I used to enjoy watching The Dick Cavett Show every so often when it aired on various networks in sundry incarnations over the past few decades. Now Cavett writes a blog for The New York Times, and he has recently been interviewed on a website called Big Think. In the video segment below, he discusses his “Most Memorable Guests” who happen to be Groucho Marx, chess genius Bobby Fischer, John Lennon, and Orson Welles, who of course gave us the classic film Citizen Kane.

Cavett also mentions Jay I. Rodale, famous for Rodale Press and Prevention Magazine, because he’s the unfortunate individual who actually died on the set — and the only one ever, I believe, to perish during a taping of this kind of program.

“If the gods are going to exercise their sense of humor as usual and have a guest die on a talk show, it would have to be a health expert,” Cavett says, exhibiting his somewhat snarky sense of humor.

Cavett is as personable as he always was, and seeing this interview reminds me of how much I miss his presence on the tube. He was always wry, witty, and intelligent enough to handle himself with whoever sat across from him. I suppose the talk show host most comparable to Cavett on television today is Charlie Rose, but his fare is usually more serious and subdued.

I don’t know if he’d be up for it or not, but if Dick Cavett got another TV show, I’d make sure not to miss a single episode.

Here is the video clip referred to above: