Richard Burton on The Dick Cavett Show July 1980 (FULL) PLUS Cavett's reminiscence of the interview.
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- Опубликовано: 9 июл 2012
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He was sitting in front of his dressing room mirror after a tiring performance of "Camelot," removing his make-up for the who knows how many thousandth time. Paler, with the greasepaint cleansed from the famous face, he managed to look, simultaneously, handsome, vibrant and worn.
"Richard has been entertaining the idea of doing your show, Mr. Cavett," a man who appeared to be both valet and companion said.
"And letting the idea entertain him," the Welshman intoned in that unmistakable voice.
In fact, Richard Burton was still pondering whether to do my show, and it was thought that my visiting him backstage informally might help.
I tried to imagine what fears or hesitations Burton might have about appearing with me. Could he be afraid that the rich voice, those rugged good looks, the manly erotic charm, the hypnotic blue eyes, the articulacy, the fine wit and the ready storehouse of classical and modern literary quotations and allusions were not quite enough to qualify him for sitting next to Cavett? (Did anyone think, just now, that I was describing myself?)
Could he really think that maybe a boy from Nebraska - who had only been to Yale and not, as he had, Oxford - might outshine all those charms? As my Aunt Eva would say, "The very idea!"
Hoping for the effect of light humor, I said, "I hope I don't frighten you, Mr. Burton."
"No, Mr. Cavett, you do not. I do that to myself."
I liked him immensely.
Even under regression hypnosis, Richard would probably not have recalled how we had briefly met about a quarter of a century earlier when only one of us had a familiar name, but more of that anon.
Memories of that night backstage: Richard's expertly flipping a single, long Marlboro - the mendaciously advertised "light" version - from its box, contemplating it for a moment in a manner that brought to mind an actor holding Yorick's skull, and saying, as if a little embarrassed to be lighting up, "Looks like these lethal goddamn things will be with me to the end of my days."
"And hastening them," I decided not to say. Later, with us knowing each other better, he wouldn't have minded and would have had a wry response.
Then came the best thing.
Leaving the theater by the stage door required crossing the wide New York State Theater stage. The "Camelot' sets had been struck for the night and the house and stage were dark; dark except for the murky bulb in a cage on a stand downstage center - the thing known in the theater world as "the ghost light," an aptly named light that somehow manages to make a vast, dark space seem darker and spookier than it would with no light at all.
What happened next was in the too-good-to-be-true category. Burton stopped near the light, his coat draped over one shoulder, gazed out at the empty house, tilted his head back and, with the famous, full chiming resonance, began, "O for a Muse of fire, that would ascend / The brightest heaven of invention . . . " - and went right on through that ringing prologue to "Henry the Fifth" (known to actors as "Hank Cinq").
Goose flesh manifested.
He was standing no more than a yard from me, and I thought, "Talk about front-row seats!" Unforgettable.
Maybe our meeting did the trick. A day or two later, Burton agreed to do the show. But, sadly, requested that there be no studio audience. I felt sorry for a bunch of strangers I would never meet who would never know what they missed.
You can do a good show without an audience, but I knew from experience that audiences sometimes buoyed guests who at first feared them.
"What if I made a deal with you?" I dared. "Since they already have their tickets, why don't we start with them and if you feel uncomfortable we'll tell them there's a technical problem and we have to stop for that day and see them out?"
This gambit could accomplish one of two things: (a) he would feel sorry for the disappointed folks and relent, or (b) I would learn how to say "bugger off" in Welsh.
He accepted the offer.
Category:
Entertainment
Tags:
richard burton interview dick cavett elizabeth taylor wales mining alcoholism acting liz 
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the importance of Richard Burton as an actor must never be forgotten - Elizabeth Taylor
she was good to him despite his behavious as a womanizer and druken outbursts.
@@melisagalvalizi6982was her true 1 love despite the problems.
'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf' is one of the greatest performances ever. It's an acting masterclass from start to finish from both of them.
I can't believe he didn't win the Oscar for that performance.
@@lisahayes8834 I know, he should have, but lost out to Walter Matthau.
They were both magnificent in that film, at least Elizabeth got her recognition for it
It was mesmerizing to me..the cast..incredible character study!!
One of my all time favorites..
Indeed.
Intense, as their lives together seemed to have been.
Richard Burton was so handsome & I love the way he spoke. I met him once in N.Y. TO SEEHIM IN A PLAY HE SHOOK MY MOTHERS & MINE SO GENTLY. HIS EYES WERE BEAUTIFUL. BLUE. HE WAS SUCH A GENTLEMAN. RIP 🙏
When Cavett asks Ricard to speak about booze, he immediately launches into an incredible monologue as if he's recounting
something he went through yesterday. With extreme detail. This is an alcoholic telling the truth. Coming from a person who
is struggling, and probably losing, his battle with the booze. Mr Burton deserves high praise for this dissertation on alcoholism.
At the time, this was unheard of coming from a top celebrity. He definitely was baring his soul. Maybe in the hope that someone would come to his rescue. In this period of the late 70's alcohol was an excepted form of pleasure. No one tried to vilify it at the time. He was ahead of his time. Recognizing that alcohol is very destructive to all who partake of it on a daily basis.
They don't have actors like this anymore, Burton had class and poise.
Yes I saw this show! He and Peter O'Toole were great actors, they were as big in life as they were on the screen. I was quite surprised how erudite Mr.Burton was in his personal life, he read voraciously as witnessed by his personal well-stocked library and he famous 'book bag' that he carried throughout his travels. He also could quote Shakespeare verse very well, demonstrating a great memory despite all of his hard drinking and he knew a bit of foreign languages as well. He was a man of many hidden talents and he died too young. He and O'Toole were cheated out of their well-deserved deserved acting recognition.
Edmund Charles Quote Shakespeare? His manner of writing, was, and is so obsolete, that the even the British, didn't bother to read it. From hundreds of years ago. Burton to me, had the mindless talent, of taking Liz Taylor away from her abused husband Eddie Fisher. He then dumped his wife and 2 daughters, to pursue HER career, and she brought him to stardom. During their marriage, he was seeing some Princess of a Slovak country, while she had affair with a journalist, who had written an article of praise to her talent. These people are so intently occupied with themselves, they have no time for dedication to any living soul.
Shakespeare is obsolete? I cannot find an equivalent English writer. His shorelines and characters are timeless.
Try Edgar Alan Poe. His "Annabel Lee" is recited in every elementary school in this country. Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain are on the lips of every student during their Jr. High years. Yes, I love short stories, and poetry.
@Nexus 6 Just read this post - maybe you've got started now on Sh/peare? If not, in today's Black Lives Matter age, try 'the Merchant of Venice' - where Shylock, a Jew who is angry and hurt by discrimination, protests: ""If you prick us, do we not bleed?" Or try his sonnets - as love poems, unbelievable. Or 'Julius Caesar', where Cinna argues that Caesar is no Great Man, no King-Emperor, just a man like any other - maybe D Trump should have read the speech where Cinna argues "The fault lies not in our stars but in ourselves that we are underlings!". And yet you say his works are obsolete?!
I loved how comfortable and relaxed that Richard Burton was, and also down to earth and real he was, with the stories that he told, and his sense of humor, and I just loved everything about him. What a wonderful and delightful man he was Never to be Forgotten.
May He Forever Rest In Peace, & May God Bless Him Always!
E IS WITH ELIZABETH NOW
Thanks to Dick Cavett, we are able to enjoy in-depth informative interviews with the great actors, musicians, directors, novelists, critics, politicians and personalities of the 20th century. Cavett's style was incomparable.
I agree. Nothing close to this anymore
❤❤
@@Rory626❤❤❤
Also the individual who uploaded this video!
and he actually thinks before speaking... He is so respectful and considerate and can laugh at himself, great sense of humor. Dick Cavett can relate well to him
I could listen to him all day.....he has a way of describing the mundane with such beauty, it makes it sound exciting......Beneath the outer hard shell, and dry wit, you can see an almost respectful humbleness and slight vulnerability in his eyes, which I find endearing.....A mesmerising actor, and memorable, fascinating, interesting person...x
I think what you describe might be what America's Princess Elizabeth found so irresistable
I totally agree with you.
What an eloquent and strong man. Incredible presence yet also; so very humble. We can all learn a lot from this true gentle man. Taken from this planet far, far too young. Loved and missed 💜 🏴
You haven't read all about him 📖🙄(Burton)
@@kevinruddy448 They probably have but don't dismiss it because he had faults and feet of clay like so many do 🙄🙄 Most people realize other human beings are flawed but yet can be admired.
@@kevinruddy448 so what I have to do with anything just somebody might’ve read all about it about him or whatever don’t mean crap serious or people in the public guy I just like everybody else they make mistakes and do dumb shit stop criticizing their personal life
The interview was fascinating. I'm so proud to have a little Welsh blood. Cavett's comments are equally scintillating. God bless both.
This is what you tube was created for, so that we can re-live these magic moments with one of the most charismatic men of our age. Over the years I have read and heard so many stories about Richard and all of them are great.
Thanks for uploading!
Dick Cavett was a great host, too.
I couldn't agree more. You tube has become an open door to a magical world l would never have crossed, and which made my life richer and more knowledgeable. Thank you.
I concur wholeheartedly. Much of the TV 📺 production in 2023 is goat 🐐 Tripe
Men sat cross legged back in the days I can't imagine it now. My uncle was his freind in school and I visited his house in the village of Ponthrydyfn which is mentioned in this show. There is a sign there in memory of him and Ivor Emmanuel
This was 4 years before he died. What can you say about a Legend. That voice. Those eyes. Just beautiful. They don't make them like Richard Burton anymore. He was one of a kind. He broke the mold!
Another great interview was with Robert Mitchum. Another of my favorite actors of all time. What an interview. What a Legend!
Richard Burton forever.
There will never be another like him.
Richard Burton was one of our greats. He lives on. What a voice. What charisma. Talent.
So true
Alcohol , indirectly, killed him. By the time he understood that it was too late.
When men were men.
Strong respectful smart and confident. Look what the modern day world has done…
Dylan Mulvaney
Brilliant. What a man, what a voice, what a character.
Boy I wish current talk shows had interviews like this! I miss Dick Cavett and articulate, charming guests like Richard Burton.
If ppl still read novels that would be possible.
Storytelling has gone in interviews, replaced by soundbites for quick laughs. People don't have the attention they used to have.
Society then wasn't poisoned by Feminism yet
I'm with you. It seems everything is geared toward people who stopped maturing emotionally/mentally at age 19. There's nothing for adults and that's a shame.
I used to come home from school (South Florida and BROILING hot) and I'd turn on the TV and crank the air-conditioner and watch Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas...usually light-weight stuff but still thoughtful and smart. I just loved it! You couldn't MAKE me watch the nightly chat shows now. Dick Cavett should come out of retirement...unless of course, he's now a whining Leftist/Socialist.
Being a Welshman myself and with the obvious bias of a," Common fool ".I think Richards voice is the greatest that Ive ever heared in my lifetime .and I miss him very much .
lived in Wales many years, and many Weshmen had similar voices and charisma
Except for Tom Jones of course.
Absolutely incandescent! Burton is just a priceless gem to hear, listen to and watch. Dick Cavett is a master at interviewing. Outstanding in every sense.
Incandescent! What a perfect adjective!!
Ray Kaelin u got be kidding he was a drukard women beater dont be rediculous
any top english actor can do this - sadly not as many of them around
@@RICARDOGarcia-ey9hh Yes..but one of the greatest actors ever...
Whats does that word mean please,the long one?
Lisening to this great person Richard Burton is for me to understand that we never will have a man and artist like him. And Dick Cavett have done a fantastic jobb doing this interview!!! This is ART for rest of my days….
It was this time period and era.. people were real!!
Man i wish we still had interviews like this..
Amen! In depth and openly honest conversations with genuinely talented people.
just people knockin the breeze and being genuine. it shouldn't be called art, but just humans appreciating other human beings. i feel like everything, and it's fact not an opinion, is scripted and the same.
or men like him;
Or people with notable interviewee talents, like story telling
It's sheer intelligence and a vast knowledge of history, literature and generally western civilization. To highly intelligent people. Wonderful to watch them both!
You can really see how proud Richard was of his father. The stories about him are wonderful.
Mesmerising.
Brilliant most handsome storyteller. I miss him and his talent as I do olivier and all the actors of the past. No one holds a candle to them today. True artist. You are missed greatly Mr. Burton❤❤❤❤❤
Today's "talent" couldn't be on this level on their best day. This was the real Hollywood era.
"Talent". You nailed it. Today's "talent" can never stand up to this. This is how talk shows are done. Sadly, it is a lost art form.
Absolutely agree, today sctors are merely preteders.
Never seen an interview where the audience was so quiet and transfixed! What an amazing monologue of the Camelot performance!!
When he speaks on the nobility of the working class people is priceless
Agreed. He makes me very proud indeed to be British and working class. His eloquence shows that a gentleman can originate in any class; it simply takes quiet determination and good manners. A marvellous man 💜
Anyone who has not watched a Burton performance, do yourself a favor and at least watch The Night of the Iguana and/or Whose Afraid of Virginia Wolfe...He was at the height of his career and gives wonderfully intellectual, sarcastic, tormented performances in both movies.
He Makes me incredibly proud to be Welsh. He really was something special.
He makes me proud to be English. To know that I come from the same island as this titan.
You should be and yes, he was.💖
Why be proud of something you're just born with? You haven't earned it.
@@lepetitchat123 There's no need to be negative here.
@@lepetitchat123 its a welsh thing if your not welsh then your just not going to understand we are a very proud people with a rich history that stretches back before the romans had even hered of Britain a language that stretches back thousands of years still used today more castles than anywhere else in the UK and an incredibly unique culture we also feel eachothers success and failures love and heartbreak like its happening too you I love the fact I'm from Wales and could t be prouder to call myself a welshman
So sad that this kind of talk show interview is gone. Dick Cavett was among the best. And Sir Richard Burton!! Omg, the man, the talent, the voice!!
He was never knighted.
@@markharrison2544 I stand corrected. Thank you.
OMG. When he talks I hear my father’s voice. ❤
What a remarkable gentleman of the type we don't have anymore. Fascinating
An absolutely mesmerizing interview. Perhaps the greatest celebrity interview ever-because of Burton AND Cavett!
Richard Burton is my all-time favorite actor.
Richard Burton is the Greatest Orator and Actor In Film History.
One of the best interviews I've ever heard in my life !
Burton was quite simply the best there’s ever been. He may have been a hell raiser but he was also a man full of compassion and kindness to his family and friends. A superstar in the truest sense of the word
Compassion for family and friends, is not real compassion. That is expected. Real compassion is when it extends to complete strangers from around the world, and for animals who are suffering. There was not much of that in Burton. He preferred to blow his time and money on booze and smoking himself to an early grave. Don’t let fame and stardom mesmerise you, into thinking that he was any more humane or compassionate than anyone else.
@@hazlitt1 You have no idea what he may have contributed to, "around the world", to help others. But you make your lame point well, not to give him any credit due him. Hope you don't suffer the same fate, but if you do, so what. Judge not others, lest ye be judged. And as far as his stardom goes, you're simply jealous.
Having grown up with a mother obsessed with the man and years of Welsh education, i say in all honesty, there has never been a cooler Welshman. An absolute treasure.
1:30:34 - Richard Burton compares alcoholism to a daily boxing match. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant and very powerful. Probably my favorite part of this whole interview.
That narration he went into about the wretched figure, hung-over and contemplating the shame of his life, was a moment of spontaneous performance art of the highest order. I have no idea whether Burton had ever used those phrases or those words to describe alcoholism before this moment, but it doesn't really matter -- his genius as a speaker and, yes, as an actor was never more splendidly displayed than at this moment.
Agreed.
A never-ending boxing match is an excellent analogy.
Rampant alcoholism (and any other drug or narcotic addiction) is never really "beaten" per se, it is simply "kept at bay" (by those strong-willed and determined enough to keep it as such).
Sadly, Mr Burton was already facing major health issues by the absurdly young age of 41 due to his heavy drinking and smoking and subsequently got worse with escalating health problems until he passed away at the age of 58, only four short years after this televised interview with Dick Cavett.
Brilliant part of the interview the seriousness yet touching too
That 5 minute bit about alcoholism is the most powerful part of an interview, any interview I've ever seen.
that's something the writer jimmy breslin wrote to him in a letter.
My GOD ! this man was eloquent and beautiful and he knew it ! Plus highly intelligent to boot.
Wow, 2 hours very well spent.
I adore this man. He was so intelligent, was an avid reader, had a mind that strived for more and more. His voice is hypnotic. Such a wonderful addition to this world.
So well said and so well put.
He always got up very early in the morning so that he could read longer.
Yes, Mr. Cavett was all those things.
Lol
I have always loved Dick Cavett, so bright, funny, kind... Never thought much about Richard Burton, but now I want to watch this interview over and over, to hear his stories. I love their obvious connection, how much they enjoy each other, how compatible their humor. Just watching them smile, listening to RB's stories, is a tremendous treat. Dick, don't ever leave us.
He was so many things to so many people. I, for one, absolutely adored him! RIP Richard Burton. ❤️🙏✝️
This is two years after The Wild Geese, and the drinking has taken its toll.
He is charismatic, funny and interesting, very much one of a dying breed along with Richard Harris and Peter O'Toole.
In marrying Elizabeth Taylor not once, but twice, he was luckier than any man on the planet, and I'm sure he knew it.
He was a complex actor: brilliantly talented but self destructive, with a devil may care air and engaging charm.
Noone like him before or since.
He had aged quite a bit since The Wild Geese and he had lost weight here. During the film he was dry.
@@Voxac100b he aged without elizabeth, sadness and depression are real monsters
he was lucky and yet did eveything in his power to destroy the marriage. Yes, elizabeth was flawed as well, but his alcoholism was really out of control and it shows here.
11:27 His mining story is actually superb.
Absolutely. So evocative and visual.
Totally mate
A world that has now been destroyed, so tragic.
His voice. His accent. His delivery. All without conscience of being contrived entertaining. He was a gift to the world. A man of a type sadly missing in the world today. Not world saving. Not enlightening in a spiritual way. But just a delight to witness in his delightful delivery of a simple memory
I so liked Dick Cavett...an intelligent, classy gentleman, who treated his guests with quiet respect and warmth....and never resorted to sleaze or attacks. I used to watch his show faithfully. He never set out to hurt anybody, as they do now. He was the best at what he did. I loved seeing him here, talking with the great Richard Burton....how wonderful!
Tremendous interview! ⭐️
The long form interview is a lost art. Can you imagine in 2019 someone being interviewed one evening and then brought back the next to finish it off.
No. That's why I'm watching this on YT rather than turning on the TV.
Pod casts like joe Rogen are long interviews
His stillness throughout the interview is quite remarkable. I have observed even Brando being incredibly still throughout his interview as well. Both utterly captivating actors, of course. I wonder if their stillness, along with their incredible talents, makes them more magnetic.
"You couldn't do it unless the speech was so simply and beautifully written." Burton was as humble as he was great.
WOW....he is such a handsome man!
He sensed his mortality i think. brutally honest about his life
I can watch this interview on repeat forever.
His manner suggests he has an orderly mind at age 53, but which he’s determined not to take for granted. It’s the real him, I think.
Even during those long and chaotic ‘hangover days’ that succeeded the halcyon days of his acting career, he was always very good at playing middle-class men who are conscientious about their work, but whose ambition is mainly just to keep from mentally unravelling, men like Professor Dysehart in ‘Equus' and Alec Leamas in 'The Spy Who Came in From the Cold’.
But no matter how much praise he deserves for nuanced and humanistic performances, one can never wholly forget that he has the voice of a Titan. That gift skewed perception of his talent at times, but he learned to modulate it when required in order to trick us into over-riding our senses and let us believe we are listening to the voice of an everyman rather than the resonant baritone of some lesser god!
Perhaps that is why his last role as O’Brien in ‘1984’ is so unsettling; that voice, usually so edifying, is being deployed together with a bearing of extreme Welsh melancholy to palpable effect. We feel the bleak despair that O'Brien “inspires”. And chillingly, we start to recognize that this monstrous manipulator is just one more example of a middle-class man who is conscientious about his career. Heck, O’Brien might even feel that being the loyal apparatchik of a dehumanizing materialist bureaucracy is just the thing to keep him nicely ravelled up.
Amazing episode, Richard was of the quietly blazing persuasion as well.
Richard Burton. A wonderful actor, well spoken and articulate in every aspect. A lovely heart and handsome man. Speaking the way he does shows what a great actor he is. One of my mothers favourite actors. Both born on the same day. A gracious man indeed. Tom Jones, the fantastic singer worked in the horrible coal mines before his musical career. Rest in Paradise Mr Richard Burton
When I was in media during my younger days, I once had the good fortune of speaking with Mr. Burton on the telephone, and his voice literally went right through me. I cannot imagine what actually being in the same room must have been like his charisma and magnetism was so strong. Thank you for uploading this; it was worth watching to the end just to hear those candid thoughts on his struggle with alcoholism.
I worked with him on the Film ABSOLUTION 1979, and had a 25 minute one to one chat with him, hearing him call my name was AMAZING, as you say his voice was stunning, and he was such a nice man deep inside, sadly his addiction to drink was something he struggled with, and a battle he never won.
@@Cortinaman63 It's coming to light now, that Burton suffered from epilepsy and used alcohol as a misguided self-medication and existential strategy to combat or deal with his condition, which at the time wasn't that well understood or treated and in the acting world, an epileptic actor didn't get work for insurance reasons.
@@GordonCaledonia That's interesting. Bud Abbot from Abbott and Costello drank for the same reason. He was afraid of the seizures and thought drinking was helpful.
I admired the way he was so loyal to his family.
His level of acting and timing and of coarse his voice is very very very rare hypnotic!! Cavett was blown away at the end
I am just blessed, to see and hear his gift, what a tremendous man he was. Wow and thank you for sharing this.
What a classic voice. Just to listen to him speak fills your head with thoughts of royalty. But you can really see the many years of hard living had taken a toll.
I have lost count on how many times I have watched this ... it’s still a go to video, when I’m feeling low. Works like a magic, always !!
Agree! Back in 2020
It really does lift the spirits!
I agree. I was a big fan of his. Met him, saw him on stage and even gave him a kiss. I love this interview. Always intelligent, articulate, funny. Fascinating and lovely man.
@Brendan DMellow like any real man.
Same here always when I am low
whatta voice
What a joy to see this. Richard Burton is a Class Act and a wonderful storyteller. Thank you, Mr. Cavett.
We have neither actors nor shows like this anymore.
Richard Alva Cavett (/ˈkævɪt/; born November 19, 1936) is an American television personality and former talk show host. He appeared regularly on nationally broadcast television in the United States for five decades, from the 1960s through the 2000s.
As a young man I rushed home every night from work to see these PBS Cavett shows when they were new, and I remember this particular four-night stretch with special vividness and pleasure. (I've never forgotten the red socks or Burton's response to the Frank Rich review.) Thanks for making this available again!
I met Richard Burton he was a gentleman i even got a kiss 💕💕💕
Texas Girl you must be reeeeeaaally old
Cool.
And you, being really young, will never be kissed by Mr Burton.
Oh god I am jealous. My Grandpa met Gary Cooper on an Premier. I'm jealous of him too.
Texas Girl, we have something in common. Only I kissed HIM! LOL.
I read somewhere that his charisma was so palpable that people’s attention would be drawn to a doorway BEFORE he even appeared.
Glorious glorious glorious glorious power of words exquisite
I could literally sit and listen to him for hours ! Magnificent Richard Burton so talented intelligent gripping magnifying !
What a beautiful interview.
Welsh and wonderful, honest to the core.He makes me proud to be Welsh.I love you Richard Bach !!!!!!
❤❤ this was heaven
He was larger than life, brilliant mind, absolute genius. 💐
Classic interview . He was only 54 when he did this interview ..Alcohol is such a killer when you drink daily quantities like Burton did.
Yes, it really ages a person. Women even worse. Makes them look very haggard and wore out. I would think he was 70-74 here. I love RB but alcohol really took its toll on this legend.
Ugh so true, unfortunately I do as well.
It was a pleasure to listen to Richard Burton (I'm one of those who'd pay to listen to him read the phone book; that marvelous voice) but this was also a reminder of how great an interviewer Dick Cavett was.
+Steve B I wonder if his "shoe business" line was improvised, it was so clever and spot-on. It couldn't have been prepared beforehand! the "shoe-in-front" situation that spawned it was rather unique.
Under Milk Wood is available on RUclips if you are interested. Burton plays the narrator.
Re: "I'm one of those who'd pay to listen to him read the phone book; that marvelous voice..."
Burton DID read the phonebook! I think it was on the Today show (or some such morning show).
He did it with all that wonderful cadence and mellifluous voice could muster. He was blessed.
@Jeepman89 I've noticed this type of thing with a lot of famous people on different old chat shows, they sometimes repeat the same one liners and anecdotes. Orson Welles for instance repeats in most interviews how he started working at the top and has been working his way down ever since.
Dick caveat is a new find for me!
Can you imagine todays actors having an intelligent conversation like Burton did?
I live near Carmarthen and I'm also bilungal, I'm fairly patriotic about being Welsh and living in Wales. I adore this man, Rip wonderful Mr. Burton.
'fairly patriotic' ? - I'm fully patriotic .
Cymru am byth 🏴✊
Richard Burton 1925-1984
Heddwch i'w lwch ✝️ 🙏
@@cymro6537 cyrtuno'n llwyr, fully patriotic, I've lived here all my life.
@@sarahcellblockh1562 Da iawn 👍😊
@@cymro6537 South Wales, likely from Anglo Saxon heritage.
@@randomcomputer7248 Not so , I've lived in south Wales all my life - most of my ancestors also lived here .My ancestry DNA states: 2% Scotland,1%Ireland .97%, Welsh.
What a presence! And Mr. Cavett is such a marvelous interviewer. At the time of this interview, Mr. Burton was 55 years old, and he looks 70. He died only four years later from cerebral hemorrhage -- just as his father had. His message to alcoholics of the world was deeply sincere and heartfelt, with a genuine depth of emotion. He was an extraordinary talent, and genuinely human. Watch him as he performs King Arthur to Guinevere. He takes a moment to go to that magical place in his mind. His eyes are as expressive as his voice, and at the end, with the audience rightly applauding, he's still there, in that magical place. He isn't listening to the applause for those few seconds -- he's emerging from the character, returning to Earth from that place he had just created for the audience. It's a shame he was never knighted.
Steve, your words are the most beautiful tribute ever written about Burton. Cavett had so much compassion in all his interviews. This was a rare exchange. How lucky we are to be a part.
@@stephaniestanley8041 Thank you. It's well-deserved praise for Mr. Burton -- a giant who had few peers. He appeared in an episode of 'Here's Lucy' once, as a plumber. She made the mistake of calling him English. Oh, the look on his face when she said that... 🤣 ruclips.net/video/Nrz0IHQzQo8/видео.html
What a wonderful interview with my favorite actor. Thanks for uploading!
one of the most fascinating men to ever walk the planet
a Welshman ... red socks just like Peter O'Toole who wore green socks his entire life ... Burton was only 58 when he died, four years after this interview ...
It would obviously symbolize his Welsh heritage (red) and obviously O'Toole being of Irish stock (green)
It's good to know there have been people like Dick Cavett in the U.S. that were excellent interviewers that asked good questions & didn't back down with even the most belligerent of guests regardless of their fame or ego (not thinking of Burton but definitely thinking of Norman Mailer!) People of his calibre are sadly thin on the ground in modern America.
An INCREDIBLE HUMAN BEING- to think He ONLY LIVED for JUST FOUR MORE YEARS after this Amazing chat! at ONLY 58 Years old!!!
I understand why Elizabeth Taylor fell in love with Richard Burton. Fascinating man, great actor ,intelligent , in that voice that could melt you away. Great interview, but Dick Cavett looked very nervous.
Maxula Pretto I think that was how Dick Cavat usually looked. He always seemed a bit nervous, but I’m sure it was more pronounced when he had one of the great ones on. But then, I did see the shows about 45-50 years ago, so who knows if my memory can be trusted.
Taylor ! Couldn't !! Find !! Any !! Other !! Mann !! To ! Make !! Her !! Happy !!!
@@davidwillard7334 Burton was terribly hungover on the Cleopatra set. Taylor went over to help him lift his drink to his mouth and that was that.
@@harrysmith4780 i'm sure there was more honey
Burton and Olivier were in a class by themselves....
Still miss Richard to this day. A tremendous actor and a fantastic voice. How I wished I could have met him-when he wasn't drinking of course-and it's also very sad to realise Richard only had four years to live here. Rest in Peace, sir.
I get the immediate feeling that Richard Burton is such a sweet and down to earth kind man. He makes you feel comfortable talking to him instantly, and I am spellbound listening to him, and I absolutely love hearing all of his stories that he tells. He is
so charming, gracious and endearing. May you Rest In Eternal Blessed Peace My Friend, and God Bless You Always and Eternally! 💋💋
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I love you Sir Richard, as long as I live, I shall treasure every role I've ever seen you in.
Good God, Mr. Burton was such an elegant man! These Dick Cavett interviews rule! Incredible how he interviewed the creme-de-la-creme of show business and they loved Cavett as well. Such a wonderful interview!
A truly great, theatrical voice.
The honesty of this man is quite remarkable.
John Parke - and humility.
Us Welsh are very honest people no bullshit there's no point just tell it how it is it's more interesting
The Greatest Stage and Film actor of his generation....!!!
@@stevetessier6568 He was no Franklin Pangborn but he indeed was VERY good !!
I totally agree. When his diaries were published years ago I read them and they were a fascinating read ! He was incredibly intelligent & articulate !
One of the greatest actors of all time
There's a version of Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST on youtube, done live in the 60s, that stars Maurice Evans as Prospero~~and Burton, this amazingly handsome man, plays a damned good Caliban, costarring Lee Remick & Roddy McDowell.😊
I wish I knew him. I could sit and listen to him talk all day long. His stories are so frickin interesting and amusing.
He can make the phonebook sound interesting.
Richard Burton had one of the great voices of all time in addition to fantastic charisma.
Two class gentlemen with mutual respect and admiration for the true class and taste for the beautiful Arts in all. Burton was and still is and always will be an iconic genuine gift to the stage and screen world, one of the true defining talents of his era. Humble almost to a fault but so genuine and at ease with being so. Powerful character but in the very best way. RIP Sir!
Cavett. Excellent speaker
Richard Burton's voice is outstanding, he must trained it very well over the years, and he has totally lost the south Wales accent! but somehow you can tell he is immediately Welsh! great man RIP.