29 votes

Conan O’Brien’s wild first year: An oral history - In 1993, NBC made a historic decision—and gave Late Night to a nobody. O’Brien, Letterman, Lorne Michaels, Lisa Kudrow, and more tell all.

Posted by cfabbro
Tags: usa, late night.with conan obrien, nbc, interviews, comedians, hosts, conan obrien, lorne michaels, david letterman, robert smigel, lisa kudrow, jeff ross, andy richter, dino stamatopoulos, bob odenkirk, max weinberg, jim pitt, paula davis, janeane garofalo, sarah silverman, jeff garlin, talk shows, comedy, history.oral, author.andrew buss, source.vanity fair, long read, paywall
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/conan-obriens-wild-first-year-an-oral-history

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Title
Conan O'Brien's Wild First Year at 'Late Night': An Oral History
Authors
Andrew Buss, Chris Murphy, Gary Susman, Savannah Walsh, David Canfield, Hadley Hall Meares, Maureen Ryan, Britt Hennemuth, Rebecca Ford
Published
Dec 20 2023
Word count
5019 words

7 comments

  1. [2]
    brandt
    Link
    An excerpt from the Late Night with Conan O'Brien 10th Anniversary Special (2003): It took them a few years to get their stride, but eventually it got really damn funny.

    An excerpt from the Late Night with Conan O'Brien 10th Anniversary Special (2003):

    Conan: Thank you for being here, T, on this very special night.

    Mr. T: Good. Listen up, Conan: I brought you a special anniversary gift.

    Conan: That's very nice of you. Thank you. Yeah, that's great.

    Mr. T: Here's your anniversary gift.

    [hands Conan a gold necklace with the number "7" hanging from it]

    Conan: That's beautiful, it's, uh... that is so weird. Uh, seven, I- I've been on for TEN years.

    Mr. T: I know that, foo', but you only been funny for SEVEN!

    [Mr. T salutes and walks off-stage]

    It took them a few years to get their stride, but eventually it got really damn funny.

    12 votes
    1. cfabbro
      Link Parent
      It makes me sad that younger generations won't know who Mr. T is. :( His insults were equally as savage as they were funny, but he was also a damn fine role model too.

      It makes me sad that younger generations won't know who Mr. T is. :(
      His insults were equally as savage as they were funny, but he was also a damn fine role model too.

      4 votes
  3. stellar_plexus
    Link
    When they were talking about having David Letterman on the show for the first time, after all the drama: Classic Conan, right there.

    When they were talking about having David Letterman on the show for the first time, after all the drama:

    LETTERMAN: I remember I said to Conan, “How exactly did you get this job? Was it a theme writing contest?” Big laugh. And I’m Mr. Big Shot.
    O’BRIEN: And I said, “Yes. It was a ‘What would you do with a talk show’ contest, and I came in fourth.”

    Classic Conan, right there.

    5 votes
  4. jmpavlec
    Link
    Great read! Thanks for sharing. Been a Conan fan my whole life. Very interesting to read about the early days of the show.

    Great read! Thanks for sharing. Been a Conan fan my whole life. Very interesting to read about the early days of the show.

    4 votes
  5. [3]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. [2]
      cfabbro
      Link Parent
      Video, for those who want to watch it: Conan goes apple picking with Mr. T | Late Night with Conan O’Brien

      Video, for those who want to watch it:
      Conan goes apple picking with Mr. T | Late Night with Conan O’Brien

      6 votes
      1. clem
        Link Parent
        Thanks--I remember watching that when it first aired; I loved the silly song at the end. I pretty much always think of it when I think of Mr. T, so it's fun to see it again!

        Thanks--I remember watching that when it first aired; I loved the silly song at the end. I pretty much always think of it when I think of Mr. T, so it's fun to see it again!

        3 votes