FROM THE VAULT: late night's "Host Whisperer" Peter Lassally

Send us Fan Mail Back in 2008, I had the pleasure of interviewing Peter Lassally, then winding up his extraordinary career in late night as executive producer of The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. For close to an hour, at his office deep within CBS Television City, Lassally regaled me with stories about Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Ferguson and many others.In listening back to the conversation — for the first time in 18 years — I’m struck not just by his professionalism but also by how generous and candid he was on that day. He truly had Carson’s gift for making the guest look good and feel at home.Lassally blew my mind when I asked if there was a common thread to Carson, Letterman and Ferguson. The soft spoken TV executive did not hesitate with his answer.“They have one thread — they all have mothers that didn’t give them enough love.”Left unspoken was the fact that, in Lassally, they also all had one hell of a father figure. I've edited down this interview to share some of the wisdom received on that day. Condolences to his family and friends and to all who value such a first hand connection to late night broadcasting and its roots. SUGGESTION: the sound quality for this episode, where a simple digital recorder was used, is sub-standard. Lassally was very soft spoken, so you'll need to crank  up the volume.