DICK CAVETT SHOW, THE {NOEL COWARD, ALFRED LUNT, LYNN FONTANNE, TAMMY GRIMES, BRIAN BEDFORD} (TV)
Summary
One in this series of late-night talk/variety programs, hosted by Dick Cavett, featuring interviews with newsmakers and people in the political and cultural forefront. Cavett's first and principal guest on this program is playwright Noel Coward, recently knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, who begins by explaining why he turned down a knighthood many years ago. Coward then talks to Cavett about the following: celebrations honoring his seventieth birthday; the story behind his middle name; how he copes when he feels burned out by acting or writing; how he almost drowned during the filming of "In Which We Serve"; the differences between theater audiences on various nights of the week; his meeting with the Lunts and how he came to write "Design for Living" as a play for the three of them; the misconception that he can easily dash off plays in very little time; the current fad for nudity on stage; the depressing aspect of new plays during what he calls the theater's "kitchen sink" period; and his "rules for fitness." Next, Coward's longtime colleagues and friends Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne join him and Cavett for their first non-acting public appearance on television. Lunt chides Cavett over a recent on-air "striptease" he performed, paving the way for another discussion of nudity on stage. The Lunts then discuss their spirited love scenes and comic business of a semi-erotic nature, as well as events surrounding their wedding day; Coward tells a funny story about Fontanne on the opening night of "Design for Living." He also recalls the constant critiques of each other's performances delivered by the three actors, their performance of each others' lines when they are overly familiar with a play, and an instance in which Fontanne's reading of a newspaper on stage caused events to go awry. Next, Brian Bedford and Tammy Grimes, currently starring in Coward's "Private Lives" on Broadway, sing a medley of songs written by Coward and then join the other guests on stage. Coward tells more comic stories. He describes acting with Claire Ames, who had trouble with a device meant to alter her flat-chested appearance; a performance he shared with the Lunts during the London blitz; and the odd effects of a land-mine explosion near his studio. He ends the program by speaking about his favorites among the songs he has written and about the tribute he received while witnessing the current production of "Private Lives." Includes commercials, promos, and PSAs. Commercials include Dick Cavett for F&F Antisep Throat Aids, promos include a voice-over by William Schallert for ABC, and PSAs include George Kirby for The Heart Fund.
(Cavett hosted several talk shows under the title "The Dick Cavett Show," which aired on ABC from 1969 to 1972, on PBS from 1977 to 1982, on the USA Network from 1985 to 1986, and on CNBC from 1989 to 1995. From 1973 to 1975 the show aired irregularly as part of "ABC's Wide World of Entertainment." Other versions of "The Dick Cavett Show" include a variety series on CBS in 1975 and a talk show on ABC in 1986.)
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: June 1, 1970 11:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:26:15
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:56777
- GENRE: Talk/Interviews
- SUBJECT HEADING: Actors; Biography; Music; Music, popular (songs, etc.); Musical revues, comedies, etc. (Excerpts); Theater
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1969-1972
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - F&F Antisep Throat Aids
- TV - Commercials - Magic Moment hair color
- TV - PSAs - Heart Fund
- TV - PSAs - Keep America Beautiful
- TV - PSAs - United Cerebral Palsy
- TV - PSAs - United States Postal Service
- TV - Promos - "ABC Sports"
- TV - Promos - "Dead Heat on a Merry Go Round" (telecast of a feature film)
- TV - Promos - "Nanny and the Professor"
- TV - Promos - "Pat Paulsen's Half A Comedy Hour"
- TV - Promos - "That Girl"
- TV - Promos - "The F.B.I."
- TV - Promos - "The Johnny Cash Show"
- TV - Promos - "The Lawrence Welk Show"
- TV - Promos - ABC Friday Night line-up
- TV - Promos - ABC Thursday Night line-up
- TV - Promos - ABC Wednesday Night line-up
CREDITS
- Bobby Rosengarden … Conductor
- Fred Foy … Announcer
- Dick Cavett … Host
- Brian Bedford … Singer, Guest
- Tammy Grimes … Singer, Guest
- Noel Coward … Guest
- Lynn Fontanne … Guest
- Alfred Lunt … Guest