For Immediate Release
Explore Dick Cavett, Groucho Marx Friendship on PBS Series ‘American Masters’
LINCOLN, Neb. (Dec. 16, 2022) – Discover the enduring friendship between Nebraska’s own Dick Cavett and the iconic comedian Groucho Marx on “American Masters: Groucho & Cavett,” premiering Tuesday, Dec. 27, at 7 and 8:30 p.m. CT on Nebraska Public Media.
The program chronicles the pair’s relationship through new interviews with Cavett, footage from Marx’s visits to “The Dick Cavett Show” and other rare recordings.
Cavett, a writer for Jack Parr on “The Tonight Show,” met Marx at the funeral of playwright George S. Kaufman in 1961. Cavett’s writing impressed hosts Jack Paar and Johnny Carson, in addition to interim host Groucho Marx. When Cavett made the transition from writer to comedian in 1965, he was encouraged and mentored by Marx.
In 1968, Cavett landed his own morning talk show, “The Dick Cavett Show,” which moved to late night in 1969. As a late-night program, critics viewed his show as a smarter, more controversial alternative to “The Tonight Show.” Marx became a frequent guest, capturing what Cavett calls, “the last of Groucho’s greatness.”
After ABC cancelled his show in 1974, Cavett hosted an interview series for PBS from 1977 to 1982. Cavett was born in Gibbon, Neb., and attended elementary school in Grand Island.
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