Search - The Dick Cavett Show - Comic Legends on DVD

Track content and more!

Lon Cerel | Rhode Island | 02/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This collection is long overdue. Having seen the Groucho interview, I think that it alone is worth "the price of admission." Shout! lists the tracks as below.

Disc 1
1.  September 5, 1969 - Groucho Marx
2.  September 19, 1969 - Woody Allen, Ruth Gordon, Gina Lollobrigida
3.  October 4, 1972 - Bob Hope
4.  Bonus - June 10, 1968 Here's Dick Cavett - Groucho Marx, Bob Hope, Woody Allen, Pat McCormick, Jack Burns, Debbie Drake
5.  Bonus - Cavett Remembers The Comic Legends
6.  Bonus - Alternate Opening For The September 5, 1969, Groucho Marx Episode

Disc 2
1.  October 20, 1971 - Woody Allen
2.  April 6, 1970 - Mel Brooks, Rex Reed, Mark Frechette, Daria Halprin, Dr. Aaron Stern
3.  November 10, 1971 - Bill Cosby
4.  Bonus - Outtake Segment From October 20, 1971, Woody Allen Episode
5.  Bonus - August 6, 1968 - Joanne Carson Interview

Disc 3
1.  January 27, 1973 - Jerry Lewis
2.  May 25, 1971 - Groucho Marx, Truman Capote, Jim Fowler
3.  February 21, 1974 - Carol Burnett
4.  Bonus - November 20, 1966 - Dick Cavett on The Ed Sullivan Show
5.  Bonus - The Dick Cavett Show Promo - May 25, 1971

Disc 4
1.  February 21, 1973 - Jack Benny, Bill Cosby, Joe Frazier
2.  December 15, 1971 - George Burns, The Smothers Brothers, Adelle Davis
3.  March 7, 1974 - Lucille Ball
4.  Bonus - Cavett Backstage
5.  Bonus - The Dick Cavett Show Promo - February 21, 1973
6.  Bonus - The Dick Cavett Show Promo - December 15, 1971


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More info on the dvds

S. Gehring | 12/26/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"12 Episodes Featuring: Woody Allen + Lucille Ball + Jack Benny + Carol Burnett + Mel Brooks + George Burns + Bill Cosby + Bob Hope + Jerry Lewis + Groucho Marx + The Smothers Brothers

Bonus Material Includes:
* New show introductions by Dick Cavett
* New interviews with Dick Cavett, producer/director Bob Weide ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") and original Dick Cavett Show writer Tom Whedon ("Benson," "Alice")
* Classic footage of Dick Cavett doing his own stand-up routine on the "Ed Sullivan Show"
* Classic Outtake and Alternate Show Opening
* Classic, rare footage from Cavett's morning show.

Runtime: 14 hours
"

Like the top review says, don't expect a ton of laughs

Christoph B. Gondek | Portland, OR USA | 05/23/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"But what you do get is a great example of the Cavett interview style. And yes, the results are mixed, but what he did that you almost don't see anymore, is to turn off the performer and try to get to the person behind the image, without trying to get them to emote. Entertainers, when they are not being entertaining, are surprisingly normal. Cavett can be a bit of a kiss up to his idols, but never doubt that his wheels are turning while the interviews go on. Some impressions:

1) His love of Groucho made him blind to his faults as a guest, the inability to share the spotlight and a hectoring personality in old age. But, when Groucho was on, he was gold and he was mostly on during the first interview in the set.
2) Woody Allen doesn't really talk to interviewers anymore, which is too bad, because his work with Cavett was awesome.
3) I loved the Bob Hope interview because he wasn't funny, but was just having a normal conversation.
4) Ditto the Jerry Lewis interview and as a general rule, I find Jerry Lewis pretty hard to take. Very smart guy, but you can tell that the critical drumming he received throughout his career really stung.
5) The Lucille Ball interview wasn't that good, but that wasn't Cavett's fault. Lucy looked like she wanted to be anyplace else but the Cavett show.
6) The Carol Burnett interview was nice, but not earth shattering.
7) It's almost worth the price of the DVD alone to see Bill Cosby make Jack Benny crack up during the story about jazz drumming.

Rumor has it that the next DVD's will be with Hollywood Stars and we can only hope that Cavett's incredible interviews with Katherine Hepburn and Orson Welles will be on that set"

A rare chance to see comics handle the Cavett format,....wit

K. Corn | Indianapolis,, IN United States | 03/17/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I'll go on record as saying that I was not an instant Cavett fan. He grew on me slowly, seeming more than a bit reserved, dry and very, very intellectual. There was a seeming distance there, although he was affable enough.

But as I watched his shows, I grew to enjoy them more. So it was intriguing to see that there was a collection focusing on his moments with comics, some of whom had the ability to draw Cavett out of his shell, to make his reserve less apparent. However, his session with Robin Williams was NOT one of those moments and that interview is still painful to watch, which probably explains why it isn't listed in this collection (Cavett actually appeared insulted by Williams, perhaps uneasy by the chaotic atmosphere that seemed to surround William when he was at his most impromptu).

If you are one of those people who adores comics - including Groucho Marx, Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, and George Burns (all of them are interviewed in this collection) and have to see EVERYTHING they'd put on film, including appearances on talk shows, you might want to buy this. As a slice of tv history and culture, this is also revealing.

Otherwise, I wouldn't advise buying this. In most of the sequences, the comics were wooden or awkward, like a fish out of water (with a few notable exceptions).

Cavett had some wonderful shows but this collection doesn't show what I consider to be the best of them."