Wednesday night, May 20th, marked the end of an era. David Letterman signed off from the Late Show for the last time, ending his talk show run, over thirty years in the making. Two nights earlier, there was a special that aired, hosted by Ray Romano which highlighted some of the epic moments captured and thought up by Letterman's genius. How do you capture all the fantastic moments shared with viewers over nearly a lifetime of television. You can't. And though Dave didn't have any guests on that epic last show Wednesday night, choosing instead to air some of his favourite moments and take a few minutes at the show's end to thank everyone involved in allowing him to come into our livingrooms every night, more favourable moments still had to be sacrificed. So this morning when the radio announced that it was Mr. T's birthday, I was instantly reminded of a moment between Mr. T and David Letterman, decades ago.
Mr. T came onto "Late Night", the NBC incarnation of the Letterman show, to promote his film debut in Rocky III. In the film, he's promoted as a no-nonsense, street-tough, battle-ready gladiator of the boxing world, similar to his life outside of acting. He was a door man for many of the tough night clubs in Chicago, as well as a personal bodyguard to some well-known personalities, although he remained tight-lipped when asked for details by Mr. Letterman.
Mr. T came onto "Late Night", the NBC incarnation of the Letterman show, to promote his film debut in Rocky III. In the film, he's promoted as a no-nonsense, street-tough, battle-ready gladiator of the boxing world, similar to his life outside of acting. He was a door man for many of the tough night clubs in Chicago, as well as a personal bodyguard to some well-known personalities, although he remained tight-lipped when asked for details by Mr. Letterman.
T came onto Letterman's set and stayed in "character" the entire time, making himself a tough guest, rest assured, but that toughness added to the charm of the interview. Always the showman, Dave made light of the situation, whether it be of his comedic genius or genuine nervousness about this strange individual with all the gold jewelry and strange haircut.
The one moment that really stood out, for me, was when Dave asked about the unique name that Mr. T had. Right away, he responded... er, make that preached his answer, bringing in race relations and such. How people would call him boy, so to avoid that he changed his name to what it was then and has remained to this day. "The first thing out of their mouth is MISTER, my middle name is the period and my last name is T."
In the decades that followed, the tough no-bullshit guy that we witnessed in Rocky III and on the Letterman show that night in 1982, fell by the wayside. T's real personality came out and he turned out to be a nice fella. I wouldn't want to piss him off, mind you. I'm sure he could still kick the ever-lovin' shit outta ya, if he deemed it necessary, but a nice guy, nevertheless.
The radio had the date wrong, this morning. Mr. T's birthday was actually yesterday. He turned 63 years young. And I pity da fool who didn't tweet him a Happy Birthday message... Which reminds me. I have to tweet Mr. T a Happy Birthday message.
The one moment that really stood out, for me, was when Dave asked about the unique name that Mr. T had. Right away, he responded... er, make that preached his answer, bringing in race relations and such. How people would call him boy, so to avoid that he changed his name to what it was then and has remained to this day. "The first thing out of their mouth is MISTER, my middle name is the period and my last name is T."
In the decades that followed, the tough no-bullshit guy that we witnessed in Rocky III and on the Letterman show that night in 1982, fell by the wayside. T's real personality came out and he turned out to be a nice fella. I wouldn't want to piss him off, mind you. I'm sure he could still kick the ever-lovin' shit outta ya, if he deemed it necessary, but a nice guy, nevertheless.
The radio had the date wrong, this morning. Mr. T's birthday was actually yesterday. He turned 63 years young. And I pity da fool who didn't tweet him a Happy Birthday message... Which reminds me. I have to tweet Mr. T a Happy Birthday message.
To watch Mr. T's first appearance on "Late Night with David Letterman"
Copy and paste the address below to your
Address bar (or whatever it's called) at the top of your page.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRi180Kkb6Y
Copy and paste the address below to your
Address bar (or whatever it's called) at the top of your page.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRi180Kkb6Y
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