Letterman has claimed he was upset that he wasn't let in on the gag, but that would have never worked. His discomfort is what makes it believable and entertaining to watch.

@welcometothemovies9157

Жыл бұрын

Just like Joaquin Phoenix with his beard on Letterman

@jayhell53

Жыл бұрын

That's because no one was let in on the gag and his family didn't even know Andy went to his grave letting them think that Lawler tried to break his neck

@yoholmes273

Жыл бұрын

Then it wouldn't be....a gag.

@jaymike3302

Жыл бұрын

What gag??

@PicklezTV

Жыл бұрын

The Art Of Wrestling

Jerry Lawler's one-liners, and delivery are gold.

@cliffjones9922

Жыл бұрын

Couldn't warm up to this guy if we were cremated together 😂

@GrowthruGod

8 ай бұрын

No doubt

@stephenmiller2337

3 ай бұрын

"His father wanted a boy, and his mother wanted a girl, and they were both satisfied".😂😂😂

@jessemounoury6065

13 күн бұрын

'What kinda man are you?'

Jerry Lawyer needs to show Will Smith how to properly slap someone

@markedly1013

Жыл бұрын

Great idea!

@mattbeckley9483

Жыл бұрын

His name is the king

@markedly1013

Жыл бұрын

@@mattbeckley9483 Jerry the King Lawler, former AWA champion.

@mattbeckley9483

Жыл бұрын

@@markedly1013 damn right

@ScottieContact

4 ай бұрын

And Andy Kaufman needs to show Chris Rock how to sell it. 😂😂😂

Probably the most believable wrestling performance in history. Brilliant. Of course we now know they were great friends but you gotta give credit to Jerry for his performance here, he nailed it.

@disposablehero43

6 ай бұрын

"The King" is one of the wrestling greats. His classic performances in the ring are only rivaled by his perfect performances as a commentator. Long live the King!

@markjwil

5 ай бұрын

This was not an act. The two totally despised each other and Jerry meant that slap.

@LexFilm

5 ай бұрын

@@markjwil wrong

@markjwil

5 ай бұрын

@@LexFilm you have no idea what the hell you're talking about. Please stay on point.

@LexFilm

5 ай бұрын

Jerry Lawler has said many times that it was a work and he was very good friends with Andy. Specifically that Andy asked him to slap him as hard as he could. Everyone knows this was staged.

As a wrestling fan who was only born in 1993 - this is the greatest wrestling angle of all time.

@Jimmyd134

4 ай бұрын

You’re not wrong. All before breaking kayfabe was a thing. It was so believable. Still is believable today, even tho it was a work.

@daxbradley4346

3 ай бұрын

Bro it was amazing. I have the theory that this whole rivalry was one of the key events that really elevated professional wrestling from a localized entertainment thing to a national-level interest. Think about it, in that era there was no Internet, no social media like what you have now, so bits like this were the closest thing to a 'viral' event. It was an amazing angle because to this day, there is still some discussion as to whether it was 100% staged or what.

@John-ct9zs

2 ай бұрын

Your bragging about being a 30 year old? Ur 30 not 14.

Andy Kaufman was a genius but what gets overlooked was how good and natural Jerry Lawler was in his role as the heavy. He totally sold it, being somewhat charming, but also having a hair-trigger temper and very disdainful of Kaufman.

@JoeVideoed

Жыл бұрын

I wonder how much Jerry said was scripted & how much was off the cuff. I know "pro" wrestlers have outsize personalities & are natural born show people in a sense, but Andy must've coached him on a few things since he was in on the joke.

@squinkque

Жыл бұрын

@@JoeVideoed Lawler says he wasn't coached but I believe him and Kaufman had to have a basic working script. I bought it at the time though. It looked real enough to me and Letterman and his staff thought it was real too.

@clivet3252

Жыл бұрын

It wouldn't surprise me if they just decided they would have a feud and then just ran with it and had fun seeing how far they could each push it. Let's not forget Jerry Lawler went on to be one of the biggest personalities in the WWE. When he feuded with Bret Hart he would insult Bret's parents without Bret being in on the joke. Bret thought he was going too far but Stu and Helen loved it.

@tracyhahn8828

Жыл бұрын

Coming on with the shirt half buttoned, a necklace and red pants.......casual Hollywood was a nice touch on Lawler's part.

@tracyhahn8828

Жыл бұрын

@@clivet3252 Lawlyer said that Andy Kaufman, back stage, asked Lawler to slap him on stage. Lawler declined, but sensed at the moment, that he either slap Andy, or they were headed for some conciliatory parting which would destroy the box office.

Letterman is probably the most flummoxed he'd ever been in an interview segment, and he still manages to deliver the coffee line with perfect timing. He really is a genius.

@GrowthruGod

8 ай бұрын

Good point he always could circle back to something funny

@meows_at_the_moon

5 ай бұрын

There is a cool interview of David Letterman on Howard Stern from a year ago where he talks about Andy Kaufman and his pranks. Dave loved him a lot and was always in on it. He speaks so fondly of him.

@BAGAKOOS

Ай бұрын

Letterman new this was a bit, he was it on it. He wasn’t ‘flummoxed’ at all.

This was the most believable wrestling act I have ever seen. All the others with wrestlers hamming it up for the cameras are so laughably bad you know it's totally fake but good old Jerry and Andy really fooled everyone here.

@welcometothemovies9157

Жыл бұрын

That's why memphis was the best

@markedly1013

Жыл бұрын

Agree! Better than any Wrestlemania main event.

@dickflair4538

Жыл бұрын

Idk. Ppl still legit believe that Eddie Guerrero had a heart attack in his match with the Undertaker 😂😂

@christiancharles2866

11 ай бұрын

It's not fake It's scripted

@christiancharles2866

11 ай бұрын

Injuries happen all the time

Letterman calls this the show that put him on the map

The fact Lawler and Kaufman did this shows the genius of these two and put modern day wrestling on the map. The story in Lawler's book is amazing about this. They didn't know exactly what they would say before hand, but they played it out perfectly.

@juliandunn8412

11 ай бұрын

What's the book?

I watched this happen when I was 17, what a great time it was!!!! To be young, up late and watching this monumental show!!!! Anybody with me!?!?

Kaufman is obviously a legend but much respect to Jerry Lawler in this clip as well! Going toe to toe with the Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion is no small feat! Legendary performances by both 😂

A lot of people don’t understand how monumental this moment was in television history. This segment took place in 1982 and this was more than a full decade before Jerry Springer Show and Maury Show. When Lawler slapped Kaufman you can hear the shock and horror from the crowd because they all thought this was real and never saw anything like this on tv before. Everyone, even Letterman, was not prepared for the scuffle between Lawler and Kaufman even it turned out to be just an act.

@Choderus

3 ай бұрын

The whole thing was an act, but the slap was not. Guarantee Andy told Lawler not to hold back when he slapped him. Pain is temporary, film is forever.

Dave needs to interview Jerry Lawler on his Netflix show to talk about that feud and this moment.

@AB-80X

Жыл бұрын

Feud? It was staged. It was an act.

@johnny5805

Жыл бұрын

@@AB-80X A smart mark ay ?

@AB-80X

Жыл бұрын

@@johnny5805 Ya😀

@christiancharles2866

11 ай бұрын

​@@AB-80Xhe still slapped him for real

@AB-80X

11 ай бұрын

@@christiancharles2866 Go and read the story. Both Andy and Lawler, have talked about it ad nauseam. As anything ir "pro wrestling" it was an agreed upon act. Simple as that. Lawler was one of Kaufmann's best and most trusted friends to the day Andy died.

It is a damn shame Andy Kaufman never became, like, a full-time manager. His feud with Jerry showed that the man had the chops for the wrestling business. Could you imagine what a Cornette v. Kaufman promo would’ve been like?!

@Rjensen2

8 ай бұрын

Lol, yeah, two heel managers. 😂

@ajd7772

5 ай бұрын

Well he didn't have time to become a full-time manager because he died 22 months after this clip aired.

This segment probably the greatest moment both wrestling and late night show history.

Such a classic late night moment. Thank you for uploading these in high definition!

@mariojijon

2 жыл бұрын

High definition? Hahaha

@theemrpoint123

Жыл бұрын

@@mariojijon Well, these official uploads look way better than old VHS copies uploaded by fans in 240p.

This is where Dave is so brilliant - obviously he knows the “secret” of wrestling, but he doesn’t treat it like “oh, this is fake” or “oh, this beneath me.”

@patta14

14 күн бұрын

I mean, this was still the 80s. Kayfabe was alive and well. Of course, people knew something was up with wrestling, but it was the work of people like Kaufmann that had people doubting themselves.

What a great work and promo by Andy. I love Dave's reaction.

@jaymike3302

Жыл бұрын

This was mostly real & truthful.

@valentine_puppy

Жыл бұрын

@@jaymike3302 Kfabe is wonderful.

All three men played their parts perfectly

@nolagospeltracts8264

Жыл бұрын

Letterman claims he wasn't in on it.

@ernestkovach3305

Жыл бұрын

@@nolagospeltracts8264 he clearly was.

This was an AWESOME angle they worked together. And a helluva "work" on both there parts.

@jaymike3302

Жыл бұрын

Maybe 20% 'worked' at most.

Andy was one of the funniest people I've ever seen. Rip Andy 🙏.

I loved Kaufmans reaction to Dave's"Hes better looking" at 1:45, Kaufman smirked because that was his kind of humor.

@bigsky1970

2 ай бұрын

And that was the genius of Kaufman, he could play it straight and still get the room in an uproar of laughter.

The opening 20 seconds of Dave would make a college campus explode today haha man these two were gold together

Ladies and gentlemen the genius of Andy Kaufman. RIP. Brother

@razmatazhanson7410

4 ай бұрын

Legend ! UK :)

Will Smith needs to give his Oscar to Jerry Lawler. Lawler sold this stunt much better than smiley Will Smith.

@smitty02345

2 жыл бұрын

This looked more fake than a 3 dollar bill.

@TFCFMINNISTRY12

2 жыл бұрын

He and Chris did break character and smile the whole time.

@chrisvswill4187

2 жыл бұрын

@@TFCFMINNISTRY12 Chris was already laughing. Will was laughing of embarrassment because he felt like he had to slap him but still felt uncomfortable doing it

@TFCFMINNISTRY12

2 жыл бұрын

@@chrisvswill4187 you do know will was just teaching the slap technique. I how do know he smiling out of embarrassment? You are assuming to know emotions of either person. Just assess the body language. They both kept the exact smile, no shift of expression on face. Keep rewinding will & Chris and you will see his fingers go by chris’ chin.

@chrisvswill4187

2 жыл бұрын

@@TFCFMINNISTRY12 I don't know what he was thinking but i can say that this was as real as Jada's dome.

My dad told me about the buzz and all when this was Live. He said most ppl thought it was a fake wrestling storyline nearly the entire show etc until the slap, and then when Andy started hollering at Lawler threatening lawsuits, that's what sold it and got everyone hooked believing it was legit

The joke was on the audience. Got to love Kaufman! Right now he's in comedy heaven with Norm McDonald. RIP

Jerry Lawler was actually a Super Nice Guy .....

@ernestkovach3305

Жыл бұрын

Still is.

8:00 The slap heard around the world! Thank you for uploading this!

@josephnicolino8529

Жыл бұрын

That slap would've made Ike Turner jealous

@coolcat6303

7 ай бұрын

@@josephnicolino8529 Or Will Smith 👋😝

Andy Kaufman.... truly the weirdest genius and a man of his time

Greatest rivalry in the history of professional wrestling...EVER.

@Rjensen2

8 ай бұрын

Usually, great rivalries actually draw money. The Kaufman-Lawler feud did well at first, but not very well after the initial angle.

"This moment made the Late show famous forever" -David Letterman

Worked to the zenith of believability! Classic!!

I can still remember seeing this as a teenager and through it all wondering was this real or set up? Is it supposed to be funny or Not? But I did know it was Genius!

@neilbatterbee9122

2 жыл бұрын

Was it set up? Or real?

@joemontano71

2 жыл бұрын

It was not real.

@mrupert22

2 жыл бұрын

@@joemontano71 it was kinda real…. It wasn’t actually planned. Watch an interview with Lawler about it. Funny story about how it played out.

@joeyskywalker1322

Жыл бұрын

@@joemontano71 It wasn’t planned and kinda real but they turned it into a work

@joemontano71

Жыл бұрын

@@mrupert22 Nope - it was not real at all. Lawler and Kaufman discussed it thoroughly before going on-air. Lawler actually hedged slightly and told Andy he might get arrested for assault. Yes, I've watched Lawler's interview on the matter.

Andy ,and Jerry were brilliant here!! 👏 Dave not knowing made it that much sweeter!

Andy Kaufman being a genius.

Jerry Lawlor was subsequently asked to resign from the Academy

Letterman: "I think you can use some of those words on television" was brilliant. You couldn't have scripted a better line.

Here after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars.

@storiedworlds6261

2 жыл бұрын

Me, too. I say Kaufman and Lawler did it better.

@TFCFMINNISTRY12

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly. Now go check out the video of Will Smith teaching this technique. The Oscar slap was staged. How long was it before people knew this was planned on Letterman Show.

@chrisvswill4187

2 жыл бұрын

@@TFCFMINNISTRY12 People knew right away because of how not actor like they are.

@TFCFMINNISTRY12

2 жыл бұрын

@@chrisvswill4187 actually, they didn’t initially. They played it up in the media like this story.

@bobh4912

2 жыл бұрын

And now Jim Carrey (who plays Kaufman in man on the moon and revealed this was all a stunt 10 years after the fact) is in the news talking about how disgusted he is with Hollywood after the Will Smith smack.

This whole vibe is hilarious

Pure entertainment from start to finish

Looks like Will Smith, and Chris Rock have been watching old Letterman clips.

@chrisvswill4187

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah it is so nice to see where the inspiration comes from.

2:34 Jerry made that same joke about Bret Hart on commentary in WWE lol

I don't even have to watch this one to recall my favorite adlib from Dave: "I think you can say some of those words on television but what you can't do is throw coffee." All-time classic.

"Hey Jerry, it's your cousin Barry Springer. Change it to Letterman."

I personally would love to see David's Letterman's reactions, perspective, and commentary to all of this one day as we have heard from Jerry Lawler, and unfortunately we can't hear from Andy.

Lawler and Kaufman sold this interview to perfection. Everyone in the studio to the audience watching this go down on TV truly thought this was real....

Great moment right there. Artfully done. Really put Memphis on the map. I would have like it if Jerry said something there at the end.

7:58 any 80's of early 90's child winced from that classic turn around slap 😏😅..... That slap brought me back to my childhood kitchen in 1993

How is Andy not in the WWE Hall of Fame yet

@FUGP72

Жыл бұрын

because it is the WWE Hall of Fame...not wrestling. Cyndi Lauper deserves it more than Andy. Wrestlemania would not exist without Cyndi Lauper. And in turn, neither would the WWF/WWE.

@al112v4

Жыл бұрын

@@FUGP72 F*ck your revisionist WWE BS propaganda, without Andy there's no 'Mania 1, Rock n' Wrestling Connection or any other celebrity/wrestling mashup afterwards. I hope Hunter realizes this instead of Vince Jr always believing he created 'sports entertainment' when Kaufman literally pretty much invented the term.

@ryanrenegade8280

Жыл бұрын

He will be now after “Tales from the territories” which goes in depth about the Lawler Kaufman feud and They also talk about him possibly going in the hall of fame next year since it’s in Hollywood and Triple H in now in charge who thought the world of Andy.

@wrestlefanrecordings6958

Жыл бұрын

It was announced today.

@coolcat6303

7 ай бұрын

Jerry Lawler even said that it was a shame that Andy wasn’t in the Wrestling HoF because of the entertainment aspect he brought to it.

One of the greatest moments in television history!

This needs to be part of Dark Side of the Ring. Get Dave or Paul interviewed about the incident.

@landonmorel3715

Жыл бұрын

you do know it was planned right?

@dangerdoughty4860

Жыл бұрын

It is

@ryanrenegade8280

Жыл бұрын

Tales from the Territories just did a full episode on it! So good!

Jerry..."What kind of a guy are you"! 😄😄😄😄😄

Television history, legendary moment right there.

Greatest work in the history of wrestling

Oh come on. Give us the uncensored thing.

@skankytrick

Жыл бұрын

It is elsewhere, but this is by far the best video quality.

Genius. See how he threw the coffee to the left at the last second? What a genius.

This is pure gold

Andy Kaufman was on a different plain. I suppose the man saw the entire world as his stage and oh how he performed.

Andy was just a natural heel manager could have taken over from jimmy hart when he went to ny. And been a LEGEND.

@MichaelSmith-fq6hz

Жыл бұрын

He would've been a top manager in the business if he wanted to and if he had lived longer.

This will hopefully get way more views soon I’ve watched this on KZread so many times but the quality of this upload is 1 million times better it just came up a month ago who knew hopefully it starts poppin the algorithm because it’s beautiful

@whiteyfisk9769

Жыл бұрын

Naw, the boomers are dying and their awful shows

Absolutely brilliant to watch, Andy and Jerry were way ahead of their time😂

Comedy Gold. Absolutely epic.

8:01-8:02 wow. This video is way better than Will Smith slap Chris Rock during the Oscars. LOL!!! 😅🤣😂

This is so great, nothing like it before or after.

I remember seeing this live the night it aired and it's still funny to watch.😂😂

this episode of Letterman is still in 2023 TV Guide's top 50 greatest moments -

Without this, wrestling wouldn't be where it is today. This was the birth of "sports entertainment"

BRAVO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GREAT UPLOAD. When tv was dangerous to watch.

That was some of THE best t.v. I have ever seen ! Wow !!

I love the fact that 1 second after the slap the band decides it a good time to play a little Funk Music!😆😆😆

Possibly the greatest wrestling angle ever.

Masterpiece.

Credit to Kaufman for willingly taking a slap like that and credit to both of them for their mic skills. And after that whole circus in the midst of all the tension, Dave quickly says "I think you can say SOME of those words..." 😅😅😅 That's great television.

Ladies and Gentlemen....THIS IS CLASSIC TELEVISION..REAL ENTERTAINMENT..

Between you and me, it was all planned: And Andy Kaufman was a genius. I miss this kind of humour. R.I.P. , Andy. 😊

@coolcat6303

7 ай бұрын

It actually wasn’t entirely all planned. Jerry said on the Vice wrestling documentary that Andy had no idea he was really going to slap him. They also didn’t plan the part when they came back from the commercial and Andy cursed Jerry out.

Andy and Jerry both brilliant

We remember this live... GOD BLESS DAVID LETTERMAN

Andy played it like a pro. He picked up the coffee cup and faked a throw which signaled to Lawler what was to come. Lawler got up and Andy threw the coffee in back of him at the empty chair. Jerry has revealed a lot in the years since Andy passed away and the story behind their feud is fascinating and has increased my respect for both men.

That was great, I don’t know where to start with Memphis Wrestling but this is as damn good an introduction can get.

This can never be recreated in wrestling greatest angle in wrestling history

@jockejocke1

Жыл бұрын

They did recreate it in Man on the Moon

@Rjensen2

8 ай бұрын

So why didn't it draw?

@thelastemperor6357

8 ай бұрын

@@Rjensen2 it did draw 🤡

@thelastemperor6357

8 ай бұрын

@@jockejocke1 I’m guessing you’re not wrestling fan by that reply… atleast I hope you’re not

@Rjensen2

8 ай бұрын

@@thelastemperor6357 You obviously have never seen videos of it beyond the first match they had.

8:00 That, my buddies is a *SLAP!!* that was heard around the world.

I remember that night - and thinking WTF

They should have gotten an Emmy for this.

The original and best.

What an honor to the people who saw this live on tv for the first time

And now Jerry Lawler will induct Andy in this year's hall of fame for WWE

1:02 Andy looks back after sitting down. He's probably checking where he'll land after Jerry slaps him.

Does anyone remember the name of the song the bands plays right after the slap???

Dave is such a pro.

As with the original broadcast, they missed to bleep the final "F-You!" from Andy (9:05). That was quite amazing then. People still talked about it now!

Kaufman was such a legend lol

Love the king! Jerry was the best heal in pro wrestling love him or hate him but he was the greatest on what he does!!

@mrjfrostbite

Жыл бұрын

Thing is he was not a heel here, Kaufman was the heel. The crowd was boo’ing because they just knew some random guy they never heard of was being mean to the funny guy from the show Taxi. This feud never aired on national TV until Comedy Central did a special on it in the early 1990’s otherwise unless you were in the Memphis territory or read wrestling magazines you had no clue what was going on here.

I saw that when it happened lol 😂

The birth of reality TV as we know it.

I just watched "Man on the moon" and I thought they had done a great casting job with Jerry, then I realised the guy just played himself.

Classic.

Genius … pure genius

Best show I ever saw on Letterman. Andy was a genius.