1. He got his big break when he heard through the grapevine that popular late-night show host Jack Paar struggled to write a crisp, engaging monologue each day.
2. Like his older contemporary, Johnny Carson, a young Cavett became a performing magician for a bit before trying his hand at stand-up comedy in New York City.
3. When Dick Cavett was on network TV in the early 1970s, he had a reputation as the talk show host for people who hated talk shows.
4. He majored in drama at Yale and acted in Army training films.
5. His comedian hero is Stan Laurel.
6. In 1977, two years after leaving ABC, talk show host Dick Cavett made a comeback on THIRTEEN with “The Dick Cavett Show.”
7. Cavett distinguished himself with his intellectual interviews with newsmakers of the day. On the air, he made it look easy, but Cavett laughs at how he privately felt ill-at-ease in the spotlight.
