Dick Cavett discusses the clash of Norman Mailer and Gore Vidal on this show- EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG

there's never been a show like that it's quite possible it will never be surpassed in terms of its particular terms uh here were three literary figures an unlikely thing to entertain viewers in most people's mind uh who clashed brilliantly and entertainingly and somewhat bitterly for 90 minutes that was on the edge of one's chair and the great Janet FL whom people mostly had not heard of who wrote Under the pseudonym Jan the New York the Paris letter in the New Yorker for 35 40 years uh turned out to be a great great personality who wrapped the formidably and drunken Norman mailor around her little white gloved finger so deftly and so beautifully and Vidal Norman came on to gut gor vial about something he'd written in New York Review Book so the conflict was all there and ready to go it was tense it was hard tough goinging it looked like there might be physical violence at one point or two points a thing Norman was not entirely unfamiliar with um and uh Vidal was just so elegantly eloquent once the audience applauded a sentence of gors largely because it was so elegantly constructed that it like a piece of music it it created a kind of appreciative thrill I can almost do it it was um with apologies to him but it was almost this it was Norman said at one point Gore why don't you uh can't you just talk to me you know instead of having me play the audience all the time can you can you just talk to me Gore and Gore not knowing that was going to be said said um well Norman because we don't happen to find ourselves in the friendly neighborhood bar but by election in front of a studio audience it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise I think that was it and part of the applause was of course they were mad at Norman a large part of the audience and some of your shows I told him to F five ways and put it where the moon don't shine and that's often misquoted as stick it which would be vulgar and um M he had said to me why don't you read another question off the question sheet and I thought I'm not David fro I mean I'm not certain talk show host uh and that made me mad and I said why don't you Etc I had to translate that for a German audience in Berlin and mailer did ask did you have that line prepared was it something that you oh Kev is that something youve had Cann for years he kept trying to come in with the Applause wouldn't stop in the laughter you had Cann for years something you've been ready waiting to lay it on and I heard myself say I have to tell you a quote from to story well that got another huge laugh went on like that yeah we all were well nor Gorman Gore and Norman were not great for it was interesting to see a show in which a guest as eminent as Vidal and eminent is flatter and eminent is melee to he one of them go say okay I'll tell you what I detest about your Norman and went on to do so Your Love Of Violence your glamorization of Murder Your you know country has had quite enough of this

Channel: FoundationINTERVIEWS

Views: 89,166

Keywords: Television history, Interviews, Emmy TV Legends, emmytvlegends, tv, academy, Norman Mailer (Author), Gore Vidal (Author), The Dick Cavett Show (TV Program)

Id: 4C4VbKdbF48

Length: 4min 4sec (244 seconds)

Published: Wed Sep 16 2015