| Dick Cavett | |
|---|---|
Cavett in April 2010 |
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| Birth name | Richard Alva Cavett |
| Born | November 19, 1936 Gibbon, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Years active | 1959–present |
| Spouse | Carrie Nye (1964-2006; her death) |
| Emmy Awards | |
| Outstanding Variety Series - Talk 1972 The Dick Cavett Show Special Classification of Outstanding Program and Individual Achievement 1974 The Dick Cavett Show |
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Richard Alva Cavett (born November 19, 1936) — known as Dick Cavett — is a former American television talk show host known for his conversational style and in-depth discussion of issues. Cavett appeared regularly on nationally broadcast television in the United States in five consecutive decades, the 1960s through the 2000s.
In recent years, Cavett has written a blog for the New York Times, promoted DVDs of his former shows, and hosted replays of his classic TV interviews with Groucho Marx, Katharine Hepburn, and others on Turner Classic Movies channel.[1][2]
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Cavett was born in Nebraska,[3] but sources differ as to the specific town, locating his birthplace in either Gibbon,[4][5] where his family lived, or nearby Kearney, the location of the nearest hospital.[6][7] His mother Erabel "Era" (née Richards) and his father Alva B. Cavett both worked as educators.[8] When asked by Lucille Ball on his own show about his heritage, he said he was "Scottish, Irish, English, and possibly partly French, and, and uh, a dose of German." He also mentioned that one grandfather "came over" from England, and the other from Wales.[9] Cavett's grandparents all lived in Grand Island, Nebraska. His paternal grandparents were Alva A. Cavett and Gertrude Pinsch.[10] His paternal grandfather was from Diller, Nebraska and his paternal grandmother was an immigrant from Aachen, Germany. His maternal grandparents were the Rev. R. R. and Etta Mae Richards. Rev. Richards was from Carmarthen, Wales and was a Baptist minister who served parishes across central Nebraska.
Cavett's parents taught in Comstock, Gibbon, and Grand Island,[11] where Cavett started kindergarten at Wasmer Elementary School. Three years later, both of his parents landed teaching positions in Lincoln, Nebraska, where Cavett completed his education at Capitol, Prescott, and Irving schools and Lincoln High School. When Cavett was ten, his mother died of cancer at age 36. His father subsequently married Dorcas Deland, also an educator, originally from Alliance, Nebraska. On September 24, 1995 Lincoln Public Schools dedicated the new Dorcas C. and Alva B. Cavett Elementary School in their honor.[12][13]
In eighth grade, Cavett directed a live Saturday-morning radio show sponsored by the Junior League and played the title role in The Winslow Boy. One of his high-school classmates was actress Sandy Dennis. Cavett was elected state president of the student council in high school, and was a gold-medalist at the state gymnastics championship.[14][15]
Before leaving for college, he worked as a caddy at the Lincoln Country Club. He also began performing magic shows for $35 a night under the tutelage of Gene Gloye. In 1952 Cavett attended the convention of the International Brotherhood of Magicians in St. Louis and won the Best New Performer trophy.[15] Around the same time, he met fellow magician Johnny Carson, eleven years his senior, who was doing a magic act at a church in Lincoln.[16]
While attending Yale University, Cavett played in and directed dramas on the campus radio station, WYBC, and appeared in Yale Drama productions.[17] In his senior year, he changed his major from English to Drama. He also took advantage of any opportunity to meet stars, routinely going to shows in New York to hang around stage doors or venture backstage. He would go so far as to carry a copy of Variety or an appropriate piece of company stationery in order to look inconspicuous while sneaking backstage or into a TV studio.[18] Cavett took many odd jobs ranging from store detective to label-typist for a Wall Street firm, and as a copy boy at Time Magazine.[19]
At Yale School of Drama, Cavett met his future wife, Caroline Nye McGeoy (known professionally as Carrie Nye), a native of Greenwood, Mississippi. After graduation, the two acted in summer theater in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and Cavett worked for two weeks in a local lumberyard in order to buy an engagement ring. On June 4, 1964, they were married in New York. Their marriage was at times tumultuous, but they remained married until Nye's death on July 14, 2006.
In 2010, Cavett married business author Martha Rogers, Ph.D. in a small ceremony in New Orleans, Louisiana.[20]
In 1960, Cavett was living in a three-room, fifth-floor walk-up on West 89th Street in Manhattan for $51 a month.
| “ | I went bargain-hunting at a store with a GOING OUT OF BUSINESS sign over the door. They had been going out of business for some time. The words 'going out of business' were chiseled in stone — and the "U"s were "V"s. | ” |
He was cast in a film by the Signal Corps, but further jobs were not forthcoming. He was an extra on The Phil Silvers Show, a TV remake of Body and Soul, and Playhouse 90 ("The Hiding Place"). He briefly revived his magic act while working as a typist and as a mystery shopper in department stores. Meanwhile, Nye landed several Broadway roles.
Cavett was a copyboy (gofer) at Time[21] when he read a newspaper item about Jack Paar, then host of The Tonight Show. The article described Paar's concerns about his opening monologue and constant search for material. Cavett wrote some jokes, put them into a Time envelope, and went to the RCA Building. He ran into Paar in a hallway and handed him the envelope.[21] He then went to sit in the studio audience. During the show, Paar worked in some of the lines Cavett had fed him.[21] Afterward, Cavett got into an elevator with Paar, who invited him to contribute more jokes. Within weeks, Cavett was hired, originally as talent coordinator. Cavett wrote for Paar the famous line, "Here they are, Jayne Mansfield," as an introduction for the buxom actress.[22] Cavett appeared on the show in 1961, interpreting Miss Universe of 1961, Marlene Schmidt of Germany.
While at Time, Cavett wrote a letter to Stan Laurel. The two later met at Laurel's apartment in Hollywood. Later the same day, Cavett wrote a tribute that Paar read on the show, which Laurel saw and appreciated. Cavett visited Laurel a few more times, up to three weeks before Laurel's death.
In his capacity as talent coordinator for The Tonight Show, Cavett was sent to the Blue Angel nightclub to see Woody Allen's act, and immediately afterward struck up a friendship. The very next day, the funeral of playwright George S. Kaufman was held at the Frank E. Campbell funeral home. Allen could not attend, but Cavett did, where he met Groucho Marx in an anteroom. From the funeral, Cavett followed Marx (who later told Cavett that Kaufman was "his personal god") three blocks up Fifth Avenue to the Plaza Hotel, where Marx invited him to lunch.[21] Years later, Cavett gave the introduction to Marx's one-man show, An Evening with Groucho Marx at Carnegie Hall, and began by saying, "I can't believe that I know Groucho Marx."[23][24]
Cavett continued with The Tonight Show as a writer after Johnny Carson assumed hosting duties. For Carson he wrote the line, "Having your taste criticized by Dorothy Kilgallen is like having your clothes criticized by Emmett Kelly." He even appeared to do a gymnastics routine on the pommel horse on the show. After departing The Tonight Show, Cavett wrote for Jerry Lewis's ill-fated talk show, for three times the money. He returned to The Tonight Show, however, when Marx was interim host for Carson in July 1964.
Years later, when he was a guest on The Tonight Show, Carson told Cavett that his favorite joke Cavett wrote for him was the humorous caption to a newspaper photo of Aristotle Onassis looking at the home of Buster Keaton, which he was considering purchasing: "Aristotle Contemplating the Home of Buster."
Cavett began a brief career as a stand-up comic in 1964 at the Bitter End in Greenwich Village.[25] His manager was Jack Rollins, who later became famous as the producer of Woody Allen's films.
| “ | Somehow I don't think the caviar was the finest — I don't know much about caviar, but I do know you're not supposed to get pictures of ballplayers with it.[25] | ” |
Drunken female heckler: I pay your salary, buddy, with my hard-earned money.
Cavett: And I'm tempted to guess at your profession.
His most famous line from this period may have been the following:
| “ | I went to a Chinese-German restaurant. The food is great, but an hour later you're hungry for power.[21][22][25] | ” |
He also played Mr. Kelly's in Chicago and the Hungry i in San Francisco. In San Francisco, he met Lenny Bruce, about whom he said:
| “ | I liked him and wish I had known him better...but most of what has been written about him is a waste of good ink, and his most zealous adherents and hardest-core devotees are to be avoided, even if it means working your way around the world in the hold of a goat transport.[26] | ” |
In 1965, Cavett did some commercial voiceovers, including a series of mock interviews with Mel Brooks for Ballantine beer.[27] In the next couple of years he appeared on game shows, including What's My Line. He wrote for Merv Griffin and appeared on Griffin's talk show several times, and then on The Ed Sullivan Show.
In 1968, after the premiere of the international film Candy, Cavett went to a party at the Americana Hotel, where those who had just seen the film were being interviewed for TV.
| “ | When the interviewer, Pat Paulsen, got to me, he asked what I thought the critics would say about Candy. I said I didn't think it would be reviewed by the regular critics, that they would have to reconvene the Nuremberg Trials to do it justice. He laughed and asked what I had liked, and I said I liked the lady who showed me the nearest exit so that I would not be forced to vomit indoors. | ” |
After doing The Star and the Story, a rejected television pilot with Van Johnson, Cavett hosted a special, Where It's At, for Bud Yorkin and Norman Lear.[28]
In 1968 Cavett was hired by ABC to host This Morning.[25][29] According to a New Yorker article, the show was too sophisticated for a morning audience,[25] and ABC first moved the show to prime time, and subsequently to a late-night slot opposite Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show.[25][30]
Intermittently since 1968, Cavett has been host of his own talk show, in various formats and on various television and radio networks:
Cavett has been nominated for at least ten Emmy Awards and has won three. In 1970, he co-hosted the Emmy Awards Show (from Carnegie Hall in New York) with Bill Cosby (from Century Plaza in Los Angeles).[31] His most popular talk show was his ABC program, which ran from 1969 to 1974. From 1962 to 1992, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson was arguably the most popular of late night variety and talk shows. Unlike many contemporary shows, Cavett managed to remain on the air for five years.[32] Although his shows did not attract a wide audience, remaining in third place in the ratings behind Carson and Merv Griffin, he earned a reputation as "the thinking man's talk show host" and received favorable reviews from critics.[1][29] As a talk show host, Cavett has been noted for his ability to listen to his guests and engage them in intellectual conversation.[14][21] Clive James described Cavett "as a true sophisticate with a daunting intellectual range" and "the most distinguished talk-show host in America."[14] He is also known for his ability to remain calm and mediate between contentious guests,[21] and for his deep, resonant voice, unusual for a man of his stature (5'7").[14][30][33]
His show often focussed on controversial people or subjects, often pairing guests with opposing views on social or political issues, such as Jim Brown and Lester Maddox.[30]
One particularly controversial show from June 1971 featured a debate between future senator and presidential candidate John Kerry and fellow veteran John O'Neill over the Vietnam War.[34] O'Neill had been approached by the Nixon administration to work through the Vietnam Veterans for a Just Peace to counter Kerry's influence on the public.[35][36] The debate went poorly for the pro-war side, so angering President Nixon that he is heard discussing the incident on the Watergate tapes, saying, "Well, is there any way we can screw him [Cavett]? That's what I mean. There must be ways." To which H. R. Haldeman, White House Chief of Staff, answered, "We've been trying to."[37][38]
Cavett himself, asked during a Question and Answer segment with his audience in the late '60s why he wore long sideburns, replied, "It's a form of mild protest. Sort of like boiling my draft card."
Cavett also hosted many popular musicians, both in interview and performance, such as Sly Stone,[39] Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.[40] Several of his Emmy Award nominations and one Emmy Award were for Outstanding Musical or Variety Series, and in 2005 Shout Factory released a selection of performances and interviews on a three DVD set, The Dick Cavett Show: Rock Icons, showcasing interviews of and performances by musicians who appeared on the Dick Cavett show from 1969 to 1974.[41][42]
Clips from his TV shows have been used in films, for example Annie Hall (1977), Forrest Gump (1994), Apollo 13 (1995), and Frequency (2000). He also holds the distinction of being the only famous person to actually interact with the title character of Forrest Gump without the aid of archive footage or computer trickery. Cavett donned a wig and makeup was applied to make him appear as his 1971 self, and he was filmed with Tom Hanks on a recreated set (though archive footage of John Lennon from Cavett's show was digitally added).
Cavett was surprised at footage from his TV show appearing in Apollo 13. He said at the time of the film's release, "I'm happily enjoying a movie, and suddenly I'm in it."[43]
Cavett has openly discussed his bouts with clinical depression, an illness that first affected him during his freshman year at Yale.[44] According to an interview published in a 1992 issue of People magazine, Cavett contacted Dr. Nathan Kline in 1975 seeking treatment. Kline prescribed antidepressant medication, which according to Cavett was successful in treating his depression.[45]
In 1980 Cavett suffered what he characterized as his "biggest depressive episode." While on board a Concorde prior to take off, Cavett broke out into a sweat and became agitated. After he was removed from the plane, Cavett was taken to Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, where he later underwent electroconvulsive therapy. Regarding this method of treatment Cavett is quoted as saying, "In my case, ECT was miraculous. My wife was dubious, but when she came into my room afterward, I sat up and said, 'Look who's back among the living.' It was like a magic wand."[45]
He was also the subject of a 1993 video produced by the Depression and Related Affective Disorders Association called A Patient's Perspective.[46]
In 1997 Cavett was sued by producer James Moskovitz for breach of contract after failing to show up for a nationally syndicated radio program (also called The Dick Cavett Show).[47][48] Cavett's lawyer, Melvyn Leventhal, asserted at the time that Cavett left due to a manic-depressive episode.[47] The case was later dropped.[46]
Cavett has co-authored two books with Christopher Porterfield: Cavett (1974), his autobiography, and Eye on Cavett (1983). Cavett currently writes a blog, published by the New York Times, entitled "Talk Show: Dick Cavett Speaks Again."
He appeared as himself in various other TV shows, including episodes of The Odd Couple, Cheers, Kate & Allie, and The Simpsons episode Homie the Clown; in Robert Altman's HealtH (1980), and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). In Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, he played a rare bit part as a character other than himself. Cavett often appeared on television quiz and game shows; he appeared on What's My Line?, To Tell the Truth, Password, The $25,000 Pyramid and made a special appearance on Wheel of Fortune in 1989 during their week of shows at Radio City Music Hall, walking on stage after someone solved the puzzle "DICK CAVETT." In 1974, Cavett's company, Daphne Productions, co-produced with Don Lipp Productions a short-lived ABC game show, The Money Maze, although Cavett's name did not appear on the credits.
Cavett was the narrator (on camera and off) for the HBO documentary series Time Was. Each episode covered a decade, ranging from the 1920s to the 1970s, and relied on stock file footage and photographs. The show originally aired in November 1979 and ran for six months with a new show each month.[49]
Cavett also hosted a documentary series for HBO in the early '80s titled Remember When... that examined changes in American culture over time.
In April, 1981, Cavett traveled to Stockholm, Sweden, to interview the pop group ABBA on the occasion of their tenth anniversary as a group. The special, titled Dick Cavett Meets ABBA, was taped by the Swedish TV network SVT and was broadcast mostly in Europe.
From November 15, 2000, to January 6, 2002, he played the narrator in a Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show.[21] He also had a brief stint as the narrator/old man in the Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim's Into The Woods.[50]
Dick Cavett is featured in the 2003 documentary From the Ashes: The Life and Times of Tick Hall about the fire that destroyed his Montauk home and his effort to rebuild it.[51]
Cavett's signature tune has long been a trumpet version of the vocalise "Glitter and Be Gay" from Leonard Bernstein's Candide. The tune was first played at the midpoint of his ABC late-night show, and later became the theme of his PBS show. The tune is also played as he walks on stage during guest appearances on other talk shows.[21]
Cavett was present when actor Marlon Brando broke the jaw of paparazzo photographer Ron Galella on June 12, 1973. Galella had followed Cavett and Brando to a restaurant after the taping of The Dick Cavett Show in New York City.[52]
In 2008 Cavett entered the Iraq war dispute with a New York Times blog entry criticizing General David Petraeus, stating "I can’t look at Petraeus — his uniform ornamented like a Christmas tree with honors, medals and ribbons — without thinking of the great Mort Sahl at the peak of his brilliance." Cavett went on to recall Sahl's expressed contempt of General Westmoreland's display of medals, and criticized Petraeus for not speaking in plain language.[53]