Larry "Bud" Melman interviewing people was my actual favorite thing as a child. I thought it was an SNL skit and no one had any idea what I was talking about. The way he never finishes the sentences before passing the mic, and just hands out hot towels. I remember watching this with my grandfather way back in the day. Later on when they'd claim some celebrity was coming on (Streisand, Carson) and it was just be him, always lost it. Good God was he funny.

Calvert was so endearing! He really seemed like a genuinely sweet person.

Pure gold, I stayed up as a kid to watch these similar train wrecks, his shows were like no other and then you had Paul and the band

I love the way Hal would hang on to the shot of Calvert's maniacal laughter just long enough to capture the completely blank expression that would inevitably follow.

I met Mr Melman on a train to Boston, and he autographed my copy of The Living Sea, by Jacques Cousteau. Greatest moment of my life up to that point and perhaps beyond.

God I remember being a kid and seeing this era of Late Night.. I felt like I was in on a secret club. There was a few of us on the school bus that would quote shows the next morning. There will never be another show with the rambling nature, grimy New York atmosphere and irreverent attitude. Thanks for this collection!

I loved the Letterman show ...Was lucky enough to get to see the show live a bunch of times . Larry "Bud" was always a blast. When i saw PEE WEE HERMAN live he shared some funny stories about hanging with LARRY . Dave had the best insane late night stuff ...We were always "tuned up " by the time he came on

I have never laughed so hard at a remote broadcast! Larry is very cute and funny without working too hard. Great offbeat entertainment! Thanks utube.

I remember staying up late in high school to watch this. The first time I saw Larry "Bud" Melman I almost pissed myself I was laughing so hard. Missed a lot of consecutive home room attendances but it was well worth it.

Don Giller, you continue to perform an invaluable public service. Thank you for all of your hard work!

The Port Authory remote is in my TOP3 funniest things I've ever watched in TV. The first segment is perfect: the tall bus driver next to the diminute Calvert, the botching of the lines, the microphone, the clueless lady, the towels, the "how may wha?"... and David loosing it in the studio.

Late Night was so great, especially in the early years. It was like watching a cable access show that somehow got on network tv. It was so unpolished and seemed like it was completely unplanned, which I think it was on some levels.

This got me through my junior high years...then high school. Brilliant. My loss of sleep was absolutely worth every second. I feel so lucky to have had this comedy help form me - more so than my formal schooling. Brilliant. Thanks Don - thanks DL and crew!

I almost forgot about Larry "Bud" Melman. This is taking me back to staying up and watching early Letterman when I was about 13.

Calvert was so hilarious on the show. When the work day is a bummer, I watch something on here to laugh uproariously. Thanks so much.

I'll say this- if I had received a hot towel from Larry "Bud" Melman, I would have had that framed as a souvenir.

Sweet Ginger Brown was the working title for Flamingo Kid. It was filmed in 1983.

It's kind of amazing that Calvert never got one iota better at his delivery over many years of this. Thank goodness!

Calvert was the best this is SO REAL you could NEVER ever do this today ever this is Honest NY and funny priceless Thanks LBM u r laughing w the Angels forever man....

I loved when he asked that woman holding the baby if she had any questions about New York.She was from there and said "we know about it" lol!

R.I.P Calvert DeForest

I watched that Port Authority remote when it first aired. Still the funniest thing I've ever seen.

After watching this series, It really set in, " How old I really am ". Thanks for Turning Back the Hands of Time for me, to enjoy once again another look, at one of the greatest times in my life. Your work, does not, go unappreciated. Thank you Don.

Sweet! Port Authority is just so strangely awkward that it's spectacularly funny. I remember watching it and wondering how this is even on TV?

Larry just radiates love it’s incredible.

Incredible work Don Giller. Thank you for all of your effort!

Wow! "Larry Melman" was comedy gold!!! Bravo!

Genius I was able to watch this live and I am glad I can say that I am sorry for the gen who had to watch it on the internet Gen X forever

"Go ahead Calvert, ask him some questions." "Yes I do." He had an amazing ability to adjust when Dave strayed from the script -_-

This show was classic late night New York City. Iconic.

This is comedy gold. Thank you.

If Calvert DeForest was just a regular guy who played this character on purpose, he would be the greatest comedian of all time.

Calvert deforest what a gem 💎 . I just wish he was in more comedy movies .

Goodness, I miss the NYC of the 80s.

Comedy Gold... love Calvert DeForest aka Larry Bud Melman!!!!!!!!!

Larry Bud Melman in Port Authority is gold. ❤

Nothing will ever top Letterman in the 80s

So happy to see your videos back, Don. And thank you again for posting them!

Calvert could never get it that he needs to keep the mic on him until he finishes asking the question. LOL.

It’s still funny decades later

Thanks for posting these classic Letterman moments.

Thank you for this collection!!!!

No one could pontificate on the vicissitudes and existential angst of big city life, and the ennui they leave in their wake, quite like Larry.

All of your collections are great! Thank you so much!!

You can hear letterman laughing his head off in the background at the port authority segment... its hilarious.

Calvert DeForest aka Larry "Bud" Melman, didn't leave any heirs but he left behind a lasting legacy of laughs :D

Well, this is just fabulous. Thank you!

Calvert is so...unprofessional (in the nicest possible way), yet so eager that you can’t help but laugh. The NBC microphone flag being used in some of the crosses also adds a layer of feigned gravitas which makes it even more funny.

I was waiting for this compilation

Thank you for this upload.

Thanks for posting! This is gold!!!!

It was a treat to have the chance to stay up late on school nights to watch this.

I remember staying up in junior high school to watch Dave, always hoping Larry Bud Melman would be on. This is the funniest stuff ever.

I had to stop the video after 5 minutes because my entire body hurt from laughing

Don, thanks for when you put these videos on here you that the viewer feels like they're watching the show and not just very short clips.

I was lucky to meet Calvert when I appeared on the show back in 1996. Nice guy.

That Port Authority remote. Man alive, I couldn't stop laughing!

...and a star was born!

2:06:45 the kiss on the top of his head we all wish we could've given this man for making us laugh! Thanks for having him all those years, Dave...

Good old Larry Bud...one if the fixtures of my life in NYC! ♥️

This is so funny, I cant stop laughing Dave improv is awesome and so funny when he cracks up.

"Won't you please accept this carton of menthol cigarettes." lol

I remember meeting Bif and larry Bud at the Doorway to Rock center those were great days nice guys too genuine!!

I saw him in chicago. I don’t remember why he was there but my brother and I went downtown to see him.

Oh my god, him and the kid in Times Square for the "Spring Festival" - I almost wet my pants.

GOLD!

37 years ago today...Larry " Bud" Melman at the Port Authority Bus Terminal! I wanted to comment on this today because I have watched most of your great compilations the past year and this one is definitely one of my favorites. Like others have already said, I think Port Authority is not just one of the funniest moments in Letterman's history...it's one of the funniest moments in TV history! The part with Larry and the microphone is so funny, but I love the bit with the dance instructor as well (and what a sweet person she seemed to be!). It kind of bothers me that Larry/Calvert sometimes gets described as being "terrible" or "untalented." I thought he was hysterical with the dance instructor...looking back at the camera when she's offscreen and his " Got that? I don't want to repeat it." line was perfect (From the man who usually repeated everything said back to him!). But this entire compilation is terrific (I hadn't seen most of these...I am really impressed with your knowledge and other posters' knowledge of Late Night). These compilations have brought back so many memories of what life was like back in the mid-to-late 80s and early 90s for me. Life was definitely not perfect back then...but I miss a lot of things about that era. Thank you again for posting these!

I stopped watching TV 7 years ago. Dave was so eccentric and so were his guests❤

Tremendous! Welcome back DonzTV

You know what I find amazing. NBC has done an amazing job archiving Johnny Carson's old shows and putting them into DVD collections and uploading them online. For the life of me, I don't know why NBC has refused to release Letterman's old footage officially. I thank channels like this tremendously for being the only source to watch the golden years of Letterman.

4:23 Swear to God, that's Chief Inspector Clouseau over Larry's right shoulder (behind him and to the left onscreen).

i forgot about Calvert...brings back so many memories....he was so funny without really trying

Toast on a stick!!! I loved that bit!

Thank you for sharing. I like this.

At 1:16:00 where Dave is plugging Benihana frozen meals, it looks like NBC edited out a good chunk of Dave’s pitch before the break bumper slide. I suppose he must have said something unflattering about em...

Larry kept moving the mic before finishing his sentence 🤣😆😂🤣

The perfect disaster of timing and comedy. There is a significant lost brilliance here folks I doubt we will ever see again...

Larry "Bud" Melman aka Calvet DeForest was a clascic fixture on Letterman's show. It was pretty sad when he died.

55:20 - A high school student takes a carton of menthol cigarettes. I think that's why Bud went back to hors d'oeuvres.

I'm pretty sure that the Times Square microphone malfunction was caused by Calvert blowing out the microphone's diaphragm by yelling so loudly into it!

In the 1st clip, I may have figured out who the guy with the mustache is. He says he's in N.Y to be in a movie called "Sweet Ginger Brown". IMDB says that was an early title for the movie "The Flamingo Kid". Found a clip on KZfaq (in Spanish) that I thought looked a little like him, but without the mustache. If that is him, he's an actor named Googy Gress. Can anyone confirm this?

When I didn’t think I could “Larry Bud” made me laugh.

Thought if was weird that the guy at the ATM said his password was Swordfish when the movie was in 2001, then remembered that Groucho Marx used swordfush as a password to get into a speakeasy in the movie Horse Feathers (1932).

What seems to be the topic of conversation? What a magnificent skyline...

27:27 😂😂😂😂😂 Still gets me

Letterman is legendary.

@Don Giller. Awesome work as always, Don....Are there enough instances to make a compilation of Dave legitimately losing it in hysterics ala the Port Authority clip? The Casey Kasem "Top ten #'s from 1 to 10" comes to mind, also.

Larry Bud Melman looked like my dad with a touch of Lyndon Johnson.

Best part of the show

I swear I was crying by 3 minutes in.

Free hot towels!

Thanks Don! Back in the day it was hard to deal with not having Larry Bud any more. Like losing one of the key actors on a sitcom, you just accept it and hope the dang writers come up with good ideas. Hey here’s a question I would enjoy your perspective on: • What in your opinion was the best or peak or your favorite time period for Letterman? (you could say a year or group of years) • and what was the weakest? I would be happy to answer but I’d have to think about it.

I saw Calvert once in the subway in NYC.

9:24 The Movie that this man has arrived to New York to work on is a film called "The Flamingo Kid". Tho the man says the movie was called "Sweet Ginger Brown", this was only a working title. Working Titles are used for reasons just like this. Anyone affiliated with the film, especially crew, will generally not know the exact title so that they can not bring attention to them selves from any media sources that may result in leakage of the films plot. "The Flamingo Kid" starring Matt Dillon was the first movie ever to be given a (PG-13) rating. It was also Marisa Tomei's first film. Just thought this was interesting.

"She finds it for me!"

Does anyone remember when he sang “Dock of the Bay?”

Larry Bud always had excellent mic control, especially in those early days. That Letterman era was the best. He was still a fresh face, and he and his writers could experiment with some absurd ideas and skits that were sometimes very funny. And I have question: During the 40-plus minute mark when Letterman is celebrating his two-year anniversary, at the end of the segment when Dave says goodnight and the house band is playing its out theme, who is the white guy playing very tasteful drums in place of Steve Jordan? And one wonders what ever became of that “student” from Brooklyn who said “make money” when asked about his current employment.

I know it's on KZfaq already by someone else, but finding the "late night baby" with Larry in one hospital and Vince McMahon at another should have been included!

Those were the days.

Strange that the writers thought his real name wasn't funny enough!