The Inimitable Humility of Dick Cavett
In the great talk show tradition of American television, THE TONIGHT SHOW (1954-present) and Johnny Carson loom large. But in the shadow of that great behemoth of an institution, which reached the peak of its powers in the late 1960s through the ’70s (and stayed there until Carson retired in 1992), a more cerebral, casual, and thorough program and host emerged. Indeed, Dick Cavett literally emerged from the employment and mentorship of THE TONIGHT SHOW and Carson.
Cavett, a Yale graduate and struggling actor/stand up comedian (the latter to come briefly in 1964), began writing for the Jack Paar incarnation of THE TONIGHT SHOW in the early ‘60s. When Carson took over, Cavett continued to contribute jokes to the man who would soon rule late night. Along the way, he would meet many of the mainstay guests of his own show, THE DICK CAVETT SHOW, which would run in many different forms and on different networks from 1968–86. The most important era was the original ABC incarnation of the show, which ran from 1968 to 1975 and touched all three time slots (daytime, prime time, late night) throughout its run. The ABC show, however, would spent most of its time (from ’69 on) in competition with THE TONIGHT SHOW in late night, a fact humorously referenced by multiple guests and Cavett himself. The PBS series (1977–1982) should also be commended for coming closest in format to the original show.
And that original show was groundbreaking, with Cavett interviewing cross-generational show business folks, cultural icons, political figures, and notable activists. This piece stems from my deep YouTube rabbit hole dive about the first of those in particular; Cavett’s talks with such personages as Bob Hope, Don Rickles, Robert Mitchum, Orson Welles, and more have deeply fascinated me across the past few weeks. Before that, my true introduction to Cavett (although I was vaguely aware of him prior) was the James Baldwin episode, brought to my orbit by Raoul Peck’s incredible 2016 documentary I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO.
THE DICK CAVETT SHOW was defined by these dueling concepts, the buddy-buddy conversations with men of a similar field (like the incredible Groucho Marx episodes) and uncomfortable discussions on matters such as race and countercultural movements (represented best by Cavett’s unprecedented spotlight of rock stars). What becomes clear and consistent across all of these interactions, whether it’s the volatility of Lester Maddox, the racist Georgia governor of yesteryear who walked off the set of the show, or a 90 minute conversation with Carol Burnett, is Cavett’s inimitable humility and even temperament.
Cavett would often preface questions with an admission of ignorance, sometimes overcompensating for some perceived lack of knowledge he might have on the subject. But this very thing illustrated the strength of his show: Dick seemed genuinely interested in learning about his guest and their ideas, even if they were not ones he agreed with. His understated delivery and dry wit not so much propelled the show but gave it a quiet edge. As any good interviewer would tell you, silence is key, and in fact, Cavett would often draw further insights from his guest by either slowly beginning a question or giving them space.
Dick Cavett broke ground in the people and issues he chose to spotlight, but also in how he went about talking to and about them. He was, and is, a pop culture luminary, a person who quite literally illuminated depths of pop (and political) culture that had not really been explored in 1970s broadcast television. The wealth of clips and full talks from THE DICK CAVETT SHOW to be found on YouTube is one of the great testaments to the beauty of the internet and its archival purpose. Dick Cavett had real, emotional, important, and entertaining conversations for decades, and they are still visible for all, ready to educate and engage.
