Richard Burton interviewed by Dick Cavett (1980)

Cafe Society
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The first 2 parts are now available at the NY Times site. Link to part 2: http://cavett.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/31/richard-burton-take-2/

At about 19:00, Burton describes what happened after he left “The Lady’s Not For Burning”. He got his first starring role in another Christopher Fry play, “The Boy With A Cart”. He recounts the very end of the play, briefly delivering a couple of his own lines. He says how the chills ran up his spine at hearing the absolute rapt silence of the audience, when he realized he was the cause. I felt the same way just watching him deliver those lines.

If Cavett posts the other parts of the interview, you’ll also see Burton deliver the speech from Camelot describing how he pulled the sword from the stone and anvil.

Don’t miss it!

Damn, Cavett was a great interviewer. Of course, he just lets the guests speak, which is the best thing to do! I can’t stand Charlie Rose, who seems to me to be a pompous, crude oaf.

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I can’t say that I was all that fond of Cavett as an interviewer. He often seemed too concerned with demonstrating his own intelligence and erudition. But I do love an interviewer who allows the guest to talk. The last interview program that seemed to be organized on that principle was “Later with Bob Costas”.