Cavett the comic: How talk-show veteran got his start
Q: I always knew Dick Cavett was a talkshow host, but I was surprised to see in the “American Masters” program about him and Groucho Marx that he also had been a comedian. When did he start that career? – Marty Cox, Wheeling, W. Va.
A: Cavett began performing while he was a Yale University student, though he largely played dramatic parts in school productions, and he also worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He performed a magic act as well, but his real start in comedy came when he began writing jokes for then-“tonight Show” host Jack Paar. He became the program’s talent coordinator and stayed on for a short time when Johnny Carson assumed the hosting job. A stand-up-comic career started for Cavett in 1964, and he parlayed that into appearances on programs including “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “The Merv Griffin Show” and “What’s My Line?” He eventually became the host of an ABC morning show, but the network eventually moved it to primetime, effectively launching what became known as “The Dick Cavett Show” (which now is seen in weeknight repeats on Decades).
Q: I loved seeing the marathon of “The West Wing” on HLN during the holidays, but it seemed like Alan Alda and Jimmy Smits weren’t in the show for all that long. Were all of their episodes shown? – Glenn Rush, via email
A: All but one, the political-debate episode that originally was staged live – once for the East Coast and then again for the West Coast. While the esteemed drama’s seventh and final season focused largely on the Alda and Smits characters’ battle to succeed Martin Sheen’s President Josiah Bartlet, Smits also had a significant presence throughout the show’s sixth year, with Alda occasionally popping in during that round (with one episode in particular revolving around him during that period).
Since “The West Wing” continues to be available on HBO Max, we won’t betray any spoilers by revealing who eventually won the presidency on the show, but suffice it to say that the “campaigns” played out with the fine writing and performances that the program was renowned for.