The Vietnam War was the first “television war.” Night after night, the evening news broadcast the conflict into living rooms across America. As the country watched coverage of the fighting, Dick Cavett’s late night talk show featured thoughtful conversations and often-times spirited debate about the war from all sides of the political spectrum, mirroring the public’s growing unrest and the divisiveness that was ripping the country apart.
On the 40th anniversary of the official end of the Vietnam War, this program examines the war and its impact on America through the prism of interviews conducted by the iconic host of “The Dick Cavett Show,” which featured thoughtful conversation and debate from all sides of the political spectrum. The program combines interviews from Cavett’s shows with archival footage, network news broadcasts and audio/visual material from the National Archives to provide insight and perspective on this controversial chapter of American history.
“While I started out to do an entertaining talk show, you couldn’t keep Vietnam out of the conversation,” says Dick Cavett in a new interview in the documentary.
Joining Cavett are a mix of actor/entertainers (Woody Allen, Warren Beatty, Jane Fonda, Groucho Marx and Paul Newman), politicians (Senators Barry Goldwater, Wayne Morse, Edmund Muskie, and Vice President Hubert Humphrey), sports figures (Muhammad Ali) and more. Historian and former director of the Richard Nixon Library and Museum, Timothy Naftali is featured in the documentary and describes the prevailing sentiment captured in Cavett’s interviews this way, “It’s that America that is wounded, scarred by this commitment in Southeast Asia and is now trying to figure out a way to get out.”
Dick Cavett's Vietnam - Split America
"The interviews featured on the Dick Cavett Show captured the split in America's views on the commitment in Southeast Asia
Dick Cavett on Hosting a Talk Show During Vietnam
There had never been anything in history to parallel the war in Vietnam and its coverage on television in America. Dick Cavett talks about his show and hosting a controversial subject and differing opinions.
