Alt. fan. Letterman mention
Sharon Best
http://www.parascope.com/en/fslips3a.htm
by D. Trull
Enigma Editor
pscp...@aol.com
Did Letterman use his hypnotic eye to render stage manager Biff Henderson
catatonic, or was it just part of Dave's comedy routine?
A bitter controversy is tearing through the nation like a fiery chainsaw,
forcing us all to sort truth from deception in a conflict that will
reverberate through the ages. Well, maybe not, but the question's been
enough to keep us geeks on alt.fan.letterman hopping like crazed monkeys:
Did David Letterman hypnotize Biff Henderson?
Henderson, "Late Show" stage manager, has long been a popular participant in
Letterman comedy bits, including the remarkable "Biff Henderson's Golf Cart
of Death." But on a recent program the comedy went awry, as Letterman
mistakenly sent the beloved stage manager into a deep hypnotic trance.
Or did he? Fortean Slips has been unable to obtain verification on what was
real and what was make-believe on that fateful night in the Ed Sullivan
Theater. The following is a summary of what unfolded before the home
viewers.
The April 5 "Late Show" featured hypnotist Marshall Sylver, internationally
recognized for his Las Vegas stage shows and infomercials. In segments taped
earlier, Letterman watched as Sylver hypnotized Henderson and a "Late Show"
intern. After putting Henderson in a deep trance using the command "Sleep!",
Sylver planted the suggestion for Henderson to burst into laughter at the
subject of Letterman's salary, and it worked. Conversely, Sylver made the
intern grow furious at the thought of Letterman's exorbitant paycheck.
Following the pre-taped segments (which could have been rigged, although
most would agree that they were probably genuine), Letterman took to
imitating Sylver's distinctive trance command. As he is wont to do with a
non sequitur phrase he finds amusing, Letterman shouted "SLEEP! SLEEP!" over
and over, gazing at Henderson with mock-hypnotic, "skunk-eye" expressions.
Henderson, standing off-camera at his stage manager post, looked distressed
and waved for Letterman to stop. But Letterman only picked up the pace,
yelling "SLEEP, BIFF! SLEEP!" Before long, Henderson staggered the few feet
to Letterman's desk, and collapsed into the guest chair, unconscious.
Letterman seemed anxious and bewildered, asking what he should do next. He
was advised to go ahead and read the Top Ten list, but ridiculed the lack of
compassion for the fallen stage manager and refused to go on as if nothing
was wrong. Henderson remained completely inert, and close-ups of his face
showed no expression despite the din of confusion around him. Following a
sudden commercial break, Henderson still appeared not to have moved.
Letterman now had hypnotist Sylver on the phone for assistance. He followed
Sylver's instructions to gently assure Biff that everything would be all
right when he awoke. At Letterman's count of three, Henderson came to. He
looked extremely groggy and out of sorts, but was able to get back to work.
So: was it real or was it fake? The question of whether Letterman
re-hypnotized Biff Henderson is a labyrinthine web of conspiracy and
conjecture that may never be unraveled. One can hope for Oliver Stone's
"SLEEP," starring John Michael Higgins and Nipsey Russell.
In the interest of equal time, here for your consideration are the best
arguments for each side. From the home office at ParaScope...
TOP TEN REASONS WHY THE BIFF HYPNOSIS THING WAS FAKE
10. C'mon, this is LETTERMAN! Of course it was fake!
9. Thousands of Americans lose consciousness nightly while listening to
Dave, and THAT ain't hypnosis, Chester
8. Infomercial huckster Marshall Sylver is one cheesy-ass hypnotist
7. Dave was "conveniently" able to get Sylver on the phone to help in this
"unexpected" emergency
6. A camera was backstage to show the intern guy who was also hypnotized
earlier, konked out by Dave's "SLEEP" commands like Biff
5. Two words: pre-show cocktails
4. Biff fell asleep because he accidentally tuned his headset to a Mets game
3. Biff fell asleep because he accidentally tuned his headset to Dave's
comedy bit
2. There was a second hypnotist on the grassy knoll behind Paul
1. The most powerful man in American broadcasting can do whatever the hell
he wants
TOP TEN REASON WHY DAVE REALLY HYPNOTIZED BIFF
10. It sure did LOOK real!
9. Internet commentators who claim to have been in the audience report that
Biff was in fact motionless during the commercial break, while frenzied
staffers ran around trying to cope with the crisis
8. Someone named "Shecky" who is apparently a "Late Show" staffer gave his
assurance on alt.fan.letterman that the episode was not staged
7. The intern guy backstage was really hypnotized by Dave, too, according to
Shecky
6. Although his cue-card skills may outstrip those of Calvert DeForest, Biff
Henderson ain't no actor
5. Dave didn't joke around about it afterwards, like he would have were it
fake
4. The unplanned chaos made this Letterman's first show since moving to CBS
to have no Top Ten List
3. Biff, who used to work for NASA (seriously!), is implanted with a federal
employee mind-control chip which Dave accidentally triggered
2. Dave knows all about what it means to feel like you've been hyp-mo-tized
1. The most powerful man in American broadcasting can do whatever the hell
he wants
...next: Cremation Cannibal: Man Eats Ashes Seeking Immortality
Helen Read
>
> Okay... who is the geek who takes credit for this page?
>
> http://www.parascope.com/en/fslips3a.htm
>
> by D. Trull
> Enigma Editor
> pscp...@aol.com
>
> Did Letterman use his hypnotic eye to render stage manager Biff Henderson
> catatonic, or was it just part of Dave's comedy routine?
> The April 5 "Late Show" featured hypnotist Marshall Sylver, internationally
> recognized for his Las Vegas stage shows and infomercials.
What year was this, Donz? (I remember it as if it had just happened....)
HPR (who is enjoying a lovely snowstorm today; 2 - 6" in the forecast,
looks like about 3" already)
Donz5
>> The April 5 "Late Show" featured hypnotist Marshall Sylver, internationally
>> recognized for his Las Vegas stage shows and infomercials.
>What year was this, Donz? (I remember it as if it had just happened....)
1996; the April 5 show was a taped remote. It was the April 10 show when Dave
inadvertently triggered Biff's hypnosis.
Helen Read
Thanks! This makes up for not having a list of Will Lee's jingles :-)
HPR
Baxter Madu
"Donz5" <do...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20000409140120...@ng-cg1.aol.com...
Donz5
maddmaxx
> What year was this, Donz? (I remember it as if it had just happened....)
>
> HPR (2 - 6" in the forecast, looks like about 3" already)
Hmm, I know you're talking about the snow, but you DID just mention Donz .....
--
maddmaxx - http://www.radiopages.co.uk/maxx/
SallyDrell
>From: "Sharon Best" ta...@ipa.netEDIT
>Date: 4/9/2000 12:52 AM Eastern Daylight Time
>Message-id: <8cp2h7$ljn$1...@news.ipa.net>
>
>Okay... who is the geek who takes credit for this page?
>http://www.parascope.com/en/fslips3a.htm
>
>
>by D. Trull
>Enigma Editor
>pscp...@aol.com
Dear Sharon:
The thought of your indignation combined with my looking at the link you
provided really made me laugh. Thanks. I needed it.
Fondly,
Sally