The Late Shift Page #11

MORE SALARY.

C.B.S. is offering ownership.

C.B.S. IS ALSO OFFERING

FOR THE SHOW TO START IN THE FALL.

N.B.C., THE FOLLOWING SPRING,

MAYBE.

WHAT'S THAT, WHAT'S "MAYBE"?

I MEAN THE DEAL IS OBVIOUSLY

VERY SMOKY IN MANY DETAILS.

BUT I GET THE SHOW, RIGHT?

NO, NOT NECESSARILY, DAVID.

THE WAITING PERIOD

GIVES JAY 18 MONTHS TO MAKE THE SHOW A HIT.

AND IF HE DOES,

YOU CAN BET N.B.C. WILL FIND

A WAY TO WEASEL:

OUT OF THE DEAL.

HONESTLY, C.A.A. SEES

NO REASON TO CHANGE ITS RECOMMENDATION.

MIKE, LISTEN.

YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND.

UH, IT IS EVERY DRIVER'S DREAM

TO DRIVE A FERRARI.

NOW YOU'RE ASKING ME

TO GIVE THAT UP.

WELL, I COULD PROBABLY

BUY SOME TIME.

THE N.B.C. DEADLINE IS MONDAY.

I COULD GET AGOGLIA IN HERE

ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY,

AND HAVE HIM:

START DRAWING UP...

YES, YES,

GET AGOGLIA IN THERE.

I'M NOT GOING TO

BE THE ONLY GUY:

WHOSE WEEKEND IS

RUINED BY THIS.

HAVE AGOGLIA:

DRAG HIS TIRED ASS OVER TO C.A.A.,

WHILE I'M UP IN

CONNECTICUT IN HELL,

TRYING TO FIGURE OU WHAT THE F*** I'M GOING TO DO WITH MY LIFE!

( woman )

DAVE.

DAVE.

( David ) WHAT?

HELLO, DAVID.

AH! HI, PETE.

WELCOME TO:

MY WEEKEND IN HELL.

( grunting )

NO MOVEMENT SINCE FRIDAY?

NO.

AND AGOGLIA'S NOT PUTTING

ANYTHING IN WRITING.

YEAH, OVITZ SAYS, UH,

N.B.C. CAN'T TAKE THE RISK.

THAT IT WOULD LEAK.

AND JAY WOULD FIGURE OU THEY'VE OFFERED HIS JOB TO ME.

CAN YOU IMAGINE:

IF THE PRESS HEARD ABOUT THIS?

DO YOU THINK JAY KNOWS?

NO.

HOW CAN HE?

BUT IT IS WORTH THINKING

WHAT IT WILL MEAN TO JAY

IF YOU TAKE THIS.

IT MEANS YOU'LL BE

DENOUNCED IN THE PRESS

FOR SHOVING AN OLD FRIEND

UNDER A TRAIN.

JEEZ!

I MEAN, THA-THAT'S HORRIBLE.

I CAN'T WORRY ABOUT THAT.

HAVE YOU TALKED:

TO ANYBODY ELSE?

YEAH,

I'VE TALKED TO EVERYBODY.

I TALKED TO HAL,

MORTY, ROB, JUDE.

AND WHAT DID THEY SAY?

THEY ALL, UH,

THEY SAID THE SAME THING, IT'S A SHITTY DEAL.

C.B.S. OFFERED A BETTER ONE.

I TELL YOU, PETE,

I'M STILL

THINKING OF TAKING IT.

I WANT THAT SHOW.

WHAT SHOW?

I DESERVE THAT SHOW.

JOHNNY'S SHOW?

DON'T YOU GET IT, DAVID?

THEY ARE NOT OFFERING YOU

THE JOHNNY CARSON TONIGHT SHOW.

THAT IS GONE FOREVER.

THEY'RE OFFERING YOU

DAMAGED GOODS.

THEY'RE OFFERING YOU

THE JAY LENO SHOW.

AND THEY'RE NO EVEN OFFERING IT NOW, THEY'RE MAKING YOU WAIT.

I'VE LOST THAT SHOW ONCE,

I'M NOT GOING TO DO IT AGAIN.

I CAN'T.

I JUST CAN'T SAY NO.

THEN DON'T SAY YES YET.

MAKE ONE MORE PHONE CALL.

JESUS, WHY ARE YOU

DOING THIS TO ME?

DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND,

I DON'T CARE.

I CANNOT LOSE:

THE TONIGHT SHOW TWICE.

ONCE TO JAY LENO.

AND ONCE BECAUSE

I WAS TOO DUMB TO TAKE A SECOND CHANCE.

THEY'RE OFFERING ME

A SECOND CHANCE, PETE.

DAVID, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND,

I AM THE GUY THAT MOVED HEAVEN AND EARTH

TO GET YOU THAT SECOND CHANCE

AND I'M TELLING YOU,

IT'S NOT RIGHT.

IT'S LEFTOVERS. IT'S SHODDY.

CALL THE ONE GUY

IN ALL THE WORLD

WHO CAN HELP YOU

FIGURE THIS OUT.

( telephone ringing )

HELLO.

( David )

Uh, Johnny, it's Dave.

I, UH, I HATE TO BOTHER YOU

ON A SUNDAY LIKE THIS BUT...

I KNOW:

WHY YOU'RE CALLING, DAVE.

UH, PETER FILLED ME IN

ON THE N.B.C. OFFER.

LISTEN,

I JUST HATE TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT LIKE THIS,

BUT YOU MAY BE THE ONLY GUY

WHO REALLY UNDERSTANDS

THIS SORT OF THING AND I...

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

I THINK YOU GOT TO DO

WHAT'S BEST FOR YOUR CAREER. I MEAN,

DO... DO WHAT'S IN YOUR HEART.

WELL, IT'S JUST THOSE 2 THINGS

SEEM TO BE IN... IN DIRECT CONFLICT HERE.

IT'S JUST SO TOUGH.

I... I JUST HAVE TO JUST ASK

YOU STRAIGHT OUT, JOHNNY.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

WELL, DAVE,

I WOULD PROBABLY WALK.

NOW I'M NOT TELLING YOU

TO DO THAT.

But if you're asking me

what I would do,

IF I WAS TREATED LIKE THIS,

YEAH, I, UH,

I WOULD PROBABLY WALK.

YEAH,

I IMAGINE YOU WOULD, JOHNNY.

UH, LISTEN, I JUST REALLY

APPRECIATE THIS.

IT'S JUST AWFULLY

NICE OF YOU AND I...

I, UH...

THANKS.

GOOD LUCK, DAVE.

Everybody wants to know

what's going on in late night.

And the answer is,

the host of the Tonight Show

will continue to be

Jay Leno!

( motorcycle engine revving )

( Jay )

Hey!

( chuckling )

( Jay )

How're you all doing?

Don't let these N.B.C. guys

out of your sight.

Hey, Warren, how are you?

Welcome to N.B.C.,

which stands for

"Never Believe your Contract."

( audience laughing )

You know they say, uh...

They say that

we live in a time of lowered expectations.

They... they must be right

because, look at this,

you're all here

and I have the job.

What we're celebrating

is that I haven't been fired.

( sighing )

OK.

LET'S GO.

IT'S OUR TURN NOW.

( Jay chattering )

( honking )

HOLD IT.

GENTLEMEN,

WE'RE JUST GOING FROM

ONE BIZARRE CIRCUMSTANCE

TO THE NEXT.

( David )

I never dated Amy Fisher.

( audience laughing )

I helped her with her homework

I... I fixed her car,

and that's it.

Thank you, good night.

What about Paul Shaffer,

is he coming along?

Paul who?

Paul Shaffer.

Paul Shaffer.

Oh, no, God,

we forgot...

We forgot about Paul.

Howard, is there just

a bit left over

for Paul Shaffer?

Dave, Dave, are you going to

kick Jay Leno's ass?

I'm going to kick

your ass, buddy.

( woman reporter )

Isn't your comedy too hip for 11:30?

( camera clicking )

You people seem to be keeping up.

( Warren )

DO YOU REALIZE WHAT WE'VE GOT RIDING ON JAY LENO?

A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY

AND MY ASS.

DAVE'S REALLY GOOD.

I HOPE WE HAVEN' MADE A MISTAKE.

( There's No Business

Like Show Business by Ethel Merman Playing )

THERE'S NO BUSINESS

LIKE SHOW BUSINESS

LIKE NO BUSINESS I KNOW

ALL MADE UP AND SOON

YOU'LL BE APPEARING

EVERY BIT OF:

NERVOUSNESS IS GONE

AND THE SOUND:

THAT'S MUSIC TO YOUR HEARING

TO HEAR THEM CHEERING

WHEN YOU COME ON

THERE'S NO PEOPLE

LIKE SHOW PEOPLE

THEY SMILE WHEN:

THEY ARE LOW:

HOW I WISH THE FOLKS AT HOME

COULD ONLY SEE:

WHAT'S HAPPENED TO ANNIE,

HOW PROUD THEY'D BE

GETTING PAID FOR DOING

WHAT COMES NATURALLY

LET'S GO ON WITH THE SHOW

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