American Masters

Groucho & Cavett

Discover the enduring friendship between television personality Dick Cavett and his mentor iconic comedian Groucho Marx. Their relationship is chronicled through interviews with Cavett, archival footage and interviews with George Burns and others.

Groucho & Cavett

1h 21m

Discover the enduring friendship between television personality Dick Cavett and his mentor iconic comedian Groucho Marx. Their relationship is chronicled through interviews with Cavett, archival footage and interviews with George Burns and others.

Previews + Extras

  • Groucho & Cavett: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Groucho & Cavett

    S36 E8 - 1m 46s

    Discover the enduring friendship between television personality Dick Cavett and his mentor iconic comedian Groucho Marx. Their relationship is chronicled through interviews with Cavett, archival footage and interviews with George Burns and others.

  • When Groucho Marx hosted "The Tonight Show": asset-mezzanine-16x9

    When Groucho Marx hosted "The Tonight Show"

    S36 E8 - 2m 9s

    After Jack Paar left and before Johnny Carson replaced him, "The Tonight Show" had a fleet of guest hosts, including Groucho Marx, who brought on Dick Cavett as one of his writers. "I wondered if he would use anything I wrote," said Cavett of that time.

  • Groucho Marx roasts Dick Cavett: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Groucho Marx roasts Dick Cavett

    S36 E8 - 2m 1s

    ABC aired "The Dick Cavett Show" three times a week during primetime, considered an unusual schedule at the time. "In fact, when Groucho came on, he said, 'You know you need a secretary to know when this show is on,'" said Cavett.

  • What made Groucho Marx a great writer: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    What made Groucho Marx a great writer

    S36 E8 - 3m 7s

    Groucho was a prolific writer with "a genuine intellect," according to Cavett, despite not finishing public school. His proudest achievement was having a book of his letters published at the Library of Congress.

  • Dick Cavett's early days of standup comedy: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Dick Cavett's early days of standup comedy

    S36 E8 - 8m 17s

    When Dick Cavett first started doing standup, he quickly learned that performing comedy yourself and writing comedy for another person are two very different ventures. In this outtake from "Groucho & Cavett," Cavett reflects on the trial and error in his early days of standup and the lessons he learned along the way.

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