hi my name is Pat farmer I was in charge of the props department at Late Show with David
Letterman from his beginning on CBS in 1993 until the show ended in 2015. early on in
the show we decided to throw things off the roof for whatever reason he picked me to do
the throwing and sometimes and you needed help because some of the stuff we threw was
pretty big take it away boys [Music] off the Ed Sullivan Theater building out to 53rd Street
there we go right out there on the 53rd Street
20 000 ping pong balls off the roof of the end Sullivan Theater [Applause]
700 pounds of nacho cheese there it goes
[Applause] oh my goodness look out look out look out look out look out
foreign [Music]
anchors was set designer she's just a classic English Dame Kathleen used to come out in
a bit she would just be cursing a Blue Streak at Dave it was hysterical one of my favorite
things on the show and here tonight with a fresh bag s is our very own
hi Peggy how are you off you illiterate face bastards it's very nice to see you too Peggy
thank you for the books
that damn books up here
you're skinny skin [Music] Peggy the CBS librarian Pips is just as good as it gets you could
never predict what he was going to do at one time he was supposed to call David dweeb or
whatever one of the whatever the adjective was that we used on the show for whatever
reason Biff said Dave you're an [ __ ] I've got a contest too oh yeah yeah it's called
Biff Anderson's who can do the Layman skit about a contest contest [Music] and and guess
what you two asked one [Applause]
yeah hey hey
it's jackass I'm sorry I really ah slip of the tongue the slip of the tongue
yeah I remember one time some people must come dancing on stage at the Academy Awards
and they had something written on their chest they forget what and so Kenny and I had to
do that that was not one of my final moments our own stagehands uh Pat and Kenny are they
here they were on it yeah they didn't see them were they working behind the scenes right
there Pat farmer and Kenny I didn't see that boys you were on the show last night lots
of my knowledge Dave here we got the special permission from the academy to show it I think
this is Pat and Kenny on last night's Academy Awards broadcast take a look see what you
think there's Billy Crystal right there and just like real life I have not heard from
him
tonight ladies and gentlemen
I don't know
you boys you boys are getting your money's worth out of that Ab Roller aren't you a lot
of things on the street that were a lot of fun and so it required a lot of work sometimes
too
[Applause] [ __ ] in 1624 and for 40 years ruled over the county check it out all right
who are you supposed to be come on guys can't you see him throwing this thing here it was
concrete back to me sweetheart let's see if you got any money thank you you better run
I'll cut you [Music] [Applause] we broke Rupert's window one time
[Laughter]
[Applause]
and
[Music] I have only a vague memory of this but the couple of The Crow and myself a bunch
of States change how to do River Dance the Irish dancing uh that was a crazy at the time
I guess still is [Music] plenty all right that's plenty they would use me to do interrupts
they would be doing his monologue and then all of a sudden they would just walk out and
then be standing next to Dave and invariably he would look shocked he'd go every once in
a while it was so good you couldn't help laughing it would see it was so good and I think I
left something in the pocket in my pocket yeah it's right here right here let me see
I got it that's it
still good good thank you Dave thanks Beth
a guy that worked for me someone must have noticed that there there's some resemblance
but he's a lot shorter than me putting me six or eight inches so they decided to call
us Pat and little pat pat won't be able to interrupt your show for a few weeks because
he's going on vacation so he asked me to interrupt your show while he's away um well you know
we don't really want the show interrupted
whether Pat's here or not and by the way who are you I'm Bobby the stage handle kind of
looks like a miniature version of Pat
yeah well that part's true but again we're just getting the show kind of off the ground
here and we don't really welcome the interruptions I forget Pat what am I supposed to do when
he gets all [ __ ] like this
[Applause] you don't need to get pissy you with an old hag
I think we should leave now a little pattern yeah I think that's a good idea nice going
guys some of the best guests that came on with the military it had people come on they
had done this amazingly heroic things and so modest about it was unbelievable one fella
came on he had lost the hand and I believe he had saved a couple people and in the process
that sort of happened to him and he's chatting with David he says and I can do tricks with
it too I think something to that effect and then he took his hand he just started spinning
it around I'm sure he's had his troubles but it was pretty cool and he was pretty cool
what can you tell us about your hand here um I tell you when I lost my hand I thought
I was going to get a hook which I also have a hook but then when they gave me this I was
I was in awe I mean this is pretty much like a normal hand it's got rotation as well [Applause]
so it's it's got a bunch of neat features now it's none of my business but
what what do you use the rotation for if I have something in this hand and I and I got
my hand in this posture and I want to grab something sideways it's easier than having
to put something down I see I see and it's really good for a lot of the double arm amputees
because they can't manipulate the wrist as easy but it sits up here on your muscles it's
got a little sensors that pick up the slightest muscle movement you can see my that's just
muscle twitching that's just remarkable that's amazing yes it is amazing and for an amazing
man CBS has rights to the NCAA tournament March Madness so late show one year they decided
to promo it by having Meek throw basketballs off the roof which was nine of stories up
give or take and into a hoop that was on the street preface this I had a younger Brotherhood
just passed right before we're ready to rehearse I started hearing a voice for my brother on
the fifth shot so the first three or four shots the point also be going you know 14
15 feet in your direction just blown by the wing and come the fifth shot the ball gets
blown 15 feet another Direction and I said no well so much for that but then the voice
comes in loud and clearances no during the show stupid now you're going to make it in
two shots and I said oh my God you know the first shot gets blown all over the place the
second shot goes right in and I just you know holy come on well there you go couldn't believe
it take it away Pat okay
oh man but you see what I'm talking about that bounce fat coming up you get that bounce
working for you my friend you're going to the Hall of Fame gonna do it all right keep
going you get enough balls up there yeah okay
[Applause]
what happened there oh man alive did that look
all right wow congratulations
[Music] [Applause] nice going Pat now we have nothing to do the rest of the night at one
point in time one of the stage managers gave me a script for myself and Kenny Sheen who
worked as a prop man in which we were supposed to read Oprah Winfrey's transcripts I read
the script and I showed to the Kenny I said Ken do you believe this I I this I don't get
it and I showed it to Biff Henderson and Biff said this is hysterical this is going to be
a huge hit and I said all right not that we would have said no anyway but we did it and
people started laughing it was amazing please welcome an all-new Madonna thank you
you feel like you're a different kind of person now it's like everything changed when I had
my baby I think that two years ago I was mostly concerned with more money more boyfriends
[Music] but why are we on this Earth we're here we're here to love we're here to share
you look gorgeous girl thanks I love clothes and I love shoes I bet you don't have these
shoes oh my goodness you know I love some shoes girl
the Oprah Winfrey transcripts ended up being so successful that they've requested a title
sequence to lead into it or we had a dance with a bunch of Broadway dancers uh I wasn't
comfortable doing it but Kenny would get nervous if he knew he was going to be on camera letting
let alone having to dance on camera so to alleviate his fears we brought a bottle of
wine unbeknownst to the director who said kept on Yelling where the hell are you and
Kenny was drinking a bottle of wine in the van I remember the jump rope and the silly
outfit good Lord
I believe I will run on see what the end
I see Andrew's right here on Earth [Music]
[Applause] [Music] see what tomorrow will be cause I like what I see come on and run
with me
[Music] foreign
and one of them the ash got so long Dave finally said Kenny for the love of God we afflict
the Ash and he did Danny Kenny Kenny knock the come on knock the Ash off there people
won't be able to concentrate come on butt that thing God
let me get a call from the fire marshal for heaven's sakes well we would do readings ourselves
and then depending on uh who the segment producer was she would run through it with us it was
Jill Lederman a lot early on Jill said whatever you do you can't laugh and we used to naturally
try to make each other laugh at one time we did and I said I can't we're in trouble now
he said why he said we'll laugh so he said what the hell who cares I said well Jill's
going to be really ticked off and she comes running over and she said that was great wow
yeah wow yeah you're one of my all-time favorite in the world people in the world sweetie
[Applause] reminded you had me on Oprah
I love you love you girlfriend you complete me Oprah Miss Barbara is going to sing for
us [Applause]
memories like the corners of my mind Misty watercolor memories of The Way We Were [Laughter]
um
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music] [Applause]
you do it every time I love you honey
oh [Applause] surprise you're on TV [Music] thank you [Music]