WARNING! WARNING! Racist content begins at 12:28. Viewer Discretion is Not Advised. SUBSCRIBE
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Technical/Linguistic Notes
Dick Cavett is not an MC, he is a host & interviewer. Entirely different. MC is short for 'Master of Ceremonies,' usually an announcer (like Ed McMahon on Johnny Carson) or in the case of hiphop, an MC is one who rhymes to beats often improvised (freestyle) to energize the crowd, enhance his prestige as a lyrical assassin, and hype the DJ.
Creator Statement, Read Before Viewing, Burn After Watching.
In this 1971 episode of his eponymous talk show, host (and champion of racial equality) Dick Cavett chats with Jazz legend Louis Armstrong. Satchmo's wideranging conversation with Cavett is highlighted by a story about returning home to New Orleans as a celebrity and shutting down a hater MC who refused to introduce him. The story is part of a fabulous interview with a legend who left this vale of tears shortly after. Revel in this wonderful touch with greatness that is Louis Armstrong.
I grew up during what some might say was the golden age of TV talk shows. Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, and Johnny Carson held sway over afternoons and late night, but Dick Cavett never seemed to fit into a particular time slot or mold. His style was both intellectual and fanbased.
Cavett gave his guests time to unwind their thoughts and let down their guard, which provided some of the most entertaining and engaging television ever produced. With the exception of Norman Mailer, he did not provoke or short change people and his casual but direct way of interviewing was a skill and gift that can be seen on many clips of his shows from the 1970’s.
From Groucho Marx to Jimi Hendrix, Dick Cavett engaged generations of entertainers, literary and political figures in brilliant conversation and we are better off for it. Some used to say that TV rots your brain or is a vast wasteland, but the world was made wide and full of possibility to me through that cathode ray tube and plastic box.