I'm Barbara Gaines and I'm all over this channel
[Music]
I worked for Dave between 1980 and 2015. I started when I was 23 and I ended when I was
58 so I basically grew up on the show on Late Night in the 1980s and 90s I sat backstage
with Jude Brennan and then barbershian we sat right behind Dave somehow I started to
scream from backstage Dave would ask me something I would scream or I would just suddenly scream
Barbara what high or no tie all right there's Barbara on the good side of my day no one
on the staff came dressed as anything today so uh Barbara did you dress as anything today
okay and I want to thank all the members of our fine technical crew and the staff who
were able to go some unfortunately weren't able Barbara did you get to go no Barbara
didn't this comes to us from Middlebury Vermont uh where Barbara Gaines as a cousin living
I understand
That's The Lovable Barbara Gaines back there ladies [Applause] had a bunch of them viewer
mail why don't you let young Barbara host the show One night she really has a nice voice
and I've been wondering what it would be like with her as the show's host Barbara actually
did Host this show one night and let's take a look at some of that videotape is it all
right with you Barbara we can show the tape okay let's look at let's look at the night
Barbara hosted the show I think you'll find it it was in the spring of 1972 that I first
learned of bridges intent to write and direct a film about the Harvard Law School
precisely so learn the temporal actors who are being auditioned and tested for the part
of Professor kingsfield one of them was Edward G Robinson
she has such a sweet lilting voice I could listen to her Dorset tones for hours did you
hear that Barbara
now you can listen to her dulcer tones for hours because just in time for the holidays
Comes This Barbara [Music] I turned it over and the tub fell off I'm sorry there's nothing
wrong with my voice I'm from Long Island okay we will a lot of times I would bring stuff
out it was mostly stuff I forgot to bring out in the first place I still was shy and
didn't really want to be seen on camera so I would run out and run back and they would
make some kind of comment about me it's our friend Barbara Gaines is now working part-time
for Captain Frank Mundus did you know that Paul I know that got a gig out of Montauk
working for Frank Mundus thank you very much that's very nice of you Barbara games
Queen of the Subterranean mole people [Music] the talent Department booked the Guinness
Book of World Records typing person Barbara Blackburn and they decided they wanted me
because I was the fastest typist in the office that I should go up against her I took it
very seriously the woman I think thought oh I'm going to go up against the fast their
fastest typist she was nervous she'd lose her title so she didn't put paper in her machine
begin typing one minute here [Music]
[Applause]
we did this a bit it was drills it was when the stage crew would dress as something we
all dressed in orange jumpsuits tennis whites we all dressed as elves watch this [Applause]
[Music] oh
and then I was an elf for a bunch of things Dave took me to the doctor as an elf my son's
favorite part of that elf remote was me going ow my finger we think we have a busted finger
here look at that it's the index finger and it's all puffy and swollen yeah so be very
careful okay had this happen playing football and can you remember how the ball hits your
finger did it push the finger back or hit it right on the end I don't know well this
is where the reenactment will come in
foreign
[Music] butcher get away from her I'm sorry is it all right to touch you again yeah okay
how you're 36 you know the Doogie Howser is like 11. you ever see that show look at that
that's me and that's me and Paul can you see them and I did one of the how's the weather
as an elf and how's the weather was basically a Time filler we did at the Act II when everything
else fell through I would bring out a bunch of phone books and Dave would riffle through
the phone book and I would Point we'd find a person and we'd call them and actually just
say how's the weather it never worked so one night we called my parents and my mother answered
say hello to her oh good Barbara baby how are you did she give me another sweater yeah
yeah you know uh Sophie she looks great in the new sweater oh good that Spike sweater
she's got so fat she had to wear a promise
[Applause] you know you know Sophie one more remark like that and we're gonna have to disqualify
you oh my God yeah how to understand her to understand she wasn't really being mean but
anyway Sophie kind of took the rose off the bloom or the bloom off the rose or whatever
that goes but that piece was now done we were doing film specials one of the movies was
dress cool I made a cameo in that so to get me cool took a lot of a lot of time I had
a wig and my I had a you know pushed up I just remembered the band saying oh look Gates
has tits
I think but the most moving moment the culmination of late night would be the last show when
Bruce Springsteen jumped up on the organ Singing Glory Days that really was our Glory Days
it was the last time we'd be young the last time we would be at 12 30 and and have the
studio and like kids taking over the set and you know we'd never be young again
[Applause] thank you who at Late Show I was the associate producer producer executive
producer when I got the podium I was 45 I think there was one show where they caught
me you know Dave always ran across the stage and they caught me running across the stage
because I was late I want to say happy birthday to one of our longtime beloved staff members
one of our great one of the many executive producers here at the Late Show yes our good
friend having a birthday today I won't tell you how old she is well as a matter of fact
she's featured on the opening of tonight's television program take a look let's see what
she's doing here here's the beginning of this there she goes oh yes yes and here I come
it's well it's a jailbreak I noticed that happy birthday to our good friend Barbara
Gaines ladies and gentlemen right there
I made the podium my own my mother always asked me if I'd met any celebrities and I
always said yes I met Dave and she was like no no you know Hollywood but I didn't have
that much Rush with greatness once Don Rickles mentioned me my father would have loved that
so much you know what he does we get in the car every time I come to you I'm talking to
the crew like you can help me
they're all standing like this
[Applause] well they have lives and families they want to get on with it and and abroad
behind the boats with the earphones going how much longer with this oh how much longer
do I have to listen to this sometimes you know Dave would ask you something and you
have to figure it out because you were the only person there like why isn't the pumpkin
exploding uh ladies and gentlemen I have some more bad news we have been informed by the
fire department of the city of New York that we cannot explode the pumpkin that nautic
store personally I'm sick about this I'm told it has something to do with the the rain the
rain and that makes it doubly dangerous to explode yeah yeah it had it been a nice dry
day we could have exploded the pumpkin I think so but I don't get that what's the problem
with the rain something [Music]
Dave once he was using a leaf blower and the card was on the floor and then giant babes
on the floor trying to sneak the card back to him
get out of here get back in the audience get back in the audience where you belong let's
sneak it up here on me like that what's the matter with you what are you trying to pull
I think we had a parrot I don't remember what it was supposed to do but I think Dave said
will you do what it's supposed to do you show us what the bird is supposed to do come on
no that's it [Music] [Applause]
we have this bit and it was canceled Dave didn't even know we were going to do it to
begin with so when we came back from commercial there's a pleat of ribs on Dave's desk so
he looks at the ribs and he's thinking why are their ribs on my desk so I come running
out in front of him to say those ribs they're a mistake just ignore them wait a minute we
got something coming in why is it here it's a mistake it's interesting that no this is
where did I show you what's been labeled a mistake
is that a plate of ribs it's a mistake what are the reasons it's a plate of the ribs they
look delicious but they're a mistake or they're by mistake I mean I can't even begin to understand
the parameters of the circumstance whereby this would result as a mistake and it's here
they look delicious yeah but it's a mistake
what I mean honest to God what yeah how could that be a mistake you know I was always trying
to talk today from the podium so I think Dave one night had had a little desk put next to
his desk who's that on your left by the way
it well let's bring your daughter to work day
this is my little girl Barbara she's just doing her homework wow my little girl Barbara
homework done was studying during the show and then later uh daddy's gonna take her to
see The Lion King one of the many jobs executive producer is to keep the show on time keep
Dave on time and when you would come up to the desk and say you know we've got six minutes
left it's possible he might say to you time to use it for losers at one point I tried
a couple of different things I used a whistle once to try to get him to stop can't hear
this is what we're talking about Tiger Woods [Applause]
uh we have to go because I I run long and so she's got the whistle that's what I hear
that's what it was you know towards the end of my run things might have gotten a little
contentious I think one night I might have held up a sign I shouldn't have held up so
I'm streaming let's go let's go and here's well here's what happens show them what you
did I'm screaming let's go this is the producer you pull out your little thing there and this
is what I get back go ahead pull it out pull out your little thing what is it it's just
right there
I mean
I don't know yeah well okay and happy Passover to you as well but you know we also had our
times when we made up I didn't really call her incompetent what I actually said was you
use you exhibited poor judgment that's what I said oh and I felt horrible about that and
I'm apologizing exhibiting poor judgment no there'd be no hug no no no no don't come here
time together [Music]
the most moving and memorable parts of late show or maybe my entire career were was really
two things in 2002 I got to accept the Emmy Award for the show which was an unbelievable
thing that the c-plus shy fat me got to stand up at the Emmy Awards and accept that Emmy
H was hard to believe that ever happened and then the next day on the show Dave showed
it again and talked about it that was kind of amazing still amazing Barbara Gaines who
is our executive producer and and before she goes out there I said you know if if we do
if we're lucky enough to win Barbara I would I would like you to you know receive and say
thank you and so we're all kind of excited it'll be fun because you know Barbara's been
with us a long time and she's a lovely woman but when I first met her years and years ago
and I've said this to her before and no offense but this is a pretty accurate description
of what she was when I first met her year she was a box of parts yeah
all the games everybody
[Applause] [Music] and the other thing was working on the last show Montage a couple
of years before Dave retired he said one day I'm going to retire and when that time comes
we're going to need a end of the show Montage we should hire someone you know like the guy
who always does the Oscars or something to work on that that Montage because it shouldn't
be inside we're too close and I think I said to Kathy who's the guy who works on the Oscars
get that guy to to start working on the Montage I'm not sure when he came to us with a nine
minute video montage but he came to us and it ended and there was a pause and I think
Rob said well this is terrible so once Rob said if we were all able to go that's right
it's terrible so I went to Dave and I said you know that that Montage it's no good and
he said what are you going to do now and I said I'd like to take a crack at it so Randy
Mark and I started to put something together and we were working on it I don't know maybe
six months when Dave called one day and the other room and said how's it going and I said
you know I'm working on the what you would expect the Joaquin Phoenix moment and the
you know whatever else and he said wait video and I said yeah and he goes no no no it should
be Stills and I thought oh yeah sure it should be Stills so we threw out everything we've
been doing and started over again I mean I wasn't credited for doing it and I didn't
have to be credited it was just a joy to work on with Master editor mark spada an associate
director Randy grossack it was trying to put a lifetime into six minutes it was closure
for me it was kind of a healing thing for me to just put the whole show into a package
it was a beautiful experience I don't know wrapped everything up into above if I could
use one word to describe my 35 years at the show what would it be and I think it would
be life-saving
[Music]
foreign [Applause]
[Applause]
[Applause] Robin Williams Julie Chen uh gee whiz excuse me Barbara we have a show to do
what do you want from me I'm sweating my nuts off here well do it someplace else yeah it's
fine [Music] thank you [Music]