DICK CAVETT & NOEL COWARD CLIP

Sir Noel Coward appeared on The Dick Cavett Show on ABC-TV on February 11, 1970. Here are excerpts from that.

[@CraigFrancisSoto]

"Talent". This is one of the greatest talkshow replies to a question of all time. This man had versatile talent enough for a dozen writers. Great clip.

[@krugerfuchs]

Dick is totally caught out its brilliant

[@johndalton3180]

Wow. His delivery of "Talent." is out of this world. Who on earth is that quick?

[@degsbabe]

Tom cruise claims he came close...….

[@joanmulhall5616]

What a setup.

[@jadezee6316]

you hopefully by now have stopped writing with crayons so should be in a better position to understand the immaturity of your original comment...... BTW......if you still can't understand... it's called wit.....in some places....never, however... by those who practice it....though its a matter of degree as to one's ability...easily understood...by association......however, more times than not.....hardly worth paying attention to....or as in your case over-reacting to out of inability...

[@andydixon2980]

@@joanmulhall5616 It's clearly not a setup(what a breakthrough for american televison at the time), and is a great spontaneous example of Mr Cowards quick wit.

[@andydixon2980]

@@degsbabe The only thing Cruise and Coward have in common, is that they both begin with the letter C.

[@jamescollinson2179]

This 3 minutes gives us a quick glance at a great wit. I wish the whole interview was available.

[@MarkAShaw64]

Your lucky day. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5iXioiAi9B6hKM

[@YouzTube99]

@jamescollinson2179 An audio only version was subsequently uploaded: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rabag5qvaLt2hZIsi=auqKDLMkGBgnnzYB

[@citizen1163]

The genius Sir Noël Coward. When you think how knighthoods are given away to all & sundry today & Sir Noël had to wait til he was 70 despite being an outstanding success in so many areas of the arts for most of his life. His works are still relevant.

[@Corinthian44]

I agree , he'd done everything and more in theatre , yet some trivial ' pop stars' , and ' personalities ' were recognised before him . A damning indictment of our so called ' honours system ' . No wonder many people rejected a so called , ' knighthood ' !

[@wbcjr17106]

Postwar & postcolonial politics did him in, so far as his accolade was concerned: despite the fact that he was engaged in intelligence work for the British goverment during WW II, some idiot newspaper reporter put out a story that Coward was cheating on his gasoline rations and this severely blackened his eye before the public. Churchill could do nothing to help him without possibly giving away the fact that he was a British spy; so, His Majesty's government declined to put him on the honors list. After the war, the advent of the welfare state (and its HIGH taxes on wealthy people) threatened Coward's (by then) considerable fortune so he left for Jamaica (near Ian Fleming) and this, too, brought his popular reputation down. Finally, his great pal, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, interceded and secured him the accolade he deserved as an artist and as a hero four years before he died.

[@bonniebluebell5940]

@@wbcjr17106 You are so right. That is why no one pays attention to those awards anymore....what incredible talent! He was the last of a dying breed. I sure miss the good old days. This Civilization is crumbling all around our ears.

[@rivaridge7211]

This is great to see - Mr. Coward's diaries (published after his death in 1973) were a fun and fascinating read. Thanks for posting!!

[@SirPeter6464]

They are a great read. I agree.. 📖

[@middleearth8809]

The very first time I have seen Noel Coward being interviewed and I am so glad I watched. What an incredible mind.

[@EagleRockers]

"Talent!" - Says it all. Thanks for this sublime amusement.

[@DavidBensonActor]

I'd kill to see the rest of this! Thanks for posting this fragment

[@MarkAShaw64]

Your lucky day. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5iXioiAi9B6hKM

[@michaeljames4904]

@@MarkAShaw64 a thousand upvotes to you, sir

[@arthagnan020]

"talent" Brilliant!

[@simonjones7727]

Dick Cavett is almost always worth watching and his guests include some of the most fascinating and brilliant people of the 20th Century. Cavett's skill was that he was able to abandon the script if the interview was going in an interesting direction and just go with it. My parents used to watch his show In Grosse Pointe in the late 60s. Amazing to me that there is so much of his content now available to seek out and stream. Noel Coward is very funny here.

[@ar6985]

People/ Celebrities were infinitely more interesting back then....

[@howyoodoon]

Thanks so much for sharing this, Richard! This has been my "rainy day in Midtown" entertainment on several occasions, when I've been researching at The Paley Center, where the full interview is available to view (with Lunt & Fontanne). He was The Master, indeed!

[@grai]

is the full Coward interview available anywhere do you know?

[@haydenwayne3710]

Yep. Absolutely spot on. He IS the one and only!!!

[@trinkabuszczuk6138]

Apparently, his clipped prose was a result of his mother being very hard of hearing or even deaf, and that manner of speaking facilitated her understanding.

[@hermajesty52]

That laugh at the end 🥰🥰

[@ifigeniaesprella7909]

Thank you so much for posting! Please, can you post the rest?

[@stephaniehand503]

thsnk you

[@ericellis3506]

"Camp Freddie, everybody in the world is bent".

[@MrCrowebobby]

And my all time favorite: Noel's critique of a play with an obnoxious child actor in it. "The entire second act and that child's throat should be cut."

[@stopyulin3226]

Noel Coward! ✌🏼

[@johnschaefer2238]

Coward was at a screening of 2001:A Space Odyssey and after the film he was interviewed. The reporter asked him what he thought of Kier Dullea’s performance as he played astronaut Dave Bowman. Coward’s reply was “Kier Dullea gone tomorrow”!

[@jakkiford3070]

Love him! Did a Show of his in New York and I sang “MAD ABOUT THE BOY”❤🎭🎵🎉💋🎶⭐️

[@anothertime1282]

A three minute clip and Coward doesn't appear until two minutes in. Anyway, I love how he milked his entrance for all it was worth.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

Great clip! Is there a full version available?

[@jazzvictrola7104]

I love his 1925 mannerisms!

[@jazzvictrola7104]

@John Ashtone People who were young adults in 1925 had the mannerisms of a record collector.

[@Nic-tg2ei]

I know they censored Elvis below the waist, but I didn't think DC would be so lascivious as to need the black-bar treatment.

[@peterfeltham5612]

This is just great viewing,but why not the rest of it.

[@gazwillz3225]

Where can I find the rest of this interview?

[@sebastianmelmoth7331]

Imagine the conversation between Noel Coward and Oscar Wild! 😌

[@markmeade2937]

I would pay money to watch that interview 👍

[@dale19532]

He knew how to play a room!

[@juanmonge8]

Before the Beatles came along. He was the definition of “Cool Britania “. His knighthood was denied him for so long because his homosexuality was no secret.

[@scottinbristol]

Noel Coward bit starts at 2:00

[@nycmatch]

I thought I had seen all the Cavett shows. I didn't know Noel Coward was still alive then. Is it not possible to seen the entire show?

[@davidcouch6514]

About “fit the name”; Andy Warhola drew a fashion ad and his name was misread by the typesetter or such, and a guy who might not have gotten out of the Ad Creative Office, did.

[@degsbabe]

'...Money was so good m'dears....'

[@Lockbar]

I am very much an anti-intellectual,...but this was one of my favorite programs when I was a youth.

[@anothertime1282]

'I am very much an anti-intellectual,...but...' - I really don't understand. This is a chat show, there's nothing 'intellectual' about it.

[@burlatsdemontaigne6147]

@@anothertime1282 … and there was certainly nothing ‘intellectual’ about Coward. He wrote amusing ditties for the stage.

[@MrJoeybabe25]

What's the black bar onscreen for?

[@lenwelch2195]

So it’s not copied, it ruins the motivation for other commercial entities from recording the video for their own monetary reasons.

[@louduva9849]

2:00 is when it actually starts.

[@MrCrowebobby]

He surely had one of the best careers in show business, including dying at just about the age he claimed he would want to and in about the same circumstances.

[@meandmymonkey5137]

My favorite gay.literary genius. talent...

[@storybored972]

How tense and awkward

[@iaininkster1090]

Well that told him.

[@rbeygarcia]

His walk-on tune sounds suspiciously related to the Hawaii Five-O one.

[@user-jz4rv2fr4f]

"frrrrrreind"

[@juanmonge8]

Actually, Pierce is a French name. It should be pronounced “ Purse”.

[@naly202]

My first reaction seeing this was : Who is this idiot- asking Sir NC such silly questions? But then I reconsidered--I guess the poor man was just star struck. Couldn't find his words. Forgot everything he had to say. Which is kinda cute. I'm only sorry he didn't say at 0:30 - "Ladies and gentlemen, Noel Coward!" and let the dear man say whatever he pleased.

[@daneb.mcfadhen9896]

A truly brilliant eipcally talented gay man.

[@rottenapple6109]

Noel was apparently very taken with Noel.

[@chrisczajasager]

"you fit your name" Xmas-scardy cat....? or Lady Coward...?

[@naly202]

So true. When I first heard of Noel Coward, I thought it was a joke, a character from a comedy play or smth (the owardly French Christmas????!!!!???! Lol) then I discovered he's a real man. And WHAT A FABULOUS MAN!!!!

[@Strontyum]

He was a bottom. Which at his height of 6' strikes me as quite a challenging position to fulfil.

[@csb7376]

How did he manage to get his own show?

[@jamessheridan4306]

That's it? That's all we get?

[@SirPeter6464]

Coward never spoke to the British national press, so little was actually written about him in his life time. Wrote plays in a week which still run today. Must be the most performed writer of all time after Shakespeare. 🤔

[@twerkinthecityhuh6340]

Two thirds of this is NOT noel coward

[@jaslinc3371]

no more sir than a coward.

[@jaslinc3371]

And while a duke among counts ... he is I bet ok with America being non subscribing to the ever lasting cracks off.