The Time An Entire Iowa Town Was Interviewed on National TV

Watch The Time David Letterman Interviewed an Entire Iowa Town

On March 1, 1989, the entire population of a small town in Iowa was invited to appear on 'Late Night with David Letterman.' The appearance was a lot of fun! Recognize anyone?

If you grew up in small-town Midwest America, you know the thrill of hearing your hometown mentioned on national TV.

DVRs across the heartland are filled with clips of The Weather Channel mentioning little town along Interstates 80, 90, and 70. Or seeing that one teacher who won three episodes of Jeopardy!

MORE: 13 Times Sioux Falls Made it into a 'Jeopardy!' Clue

My '80s Kid Credentials

As a certified '80s kid, I lived through the fall of the Berlin Wall and watched the Challenger explode live on TV. Yo! MTV Raps and 120 Minutes shaped my music taste. I knew not to squeeze the Charmin and where to find the beef.

And, like tens of millions of people, my sense of humor was built on a foundation of Late Night with David Letterman every weeknight at 10:30 (Central Time represent!).

Letterman's '80s Comedy Revolution

Much of modern comedy was shaped by Late Night with David Letterman. If you watch old episodes of The Tonight Show or other talk shows from the '70s and early '80s, you will be bored to tears. Carson was funny, but the style of the show is so foreign to modern audiences. That all was changed by David Letterman.

Born in Indiana, Dave brought a new kind of ironic, sarcastic, and wonderfully goofy humor to America. The show made TV entertaining.

Dave had a disregard for the rules and traditions of talk shows, and that was exciting. I mean, they were throwing things off the roof and running around the streets of New York City!

WATCH: David Letterman Was Bagging Groceries At This Iowa Hy-Vee in 2023

Letterman Makes Talk Shows Fun

With this new style, Late Night also expanded beyond the typical talk show guest. Along with the movie stars, bands, and stand-up comedians, Dave would bring ordinary people from across the country onto the show.

Yes, there were often eccentric folks or people with some local notoriety. But, the point was never to make fun OF the people. Dave was from the same place as these people. He grew up with them. They were on the show to be celebrated. And above all, it made good TV.

There was Walter Swan from Arizona with his one-book bookstore

Can't forget about Dalton Stevens the Button King on Late Night with David Letterman.

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One of the best guest appearances on Late Night With David Letterman happened in 1989 when Dave interviewed an entire Iowa town.

READ MORE: Did You Know The Director of 'Die Hard' Spent Time in a South Dakota Prison

The Tiny Iowa Town That Took Over Late Night

Bolan, Iowa, is a tiny farming community in Worth County, near the Minnesota border. In 2020, its population was just 32. But 31 years earlier, in 1989, Bolan had only 16 residents.

A writer for the Des Moines Register had highlighted the town’s fun-loving attitude and events like the Stand Still Parade. These newspaper stories caught the attention of Letterman's producers, so they invited them to be on the show.

Iowa Makes it Big on National TV

On March 1, 1989, all 16 residents of Bolan, Iowa made their way to New York City for three days and two nights. Even the town's oldest resident Agnes DeMaris.

According to the town's website, they stayed at the Mayflower Hotel next to Central Park. It was a real You've Got Mail spring in New York experience.

The show was taped in a studio in Rockefeller Center early in the evening, and then broadcast to Iowa and the world at 11:30 that night. Also on the show that night were comedian Jeff Altman and Cindy Crawford.

The Oldest Resident of Bolan, Iowa (in 1989)

The segment starts with Ruth Hansen, who Dave said had lived in Bolan for 51 years, and Agnes who had lived in town for 52 years. The three talk about the town and why they like living there.

I said it before, but it's worth bringing up again, Dave is not making fun of these folks. He's HAVING fun with them. There's no belittling, big timing, or disrespect.

Next, Dave brought out the rest of the town. This was the first to rip to NYC for 15 of the 16 residents.

Dave asked Dayrl McCaredy how the New Your subway system compares to the one in Bolan. Not as busy as the streets in NYC he joked.

Dave asked who the mayor was, and the town agreed that they'd gotten along great without one for a long time, so why change it now?

Dave introduces several of the townies, including teacher Lori Nydegger a teacher, and Loren Nydegger a high school senior who skipped his basketball game for the free trip to NYC.

It's a fun and funny conversation with the citizens of Bolan getting several big laughs.

Dave finishes the visit by giving the town a free dinner at Beefsteak Charlie's, a local New York restaurant where they were known for their all-you-can-eat salad bar and unlimited beer, wine, or sangria. That's also a perfect description of the 80s.

Oh! Can't forget, Dave also donated an issue of Brides magazine to the town library before the group left to enjoy dinner.

The whole visit was a lot of fun to watch. I hope all the folks from Bolan had a great time in the city and on the show. It sure looked like they did.

Watch David Letterman Interview Bolan, Iowa:

If you want to get really crazy, here's the entire episode of Late Night With David Letterman from Match 1, 1989:

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