The Late Shift (1996)

Humorous account of the Battle for The Tonight Show

If you are fascinated by what went on behind the scenes in the battle for who will succeed Johnny Carson between up-and-comer David Letterman and seasoned Carson fill-in Jay Leno then you will find this movie very entertaining. This movie orginally aired on HBO in 1996 and by then Leno was beginning his long run as King of Late Night over Letterman.

While John Michael Higgins (as Letterman) and Daniel Roebuck's (as Leno)only somewhat phyically resemble the late night giants, what drives this movie are the supporting roles. Most memorable is Kathy Bates as Leno's fiercely devoted but horribly misguided Agent Helen Kushnick; the fall from her position of power in the Leno camp evokes a feeling of someone getting what's coming to them, but nonetheless sad. Bob Babalon and Reni Santori are excellent as the exasperated, but ultimately triumphant NBC exces Warren Littlefield and John Agoglia who fret over choosing Leno but are rewarded with big ratings (this was before Littlefield's next cash cow - a guy named Seinfeld). Finally, Steven Gilborn's portrayal of Letterman's confidant and moral center Peter Lassally is superb. The one role which truly stretches the boundaries of credibility is Rich Little, who briefly portrays Johnny Carson; he sounds like Carson, but physically is really not a match.

The movie is based on the book by Bill Carter of the same name; it is fairly faithful to the book (it includes the must-see scene depicting the now-infamous true story of Leno hiding in a closet eavesdropping over NBC execs who are meeting to discuss his fate)

While this movie doesn't quite reach the height's (or is it lows?) of the funniest and most bitingly vicious depiction of what goes on behind closed doors in Hollywood portrayed in the criminally under-apreciated Larry Sanders Show, it is a excellent way to spend an hour and a half if you are up for a funny, true tale of Hollywood hi-jinks.
July 21, 2008

Funny, Revealing Look at the Late Night TV Wars.

"The Late Shift" is based on Bill Carter's book, a blow-by-blow account of the back-stabbing battle for NBC's "The Tonight Show" that was waged in board rooms and over power lunches on two coasts 1990-1993. CBS approached Jay Leno (Daniel Roebuck) while he was "The Tonight Show"'s guest host, hoping to lure him to a competing late night talk show. But Leno's agent Helen Kushnick (Kathy Bates) preferred that Leno seek a deal with NBC that would guarantee him the job when Johnny Carson (Rich Little) retired. David Letterman's (John Michael Higgins) "Late Night" had been a hit for NBC for a decade, and Letterman expected to succeed Carson himself. With a waffling NBC trying to retain both comedians, CBS courting Letterman with a favorable deal, and Kushnick using any means necessary to hang onto "The Tonight Show", this comic drama went on for three years.

"The Late Shift" peeks behind the curtain at some of network television's big personalities, their ambitions, tactics, and professional dilemmas. It's largely true, as far as I can judge from articles I read about the saga at the time. Leno and Letterman are represented sympathetically. David Letterman comes off as an obsessive neurotic who tends to be glum -but less so than he does on his show. Leno seems like a naïve guy who doesn't want anyone to get hurt. Letterman and producer Peter Lassally (Steven Gibson) half-jokingly compare CAA agent Michael Ovitz (Treat Williams) to The Godfather. Helen Kushnick's weapon of choice seems to be extortion. She sued Bill Carter but is now deceased. It's funny to watch NBC's John Agoglia (Reni Santoni) and Warren Littlefield (Bob Baleban) go around in circles over the same issue for years. The DVD (HBO 2005) offers subtitles in English, Spanish, French and dubbing in Spanish. January 10, 2008

Pleasent surprise for a Telemovie...

I had this movie originally on a rare LaserDisc, & was delighted when it appeared as a DVD release - in it's original aspect ratio & 16x9 enhanced to boot! The role of David Letterman is surprisingly accurate and after a while you forget this isn't the REAL Letterman. If you didn't know the story of how Letterman & Leno came to be where they are now in their career, it's a facinating incite into the harsh workings of corporate television. Worth the purchase price as you'll revisit this story often... July 20, 2007

Home Box should have made a movie about Arsenio, not these two dinosaurs

The only thing more boring than watching The Tonight Show (without Mr. Carson, of course) or The Late Show would be this movie. Who wants to see a movie about a couple of sappy, uncreative, uninteresting old men? Don't waste your money on this, if you really want to see it that bad wait for it to be rerun again on Home Box Office. Arsenio was ten times funnier than both of these men put together. July 16, 2007

Not Bad

Saw this on HBO a few years ago. Each actor portrayal of Leno and Letterman was, in my opinion, pretty right on.
Kathy Bates' portrayal of Lenos's agent was based on the actual woman with the foulest mouth in Hollywood. How she ever made it in the business, I'll never know. All in all this was a very entertaning flick. July 19, 2006

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