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Dick Cavett: Groucho was my favorite guest

Over more than four decades Dick Cavett has interviewed many of the nation's most famous personalities on TV.

Cavett, a television legend in his own right, chronicled some of his favorite memories in his latest book, "Talk Show: Confrontations, Pointed Commentary and Off-Screen Secrets," which just came out in paperback.

He chatted about many of those guests when he joined "Early Show on Saturday Morning" co-anchors Russ Mitchell and Betty Nguyen for "Early Coffee."

Who'd he like to have on a show today?

"It's a toss-up," Cavett replied, "between the pope and George Clooney. And I thought getting them together might be good! Because I don't know if they are buddies or anything.

"But, it's tough, you know, of all the people - in the years that I did it, I kind of got everybody I ever wanted and people told me I would never get. So I got kind of spoiled in that regard."

John Lennon, Alfred Hitchcock, Woody Allen. Orson Welles. "The list goes on," Nguyen remarked.

His favorite?

"That's too hard to answer because ... with the fabulous array of personalities, all different, and not just showbiz or politics or anything. I could never pick a winner. But, if somebody said if they were going to throw everything away you did but one thing, many people would think I would say Katharine Hepburn.

"But it would be Groucho Marx. He meant the most to me. He was - this is just a fact, not an opinion - the most gifted comedian we've ever produced, in movement, in wit, in intelligence, in writing ability - Groucho had it all. And it was just - he was a dream of mine to meet."

To see the entire interview, click on the video above.

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