‘The Dick Cavett Show’
On January 14, 2014
- TV History
‘The Dick Cavett Show’
That had been the title of several shows hosted by Cavett on several networks, but his longest run and best known version was the late night show that ran against Johnny Carson from December of ’69 till January ’75. That show was done in New York from ABC TV 15 which is shown here. I think TV 15 was the only ABC stage in NY with GE color cameras. In a strange quirk, the show he replaced, ‘The Joey Bishop Show’ was done at the only place in Los Angeles that ABC used GE cameras at 1313 Vine Street. I don’t think the man in the red tie is Cavett, but it may be.
That was a great theater. Very very small.
I did not have anything to do with the Cavett Show other than being in the audience for about 3 tapings. One of them I was let in by Mr Cavett himself. Long story but I did the walk from the Daphne offices up the street and around the corner with him. He asked the stage manager to please get me a seat. I was put up in the balcony in almost the exact position that is shown in the shot with the drum set in the background. It was great seeing that picture. Buddy Rich was on the show that night and broke a drumstick. After the show I ran down and asked Bob Rosengarden if I could have the broken stick. I have it to this very day and the clip of the drumstick breaking.
Dick– At some point in the mid 1960s, The Jimmy Dean Show was shot at Video Tape Center.
Great show. Cavett was a “thinking man’s” talk show host, with a Yale education. He was a writer for Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Jerry Lewis and more. Find out more about the history of late night here: http://rwkates2001.wix.com/late-night-tv#!dick-cavett/cs11
The loss of this studio make me happy that at least the Ed Sullivan survives. I think there might only be 2 other former TV studio theaters still surviving, Roundabout Theater’s Studio 54 being one of them. I think the old Hudson Theater is the other.
Speaking about extraneous sounds, that one time there was an earthquake during the Tonight Show, Johnny was interviewing Dick Van Patten (he had played Nels on I Remember Mama). After the earthquake was over, and they resumed taping, Dick said: “Hey Johnny, remember when we used to do those shows out of Grand Central Station, and every time a train went by, the whole studio used to shake?” I created the walking tour of GCT back in 1974, and I would take the people upstairs to Donald Trump’s tennis club–the former CBS-TV studios. And when the Lake Shore Limited went around the loop, the whole place used to shake. And I would tell the Dick Van Patten story.
I saw Tony Verdi direct a Harlem Globe Trotters’ CBS-TV special at the Felt Forum of Madison Square Garden back in 1968. Employees of CBS got front row seats. Tony directed the rehearsal from the floor.
Exactly what Val said. Barnhizer was the top director at NBC Chicago and was an adjunct professor at Northwestern. He did the arty stuff while Tony Verdi (also NBC Chicago then Washington) did news, Verdi also taught at NU. One great value of learning broadcasting in a major market.
Cavett’s first ABC show, This Morning, originated from the Colonial Theater, which also had GE cameras when ABC went to color.
Kent. Started at CBS and moved to ABC. I finished the New York run of pyramid
This is a great photo. Camera 3 is the same camera on my Facebook profile page without the prompter on it. It was mounted on the chapman crane used on $20,000 pyramid also shot at ABC TV 15.
I believe that the original $10,000 Pyramid was shot there when it started on ABC before moving to CBS.
TV-15 was right across the street from a firehouse. When the trucks pulled out, sirens blaring, Cavet would have his guests pause for a few seconds until the noise had abated.
Dave Barnhizer was his director at TV15–the former Elysee Theatre. He had been my professor at Northwestern, and taught me the fine points of television directing. (We were very fortunate students.)
Ahh! The “old” TV15! That building is long gone….Yes it was ABC’s only N.Y. studio with G.E.s. When Cavett ended, Pyramid was put in there and a crane was brought in. It was a tight place for a crane!