By John Gruber

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Richard Lewis on Letterman

So many fond remembrances of Richard Lewis are coming out — he really was “the menschiest of mensches” — but this highlight reel from his appearances on Letterman’s show, especially the early ones from the 1980s, hits home for me. He was a great comedian and an absolutely perfect talk show guest. He was seemingly always on Late Night back then, and every time he was, as a viewer, it was like, “Richard Lewis again? Can’t wait!”

Also:

• Lewis’s first appearance on Late Night in 1982. Hard to overstate how forward-thinking this entire segment was.
• Lewis killing on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show in 1990.
• Keith Olbermann’s remembrance.
• Lewis making Bob Costas laugh so hard NBC almost shelved the episode. Here’s the whole first appearance on Costas’s (vastly underrated) late late night show in 1989.

★ Friday, 1 March 2024