Bill vs. Dave 1982

May 16, 2008 8:56 PM

A very, very funny Bill Murray guest stars on the first episode of Late Night with David Letterman -- 1982
posted by vronsky (43 comments total)

:-D
posted by turgid dahlia at 9:25 PM on May 16

"Hey, you guys know the new Newton-John thing?"

I was watching that night. I still enjoy Dave, but I do miss the vibe of those early years.
posted by davebush at 9:33 PM on May 16

Dave was 35 and Murray 32.
posted by stbalbach at 9:38 PM on May 16 [1 favorite]

They were thinner then, that's for sure.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 9:47 PM on May 16

Yep. That was Bill Murray.

Yep. That was David Letterman.

...Yep. That was a panda.
posted by ZachsMind at 9:49 PM on May 16

I'm so old (or perhaps was just tuned in to pop culture at an early age) that I remember when Letterman briefly had a morning show.

Dave was 35 and Murray 32.
*weeps quietly in the corner*
posted by scody at 10:07 PM on May 16

I miss Chris Elliott the most. The guy was the second coming of Andy Kaufman, but better.

Chris Elliott as Marlon Brando. Chris Elliott's Action Family.
posted by KokuRyu at 10:08 PM on May 16 [3 favorites]

They were thinner then

On average, everyone was thinner then, and not for lack of food. Early 80s was the start of the anti-cholesterol crusade, average caloric intake remained the same or went up, but shifted from animals fats to grains and sugars, which tends to make one fatter.
posted by stbalbach at 10:10 PM on May 16

Heyyyyy.... it cuts off right as his dancing gets REALLY good...
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 10:14 PM on May 16

Early 80s was the start of the anti-cholesterol crusade...

And the start of the pro-cocaine crusade. And we all know that's what was keeping 'em thin!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 10:15 PM on May 16

With all due respect, KokuRyu, comparing Chris Elliot to Andy Kaufman is like comparing a lollipop to a T-bone steak. Chris Elliot was on occasion witty and perhaps even daring. However, he never could fill Kaufman's shoes.
posted by ZachsMind at 10:48 PM on May 16

Chris Elliot most definitely had his moments of genius. His "man under the stairs" bit always killed me.
posted by vronsky at 11:26 PM on May 16

Which KokoRyu linked above:)

Chris Elliot in "The Fugitive"
posted by vronsky at 11:35 PM on May 16

How strange. I was watching this the other day and just about losing my mind laughing. Here's the one after the golf cart incident. The tuxedo is great too. Hell, they're all great.
posted by spiderwire at 11:38 PM on May 16

Anniversary Appearance:

Dave: "You are the party, really."
Bill: "Yeah, well, that's how I roll--"
posted by spiderwire at 11:53 PM on May 16

That is the Star Wars theme playing him out. From the skit he and Paul used to do on SNL.
posted by vronsky at 12:06 AM on May 17

That's very funny. I've never seen that before--thanks Vronsky.
posted by Turtles all the way down at 12:47 AM on May 17

And a special treat for all who clicked the link -- the Greatest Music you have ever heard.
posted by vronsky at 1:06 AM on May 17

.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 1:24 AM on May 17

Oh wait...he's not dead yet? nevermind.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 1:24 AM on May 17

Bill Murray looks more healthy today than he did 26 years ago
posted by wigglin at 3:16 AM on May 17

Now I feel old again. Why do you guys keep doing this?
posted by Dizzy at 3:32 AM on May 17

I love this stuff because it allows me to play one of my favorite games, "What Were They On?" I've got $3.50 on marijuana.
posted by waraw at 3:43 AM on May 17

They won't rest until they see you in the ground, Dizzy. vronsky's mission is to bury us all.

IN AWESOME.
posted by cgc373 at 3:44 AM on May 17

And he wasn't on the show pimping a new movie or anything. Well, besides his panda documentary.
posted by cyclopticgaze at 5:40 AM on May 17

So that guy Chris Elliot isn't very funny and putting him in the same thread as Bill Murray is pretty much blasphemy.
posted by turgid dahlia at 6:07 AM on May 17

Wonderful, but let's not ignore Dave v. Drew. Love the look on his face. :)
posted by WCityMike at 6:20 AM on May 17

I'm so old (or perhaps was just tuned in to pop culture at an early age) that I remember when Letterman briefly had a morning show.

Well, technically, scody, this is a morning show. Anything after midnight is generally considered the morning.

*cues band*
posted by languagehat at 6:36 AM on May 17

Damn, and to think I saw that episode when it came out...

Dave was a lot edgier back then. He's lost it over the years. I don't think he ever recovered from not being moved up into Johnny Carson's slot which Jay Leno poorly filled.
posted by Eekacat at 8:00 AM on May 17

Awesome. Also see "Bill Murray in FCU: Fact Checkers Unit", one of my favourite Bill Murray shorts.
posted by patr1ck at 8:04 AM on May 17 [1 favorite]

*cues band*

*band plays "Touch Me In The Morning", camera crew walks off in disgust*
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:12 AM on May 17

So that guy Chris Elliot isn't very funny and putting him in the same thread as Bill Murray is pretty much blasphemy.

Then it seems there is a schism in the church of comedy, because Bill Murray ain't particularly funny. But Elliott is a genius.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:48 AM on May 17

I was watching that night.

I apologize if this is utterly pedantic, but wasn't Dave originally on in the afternoon?
posted by Dave Faris at 10:16 AM on May 17

And I guess I'm as old or older than scody. That's what I get for not reading the rest of the comments.
posted by Dave Faris at 10:17 AM on May 17

"You just can't use science for your own ends, Dave."
posted by Mikey-San at 10:25 AM on May 17

It's been almost a decade since I've been passed a bong so I really couldn't follow along much here. I was, however, excited to see the 1/2 second of the A-Team commercial between show segments.
posted by Burhanistan at 11:10 AM on May 17

"Welcome to New York. Would you like a hot towel?"
posted by miss lynnster at 11:30 AM on May 17 [2 favorites]

I'm so old (or perhaps was just tuned in to pop culture at an early age) that I remember when Letterman briefly had a morning show.

Scody, I remember that show. Mom kept me home from school for the sniffles, and (nerd that I was) I pouted at missing class. The pouting ended when, flipping through three channels of game shows and soaps from my sickbed, I happened upon that show.

I was so taken with Letterman that *gasp* I faked sick the next day hoping to watch it again. But Mom took away the TV.
posted by Elsa at 11:43 AM on May 17

Thanks for the link, vronsky, if for no other reason than it led me to a video of Bill Murray broadcasting a Chicago Cubs game.
posted by kalimotxero at 12:10 PM on May 17 [1 favorite]

one of my favorite games, "What Were They On?" I've got $3.50 on marijuana.

Seems a bit manic. Coke is trite but seems likely. 1/2 gram of mushrooms? Is 1982 too early for Ecstasy?
posted by msalt at 1:20 PM on May 17

I read years ago (in Rolling Stone, I think-- I'm too lazy to go up to the DizzyArchive in my DizzyAttic) that Bill was actually pounding shots of Cuervo in the green Room and messing with the production assistants-- he had all the fluorescent lights removed backstage because they "were leaching all of the precious vitamin A out of his system", or words to that effect...
posted by Dizzy at 1:36 PM on May 17

Didn't he also do the last NBC of Letterman?
posted by timsteil at 10:17 PM on May 17

If memory serves, Murray has never admitted to more than cursory drug usage during his SNL days. However his vice of the time was alcohol, so I'd wager he was drunk in that clip with Dave, but not high.

The scale of funny between these three works like this:

Murray is (consistently) funny.
Kaufman was daring, abrasive, eccentric, wonderful and more than occasionally funny
Chris Elliot is meh.

I honestly can't decide where Letterman fits inside those three. There have been times when he was funnier than Murray and there have been times when he actually made Chris Elliot look good by being bad. So I don't know where he goes.
posted by ZachsMind at 5:42 AM on May 18