May 26th, 1969- September 19th, 1969 (ABC)
December 29th, 1969- January 1st, 1975 (ABC)
August 16th, 1975 - September 6th 1975 (CBS)
1977-1981 (PBS)
Dick Cavett entered late night television in 1969. During the summer of 1969 he hosted a thrice-weekly prime-time series on ABC, and later that year he succeeded Joey Bishop as host of the network's late-night talk show. Cavett brought with him the announcer and bandleader who had worked with him on his earlier shows - Fred Foy, who was for decades the announcer of The Lone Ranger on radio and television, and drummer Bobby Rosengarten. This new format was another attempt by ABC to compete against NBC's highly successful Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. Originally broadcast five nights a week. However, by January of 1973, the show was seen only one week a month as Cavett's ratings failed to dent Carson's. Jack Paar's return to late night television after an eleven year absence was similarly seen only one week a month under the new ABC series moniker, ABC's WIDE WORLD OF ENTERTAINMENT. On January 1st, 1975, The Dick Cavett Show disappeared from the network all together.
In the fall of 1977 Cavett appeared on PBS in a half-hour talk show on which he returned to his strong talent: one - guest interviews.
Host: Dick Cavett. Guests: Rex Reed, David Frye, I.F. Stone.
