THE LATE SHIFT
US, 1996, 90 minutes, Colour.
Kathy Bates, John Michael Higgins, Daniel Roebuck, Treat Williams, Bob Balaban, Reni Santoni, Lawrence Pressman, Rich Little, John Getz. Cameos by Sandra Bernhardt and Little Richard.
Directed by Betty Thomas.
The Late Shift is a telemovie about the struggles between NBC and CBS about the successor to Johnny Carson after thirty years in The Tonight Show. American audiences will be familiar with the personalities of Jay Leno and David Letterman and their respective careers. Non-Americans? will be fascinated but will not have the inside knowledge or feeling for the characters and the issues.
It is surprising to find a 1996 telemovie focusing on characters who are still on American television, going behind the scenes, examining their personalities and their ambitions, their egos, their relationship with the network chiefs, agents and with the public. John Michael Higgins give a good impersonation of David Letterman, as does Daniel Roebuck with Jay Leno. Bob Balaban, Reni Santoni and Lawrence Pressman are the executives at NBC. Rich Little does a very good impersonation of Johnny Carson, even though he doesn't quite look like him. However, there is a tour de force performance by Kathy Bates as the relentless agent Helen Kushnick. By contrast, Treat Williams' Michael Ovitz is smooth and ruthless.
The film is an extraordinary look behind the scenes of popular television, the political struggles, the financial pressures, the clash of egos, the emotional and financial blackmail as well as the deals, the contracts and the breaking of contracts.
1. An interesting film? Characters and themes? Behind the scenes of television? Audience knowledge of the characters and the situations, or not?
2. The truth of the screenplay, based on a book, the real-life characters - and the information at the end that Helen Kushnick was suing?
3. American television and its place in American culture, the three major networks and their history, traditions, hold over audiences? The coming of the Fox Channel and the presence of Rupert Murdoch in scenes of negotiations? The other channels, the coming of cable and the threat to the networks? The producers, the sponsors, the agents, the talent?
4. How much insight did the film give into television personalities: the role of ego, the relationship with the audience? The nature of the deals, ambitions, politics?
5. Jay Leno and David Letterman and their history in American television, their hopes for The Tonight Show, the relationship with Johnny Carson? Their interactions with each other, friendship? Jay Leno and his basic niceness? Ingenuous but growing in ingenuity? David Letterman and his long experience of television, his ambitions and desperation to host The Tonight Show? Johnny Carson as the pioneer in The Tonight Show, thirty years, Rich Little's impersonation of his on-screen presence? Serving as a kind of father figure to Letterman and Leno? His being ousted by the network chiefs, covering it up to make it seem that he was retiring? His farewell show, not mentioning Leno? Letterman ringing him for advice and his counsel on the phone?
6. The Late Shift and American audiences with late-night television? Thirty years of Johnny Carson, the guests, the music? The appeal? Jay Leno as a guest? Helen Kushnick and her pushing, the deal, waiting for Letterman to finish and then taking over? Carson not welcoming Leno, Helen refusing to acknowledge Carson?
7. The glimpse of the producers, those at CBS and their work with David Letterman? The range of executives at NBC? The Emmys sequence and meeting the heads of the networks? Their pandering to the egos of their talent? Talking to agents? The shifting of jobs, the ousting of personnel? The experience of pressures? Expectations, deals? Their personal likes and whims? Contracts and breaking contracts? Cover-up press releases? The intense kind of life? Littlefield and his influence, his final hardness with Leno and Helen Kushnick? Agoglio as the back-up? Bob Wright and his influence, his interest in Letterman rather than Leno? Their all being trapped?
8. Kathy Bates as Helen Kushnick, tour de force performance? Loud, relentless, supremely confident? Her history with Jay Leno, taking him out of the clubs, promoting him, as a guest on the Carson show? Tough, pressuring the executives of NBC, the clashes with Bob Wright? Her lies about the New York Post article on Carson and lying to Leno? Smart, deals, taking over? Anti-Carson? Her hiring and firing the talent? The clash with Ken Kragan (who is playing himself in the film and dramatising his own experiences)? The LA Times? Her push, confidence? The executives and expecting her to go over the top and self-destruct? Her calling their bluff? Their relentlessness? Jay Leno and his awareness of the truth, their threats to fire him, his breaking with Helen, her violent reaction? His apologising to the crew of The Tonight Show?
9. Mike Ovitz and his place as a Hollywood agent, shrewd and smooth, his plans, offers to Letterman, good manners, deals? The law and his not canvassing for programs but letting people make approaches to him? The collage of all the executives coming, the three networks, Rupert Murdoch for Fox, Paramount and the other channels? His seeking the best deal, giving advice?
10. Peter and Mort and their friendship with David Letterman, their loyalty? Their trying to get him The Tonight Show, realising that this could not be, their final advice, especially to ring Carson?
11. Leno and his success, his listening in to the meeting of the NBC executives, knowing who was loyal or not, for him or against him, his listening to the General Electric director and his support and his insinuation about sponsorship? The finale with his being successful, especially after Hugh Grant's appearance about his encounter with the prostitute in Los Angeles? David Letterman and his ratings not as high as Leno's (although he did host the Oscars)?
12. Business, entertainment, the clash of will, power, money, ego?