The Late Shift (TV 1996)

A dramatization of the rivalry to be the successor of Johnny Carson as the host of "The Tonight Show."

Director:

Betty Thomas

Writers:

Bill Carter (book), Bill Carter (teleplay),

Stars:

Kathy Bates, John Michael Higgins, Daniel Roebuck

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kathy Bates	...	Helen Kushnick
John Michael Higgins	...	David Letterman
Daniel Roebuck	...	Jay Leno
Bob Balaban	...	Warren Littlefield
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Rod Perth
Peter Jurasik	...	Howard Stringer
Reni Santoni	...	John Agoglia
John Kapelos	...	Robert Morton
Steven Gilborn	...	Peter Lassally
John Getz	...	Brandon Tartikoff
Lawrence Pressman	...	Bob Wright
Sandra Bernhard	...	Herself
Treat Williams	...	Michael Ovitz
David Brisbin	...	Alan Levine
Michael Chieffo	...	Rick Ludwin

Storyline

HBO movie about the behind-the-scenes network politics responsible for the changes in late-night talk-show hosts, after the retirement of Johnny Carson from the Tonight Show on NBC. Jay Leno and David Letterman were both vying for the position, but Leno's tough manager Helen Kushnick got him the spot. In the wake of her 'stepping on the toes' of powerful network executives and 'playing hardball' tactics with guest bookings, she found herself being pushed out of her job as Tonight Show Executive Producer and Jay's manager. Letterman, devastated by his being passed over, brought in superagent Mike Ovitz to negotiate on his behalf, resulting in his move to CBS.

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Plot Keywords:

manager | retirement | television network | business deal | comedian | 

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Taglines:

Two heads fighting for the late night crown - One head's gotta roll.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Talk-Show

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 February 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Changement de décors

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO), Northern Lights Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A few days after the film's premiere, John Michael Higgins was booked on Late Show with David Letterman to talk about the movie and what it was like to portray Letterman. Higgins then sat in the green room as Letterman spent the next hour padding bits and doing filler, all the while promising Higgins was "coming up". At the end of the show Letterman apologized to Higgins for "running out of time", pointedly saying he hoped the actor could "come back again soon." Higgins was never re-booked.

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Goofs

When Letterman is doing his show, Robert Morton and Peter Lassally appear in the wings and speak to Letterman. In the next scene, the three are speaking in Letterman's office after the show and Lassally is wearing a different suit.

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Quotes

David Letterman: [embarrassed] How can a television show be worth all this embarrassment?

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Connections

References Rhythm & Blues (1992)

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Soundtracks

"Johnny's Theme"
Written by Paul Anka and Johnny Carson
Chrysalis Standards, Inc. / Here's Johnny Music / Songs of Polygram Int'l

User Reviews

A great look behind the scenes

as a former TV editor, I can say this is as authentic as it gets. It even led to Letterman's producer (thought to be a source) resigning (eventually) in real life. Letterman was outraged (OK, so one goofy thing is it has him throwing softballs at a tire swing on his estate; total fabrication) but the main information is hilariously true, from the silly bidding war for Letterman once he decided to leave NBC to Leno's problems with an agent who was not ready for big time, but who he let run the show (almost to a disastrous exit) out of his famed loyalty. If any of you kids don't grasp the idea of why Letterman is jealous to this day, see this tape.