Totally agree. Conan’s show was best when it was not working correctly. Conan is just great at improvising and having so many bloopers really allowed for him to shine in a way that a show without bloopers wouldn’t work as well for him
I loved that the show had such a low budget that whenever there was a blooper, they didn't edit it out. They just ran with it and made it a part of the show.
Loved the campy feeling Late Night had with all the crappy props and effects used in their comedic bits. And Conan is definitely at his funniest whenever something goes unexpectedly wrong. Thanks Conan Fanatic for taking me down the memory lane!
I read a book on the early days of television, and there was a part about how the people who'd become the biggest stars were always radio and theater people and that movie stars would struggle - in part because the former had training with improvising when things go wrong and monitors were blowing up in everybody's face. Conan reminds me of that tradition. He's so quick on his feet and understands that what's important isn't that everything goes right, but that everybody has a good time.
and I think Conan would be the first to admit... not that he "learned from Letterman" directly, but he credits so much of what's inspired him in his career to the legacy that Dave created, and there has never been anyone better at producing a laugh out of a joke that completely bombed than David Goddamn Letterman.
Definitely the next generation of the "Letterman experience", because both had to feel like the prisoner were running the asylum XD. There was nothing like Conan before he came to late night, and there really hasn't been anyone like him since, which is pretty remarkable since there's about 20 late night show now. All of them are pale ghosts of Late Night with Conan O'Brien (and of course TBS's "Conan")
I will always love that time when Conan is interviewing James Spader and just out of nowhere what's like the voice of God says entirely loudly and out of context "Now that's a good Friday" and Conan and James are like "WTF was that?"
You should watch the documentary Conan O'Brien Can't Stop. It's a fascinating look into the dark months after he got fired from The Tonight Show but before is TBS show. The man loves to entertain so much that instead of just sitting back and relaxing and waiting for the new TBS show to start he went on a cross-country tour to entertain people around the country because he literally can't stop
CharlieBrown20XD6 I loved that movie! And it did t stray away from showing Conan get frustrated or being a little prickly, like when he was pissed that after shows his back up dancers brought a bunch of people to meet and greet with him even though he was exhausted. But it really showed his love for the fans and the craft
@@CharlieBrown20XD6 I'm glad things worked out for him, but he came off as a tyrannical, mean-spirited bully in that documentary. I know he was under a lot of pressure, but he must pay Aaron Bleyart a TON of money to put up with all that physical abuse.
It's compilations like this that makes me want Conan to receive the Mark Twain prize for humor. The man has done everything you can do in comedy, writing, performing and hosting
You tend to give that Award to people that are past their used by date. Problem with Conan is that he’s still so relevant. That young demographic he always got is just continuing to chug along with him.
I used to work the door at a blues club in Chicago and the guy in the rams shirt from the first skit came in. He asked how much and I replied “For you it’s free man”. He had a odd look on his face and said “Why” , I said your the clapper from Conan, I cant charge you!. He was so amazed I knew who he was.
Me too! I'm not from the US, at the time we only had 1 TV and had CNBC on cable and stumbled into The Tonight Show. It was my first time seeing the Talk Show format and it's fun seeing all the Hollywood celebrities. And after that Conan's show starts, it was so weird and so different so I ignored it at first. But afterwards it grew on me and I found myself laughing more at him than the other guy. Even had to record it cause it was so late at night and I was still in middle school at the time
19:08 Let it be known as a historical fact that Conan O'Brien and the staff knew that the thought of a cat playing a piano would be hilarious before the rememe became famous. And they reserved it as one of their side bits. Conan on NBC = greatest late night show of all time.
4:03 This is why I love him so much.. Craig Ferguson was the only other host that would save a situation like this with comedy..like when they lost power and had no light so he gave his hosts flashlights, or when the roof was leaking... Damn, now I miss Craig
@@gabiluch87 It was the best show ever made about a Scottish guy doing interviews in a basement with a pantomime horse and a talking gay robot skeleton.
8:04 - That’s Jack McBrayer (30 Rock’s Kenneth The Page), right?! It looks like him, I didn’t know if he was on this show, looked it up on IMDb and he WAS on this show so that must be him! So cool that he was on NBC so many years before 30 Rock!
Loved the Andrews Sisters, they can still harmonize like angels. And nobody, not even Carson, ever had a cat on who could play keyboard. Very impressive!
I remember that night with the photographer. IIRC he seemed irritated throughout the show, and I found myself wondering if he was just having a bad day generally.
It's true. I was at that taping and during a commercial break he had that guy roughed up by security and thrown out of the studio and he kept yelling "No one takes my picture without my permission! I'm not some f***ing monkey at the zoo pal! I'm f***ng Conan O'Brien!" Then this old lady in the audience stood up and said he shouldn't use such foul language and that's when things got ugly. He says "Hey grandma, I don't take advice from people with dementia!" Then he nodded in her direction and security roughed her up a bit too, before throwing her out of the studio. Then who I assume was some kind of NBC on staff doctor came out and injected something in a needle into Conan's neck and then he mellowed out.
I think both can be right. It did appear to be an NBC photographer but he was distracting Conan from running the show so he let his frustration show a little.
This is funnier and wittier than the professional comedy vids on RU-vid channels. Thank you, I"m laughing out loud while the rest of the house here is asleep :P)
I used to watch Conan on Comedy Central from the moment I got home from school to when I went to bed. He is and will always be my favorite talk show host of all time.
@@JoeyMartz colbert cares more about shilling for the democrats than actual comedy and that covid vaxx propaganda he had with those guys dancing in needle costumes was the most disgusting thing to ever air on late night.
Any of us that came up with Conan loved all these old skits and it made us tune in. Taping them on vhs if we couldn’t stay up,that late miss those days
If you recall, Conan (as did David Letterman during his Late Night tenure) also had a stalker show up and follow him to the show and his personal residence. What should have happened is that NBC Security should have removed the fan before Conan even made the remark.
@@Andysnyc I was a little curious--that's Norman Ng, staff photographer from 1995-2004 (or so he was credited, at least.) He was also photographer for Saturday Night Live from 1990-2005. My guess that he was accidentally distracting Conan while taking the shot (and/or) Conan was being grumpy.
I've been watching Conan O'Brien since his first episode. I had no idea that his first few years were so Rocky cuz I thought they were genius. I was 16 in 1993. I think that is such a perfect age for watching someone like Conan O'Brien especially during this first decade. And I still follow him now as I listened to his podcast. There's something very genuine about him
