With David Letterman having his final show Wednesday night, perhaps no one among the current late-night set is more indebted to him than Seth Meyers. Jimmy Kimmel might be more outward about his admiration toward Letterman and the influence he had on his career, but Meyers is currently hosting the show that Letterman made an institution: Late Night in the 12:35 a.m. slot.
Paying homage to the man who set the foundation of the Late Night franchise — with Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Fallon, and now Meyers — Late Night with Seth Meyers recreated the original 1982 opening from Late Night with David Letterman on Tuesday night’s show. Take a look.
That’s a wonderful shot-for-shot recreation by the Late Night production team. Sure, some of the landmarks have been updated during the past 33 years, but it’s the same opening. The almost punk-rock aesthetic of a spray-painted logo on the street, and the feeling that just you and a few other people — those who either had to or wanted to be up that late — were watching, keeping the light on in the office.
Announcer Ron McClary introducing Meyers as “a man who knows that it’s Letterman’s show and he’s just borrowing it” was a very nice touch too.
As a comparison, here’s the original Late Night opening from 1982. Apologies for not being able to find a better video, but we’re probably lucky someone posted a clip on YouTube. Who knows if those old tapes even exist anymore?
