Dick Cavett

He was a fantastic and eloquent interviewer. I wish we had someone like him now. I love watching his old interviews of actors and musicians, etc.

[quote]His guests did all the talking and made him look good

Gee, i so prefer it when the host does all the talking.

WHo do you prefer OP?

Attractive, erudite, punny (if not witty), he was a better class of host than most of the slobs on tv.

R2, thank you for saying. I much prefer an erudite, informed host who asks an interesting question and then shuts up and lets his guest reply in detail uninterrupted, as opposed to the ones like Jay Leno or Craig Ferguson who treat their guests like straight men for their attempts at comedy. I wish we had a talk show todady where the host didn't think it was all about him. I used to watch Cavett's show and discovered some truly fascinating people watching it. Cavett is where I was first introduced to John Cheever and became a huge fan of his work after that. When's the last time you discovered a great author on the Jimmy Fallon show?

I loved Cavett's being a cool good-looking guy, but couldn't take one constant: his quips. He would derail an interview just to try to be "witty."

My college roommate and I would daydream about ways we could get on his show---write a book, e.g. Not many years later she actually did, when the technical crew, of which she was then a member, was invited on stage as the sole audience.

He doesn't like the guest outshining him. He wants it to be a back and forth, and I just want to hear the guest talk.

Ask them a question and get out of the way.

R5, People read real books in the early 70s, and real writers were interviewed on television (Norman Mailer, for example).

What author would you like to see on Fallon's show?

OP, do you get half a cent for each click?

Here's my contribution, asshole.

Why didn’t he marry Diahann Carroll?

He was a pain in the ass groaner who THOUGHT he was erudite and witty. But he did get smart and first class guests to open up about themselves and their work. It's all long before my time and pretty bizarre to watch. I don't think he knew that much about many of his guests but he gave them lots of time and they kind of free formed it. Funny that he had such a hard on for Janis Joplin and so many anti establishment types. Because Cavett is the epitome of a tennis anyone lock jawed queerdo come to life! He seemed like a basket case to me - far too anxious and awkward to be on TV. Did he end up in a nuthouse? It seems like more than anxiety - a real case of depressive mental illness. Because there is something I see in him that I see in many of my clients. But yes, this was mostly good TV.

He seemed sooo snotty

Truly one of the best interviewers. Also, he could get just about anyone because of his personal connections. People used to bang on about Charlie Rose...oh please. Being a massive perv aside, he couldn't hold a candle to Cavett.

Lol(R11)

He suffered from depression and had electroconvulsive therapy, which he says was a great help.

R13 Charlie Roses' accolades were a bit of an enigma. He seemed to constantly monopolize the conversation with his guests, who were all more interesting than him. I stopped watching because I tired of his constant interruptions.

Oprah interrupted her guests a lot as well.

He said his worst show ever was this one, with a seriously drunk John Cassavettes (who later died of cirrhosis), Peter Falk, and Ben Gazarra, all of whom were tanked in that smarmy, backslappy 1960s way.

R8, That's a feeble excuse. People still read books today, myself being one of them. There are authors like Salman Rushdie, Cormac McCarthy, Neil Gaiman, Michael Chabon, Jonathan Franzen, Joyce Carol Oates and others who have real insight into writing. Hell, I'd watch a half hour talk with J.K. Rowling discussing fantasy writing. The point of my post isn't that there aren't interesting writers. It's that Fallon is not even half the intellect that Cavett is and wouldn't know what to discuss with ANY author so he doesn't have them on. Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers could have an intelligent conversation with an author (and, in fact, have made the effort with Stephen King and Ta Nahesi Coates respectively) but Fallon, Kimmel, Corden and that annoying Lilly Singh couldn't do it in a million years.

In late 1996/early 1997, Cavett started a radio show. I heard one episode of it where he babbled on and on about Jonbenet and the kiddie pageant. He was clearly on a severely manic phase, and a day or two later the show was canceled and he was hospitalized for bipolar.

I saw him play himself a few years ago at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills, in Hellman vs McCarthy. He was adorable. I loved the play. He took questions after the play. I got to ask him a question, and it was a surreal rush to hear Dick Cavett give a calm , measured, jovial, low-key response - TO ME! Really a treat.

In July 1972 The Rolling Stones ended their massive tour with four shows at Madison Square Garden. Dick was there for the afternoon show on Tuesday. I can't say I blame him, but he was caught up in the fandom and subsequently turned in the worst interview of his career. I'll spare you with the detritus (you can go to youtube and key in Dick Cavett Rolling Stones 1972 if you wish to see the accident in toto), but here's Mick, throwing so much shade at Dick, it's a wonder the latter didn't fade into the faux leather banquette.

One of the best of all was David Susskind.

Mary Tyler Moore interview 1966.

Jagger seems perfectly good natured with that noxious dweeb @ R22. Cavett's questions and self consciousness were neither charming or obnoxious. More kind of high strung and nervous attempts to be self effacing. Jagger had observations about Marlene Dietrich that Cavett doesn't understand!! MANIA comes to mind. Cavett put people off in the wrong ways when he was at his worst. He was clearly a mentally disturbed man. To great stars, he must have seemed just another disordered personality trying to interview them. Jagger gave him better content than he deserved. There was no conflict there, except Cavett's disordered mind.

R18, They, along with John's wife Gena Rowlands, were like the Rat Pack of Indy Films.

r22, When dick asked him if he ever felt a sense a menace from the crowd...Altamont anyone?

R19, If no talk show books successful modern writers the blame must be placed on ratings and the concomitant advertiser dollars.

Some years back he played the Narrator in the Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show (with Raul Esparza as Riff Raff). I saw it at a matinee. The audience was ill at ease because they weren't sure if they were supposed to shout out like they did when viewing the film. Near the top of the show, when he began describing the storm clouds, he waited -But no one spoke up. "Anyone?" he asked. This was done in the round, and his table was out in the audience. I was seated in his row, about ten seats away. "Anyone?" He looked in my direction, so I shouted out, "Describe you balls!" He smiled at me and said, "Thank you, sir... Heavy, black, and pendulous." That won the audience over and people started having fun. When the Time Warp started, he came over and danced with me. I definitely got a vibe from him.

His show was for intelligent people. Dummies didn't like his show.

Because we thought there was a chance he would talk to a gay person.

Truman Capote

Maye West

Ladybird Johnson

People never realized it back in the day but Cavett was a sexy hunk when he got his kit off.

Look at those pecs.

And dat azz!

Well, he was a gymnast in his salad days....

Does he have any modern day equivalent?

His lil butt was fuckable. He was in that kind of tennis shape that was so popular during the 60s and 70s among elite male smokers. Nice little body, but he was NOT sexy. He gave off a very skinny impression in his white pants and tiny scarfs.

R28 I saw him in RHS, too. So damned funny! He'd go on these tangents that had the audience in stitches! Side note-I sat by Luke Perry at the show.

I would take him over mean witch Ellen.

The interview with Casavettes, Falk, and Gazarra is on prime. Major drunken slobs. It was unwatchable though some train wrecks can be fun.

I saw the three and Gena Rowland’s at UCLA discussing Woman Under the Infkuence. Quite normal and interesting

Skip to 2:18

[quote]He was in that kind of tennis shape that was so popular during the 60s and 70s among elite male smokers. Nice little body, but he was NOT sexy.

There were lots of tight little pocket gays back then with that body too.

He was a hottie in his prime. He had interesting guests and asked them intelligent questions AND HE LET THEM ANSWER, NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TOOK. So he made quips now and then to show he wasn't taking himself so seriously. The reruns of his shows are time capsules of the era. Better than watching pretend drunk comics and talentless bosomy starlets kiss Johnny Carson's ass.

If I had that tight little butt, you can bet I would be on TV!