The Late Shift (film)
| The Late Shift | |
|---|---|
DVD cover
|
|
| Genre | Comedy Drama Talk-Show |
| Written by |
George Armitage Bill Carter |
| Directed by | Betty Thomas |
| Starring |
John Michael Higgins Daniel Roebuck Kathy Bates Rich Little Treat Williams |
| Theme music composer | Ira Newborn |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Ivan Reitman Joe Medjuck (co-executive producer) Daniel Goldberg (co-executive producer) |
| Producer(s) | Don Carmody |
| Cinematography | Mac Ahlberg |
| Editor(s) | Peter Teschner |
| Running time | 95 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
HBO Northern Lights Entertainment |
| Distributor | HBO |
| Release | |
| Original release | February 24, 1996 |
The Late Shift is a 1996 American television film produced by HBO. It was directed by Betty Thomas and based on the book of the same name by The New York Times media reporter Bill Carter.
Behind-the-scenes network politics embroil television executives responsible for late-night programming after 1991's retirement announcement of Johnny Carson (played by Rich Little) from The Tonight Show on NBC.
Carson's permanent guest host Jay Leno (Daniel Roebuck) and the host of the show that follows Carson's each night, David Letterman (John Michael Higgins), both vie for the position. It is widely assumed that Letterman is the hand-picked heir apparent Carson favors, but privately NBC executives speculate that Leno could be more popular with 11:30 p.m. audiences, as well as easier for the network to deal with and control.
Leno's tough manager Helen Kushnick (Kathy Bates) secures the spot for Leno with negotiating tactics that could be construed as either shrewd or unethical. Leno is concerned that her methods might alienate Carson, but he made promises to Kushnick after his career took off and does not wish to be disloyal. She harshly instructs the comic to just keep telling jokes and leave the business end to her.
Surely enough, she lands Leno the coveted job as Tonight Show host and the producer's position for herself, on the condition that no public announcement will be made. Letterman continues to believe he is still in contention for the position. Another reason NBC's executives prefer Leno is that they will own the show, whereas Letterman stipulates that he will maintain ownership rights to his.
Kushnick's bullying manner angers Leno's bosses, colleagues, potential guests, and others to the point of interfering with network airtime and relationships. The top NBC executives warn the mild-mannered Leno that they are going to fire Kushnick and, if he sides with her, he would be let go as well. Kushnick is dismissed by NBC and barred from the studio lot. She keeps pleading with Leno to keep his promise to her, like taking care of her and her daughter, but he is angry because she nearly cost him a dream job. Leno eavesdrops on a private executive meeting in which they discuss the possibility of having Letterman step in as host. The final say falls to the chairman of NBC's then-parent company General Electric, Jack Welch, who advises the NBC executives that they should remain loyal to Leno.
...
Wikipedia