--- title: In Honor of Letterman's Last Show, Watch a Famous Late-Night Farewell description: Bette Midler sang to Johnny Carson on his penultimate 'Tonight Show' episode canonical: https://time.com/3891091/late-night-farewell-carson-letterman/ author: Esther Zuckerman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-20T18:53:47.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T09:08:02.979Z article:section: History og:title: In Honor of Letterman's Last Show, Watch a Famous Late-Night Farewell og:description: One more for the road og:url: https://time.com/3891091/late-night-farewell-carson-letterman/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltddaccae5cd49c61c/698850f655a85972c3a8c1c7/1408713891.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1980 og:image:height: 1114 og:image:alt: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: In Honor of Letterman's Last Show, Watch a Famous Late-Night Farewell twitter:description: One more for the road twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltddaccae5cd49c61c/698850f655a85972c3a8c1c7/1408713891.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch the Most Famous Late-Night TV Goodbye Ever > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=b143b9d9-9d89-4a07-b73e-fe9dff08ca16&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=b143b9d9-9d89-4a07-b73e-fe9dff08ca16&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Why Losing Letterman Means Losing the Late Night TV Formula [Watch (HLS stream): Why Losing Letterman Means Losing the Late Night TV Formula](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ZqzMjurF.m3u8) (2:00)  _Published 2015-05-19. We’re all a little anxious about losing the Top 10 List, but Letterman also potentially takes with him something much simpler: the old formula of late night TV._ by [Esther Zuckerman](https://time.com/author/esther-zuckerman/) ## Esther Zuckerman Zuckerman is a contributor for TIME. May 20, 2015 6:53 PM UTC by [Esther Zuckerman](https://time.com/author/esther-zuckerman/) ## Esther Zuckerman Zuckerman is a contributor for TIME. May 20, 2015 6:53 PM UTC While the final installment of _The_ _Late Show with David Letterman_ has yet to take place, Bill Murray was likely Letterman’s Bette Midler. During the second-to-last show of Letterman’s run on CBS, Murray made a [cake-covered appearance](http://time.com/3890421/david-letterman-bill-murray-cake/) for the ages. And when television stalwart Johnny Carson retired 23 years ago, Midler, below, famously appeared on the second-to-last episode of his program, _The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson_, ending that show with a rendition of “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road).” In assessing Carson’s final shows, TIME [wrote](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,975622,00.html): “The sentimental high point came on Thursday night, when Carson’s final guest, Bette Midler, plied him with musical tributes, closing the show with a rendition of One for My Baby (and One More for the Road) as the camera showed Carson looking on, misty-eyed.” Of course, Midler’s appearance wasn’t the end of Carson. For his final episode, he did without the guests, instead choosing to reflect on his past with the show. But he closed with those famous words, which TIME also chose to close out its [review](http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,975622,00.html) of the episode: --- > “” --- If Murray was Letterman’s Midler, on Wednesday night we’ll find out what Letterman’s “heartfelt good-night” be. **_Read more:_**[_Stephen Colbert, David Letterman and the History of Late-Night Torch Passing_](http://time.com/3599738/stephen-colbert-report-david-letterman-late-show/) ### Late Night Before Letterman  The Tonight Show starring Steve Allen: (l-r center) Jayne Meadows, Steve Allen (2nd left) Skitch Henderson (4th row right) Patricia Marshall (5th row l-r) Pat Kirby, Eydie Gorme (top row l-r) Andy Williams and Steve Lawrence, in 1955 NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show starring Steve Allen, on July 1, 1956: Andy Griffith, Steve Allen, and Elvis Presley (l-r) perform a parody of a Country-Western television show NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  'The Steve Allen Show' circa 1957. Archive Photos—Getty Images  The Tonight Show with Jack Parr: Season 1's (l-r) Tedi Thurman, host Jack Paar, Fran Warren, Johnny Johnson, Mary Mayo, Jose Melis NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show with Jack Parr: John F. Kennedy (r) on the show in 1962 NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show with Jack Parr, 1962: (l-r) Jack Paar, Hugh Downs, Jose Melis. NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson: (l-r) Ed McMahon, host Johnny Carson during the first show on Oct. 1, 1962 . NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson: Host Johnny Carson in his office in March of 1965. Bob Ganley/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Joey Bishop Show: (l-r) Regis Philbin, Joey Bishop and Jack Benney in 1968. ABC Photo Archives/ABC—Getty Images  The Merv Griffin Show: Merv Griffin (R) interviewing actor Marlon Brando in 1968. Arthur Schatz—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Merv Griffin warming up the audience before the show, 1969. Michael Ochs Archives—Getty Images  The Dick Cavett Show: The host on May 2, 1969. ABC Photo Archives/ABC—Getty Images  The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson: (l-r) Announcer Ed McMahon and host Johnny Carson, as Carnac the Magnificent, on Nov. 17, 1970. NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson: (l-r) Boxers Ken Norton and Muhammad Ali, with host Johnny Carson, in 1973 NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson: (l-r) Comedian Jay Leno during an interview with guest host David Letterman on July 4, 1979. NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson: (l-r) Announcer Ed McMahon, actor Robin Williams and host Johnny Carson on Oct. 14, 1981. Gene Arias/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson: (l-r) David Letterman is interviewed by Johnny Carson on Jan. 2, 1981. Gene Arias/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank—Getty Images  Comedian and late night television host, David Letterman, warms up his NBC studio audience prior to the taping of his television show at Rockefeller Center in New York City in 1982. George Rose—Getty Images ## Transcript After three decades as a staple of late night television, David Letterman is calling it quits. And while we're all a little anxious about losing the top- ten list, Letterman also potentially takes with him something much simpler. The old formula of late night TV. You're not going anywhere. You're not leaving. You have beautiful eyes. Thank you. In a day and age where going on a late night talk show could mean stripping to your underwear. [ MUSIC ] Or participating in particularly intense lip synch battles, David Letterman is still relying on the late night TV formula. Since the 1950's, that formula has been part monologue, part recurring bit and part interview. Here's Johnny! Legend of late night, Johnny Carson created and perfected this years ago on his way to making The Tonight Show the most profitable show on television. [ NOISE ] Now hosts like Jimmy Fallon, James Corden and Jimmy Kimmel have really made it more of a variety hour. Hour . >> Taking over for Letterman is Stephen Colbert formerly of Comedy Central's the Colbert Report and one of many comics to find greater success after working with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show. This is who's attacking me now . >> Colbert became famous of his faux conservative character over the course of the Colbert Report's nine year run which makes his real hosting style A bit of a mystery, and while we don't know what Colbert will bring to Letterman's hallowed spot in late night TV, we di know this. The lip sync battles, history of rap and mom dancing seems to be working for Jimmy Fallon who took over the Tonight Show from another late night veteran, Jay Leno. Since Jimmy Fallon took over the Tonight Show back in February of 2014, he's been the ratings leader in his time slot It wasn't until Letterman's farewell tour that the late show jumped back into the top spot ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3891091/late-night-farewell-carson-letterman/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3891091/late-night-farewell-carson-letterman/"},"headline":"Watch the Most Famous Late-Night TV Goodbye Ever","datePublished":"2015-05-20T18:53:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-01T09:08:02.979Z","description":"One more for the road","url":"https://time.com/3891091/late-night-farewell-carson-letterman/","keywords":["Television","David Letterman","Late Show with David Letterman"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltddaccae5cd49c61c/698850f655a85972c3a8c1c7/1408713891.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Esther Zuckerman","jobTitle":"Zuckerman is a contributor for TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/esther-zuckerman/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltddaccae5cd49c61c/698850f655a85972c3a8c1c7/1408713891.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson","caption":"The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson","creditText":"NBC—NBC via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3891091/late-night-farewell-carson-letterman/","name":"Watch the Most Famous Late-Night TV Goodbye Ever"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Why Losing Letterman Means Losing the Late Night TV Formula","description":"We’re all a little anxious about losing the Top 10 List, but Letterman also potentially takes with him something much simpler: the old formula of late night TV.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ZqzMjurF/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-05-19T21:09:44.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ZqzMjurF.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3891091/late-night-farewell-carson-letterman/","duration":"PT2M","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3891091/late-night-farewell-carson-letterman/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```