Countdown to the Debut of LN with David Letterman, 40th Anniversary

Late Night with David Letterman premiered forty years ago this February 1. Since I've put together Countdowns to the final Late Night (June 25, 1993) and the first and last Late Shows (August 30, 1993, and May 20, 2015), now is the appropriate time to complete the cycle by documenting a timeline leading up to and including an expanded edition of the first Late Night. Some clips are contemporary while others are later retrospectives.

All content is used under the Fair Use Doctrine and for no financial compensation.

1. The script cover for the debut Late Night, February 1, 1982. Courtesy of and great thanks to Mark Malkoff.

2. Hal Gurnee interview conducted by Ron Simon on December 14, 2018, for the Television Academy Foundation. Source here:
https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/hal-gurnee?clip=chapter4#interview-clips

3. New York Times, November 10, 1981.

4. Dave guest-hosts The Tonight Show, December 1, 1981.

5. Hal Gurnee interview, 2.

6. Paul Shaffer interview conducted by Dan Pasternack on June 24, 2009, for Television Academy Foundation. Source here:
https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/paul-shaffer#interview-clips

7. Will Lee interview conducted by George Farmer on his live Facebook chat on October 29, 2021, later uploaded here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c44PJIGITYw&t=11s

8. Dave appears with Willard Scott outside Rockefeller Center, January 14, 1982.

9. Dave guests on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson the next day, January 15, 1982.

10. Hal Gurnee interview, 3.

11. Dave is interviewed by Jane Pauley on The Today Show, January 29, 1982. (Pieced together from two sources.)

12. Late Night promos air the week before its premiere. Clips courtesy of the YouTube creators Stan Merrell and Charles Wieland.

13. Calvert DeForest on Entertainment Tonight, late January 1984.

14. Hal Gurnee interview, 4.

15. Edward van Sloan, Frankenstein opening, 1931.

16. Late Night with David Letterman, February 1, 1982.
During the breaks:
Break 1. Hal Gurnee interview, 5.
Break 2. Hal Gurnee interview, 6.
Break 3. Paul Shaffer interview, 2.
Break 4. Paul Shaffer interview, 3.
Break 5. Hal Gurnee interview, 7.
Break 6. Paul Shaffer interview, 4.
Break 7. Dave's publicity head shot from January 1982, then bumpers.

Yes, there’s a glitch in the second segment with Don Herbert I should have caught but, of course, didn’t. Dammit.
Update: Ok, I see now that the glitch was YT’s doing. It’s fine on my end but got screwed up when processing onto YT.

The other Countdowns:
Countdown to Final Late Night + Full Show, June 25, 1993 (stereo)
https://youtu.be/L3lAF2qeYTE

Countdown to Late Show w/David Letterman, July, August 1993
https://youtu.be/C_3cp-AtjPs

Countdown to the Final Late Show, May 17-21, 2015
https://youtu.be/doHA7rrtWeA

Видео Countdown to the Debut of LN with David Letterman, 40th Anniversary канала Don Giller