The Late Shift Page #3

ALL RIGHT.

LET'S SEE HOW THESE GUYS, UH,

WEASEL OUT OF THIS ONE.

( P.R. executive )

WE HAVE TO CONTROL THE RUMORS.

"WE HAVE TO

CONTROL THE RUMORS?"

YOU HAVE TO:

CONTROL THE RUMORS.

SO, HOW DO WE

WORD THE RELEASE?

MAYBE WE SHOULD:

JUST TALK ABOU THE NETWORK'S

HUGE DEBT TO JOHNNY.

NO WORDS LIKE,

"AND WE HOPE THE KING

WILL REIGN FOR:

MANY YEARS TO COME?"

NO.

OK.

HELEN'S WORK, RIGHT?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

IT PROBABLY CAME

FROM THE CARSON PEOPLE.

THEY KNOW THEY'RE IN TROUBLE.

THEY'RE TRYING TO SCREW YOU

BY LEAKIN' A STORY.

THEY WANNA MAKE YOU

LOOK SO F***ING EAGER

YOU'LL DO ANYTHING

TO GET THE JOB.

I GUESS THAT MAKES SENSE.

YOU KNOW, I'M JUST...

JUST WORRIED ABOUT JOHNNY.

WHAT ARE YOU:

WORRIED ABOUT HIM FOR?

HE DOESN'T WORRY ABOUT YOU.

I MEAN, THAT'S THE PROBLEM.

I DON'T THINK

HE REALLY LIKES ME.

THERE YOU GO WITH THA "LIKE" SH*T AGAIN.

WHAT THE HELL:

DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?

I MEAN, HE'S NOT PICKIN'

HIS SUCCESSOR, N.B.C. IS.

YOU DON'T THINK

THEY'LL GIVE HIM A VOTE?

NO, I DON'T.

WOULD YOU LEAVE:

THE CAMPAIGNING TO ME?

GO, DO YOUR F***ING JOKES.

I WANNA BE ABLE:

TO SWEAR TO JOHNNY THIS DIDN'T COME FROM US.

SO GO AHEAD AND SWEAR.

( phone ringing )

( Johnny )

Hello.

JOHNNY, HEY, IT'S JAY.

Jay?

YEAH, HOW YOU DOIN'?

I JUST WANTED TO...

JUST WANTED TO TALK TO YOU

ABOUT THIS ROTTEN ARTICLE

IN THE POST.

I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU,

YOU KNOW, MAKE IT CLEAR TO YOU

THAT IT DIDN'T COME FROM US.

Actually, you've been the G.E.

employee of the week,

haven't you there, Paul?

Aw, gee, Dave, I guess

I... I missed out on that one.

( audience laughing )

Uh, well, it's, uh,

it's quite an honor, Paul.

You know, kids,

why don't we find out

who... who the G.E.

employee of the week is,

uh, this week.

Right here, on our show,

we can reveal the name

of the G.E.

employee of the week.

( drum beating )

Anton, can we have a...

Here we go.

Uh, let's see who it is

this week, huh, Paul.

Warren Littlefield

and John Agoglia.

for cost consciousness

far beyond...

WELL,

THIS IS THE REASON

I WENT INTO TELEVISION.

SO MY FAMILY CAN

SEE ME BEING INSULTED

IN FRONT OF 4 MILLION PEOPLE.

HE'S GOT THE MICROPHONE,

AND WE'RE HELPLESS.

FORGET ABOUT IT.

I'VE BEEN LOOKING THROUGH

THESE RATINGS CHARTS

YOU SENT ME.

( Warren )

SO... SO YOU KNOW HOW WELL JAY IS DOING.

YEAH.

PRIME-TIME REVENUES

ARE NEXT TO NOTHING.

I'M THINKING

ABOUT ALL THE MONEY

WE'VE GO RIDING ON LATE NIGHT.

THE LAST THING WE NEED

IS A PROBLEM THERE.

WELL, WE'VE ALREADY GOT ONE.

HELEN KUSHNICK,

THE WOMAN'S FORCING THE ISSUE.

SO FAR WE'VE BEEN

ABLE TO KEEP HER IN LINE

WITH VERBAL ASSURANCES:

LENO'S IN LINE FOR

THE TONIGHT SHOW.

PLUS, WE'VE COMMITTED

SERIOUS MONEY:

IF LENO DOESN'T GET THE SHOW,

$2, $3 MILLION...

BUT SHE'LL FORFEIT THE MONEY

AND GO TO C.B.S.

AND THAT COULD BE

A DISASTER FOR US.

WE'VE STILL GO CARSON AND LETTERMAN.

A LOT OF PEOPLE:

BELIEVE THAT LENO

IS THE HOTTEST TALEN IN TELEVISION.

IT WOULD BE A MAJOR MISTAKE

TO LOSE JAY NOW.

ESPECIALLY SINCE JOHNNY

DOESN'T HAVE THAT LONG TO GO.

JOHN HAS NEVER SAID ONE WORD

TO ME ABOUT QUITTING.

IT MAY GET TO THE POIN WHERE WE CAN' WAIT ANY LONGER.

YOU WANNA GET RID

OF JOHNNY CARSON?

HIS RATINGS ARE SOFTENING.

ARSENIO'S GO THE YOUNGER VIEWERS.

THAT'S WHERE THE MONEY IS.

( sighing )

WE'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE

THE FUTURE IS SECURE.

IF WE GIVE JAY:

A FIRM DEAL NOW,

GIVE HIM A CONTRAC THAT GUARANTEES HIM THE SHOW

WHENEVER JOHNNY LEAVES,

I THINK HE AND HELEN

WOULD GO FOR IT.

YEAH, BUT WHERE DOES THA LEAVE US WITH LETTERMAN?

HE CAN'T GO ANYWHERE.

WE'VE GOT HIM

FOR 2 MORE YEARS.

LETTERMAN'S NEVER ONCE

ASKED US:

TO GUARANTEE HIM THE SHOW

IF JOHNNY QUITS.

DAVE IS STILL OUR 12:30 GUY.

WE'LL MAKE SURE

HE STAYS THERE.

ALL WE NEED TO DO NOW

IS GET JAY SIGNED,

KEEP HIM OFF C.B.S.

AND THIS SHOULD STAY

BETWEEN US, HELEN, AND JAY.

CARSON DOESN'T HAVE TO KNOW,

LETTERMAN DOESN' HAVE TO KNOW,

IT NEVER MAKES THE PAPERS.

THAT IS ESSENTIAL.

I DON'T WANT ANYBODY WRITING

THAT N.B.C. IS PUSHING

JOHNNY CARSON OUT THE DOOR.

I WANT THIS HANDLED

VERY CAREFULLY.

JOHN AND I ARE FRIENDS.

BUT WE'VE GOT TO HAVE

LATE NIGHT LOCKED UP.

IF THAT MEANS A DEAL FOR LENO,

LET'S DO IT.

( siren wailing )

( John ) JAY IS THE HOST,

THE FIRST WEEK NIGH AFTER CARSON'S LAST SHOW.

HELEN IS:

THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER.

N.B.C. PRODUCTIONS

OWNS THE SHOW.

NOW, OF COURSE,

NO WORD OF THIS:

LEAVES THIS ROOM.

NO. NO.

OH.

HELEN GETS THIS:

FAT CHECK.

I THINK, YOU COULD SAY

THIS IS THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM

COMING TRUE:

FOR 2 PEOPLE, HUH?

OH, YEAH, I... I THINK, HELEN,

THEY'VE GOT US

WHERE THEY WANT US.

WELL, YOU SEE,

I WOULD'VE SAID I THE OTHER WAY AROUND.

( laughing )

( car horns honking )

( people chattering )

LET'S GIVE A BIG HAND

FOR THE STARS:

OF OUR 1992 FALL LINEUP.

WELL, YOU'VE...

YOU'VE SEEN THE, UH,

THE NEW PROGRAMS

FOR OUR FALL SEASON,

AND I... I HOPE OUR AFFILIATES

AND OUR FRIENDS:

IN ADVERTISING COMMUNITY

AGREE,

WE'VE PUT NEW LIFE

INTO PRIME TIME.

AND NOW THE... THE LAST SURPRISE

OF THE DAY.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

THE KING OF:

LATE NIGHT TELEVISION

SOON TO BEGIN:

HIS 30TH YEAR AT N.B.C...

HERE'S JOHNNY.

THANK YOU.

THAT... THAT'S VERY NICE OF YOU.

GEE... GEE,

WHAT A FAST-PACED AFTERNOON.

( all laughing )

YOU... YOU FOLKS MUST BE

JUST SHORT OF A COMA.

( all laughing )

YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS

GET A LITTLE AWESTRUCK

TO THINK OF THE GREAT MEN

WHO'VE GRACED THIS STAGE.

JASCHA HEIFETZ,

VLADIMIR HOROWITZ,

AND TODAY,

WARREN LITTLEFIELD.

( all laughing )

KIND OF KNOCKS THE HELL

OUT OF DARWIN'S THEORY, DOESN'T IT?

( all laughing )

YOU KNOW, JAY LENO

WHO'S NOW

THE GUEST HOST ON OUR SHOW,

IS DRIVING ME NUTS BACKSTAGE.

"HOW'RE YOU FEELING?

YOUR THYROID OK?"

YOU KNOW, I LIKE JAY,

AND HE IS VERY CONCERNED

ABOUT MY HEALTH.

IN FACT,

HE SUGGESTED I TAKE A RUN

THROUGH CENTRAL PARK

ABOUT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.

( audience laughing )

ANYWAY, I KNOW IT'S BEEN

A LONG AFTERNOON.

I JUST WANNA SAY

THIS IS THE LAST YEAR

THAT I'M DOING

THE TONIGHT SHOW.

WHAT DID HE JUST SAY ABOU THIS BEING THE LAST YEAR?

I DON'T... I DON'T KNOW.

BUT MY LAST SHOW IS GONNA BE

ONE YEAR FROM NOW,

MAY 22, 1992.

( all exclaiming )

I JUST WANNA...

I WANNA THANK YOU.

I AM VERY GRATEFUL,

AND I BID YOU GOODBYE.

( all applauding )

WHY... WHY DIDN'T YOU...

THIS IS REAL.

I JUST SAID IT,

THE WORLD HEARD ME.

IT'S REAL.

GREAT TIE, BOB, TERRIFIC.

( audience chattering )

DID YOU KNOW:

ABOUT THIS, JOHN?

MR. LITTLEFIELD,

CAN I JUST ASK A QUESTION?

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK...

THANK YOU, UM, JOHNNY,

AND THANK YOU FOR COMING.

AND THE BATHROOMS

ARE DOWN THE HALL

AND TO THE RIGHT.

( reporters chattering )

WARREN,

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?

I HAD NO GOD DAMN IDEA...

( John )

WE HAVE NO RELEASE PREPARED, NOTHING.

BETTY, WHY DON'T YOU...

THE PRESS IS GONNA FRY US

LIKE BACON STRIPS.

OVER THE WORLD WITH OUR

ASSES HANGING OUT.

I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING.

HE DIDN'T SAY A WORD TO ME.

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