Dick Cavett’s New Book: Talk Show

Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Author and television personality Dick Cavett has a new book out called Talk Show.  Dick hosted a very unique talk show that ran off and on from 1969, until the early 2000′s. If you love stories about Hollywood, pop music and entertainment history, it is a great read.

Dick Cavett has a rich television history himself. In 1960,while still in his mid 20′s, Dick was hired by Jack Paar as a talent co-ordinator and later, comedy writer for The Tonight Show. When Jack Paar left The Tonight Show in 1962, he also left Dick there to write for the great Johnny Carson. Dick later wrote for The Merv Griffin Show, and another  short-lived late night talk-show hosted by Jerry Lewis.  Dick was approached to host his own late night program by ABC in 1969 to replace Joey Bishop.

It was a tough gig competing with Carson, but Dick held his own with a very different approach. Long conversational interviews were his specialty, sometimes lasting a full 90 minutes. Great comedians like Groucho Marx, Bill Cosby, Lucille Ball, George Burns, Jack Benny and (then) up and comer Mel Brooks appeared.  Writers, actors, directors, political figures and musical talents such as John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Ray Charles attracted a young hip audience. He even had some of the Woodstock stars on his show, while the concert was still running in upstate New York.  Joni Mitchell actually never made it to Woodstock, even tho she wrote a very poignant song saying she did.  Joni DID  however make it to The Dick Cavett Show.

Dick’s show was witty but also very controversial. President Nixon was offended by the program featuring John Lennon, as Nixon was trying to have  Lennon deported at that time. Writer Norman Mailer insulted Dick during an interview and Dick told Mailer to “put it where the sun don’t shine.” Like Johnny Carson and David Letterman, Dick is also from Nebraska. That state must be full of funny people.

Dick has been doing a blog for the on-line edition of The New York Times since 2007. “Talk Show” is a compilation of many very short stories and quips, many from his blogs. He still covers politics, music and entertainment. There are several DVD’s available of Dick’s old shows on ABC and PBS. You can find them on Amazon.com. The Turner Classic Movie Channel also runs these shows. I just saw an Alfred Hitchcock interview that fully captured the essence of “Hitch,” which was not easy to do.

Dick Cavett never commanded the attention as did the much higher rated Johnny Carson, but these great interviews he did added an acerbic element and an unusual spin found nowhere else. They hold up very well.