Dick Cavett on John Wayne, President Obama, and Why He Enjoys A Good Sneak Attack

Dick Cavett writes columns so eloquent at NYTimes.com that it is easy to become fully engrossed subjects that were of no prior interest. Such was the case for the I-Man, who had recently enjoyed Cavett's story about having met John Wayne.

"It startled me when it happened," Cavett said of the encounter, which took place on the western town set of the Universal movie lot back in the 1960s. "I knew somehow ... that I was destined to meet famous people, but not John Wayne, for some reason."

Wayne greeted Cavett with a hearty, "Gee, it sure is good to meet ya." A short while later, sitting together on a different set, the two found themselves subconsciously humming along to the same Noel Coward tune.

"He said, 'I think I read all his plays,'" Cavett said. Their conversation about theatre went on for a while. A surprised Cavett later relayed the story to his friend Woody Allen, who said, "Well, it reminds us that he's an actor, not a cowboy."

Another of Cavett's columns referenced the fact that he has spent some time on nudist beaches, which had Imus concerned.

"Some naked person was coming up behind you, and you seemed to like it a lot more than you should have," he said. Cavett's reply? "He wasn't bad-looking."

A former talk show host, Cavett observed that all Jay Leno did wrong in the recent NBC late night imbroglio was to agree to an idiotic deal five years ago, and to have high ratings throughout his tenure hosting "The Tonight Show."

"They boosted Dave Letterman's ratings, their enemy," said Cavett. "He was the great beneficiary of the whole thing. They made damaged goods of Jay and Conan."

Cavett thinks President Obama is somewhat less damaged, and despite a rough first year in office, has managed to hold onto his potential. "He has so much going for him," said Cavett, who most enjoyed the end of the State of the Union the other night.

"The oratory was a little less, and he got quite personal and human sounding," said Cavett. "It was touching, really, to see that side of him. It seemed to win over, at the end, all the yahoos who wouldn't stand and applaud for anything."

It turns out that men sneak up on Cavett other places beside nude beaches, as Sean Hannity did a few months ago at Fox. "He came up over my shoulder, and I said, 'Can I be on your show?'" Cavett said. "He said, 'Yeah.' I've sat by the phone now for three months!"

Which reminded Cavett of an Emily Dickinson quote about fame: "Fame is a fickle dish upon a shifting plate,'" said Cavett. "Emily knew how to get the words down on paper!"

She's not the only one.

-Julie Kanfer