Last June when Amber and I were in New York, a special joy was a private tour we took of the Ed Sullivan Theater in that city. Its tenant, Late Night with Stephen Colbert, was dark that week…which was great for us because no one was busy prepping a show and we could wander around and talk to folks. And a special joy within that special joy was talking with Pat Farmer, who is usually referred to as a longtime stagehand in that shrine to show business.
Actually, he has had other titles there — some involving props — and was a frequent on-camera presence when Dave Letterman did his program in that building. You may remember a recurring segment, "Pat and Kenny Read Oprah Transcripts." Most times when Dave did a bit right outside the studio, you could see Pat clearing the area or tossing something off the roof. From all reports, he was a tireless worker and very, very good at his job, no matter what silly job they stuck him with.
Pat retired last August 2 and on that night's Colbert episode, the host (as he often does) exited the stage and the cameras followed him into the lobby where a bar is set up. Usually, some sort of joke is set up there that pertains to the show just concluded and that night, it was Pat behind the bar. You saw him there under the credits but what you didn't see, because it was cut from the broadcast, was a nice acknowledgement of Pat's long service not just from Colbert but, via an e-mail Stephen read, from David Letterman. I don't think this video clip will be there forever but right now, you can watch it on this page.