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Between 1968 and 1996 The Dick Cavett Show aired in various formats on ABC, CBS, PBS, USA Network and CNBC. Over the years Cavett welcomed roughly 10,000 guests including some of the most interesting figures in film, theatre, sports, music, literature, art and politics. But the show might also feature a notorious underworld figure or a reptile expert. The Dick Cavett Show was certainly diverse.
Cavett started his television career as a writer for Jack Paar on The Tonight Show. He continued writing for Johnny Carson when Paar left the show and soon began writing for himself. Cavett’s time as a standup comedian placed him in America’s comedy clubs during an era when those clubs featured the likes of Woody Allen, Bob Newhart, Lenny Bruce, George Carlin and Mort Sahl.
Throughout its history, The Dick Cavett Show was a frequent stop for comedians. Cavett interviewed generations of the greatest comic minds dating back to vaudeville with guests like Groucho Marx, Jack Benny, Bob Hope and George Burns, and continuing through the television age with the likes of Lucille Ball, Phil Silvers and Dick Van Dyke. Cavett’s conversations with comedians are particularly insightful, given Cavett’s own career as a comedian and comedy writer.
In this four-show collection, Cavett talks with George Carlin, Martin Mull, and Steve Martin—groundbreaking comedians of a later generation.
George Carlin was a standup comedian, as well as a writer and actor. He appeared in such movies as Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, The Prince of Tides and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. His most famous routine is “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television.” He was exonerted after a 1972 performance of the routine in Milwaukee, and charged with disturbing the peace. This resulted in a landmark free speech decision in which Carlin was released.
Martin Mull is an actor, comedian, and singer. He has appeared in many television and film roles. He is also a painter and recording artist. As an actor, he first became known in his role on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and its spin-off Fernwood 2 Night. His other notable credits include Roseanne, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and Arrested Development.
Steve Martin is an actor, comedian, writer, producer, playwright, author, and musician. One of Martin’s early jobs was as a writer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. When he turned to standup comedy he was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show. Martin has won an Emmy®, Grammy®, and American Comedy® award. He was awarded an Honorary Academy Award® in 2013.
In 2004, Comedy Central ranked Martin at sixth place in a list of the 100 greatest standup comics.
OTHER DICK CAVETT PROGRAMS:
INSIDE THE MINDS OF...VOLUME 1
AND THAT'S THE WAY IT IS