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Turner Classic Movies Acquires Famed Dick Cavett Interviews, Develops New One-Hour Special with Mel Brooks

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is creating a new one-hour special of THE DICK CAVETT SHOW that will feature an in-depth interview with Mel Brooks and be filmed in front of a live audience on a contemporized version of the original set from the '70s. In addition, TCM has acquired rights to eight memorable episodes of THE DICK CAVETT SHOW, each one featuring an interview with a legendary figure from the silver screen. Both the classic episodes of THE DICK CAVETT SHOW and the new special are slated for telecast on TCM in September.

"Dick Cavett took the talk-show format to an entirely different level, by engaging in thought-provoking conversations with some of the most notable personalities of the day," said Tom Karsch, executive vice president and general manager for TCM. "We are honored to be working with him on his new special and are thrilled at the opportunity of presenting some of his classic interviews, many of which have not been seen since they first premiered more than three decades ago."

The episodes of THE DICK CAVETT SHOW that TCM has acquired include one-hour interviews with Robert Mitchum, Bette Davis, Ingmar Bergman, Alfred Hitchcock, Woody Allen, Groucho Marx and two with Katharine Hepburn. In each interview, Cavett avoids asking for the oft-heard anecdote, instead using his enormous enthusiasm to break down their armor and reach the human inside. TCM will also supplement the classic interviews with new introductions by Cavett.

Cavett is a Yale graduate who first entered television as a writer and talent coordinator for The Jack Paar Show. He also worked as a standup comedian and was frequently seen during the mid-'60s as a game show panelist.

Cavett landed his big break in 1968 as host of This Morning, a daytime talk show that was renamed THE DICK CAVETT SHOW before moving to a prime time berth for the summer of 1969 and a late-night slot later that same year. While many of his guests were show-business personalities, Cavett also featured newsmakers. On one famous occasion, Georgia Gov. Lester Maddox stormed off the set of the show after Cavett challenged him on his segregationist views. On another, Cavett was caught in the middle of a fierce verbal brawl between authors Gore Vidal and Norman Mailer.

Sagging ratings for the late-night show, however, prompted ABC to announce that it would be cancelled. This move resulted in more than 15,000 letters being sent to ABC and several ABC affiliates running campaigns to save the show. Newspapers around the country applauded Cavett while chastising ABC for talking about cancellation. ABC changed its mind, but only temporarily. The show was first reduced to periodic runs and then cancelled by ABC in 1975, after which it moved to CBS for a one-month stint.

Two years later, however, PBS came to Cavett's rescue and brought his show back in a new half-hour format that played to Cavett's strength, the one-on-one interview show. That show had a successful four-year run. And in 1985, Cavett turned to cable with a new series on USA that ran for one year. He then returned to ABC for a late-night series that ran two nights each week following ABC News Nightline.