Joe Venuti
Joe Venuti (right) with the Bubba Kolb Trio at the Village Jazz Lounge, Walt Disney World, in 1978
Background information
Birth name	Giuseppe Venuti
Born	(1903-09-16)September 16, 1903
Died	August 14, 1978(1978-08-14) (aged 74)
Genres	Jazz
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Violin
Associated acts	Eddie Lang, Benny Goodman, the Dorsey Brothers, Bing Crosby, Bix Beiderbecke, Jack Teagarden, the Boswell Sisters, many others.
Notable instruments
violin

Giuseppe Venuti (September 16, 1903 – August 14, 1978), better known as Joe Venuti, was an Italian-American jazz musician and pioneer jazz violinist.

Overview[link]

Considered the father of jazz violin, he pioneered the use of string instruments in jazz along with the guitarist Eddie Lang, a childhood friend of his. Through the 1920s and early 1930s, Venuti and Lang made many recordings, as leader and as featured soloists. He and Lang became so well known for their 'hot' violin and guitar solos that on many commercial dance recordings they were hired do 12 or 24 bar duos towards the end of otherwise stock dance arrangements. In 1926, Venuti and Lang started recording for the OKeh label as a duet (after a solitary duet issued on Columbia), followed by "Blue Four" combinations, which are considered milestone jazz recordings. Venuti also recorded a number of larger, more commercial dance records for OKeh under the name New Yorkers.

He worked with Benny Goodman, Adrian Rollini, the Dorsey Brothers, Bing Crosby, Bix Beiderbecke, Jack Teagarden, Frank Signorelli, the Boswell Sisters and most of the other important white jazz and semi-jazz figures of the late 1920s and early 1930s. However, following Lang's early death in 1933, his career began to wane, though he continued performing through the 1930s, recording a series of excellent commercial dance records (usually containing a Venuti violin solo) for the dime store labels, OKeh and Columbia, as well as the occasional jazz small group sessions. He was also a strong early influence on western swing players like Cecil Brower, not to mention the fact that Lang and Venuti were the primary influences of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. (Many of the 1920s OKeh sides continue to sell through 1935, when ARC reissued selected sides on the 35 cent Vocalion label.)

After a period of relative obscurity in the 1940s and 1950s, Venuti played violin and other instruments with Jack Statham at the Desert Inn Hotel in Las Vegas. Statham headed several musical groups that played at the Desert Inn from late 1961 until 1965, including a Dixieland combo. Venuti was with him during that time, and was active with the Las Vegas Symphony Orchestra during the 1960s. He was 'rediscovered' in the late 1960s. In the 1970s, he established a musical relationship with tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims that resulted in three recordings. In 1976, he recorded an album of duets with pianist Earl Hines entitled Hot Sonatas. He also recorded an entire album with country-jazz musicians including mandolinist Jethro Burns (of Homer & Jethro), pedal steel guitarist Curly Chalker and former Bob Wills sideman and guitarist Eldon Shamblin. Venuti died in Seattle, Washington.

Early Life[link]

Early Life Joe Venuti was well known for giving out conflicting information regarding his early life, including his birth place and birth date as well as his education and upbringing. Since there is no record of any recognized birth certificate, it is difficult to say for certain which information is correct.

Joe Venuti (Giuseppe Venuti) claimed to have been born aboard a ship as his parents emigrated from Italy around 1904, though many believe he was born in Philadelphia. It has also been claimed that he was born on April 4th, 1898 in Lecco, Italy, or on September 16th, 1903 in Philadelphia. Later in life, he said he was born in Lecco, Italy in 1896 and that he came to the U.S. in 1906 and settled in Philadelphia.^[1]

Joe was classically trained in the violin from a young age, and studied solfeggio with his grandfather. He later said that while he studied music from him, he did not learn any one instrument but rather music theory in general. He began studying the violin in Philadelphia, and later claimed to have studied at a conservatory, though there is no documented evidence to support this theory. Despite this, his style of playing was characteristic of someone who had a solid basis in violin technique.

Career[link]

Joe Venuti had an extensive career ranging from 1924 until shortly before his death in 1978. During this time, he redefined the role of violin playing and introduced the violin as a serious jazz instrument.

Venuti spent time in the early 1900’s playing in the James Campbell School Orchestra in the violin section. It was there that he first met and befriended Salvatore Massaro, who was also playing in the violin section of the orchestra. During this time they were also experimenting with jazz and blues in addition to classical playing.^[2]

In 1924 he moved to Detroit to join Jean Goldkette’s band, and began playing with the Book Cadillac Hotel Orchestra, one of Jean Goldkette’s dance bands. It was here that he made his first recordings with Goldkette’s big band. By the summer of 1925, he had moved to Atlantic City briefly to play with Bert Estlow’s band before settling in New York. Here, he once again encountered Massaro, who had changed his name to Eddie Lang. Lang had also switched instruments from the violin to the guitar. The two friends struck up a professional partnership which was to last until Lang’s untimely death in 1933. They began playing with Roger Wolfe Kahn’s dance orchestras in addition to playing in Broadway pit orchestra’s to support themselves.^[3]

From 1926-1928, the Venuti and Lang duo were recording with most of the prominent jazz musicians of the day, including Goldkette (1926-27), Red Nichols (1927-28), Bix Beiderbecke (1927), Adrian Rollini (1927) and Frankie Trumbauer (1927). Between 1927 and 1929 Lang and Venuti were leading bands and performing in Atlantic City. Venuti then moved back to New York in 1929 to play with Paul Whiteman’s orchestra from 1929 to 1931. He also appeared in the film "The King of Jazz" (1930) with the band.From the period of 1931-1933, Venuti recorded again with Eddie Lang, Bix Beiderbecke and Frankie Trubauer. The most famous recording of Venuti’s career was also produced during this time: his October 22 1931 recording with Joe Venuti-Eddie Lang and their All Star orchestra. This session also included Benny Goodman and Jack Teagarden. Both Venuti and Lang rejoined Roger Wolfe Kahns’ orchestra in 1932 and played and recorded with him until Eddie Lang’s death in 1933.^[4]

Following Eddie Lang’s death, Venuti conducted a tour of Europe and the UK. During this period he also alternated from violin to guitar, varying from his almost strictly violin approach formerly. Upon returning to the US in 1935, he formed a big band and worked as its leader. During this time he also composed most of his original arrangements. Venuti was less successful as a big band leader than as a soloist, and the band folded in 1943.^[5]

After this period, Venuti transitioned from being in a position of relative prominence to one of ignominy. Venuti moved to California in 1944 to become a studio musician with MGM, in addition to playing with other film and radio studios. He also appeared regularly on Bing Crosby’s radio show during this time. Later, Venuti returned to a small group format and continued to play and record in and around Los Angeles, while touring frequently. In 1953 he conducted another tour of Europe, and in 1963 a tour of Seattle.^[6]

Throughout much of the 1950’s Venuti made records and played at clubs. This was the beginning of about a 15 year lull in Venuti’s career. In the early 1960’s Venuti was mostly inactive due to his development of alcoholism. The late 1960’s marked a revival in his career. In 1967 he was invited to perform at Dick Gibson’s Colorado Jazz Party, and was such a success that he would be asked to repeat his performances annually until his death in 1978. In 1968 he was also invited to the Newport Jazz Festival, and in 1969 he performed at the London Jazz Expo.^[7]

During the 1970’s, at the end of his life, Venuti toured extensively in Europe with a small ensemble. During this time he made his final recordings with names such as Earl Hines, George Barnes, Ross Tompkins, Dave McKenna, Marian McPartland, Scott Hamilton, Leon Redbone, and most notably Zoot Sims. Venuti continued to tour and play until his death in 1978.^[8]

Personal Life[link]

Little is known about Venuti’s personal life aside from his extensive jazz career. Some of his many biographers claim that he married at least once, some others report that he was married three times, although there does not seem to be any documented evidence about his wife (or wives).^[9]

Venuti suffered from alcoholism in his middle age, throughout the 1950’s and early 1960’s. He was able to recover, and to regain his former acclaim for his playing. In 1970 Venuti was diagnosed with cancer. He died from cancer on August 14, 1978 in Seattle, Washington^[10] .

Playing Style[link]

Venuti pioneered the violin as a solo instrument to the jazz world. He was famous for a fast, “hot” playing style characteristic of jazz soloists in the 1920’s and the swing era. His solos have been described as incredibly rhythmic with patterns of duplets and running eighth and sixteenth notes. He favored a lively, fast tempo that showed off his superior technique. Venuti was a virtuosic player with a wide range of techniques including left hand pizzicato and runs spanning the length of the fingerboard. He also frequently implemented slides common in blues and country fiddle playing. Occasionally, he used a strange technique in which he unscrewed the end of his bow and wrapped the bow hair around the strings of the violin, lending the subsequent sound a “wild” tone. He was particularly notable in small ensemble jazz, since the force of the horns in big band jazz was sufficient to drown out the violin, prior to the invention of the musical amplifier.^[11]

Practical Jokes[link]

Apart from his impressive playing style, Joe Venuti was almost as well known for his amusing practical jokes. He was well known to play inexpensive violins, since many of his former band members have said that he had been known to crack these over the heads of his players on occasion. There are many anecdotes of his humorous pranks fondly told by his associates. One of the best known tales was one in which he filled a tuba player’s horn with flour during a break in a rehearsal. Another involved sending a well-known one-armed trumpet player, Wingy Manone, a single cufflink for Christmas several years in a row. He was also well known for calling up every bass player in the New York phonebook and asking them to meet with him on a street corner. When over 50 bass players arrived with their instruments it created a minor roadblock. He then subsequently had to pay the players for their time as mandated by the AMF.^[12]

Jazz film[link]

Venuti (with Eddie Lang) in Paul Whiteman's Orchestra from the 1930 film "King Of Jazz" performing Wild Cat File:Joe venuti.ogg The other two selections in the video, played by a sextet of violinists, are Fritz Kreisler's "Caprice Viennoise" and "Tambourin Chinois".

Discography[link]

Compositions[link]

Joe Venuti's compositions included "Satan's Holiday", "Goin' Home", "Put and Take", "Pretty Trix", "Doin' Things" with Eddie Lang, "Apple Blossoms", with Lennie Hayton, Frankie Trumbauer, and Eddie Lang, "Beatin' the Dog", "Black and Blue Bottom", "Black Satin", "Blues for Nobody", "Blues in G", "Blues Inc.", "Dandy Cat", "Cheese and Crackers", "Clown Cat", "Dinner at Nine", "Flip", and "Betcha I Getcha", which, according to Joe Venuti, he co-wrote with Bix Beiderbecke.

References[link]

1. ^ Lees, Gene (2000). Waiting for Dizzy: Fourteen Jazz Portraits. New York NY: Cooper Square Press. pp. 22-33. ISBN 0-8154-1037-9. 
2. ^ Lees, Gene (2000). Waiting For Dizzy:Fourteen Jazz Portraits. New York NY: Cooper Square Press. pp. 22-33. ISBN 0-8154-1037-9. 
3. ^ Kernfield, Barry. "Venuti, Joe". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz,2nd Edition. Oxford Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/J466200. Retrieved 21 April 2012. 
4. ^ Kernfeld, Barry. "Venuti, Joe". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd Ed.. Oxford Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/J466200. Retrieved 21 April 2012. 
5. ^ Larkin, Colin. "Venuti, Joe". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Oxford Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/epm/29062. Retrieved 21 April 2012. 
6. ^ Kernfeld, Barry. "Venuti, Joe". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd Ed.. Oxford Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/J466200. Retrieved 21 April 2012. 
7. ^ Larkin, Colin. "Venuti, Joe". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Oxford Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/epm/29062. Retrieved 21 April 2012. 
8. ^ Larkin, Colin. "Venuti, Joe". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Oxford Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/epm/29062. Retrieved 21 April 2012. 
9. ^ Lees, Gene (2000). Waiting for Dizzy: Fourteen Jazz Portraits. New York NY: Cooper Square Press. pp. 22-33. ISBN 0-8154-1037-9. 
10. ^ Larkin, Colin. "Venuti, Joe". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Oxford Music Online. http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/epm/29062. Retrieved 21 April 2012. 
11. ^ Dietrich, Johannes (1996). The Violin in Pre-Bebop Era Jazz. Cincinnatti, OH: University of Cincinnatti. pp. 35-42. 
12. ^ Dietrich, Johannes (1996). The Violin in Pre-Bebop Era Jazz. Cincinnati, OH: University of Cincinnati. pp. 35-42. 

Sources[link]

• Sudhalter, Richard M. Lost Chords: White Musicians and their Contribution to Jazz, 1915-1945. Oxford, 1999. ISBN 0-19-514838-X
• Baxter, James. The Blue Violin - privately published 1953 biography of Joe Venuti (acquired by AB Fable Archive in March 2001).
• “Violin Rhythm, a School of Modern Rhythmic Violin Playing” by Joe Venuti, edited by the Dutch composer Eddy Noordijk, published by Robbins Music Corp, 1937.
• "The Violin in Jazz". The Cambridge Companion to the Violin. Ed. Stowell, Robin. Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge:New York, NY. 1992. ISBN 0-521-39033-8
• Dexter, D. "Venuti Stops Clowning, September 15 1940". Downbeat Magazine, Vol. 66 Iss 7 p 87. 1 July 1999
• Mcdonough, John. "Joe Venuti/Zoot Sims: Joe Zoot and more". Downbeat Magazine, Vol. 70 Iss 1 p 64. 1 January 2003

Dick Cavett
Cavett in April 2010
Birth name	Richard Alva Cavett
Born	(1936-11-19) November 19, 1936 (age 75) Gibbon, Nebraska, U.S.
Years active	1959–present
Spouse	Carrie Nye (1964-2006; her death) Martha Rogers (m. 2010) «start: (2010)»"Marriage: Martha Rogers to Dick Cavett" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Dick_Cavett)
Emmy Awards
Outstanding Variety Series - Talk 1972 The Dick Cavett Show Special Classification of Outstanding Program and Individual Achievement 1974 The Dick Cavett Show

Richard Alva Cavett (English pronunciation: /ˈkævɨt/; 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]

Early life[link]

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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

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]

Marriage[link]

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]

[edit] The Tonight Show

In 1960, Cavett was living in a three-room, fifth-floor walk-up on West 89th Street in Manhattan for $51 a month.

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.

Cavett with Jack Paar in 1973

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."^{[citation needed]}

Stand-up comic[link]

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.

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]

[edit] The Dick Cavett Show

Cavett attends the Amfar Gala at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City, January 31, 2008

Intermittently since 1968, Cavett has been host of his own talk show, in various formats and on various television and radio networks:

• ABC (1968–1974)
• CBS (1975)
• PBS (1977–1982)
• USA (1985–1986)
• ABC (1986–1987)
• CNBC (1989–1996)
• Olympia Broadcasting (syndicated radio show, 1986–1990)
• Turner Classic Movies (2006–2007)

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."^{[citation needed]}

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).^{[citation needed]}

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]

Bouts with depression[link]

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]

Other work[link]

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.^{[citation needed]}

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]

Bibliography[link]

• Cavett by Dick Cavett and Christopher Porterfield, Bantam Books, August 1974. ISBN 0-15-116130-5
• Eye on Cavett by Dick Cavett and Christopher Porterfield, Arbor House, 1983. ISBN 0-87795-463-1
• Talk Show by Dick Cavett, Times Books, 2010. ISBN 0-8050-9195-5

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dick Cavett

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Dick Cavett

• Dick Cavett at the Internet Movie Database
• Dick Cavett at the Internet Broadway Database
• An interview with Dick Cavett, Feb 2011
• Dick Cavett at TVGuide.com
• Dick Cavett talks about his love of magic with Dodd Vickers at MagicNewswire.com
• "Talk Show: Dick Cavett Speaks Again" New York Times Blog
• "Discussion of Dick Cavett's unique talent on MetaFilter"