Orson Welles Interviews Dick Cavett | The Dick Cavett Show

Orson Welles turns the tables on his host in a golden segment from this classic interview!
Date aired - 7/27/1970 - Orson Welles
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Dick Cavett has been nominated for eleven Emmy awards (the most recent in 2012 for the HBO special, Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett Together Again), and won three. Spanning five decades, Dick Cavett’s television career has defined excellence in the interview format. He started at ABC in 1968, and also enjoyed success on PBS, USA, and CNBC.
His most recent television successes were the September 2014 PBS special, Dick Cavett’s Watergate, followed April 2015 by Dick Cavett’s Vietnam. He has appeared in movies, tv specials, tv commercials, and several Broadway plays. He starred in an off-Broadway production ofHellman v. McCarthy in 2014 and reprised the role at Theatre 40 in LA February 2015.
Cavett has published four books beginning with Cavett (1974) and Eye on Cavett (1983), co-authored with Christopher Porterfield. His two recent books -- Talk Show: Confrontations, Pointed Commentary, and Off-Screen Secrets (2010) and Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic moments, and Assorted Hijinks(October 2014) are both collections of his online opinion column, written for The New York Times since 2007. Additionally, he has written for The New Yorker, TV Guide, Vanity Fair, and elsewhere.
#thedickcavettshow

[@brainflash1]

"It's frightening to meet a legend and I know it must be upsetting for you too." Dick Cavett, sharper than a well dressed man.

[@YYmmmYY]

I don't get it

[@jadenwaz9585]

@@YYmmmYY he starts off by saying that it’s frightening to meet a legend, as if he means his experience meeting Mr. Welles, but the second part of the sentence indicates that he was actually talking about Welles’s experience meeting him.

[@YYmmmYY]

@@jadenwaz9585 🤣

[@NewWorldDAO]

SOS. I need you to make a video and tell the truth. Tell them the world is fake and you guys have been terrorizing me my entire life! ​@@YYmmmYY

[@FreakieFan]

Orson Welles' face when he laughs is absolute gold. Especially after Dick's sharp remark: "There's a veracity in what you're saying"

[@FreakieFan]

@uncletigger Absolutely. Beautiful. Orson was a genius

[@jpsned]

Pure joy.

[@chestersakamoto6843]

I just love how Dick countered that with "Do you have any recurring dreams?" with a straight face. 🤣

[@herbs275]

I thought Orson was gonna have a heart attack there.

[@NeonRadarMusic]

It's pretty amazing to think that Cavett is still alive. He's one of the only people still around to say he's interviewed Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, John Lennon, George Harrison, David Bowie, Muhammad Ali, Groucho Marx and Orson Welles. Sounds like one heck of a ride.

[@101......]

Salvador Dalí, Tennessee Williams, Akira Kurosawa, Alfred Hitchcock, Marlon Brando, Woody Allen, James Baldwin, Ravi Shankar and the list goes on...

[@justayoutuber1906]

I have heard stories about him from Eddie Murphy - hilarious

[@levonja]

Orson Welles is so well spoken and quick witted. *What a man!*

[@AA-sn9lz]

Dick Cavett was so fucking impressive here too! I mean, he's always been in a class of his own, but here it stood out in front of the master himself!

[@MacJaxonManOfAction]

@@AA-sn9lz There is a veracity in what you're saying.

[@KendraAndTheLaw]

When sober 😆😆 Maaaaaa haaaaaaa the French!

[@davidvalerisdze9984]

It's feels like Orson Welles had a big respect for Dick Cavett. It feels, he really enjoyed doing these interviews.

[@AA-sn9lz]

Now that's a great achievement for a night show host. And Dick Cavett was much much much more than simply a night show host.

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

I think I've just witnessed one of the greatest things ever. The level of immediate cutting wit and intelligence on both sides is staggering. We'll unfortunately never see the likes of this again.

[@dhgemein2]

@Jericho Precisely. The audience that could sit still and pay attention to 2 people talking at length is gone.

[@TheMiist]

@@dhgemein2 except we're doing it right now and enjoying it...

[@dhgemein2]

@@TheMiist Sure, we're doing it. We're also self-selecting to do it. My point is that you won't see a conversation of this length on late night talk shows in 2020, where guests are lucky to get more than 1 or 2 sentences out before being interrupted.

[@abyteuser6297]

@@dhgemein2 like 3 hour long podcasts you mean?

[@NewWorldDAO]

This is not a fucking job interview this is not a 50 €60 fucking job interview 60 you fucking job interview

[@tinyspeaker]

"a dim gong" gorgeous

[@jamesdrynan]

So nice to hear someone like Welles put a pin in Jerry's balloon.

[@Nero-ox5tw]

Both guest and host are better than any "show" on American TV in 2019

[@wellesradio]

Leonardo Datore Your comment is the equivalent of commenting "First!" on every Dick Cavett video.

[@JanPBtest]

Letterman was good only on NBC. He should have quit after that, he wasted his life away on that stupid job.

[@charlesritt5088]

Dick Cavett should receive a Kennedy center honors,hopefully MR.maga won't be there

[@Nero-ox5tw]

@@wellesradio What do you mean?

[@wellesradio]

Leonardo Datore You don't remember when every video had a "first!" comment? Now THOSE were the days! You don't see comments like that anymore in 2019.

[@HAL-rx5ln]

Dick is the GOAT of interviewers, hands down. Wit, rhythm, charisma, he had it all. And he was full of knowledge about all his guests. His shows were so genuine and honest. Great guy!

[@jasoncooper1422]

Similar to Graham Norton

[@ChristianW1975]

What an intoxicating laugh Mr. Welles has

[@TallGreyMan]

This has the frankness of an unrehearsed podcast. That era of unscripted interviews was pure gold.

[@ddburrows988]

I don’t think I enjoy any interviews better than an Orson Welles interview. And, Cavett has always been first-rate.

[@elizzievb]

"I feel like I'm a thinly-wrapped enigma"... Oh, what a fabulous interview. Love them both. I really feel like maybe Cavett was under-utilized - what a wit.

[@NickOwens]

Such perfect timing for the text “Dick Cavett” to show up on screen.

[@burdok4138]

It's amazing to think that this was aired almost half a century ago... It aged like fine wine!

[@bubbazep01]

Like Paul Masson! Ahhh the French...

[@Dewdaahman]

"it showed the right spirit.." touche'.. "a bell, or a rather dim gong.."

[@Dewdaahman]

@Τόνυ Καραντίνας "a rather dim gong" is akin to a muffled clamor, a nearly muted jangle, something faintly noised, would be my take and interpretation..

[@Dewdaahman]

@Τόνυ Καραντίνας Exactly.. Please don't apologize my friend, English is a very hard language, even for one born into it.. lol.. Present company included (myself).. Be well, and health and happiness to you and yours is my prayer this day..

[@Robertthomas79]

He is pretending not to know who Jerry Lewis is, damn....and I am Afrikaans.

[@batman5224]

If I could choose to have a conversation with one celebrity, alive or dead, it would be Orson Welles. He seemed to know at least a little about almost every subject, a rarity among even the most sophisticated of intellectuals.

[@08davey]

Paul Newman said "you know how everyone has books they want to read at some point? Well, Orson has read them all."

[@marcelorangel7024]

These later Welles interviews always leave a bitter taste in me. They're always entertaining, but at the same time I can't stop thinking about the unfulfilled potential of this man. He was truly a genius and the kind of talent that is only born every 100 years or so.

[@ThirdSpectrum]

I love the raw lively nature of this. No editing or cutting, just two people talking. This never happens now.

[@andystegall7407]

It's because talk shows are advertisements for whatever garbage movie/TV show actors are shilling for. All the questions are pre-screened by agents and there's nothing organic about it

[@RegularRegs]

dim gong just made me laugh out loud. 49 years later.

[@kengruz669]

Orson Welles is one man, who in being well-rounded, intelligent, educated, cultured, and a general humanist with a sense of humor, is so without being pretentious. It would be impossible for him to ever mask or hide this fact, in some attempt to appear more relatable or less intimidating. And him being unapologetically himself and comfortably so, makes listening to him so enjoyable. It's sad to think that it is out of vogue or "pretentious" to live a life so fully while pursuing and often attaining lofty goals and then being expressive of your experiences. Yes, he is an elite, in the best sense of the word.

[@vksasdgaming9472]

I find him to be unapologetic showman who always did his work with complete professionalism. He might have found some of his gigs beneath notice, but respected financial realities enough to always do his work with complete mastery and skill. Great actor, brilliant director and about magician I do not know.

[@mazerflow3854]

It's crazy to think now that he was born in 1915, but yet this interview doesn't even look that old

[@jamesdrynan]

Now, THAT'S a compliment! Welles saying he watches and enjoys your show. Many others said the same, too. Cavett was THE show to watch for stimulating conversations and great interviews.

[@KendraAndTheLaw]

Dick and Orson. Wonderful

[@lloydhinshelwood]

More Mr Welles please 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@Sensorium19]

Just wonderful. A joy to listen.

[@charlesritt5088]

Are his show's still being broadcast on decades?

[@MrKevart66]

All I can say is, Wow, just Wow!

[@trulyquintessential5842]

Watching this in 2019..true mark of greatness is finding truth, intelligence and relevance in thought regardless of the passage of time.

[@tchrisou812]

"A rather dim gong" lol Great line

[@Landbefore9]

9:36 I almost spit out my drink lol

[@Frankincensedjb123]

Holy crap! I was actually being entertained and delighted by two witty, intelligent, fun guys on a talk show. Only in the 20th century.

[@dramamajor1985]

What does witty mean? Seems no one has our knows how it works these days.

[@retsub3]

This. Is. *GOLD*. Their combined substantial smarts and wit feeding off the other is multiplicative. What an utter joy to have this keepsake. I'll bet they went on to be great friends. I'm going to be very very sad when Cavett goes, man. Can't say enough about the fellow.

[@ShakamotoKyoujyu]

Welles is having so much fun. And you can see his thoughts on what he might call post modernism here as well. Awesome footage.

[@michaeljames4904]

This is a profound comment and there’s certainly some truth to the suspicion that, the postmodernist trend grew virulent from the linguistic tendencies Welles bemoans here -and which George Carlin too, in his own way, called “soft language.”

[@StephenDeCesare]

I thought Orson was hysterical. Extremely witty and sharp as a knife. Beautiful delivery. :)

[@vksasdgaming9472]

Not only that, but he was razor-sharp and witty without being snarky. He takes jabs and barbs as well as gives them and is clearly enjoying himself.

[@palecap]

These two together is pure, unadulterated gold. Intelligence, humility and humor.

[@Furrylittleproblem12]

You just don't get this type of interviews anymore. Pure class from both of them.

[@NoahStolee]

Probably not on late night, you're right. I feel personally like podcasts are the new late night

[@tmrezzek5728]

CAVETT: Does Jerry Lewis ring a bell? WELLES: A rather dim gong... Priceless.

[@lauremehrkens5891]

Well that was about the best interview, I have ever seen. I have never seen anyone, make Cavett blush like that. Great chemistry, these two.

[@reddimore9355]

Dude... Orson was just a great guy.

[@pho3nix-]

One of his best interviews

[@malloid]

This is absolute gold. Had me laughing out loud. And Welles is right about people using flowery language when the simpler version is better. Pretentiousness. A lot of people can't resist injecting adjectives to make themselves sound more intelligent than they actually are.

[@FightFairLoseEasy]

Orson Welles was a genius and one of the most likeable actors. Thing is that if you watch him very carefully he looks like Jack Black is trying to get out

[@scottnapier943]

Dick Cavett has such a sharp wit, even in the presence of a Legend like Mr Welles! Fantastic interview!

[@joshcoward437]

Orson was such a rascal. I was smiling the whole time😂

[@notsureiL]

If he were around today I think he have been amused by trolling so-called modern day intellectuals. Marlon Brando used to go online on forums just to start arguments according to his imdb page.

[@RileySkye100]

Orson should've had a talk show as well.

[@Witregel]

He did! But I think it was only a pilot, unaired.

[@ItsTerryTime]

Imagine someone joking about Shakespeare plays on a chat show in 2019. Wouldn't happen, audiences wouldn't have that level of cultural awareness today.

[@jayallen81]

True dat, baby

[@Frankincensedjb123]

ItsTerryTime Or people under 30 using big words? Good lord, what has happened to this fair country? It’s all gone in the crapper

[@Brakvash]

**casual dab**

[@alexanderforslund9880]

They'd get called pretentious goofs by everyone in the comment section. Quite sad.

[@grizzlixx]

mostly a result of the corporatisation of TV. the modern equivalent of these are the podcast.

[@johnmacdonald5483]

WOW!!! Would I have loved to sit at a dinner and listen to Orsen speak .What a talented speaker and the stories this man possessed.Its a shame , there are so few great communicators left. Loved to have been a fly on the wall at the party

[@balcorn9211]

Its funny how with certain people you can listen to them talk for two minutes and you know they're a genius.

[@0Imtheslime0]

"Do you have any recurrent dreams" Welles deadpan face is hilarious after this question and smoking his cigar...

[@dramamajor1985]

I took it as a Freud joke lol

[@spradder5]

Dick Cavett and Orson Welles showing how an interview should be conducted. Their audience is enthralled and respectful, in a way that very few contemporary audiences now are. The laughter seems spontaneous, not canned and you don't hear anything of the modern fad of whooping that seems to afflict audiences of today. Would-be interviewers of tomorrow could do a lot worse than watch reruns of shows involving Messers Cavett, Carson and Frost and learn from the interview techniques that they adopted.

[@nemo227]

I've always had a measure of respect & admiration for Orson Welles but I admire him more with each interview I see. It would be interesting if he could see how he is remembered today. I think he'd be pleased.

[@Azdak]

The charisma of both men is mind blowing

[@stacyblue1980]

Welles was a wonderful soul. He tells the truth and he is warm and very casual. I adore him. Cavett is great as well.

[@vksasdgaming9472]

He was also unapologetic swindler, liar and fraud and always admitted it as well. He just never told what was fabricated tall tale and what was true. True showman.

[@NxDoyle]

I've seen the whole interview several times over the years, enough that to watch a few minutes would seem redundant and silly. Yet, whenever the segments appear, I watch.

[@chestersakamoto6843]

I know this interview was meant to be funny (and it was), but can we take a moment to appreciate the genuinely terrific line of questions Mr. Welles directed at Dick? Two fascinating individuals. Real class acts!

[@josephmcfarland8442]

Could listen to Orson Welles all day long, 2022

[@MegaMacReal]

Lovable bear

[@notsureiL]

Two hilarious men and legends.

[@jmp01a24]

Damn how handsome Orson was in 1970. No wonder he got the attention from many females.

[@musingsandmore8630]

The Q from left field at 9:47 and that look on Welles' face at 9:49 = the best 2 seconds in the history of televised entertainment! No other hosts -- then or since and to this day -- would be at ease, comfortable, and totallly unguarded with a guest who turns the table/ mic on them and asks the questions. The result is great entertainment. Too bad today's hosts and guests aren't at this caliber.

[@wiredwebmaster]

(6:30min mark) - Orsen's comical laugh and comment "You're a sly one" is pure gold.

[@1SeanBond]

This is a classic!! Unbelievably so well done!

[@michelethomas5426]

Nice to see this one. Also waiting patiently for the Gwen Verdon interview, I believe season 3, episode 19.

[@KrazyKatPosse]

This was a fantastic interview. So much intellect and wit. Imagine if American talk shows were like this today?

[@Kevin-si1es]

Orson welles what a kind considerate person he was a true legend

[@burningmisery]

I'm in love with Welles' intellect ❤❤❤

[@chalmerbasham695]

I could listen all day long.....

[@johnpirie3800]

Two powers at the very top of their game.

[@danmcdaid]

These two are terrific together

[@danielcliment8251]

Wow, this was a true mano a mano of pure genius!

[@innolee8423]

I love this,🤞, just too good.

[@flamingwarrior2589]

Dick Cavett seems like a humble, respectable host. No cheap jokes but sharp wit. The idiots today don't hold a candle to him.

[@Fred.pSonic]

04:21 The Great Man apparently has no regards for the talents of Jerry Lewis, pure gold.

[@mikebrophy]

Orson was on his A-game on this particular night!

[@Wolshanze]

Fascinating Fascinating man

[@creeksider248]

Thank you for posting this! I was way too young when this was first aired to understand all the big words here, and I was too young to appreciate the absolute sheer genius of Orson Welles back then. I've watched a few of these interviews with Mr. Welles, and I'm now a big fan of his now! I never knew he was so funny! Keep posting more of Mr. Cavett's show, I've Subscribed and given this video a big Thumbs Up!

[@janeporter818]

Nice!

[@jasoncooper1422]

Brilliant.

[@beetalius]

two just brilliant, classy gentlemen

[@elizabethhestevold1340]

This is a fun interesting twist,, fun??! Hillarious... interview from Orson, to Dick Cavity...🇩🇰🇺🇸🐣📬👀

[@13letras]

10 minutos de inteligência em cadeia nacional, quem diria, hein? Fazia tempo que eu não dava tanta risada. Que Orson era uma figuraça, eu já sabia. Surpreendente é que o entrevistador se mostrou adversário à altura Sei lá, o mundo já foi um lugar onde gênios podiam se sentar pra bater um papo de igual para igual com leigos bem informados num programa de TV. E tirar sarro com a cara um do outro em altíssimo nível. Meu, nem parece que um dia isso foi possível...

[@tyleranyways]

"A rather dim gong" 😭

[@alec187]

It’s amazing how much more literate folks were on casual conversation back then than now.

[@franknemeth7430]

2 of the greats .

[@shuttermaniacproductions5149]

Placing google ads at commercial breaks. Love it.

[@dramamajor1985]

Ugh! How I wish I could have a cocktail and just a 5 minute conversation with Orson Welles!

[@ImClaypool]

If this came out in 2019 nobody would like it because it’s too smart

[@breytenodendaal7559]

Why are the older talk shows so much better than modern ones.

[@thewhitedeath586]

Never saw an episode of dick cavett but I love the clips! Too young to have seen it on TV I'm 30.

[@lordchancellorhatton1910]

Something about Welles is damn intimidating. He’s larger than life (no pun intended).

[@richardgornalle4536]

Fantastic entertainment.

[@jamstonjulian6947]

Delightful

[@br0k3nh3d9]

I don't think I've ever seen Cavett blush before

[@leestringer]

There's no denying Orson Welles was a great man. I could watch him talk all night. Now, whether he was a good man or not, could perhaps be debated. I guess only those closest to him would know that.

[@lindajamesglover6192]

Two intelligent, interesting and civilised men talking. Bliss.

[@RodrickColbert]

the great Orson welles...there is not filmmaker before its time.

[@ricarleite]

Why isn't TV like this anymore?!?!?!?!

[@justayoutuber1906]

Orson Wells' eyes look all-knowing.

[@rickyboby560]

David harbour would be great in a orson Welles biopic

[@soroushbahrami438]

This is what happens when two witty men talk to each other. It's such a pleasure, just listening to them.