Twentieth Century Talkers

Dick Cavett (1936-) is an American television personality who appeared regularly on nationally broadcast television in the United States for five decades, from the 1960s into the 2000s. Assisted by a resonant voice, Cavett earned a reputation as "the thinking man's talk show host," giving ample time for his guests to answer his questioning. A false perception is that he came off as too intellectual, rising above his guests, yet he was always in awe in the face of greatness. Still, he was famous for name-dropping and sometimes could make one feel inferior or not a member of the insider's club.  

The Nebraska-born Cavett is a legend as a *talk show host, interviewing famous celebrities in a relaxed ninety minutes. Questions most viewers would have liked to ask themselves given the chance. It was not frivolous chit-chat. Some interviews were quite prescient as a couple of rock stars died not long after the interviews. Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin come to mind. Cavett rose to "unknown" fame in the 1960s writing jokes for The Tonight Show, hosted by Jack Paar. He had an intelligent stand-up routine starting in 1964, somewhat echoing the style of his good friend, Woody Allen. Intermittently since 1968, Cavett hosted his own talk show in various formats and on various television and radio networks. Cavett was known for remaining calm and his ability to mediate between contentious guests. He also found time to appear on various television comedies or specials through the 1970s and 1980s. He has been busy in the 2000s with various projects. Cavett has been nominated for at least ten Emmy Awards and has won three.

*More on Cavett's interviews here.