# Who is your favourite talk show host?



## Vronsky (Jan 5, 2015)

I'm interested, who is your favourite talk show host? Current or former, it doesn't matter. My favourite is Dick Cavett. I like his show because the topics discussed were relevant, he was witty, his selection of guests was excellent, Gourcho Marx, Salvador Dali, Robert Altman, Alfred Hitchcock, Truman Capote, Ravi Shankar etc.

My second choice would be Steve Allen. Great sense of humor, great guests like Frank Zappa, Jack Kerouac, Peter Sellers etc.


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

first radio a fellow named Doug Heorth. very good, different, Pittsburgh local station. national too many i liked larry king's show for years started at 12am. now i like George Noory coast to coast AM. long time ago ed and wendy king kdka am. pittsburgh.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

No one now. Not since Steve Allen and Johnnie Carson retired eons ago. Carson was a fantastic interviewer, from the sublime to the ridiculous. Steve Allen, tops too, especially with the writers and eccentrics, such as the shy Jack Kerouac, who read from his novel "On the Road" on one of Allen's shows... Cavett was good too though perhaps a little bit stiffer or more formal in personality, but I liked him, he radiated a sharp intelligence and was on the air during a fascinating period in history with a fantastic line-up of guests (Lennon and Joplin, for instance)... They all knew as hosts how to listen, stay out of the way of their guests when necessary, and their reactions were humorous, genuine, and spontaneous... Letterman was too inwardly anxious and nervous to be a good listener; he rarely appeared comfortable in his own skin until, ironically, after he left his show... Leno was not exactly a good listener or a particularly in-depth thinker, in my estimation... Jimmy Fallon lowers the bar even farther, and there are too many contemporary talk show hosts to keep up with them all... Sorry, but I never cared for Charlie Rose either as a good listener or interviewer, though occasionally he could be informative ... Groucho could be good but I often felt that he held others in a secret contempt, and he _always_ had to have the last word. But I loved him in his films. I would say a lot more about him but "hello I must be going!"


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

Jack Paar, Joey Bishop, Johnnie Carson, Dick Cavett were among my favs long ago. 

Those shows did not air until 11:30pm (after the news broadcast) and I would sometimes sneak out of bed to watch.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

I don´t watch any of those shows any longer. But I like Jon Stewart, who certainly has both substance & wit. Programs a bit too short, however.

Many years ago we more or less only had one state monopoly television channel here, so one would simply feel quite satisfied with the one there was, because of the lack of alternatives.


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2018)

I'm proud to say I don't have telly, I wouldn't have one if it were a freebie!


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

I get the point about spending one´s time selectively, but there´s tons of quality stuff there too.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Over in the UK it has to be Michael Parkinson. He neither provoked nor fawned yet often brought out the best from his guests - the only misfires I can recall were an extremely dull Robert Mitchum and an out-of-sorts Meg Ryan (unless they were always like that). Parky's own low point was probably with Rod Hull and his aggressive puppet Emu - it had the audience in stitches but you can tell Parkinson was seething. They later did a snack commercial together in which Parky turned the tables...


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## LezLee (Feb 21, 2014)

I hate talk shows, I only ever watched half of one - Rufus Wainwright on the Jonathan Ross show and that was only because Rufus was singing. I’m not at all interested in performers doing anything other than perform. I don’t read biographies either.


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2018)

Graham Norton...mostly because he relies on getting chemistry between the guests and talking everyday trash along with allowing them to plug their latest song, film, show. Quite risque, but just the right side of tasteful (IMO).


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

I liked Terry Wogan's personality - I thought he was both honest and funny and related well to other people - and I was very sorry when he died. 

I remember when I was a teenager the in-person was someone called Simon Dee who was sacked for being rude about a BBC producer's wife. It was a classic case of hubris - but the poor man has also died. There was a brief period, from the age of thirteen to fourteen-and-a-half, when I tried to be in with the in-crowd,so I enjoyed Simon Dee along with the rest of my classmates. Nowadays, I'm proud to tag along with the out-crowd. 

Chat shows were something I quite enjoyed when I was younger, but only because I like meeting people and hearing their stories. Later they palled a little because a lot of the interviews were about back-scratching. 

These days I don't have a TV and try to practise the art of chat 'in real life' - or sometimes, here.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

LezLee said:


> I hate talk shows, I only ever watched half of one - Rufus Wainwright on the Jonathan Ross show and that was only because Rufus was singing. I'm not at all interested in performers doing anything other than perform. I don't read biographies either.


Im with you. I hate them too. Really boring. When Jonathon Woss is on all i wanna do is punch him. When that pratt, Russell Brand, is on Woss' show, times that by 2.


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2018)

Graham Norton is the only one I have ever watched.


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## Guest (Sep 29, 2018)

Ingélou said:


> I remember when I was a teenager the in-person was someone called Simon Dee who was sacked for being rude about a BBC producer's wife. It was a classic case of hubris - but the poor man has also died. There was a brief period, from the age of thirteen to fourteen-and-a-half, when I tried to be in with the in-crowd,so I enjoyed Simon Dee along with the rest of my classmates. Nowadays, I'm proud to tag along with the out-crowd.


Didn't everyone watch _Dee Time_? Like watching _The Avengers _- cool, hip, swinging etc!


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Simon Dee c.1967. Now I can see where Steve Coogan got his Alan Partridge alter-ego from - at least visually.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Merl said:


> Im with you. I hate them too. Really boring. When Jonathon Woss is on all i wanna do is punch him. When that pratt, Russell Brand, is on Woss' show, times that by 2.


I'm with you there - they were bad enough on their own, but together they were unbearable. They probably thought they were a bit edgy and laddish but they just come over as a couple of bell-ends.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I grew up in the Johnny Carson years, and he was always interesting, knowing how to handle his guests. At least in the times I was able to stay up late enough to watch him; he came on at 11:30 in California. 

However, I also liked Steve Allen. He was very intelligent, funny, and talented. In the '70s he had a talk show in the afternoons, and someone gave him a soprano saxophone which he would play as they went to commercial breaks. That probably doesn't impress anyone but me, because I desperately wanted a soprano sax back then, and I was wishing someone would give me one also. (My wife did 30 years later. That was awesome.)

Cannonball Adderly also had a talk show briefly, and I watched that religiously. Not so much for the talking, but, again, at commercial breaks, he would pull out his King Silver Sonic alto sax and jam with the band. (Another saxophone I wished I had.)


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

elgars ghost said:


> .......a couple of bell-ends.


Couldnt have put it better. :lol:


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Rush Limbaugh

Sean Hannity

Mark Levin

Laura Ingraham


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

hpowders said:


> Rush Limbaugh
> 
> Sean Hannity
> 
> ...


How could I forget. Well, I remember them now.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I like Dick Cavett. Love the Hitchcock conversation. I have no use for the late night small talk hosts or the political pundit blowhards. I never learn anything for those programs. 

A lot of the other good ones are dead. David Susskind, William Buckley, Steve Allen, Joe Franklin, Mike Wallace.


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

I don't generally watch talk shows. I don't watch the interviews but I will watch the monologues. Lately I've been watching the Stephen Colbert monologue on YouTube. Here on the west coast here three hours behind New York it's usually posted on YouTube before it's aired here on commercial tv. 

I like the format of The Graham Norton Show. I used to have it on tv here, but not anymore. I like that he has all the guests out together so there is interaction between the guests. Kinda fun to watch.


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

starthrower said:


> I like Dick Cavett. Love the Hitchcock conversation. I have no use for the late night small talk hosts or the political pundit blowhards. I never learn anything for those programs.
> 
> A lot of the other good ones are dead. David Susskind, William Buckley, Steve Allen, Joe Franklin, Mike Wallace.


Glad to see David Susskind's name mentioned. His interview show was called "Open End" and I remember when he had on Timothy Leary and Richard Albert discussing LSD while they were still teaching at Harvard and looking like life insurance salesman in their Brooks Brothers suits. Acid was still legal then and the show was about their research. As the 1960s progressed, boy, did those suits change. That's going way back. Susskind's shows were cutting edge and highly intellectual but in a good way… stimulating and informative. Thought provoking and expansive to the mind... Mike Wallace did an excellent interview with Rod Serling talking about his hopes and wishes for the "Twilight Zone" that was about ready to air on CBS. Loved the TZ and I have the DVDs to prove it.  To "serve" man!


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Glad to see David Susskind remembered, as well as Cavett and Steve Allen (the only man who could make my dour father laugh!)


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Let's not forget radio. Brian Lehrer on PBS WNYC, Marty Moss-Coane on PBS WHYY, Terry Gross on PBS. One of the very best many years ago was Sherry Henry on WOR New York. One-on-one conversations for a full hour, what a concept!


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Strange Magic said:


> Let's not forget radio. Brian Lehrer on PBS WNYC, Marty Moss-Coane on PBS WHYY, Terry Gross on PBS. One of the very best many years ago was Sherry Henry on WOR New York. One-on-one conversations for a full hour, what a concept!


That's funny; I didn't even associate radio with talk show hosts. Terry Gross is uniquely able to make any guest interesting for an hour, even when she doesn't agree with them.

When I lived in California in the '80s, there was a similar talk show interviewer in KABC, Michael Jackson. He had a way of getting his guests to talk, then getting out of the way to let them. He had a way of punctuating silences with "Yes" and "Uh-huh" just to let you know he was still there and still interested, but he was there to listen, not direct the conversation.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I think Between Two Ferns needs to at least be mentioned. It's sometimes crude and gets laced with occasional profanity, but at its best it is a cringe-worthy parody of present-day celebrity-fawning talk shows.


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## Vronsky (Jan 5, 2015)

What are the opinions on Craig Ferguson? I watched very little of his shows, but the opinions I read on the Internet about him are all in a very positive context.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

One of Terry Gross' most memorable interviews was with Gene Simmons of Kiss. Terry Gross is the soul of quiet, respectful demeanor, always gracious, always politely engaged. Simmons' on-air behavior was, even for him, inexcusably crude, grotesque, swinish. Terry carefully held her tongue (!) for the entire interview, but ended it by saying to Simmons that he was easily the most unpleasant person she had ever had on the show.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Vronsky said:


> What are the opinions on Craig Ferguson? I watched very little of his shows, but the opinions I read on the Internet about him are all in a very positive context.


I used to like watching him. He was very clever. Who would think of a skeleton sidekick?


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

Manxfeeder said:


> That's funny; I didn't even associate radio with talk show hosts. Terry Gross is uniquely able to make any guest interesting for an hour, even when she doesn't agree with them.
> 
> When I lived in California in the '80s, there was a similar talk show interviewer in KABC, Michael Jackson. He had a way of getting his guests to talk, then getting out of the way to let them. He had a way of punctuating silences with "Yes" and "Uh-huh" just to let you know he was still there and still interested, but he was there to listen, not direct the conversation.


Nice. As a former Angelino, I remember listening to Michael Jackson with great enjoyment, as an excellent interviewer, his refined and classical sounding voice had breading and class. So true about his way of getting out of the way of his guests. Fond memories. Glad to see his name mentioned.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

shirime said:


> Graham Norton is the only one I have ever watched.


He's very funny! I've watched him on YouTube. What do people here think of Colbert? This guy is very popular but he doesn't make me laugh. He's a little goofy for my taste. I liked John Stewart a lot better.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

starthrower said:


> He's very funny! I've watched him on YouTube. What do people here think of Colbert? This guy is very popular but he doesn't make me laugh. He's a little goofy for my taste. I liked John Stewart a lot better.


Stewart wins by a small margin - I think so too. I tend to get tired of repeated formats, but Colbert probably contributed to that I am now following the show to a lesser extent than before.


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

I watch Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah for their political satire and commentary. For sheer entertainment value, I like Ellen Degeneres.


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