Cavett may not be a household name these days but in the late 1960s to mid-1970s the Dick Cavett Show was a late-night TV destination. He was known as a literate, erudite interviewer who loved wordplay, but who didn't take any guff from his guests, as the now famous show in 1971 with Norman Mailer and Gore Vidal demonstrates. Mailer, drunk, belligerent, and trading insults with Vidal, finally said to Cavett, "Why don't you look at your question sheet and ask your question?" to which Cavett responded, "Why don't you fold it five ways and put it where the moon don't shine?" The author wrote about his life in Cavett (1974) and his career in Talk Show (2011). Currently Cavett writes an online opinion column for the New York Times and here he reprises some of those with varying success. Most notable are his anecdotal stories about such people as Groucho Marx, Nora Ephron, and Muhammad Ali; his stints on the game show $25,000 Pyramid; and what it was like writing jokes for comedians. Jimmy Fallon writes a thoughtful and admiring foreword. VERDICT Baby boomers, Cavett fans, and those interested in the history of television will enjoy this book.-Rosellen Brewer, Sno-Isle Libs., Marysville, WA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A collection of work previously published as a part of Cavett's New York Times online opinion column, these articles could easily fall under the heading of musings were they not so varied in content, topic, theme, and style. Some are biography, like Cavett's account of a prank pulled when he was in high school ("I Owe William Jennings Bryan an Apology"). Others are pieces on such celebrities as Stan Laurel, Muhammad Ali, and John Lennon, told as only Cavett, both as a journalist and a celebrity himself, can. Still others are commentary, told with wit, such as "Should News Come with a Warning Label?" Given Cavett's background hosting talk shows and doing TV interviews, it comes as no surprise that what holds these varied vignettes together is his conversational style. In fact, in many of these short works (some no more than five pages), like "Can You Stand Some More Stan?" about Stan Laurel, he seems to be carrying on a discussion with Laurel's fans and detractors alike. Cavett's showing off of his chops from the golden age of late night TV, focusing on people like Groucho Marx, Marlene Dietrich, Jonathan Winters, Tony Curtis, and Mel Brooks, gives everyone a chance to remember or to be introduced to these influential Hollywood and comedy stars. (Nov.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

With his signature wit, writer and comic Cavett shares brief encounters from his early childhood in Nebraska on through his career in show business. He offers memories of network skittishness at the waywardness of some of his most memorable talk shows; performing magic acts, including on one notable occasion when Liz Taylor extemporaneously assisted; and his famously contentious relationship with the Nixon administration. He reprises visiting with Stan Laurel at his apartment and Muhammad Ali at his training camp and meeting the young Steve Jobs before agreeing to do Apple's first commercials. He also recalls working with an assortment of famous names, including Groucho Marx, Jerry Lewis, and Mel Brooks. Of dreams, he ponders that the complexity of the human brain is too, well, complex for that same brain to understand. He draws on his days as a young writer learning the ropes from more experienced comedians and from a long career as talk-show host on an assortment of television and cable networks, expounding on life, American culture, and politics with obvious love of magic, entertainment, and words.--Bush, Vanessa Copyright 2014 Booklist