February 24, 1996 –
The HBO original movie The Late Shift, documenting the late-night television conflict between Jay Leno and David Letterman, directed by Betty Thomas, and starring Kathy Bates, John Michael Higgins, Daniel Roebuck, Bob Balaban, Ed Begley Jr., and Treat Williams debuted on this date.
A few days after the film’s premiere, John Michael Higgins was booked on Late Show with David Letterman to talk about the movie and what it was like to portray Letterman. Letterman’s A-guest that night was Julia Roberts. During the commercial break, Letterman reportedly asked the star if she wouldn’t mind staying longer as a favor to him. Higgins sat in the green room watching the show, hearing Letterman occasionally plug his “coming up” interview (at commercials breaks). At the end of the show Letterman apologized to Higgins for “running out of time“, pointedly saying he hoped the actor could “come back again soon.” According to producer Rob Burnett, Letterman fully intended on going through with the interview but his insecurities got the better of him; Burnett confirmed Higgins would not be invited back.
The Haus of Dcaligari 