Craig Ferguson]]'' (''[[The Late Late Show with James Corden|James Corden]]'' in 2015), but usually he simply waved to the camera, saying, "Good night everybody!" In the latter part of the run, the admonishment to watch Craig Ferguson and James Corden was delivered by Alan Kalter, via [[voiceover]].

===Regular sketches===
{{Main|List of David Letterman sketches}}
''Late Show'' had various repeated [[absurdist humour|absurdist]] segments, including those involving cast members' and audience participation. The show will also take a camera crew into the [[Hello Deli]] to show games such as "What's on the [[iPod]]?" and "Beat the Clock", or onto 53rd Street or the roof to record various stunts there.

===High-definition broadcasts===
The show began broadcasting in [[high-definition television]] (HDTV) on August 29, 2005.<ref>{{cite web |title= Monday, August 29, 2005 |url=http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/the_wahoo_gazette/?year=2005&month=8&day=29&direct=true |date=August 29, 2005 |website=The Late Show Wahoo Gazette |publisher=CBS Interactive |access-date=April 23, 2015 |quote=The High-Definition, Wide-Screen broadcasting of the Late Show is exciting for everyone, especially those equipped with the High-Definition, Wide-Screen TV sets.}}</ref> About two weeks later, Tim Kennedy, the show's Technical Director, commented on the transition in the show's official newsletter:

{{Blockquote|The biggest challenge in the HD conversion was to renovate and upgrade our old control room, audio room, videotape room, and edit room while still doing five shows a week. ... This entailed putting a remote [[production truck]] on 53rd Street running somewhere in the neighborhood of 50,000 feet of video and audio cable just to tie the truck to the existing technical plant ...

The coolest piece of equipment is our new control room Virtual Wall. We have done away with the conventional monitor for every video source and replaced it with four 70-inch [[rear projection screen]]s and within those screens we can "virtually" place as many video images as we want, anywhere we want them, and when we want it.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}}}

Kennedy and his crew won an [[Emmy Award]] for "Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Series" during the nearly four-month-long transition to HDTV.