Chevy Chase Talks Cocaine Parties | The Dick Cavett Show

Dick and Chevy talk about the 'cocaine parties' that take place in Hollywood.

Date aired - October 19th 1978 - Chevy Chase

Dick Cavett has been nominated for eleven Emmy awards (the most recent in 2012 for the HBO special, Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett Together Again), and won three. Spanning five decades, Dick Cavett’s television career has defined excellence in the interview format. He started at ABC in 1968, and also enjoyed success on PBS, USA, and CNBC.

His most recent television successes were the September 2014 PBS special, Dick Cavett’s Watergate, followed April 2015 by Dick Cavett’s Vietnam. He has appeared in movies, tv specials, tv commercials, and several Broadway plays. He starred in an off-Broadway production ofHellman v. McCarthy in 2014 and reprised the role at Theatre 40 in LA February 2015.

Cavett has published four books beginning with Cavett (1974) and Eye on Cavett (1983), co-authored with Christopher Porterfield. His two recent books -- Talk Show: Confrontations, Pointed Commentary, and Off-Screen Secrets (2010) and Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic moments, and Assorted Hijinks(October 2014) are both collections of his online opinion column, written for The New York Times since 2007. Additionally, he has written for The New Yorker, TV Guide, Vanity Fair, and elsewhere.

#thedickcavettshow

[geneobrien]

"With cocaine you feel like a new man after doing a couple of lines, the problem is that after a few minutes the new man wants to do a couple of lines!" - George Carlin

[Kroko]

I think Chevy Chase would have made a great Han Solo. That role belongs to Harrison Ford now, of course, but I think Chevy Chase would have had it in him too.

[TheTruthKiwi]

The charisma and machismo Chevy had back in the day was impressive. I bet he went to some pretty out there parties back then.

[RedHoodOutlaws]

He was a movie star here. However you feel about him later, he was young, hip, and charismatic. Totally see why he blew up through the 80s.

[We_Are_Borg_]

This guy has a very intense layer of rage beneath him.

[hankstopher]

In the 70’s cocaine and quaaludes were as American as apple pie and bourbon.

[EyeEye]

Chevy chase was that dude as a kid growing up in the 80's and 90's. He was a rebel and a savage and funny.

[mistuhjangles]

Chevy Chase and Gene Wilder are masters of timing and delivery. Even when he did get serious he was still funny AF.

[mikeysawyer]

What a strange episode of "between two ferns"

[deckofcards]

You can see how much happier Chevy was before the electrocution incident that would happen four years after this. It's been a rough ride for him, but I'm really happy to hear that lately he's conquered his PTSD and addiction problem and is willing to act again. The man is a comedic legend!

[SCharlesDennicon]

When I watch those clips of the Dick Cavett show, from a time I haven't experienced, and compare it with Fallon or Kimmel, it kinda makes me kinda sad.

[chuckshipley]

I wonder why Chevy didn't want to talk about his cocaine use on national TV?

[sniffableandirresistble]

0:50 "let's talk misdemeanors" meaning clearly dial it back ...hahaha

[straypigs]

I almost forgot how funny Chevy was back then. I think I've read too many SNL stories and listened to Stern bashing him so much in the very deft and quick in this interview. Have to remind myself that he was hired on SNL as a WRITER at first, not as a performer. An interview like this shows why.

[jonathanrayne]

Lol, Chevy was a good looking guy. You can tell he knew it too.

[kingcassius]

I think he's on it in this interview!

[mjamusicswitzerland]

His movies always get played at christmas time, all the 80s 👍😉🇨🇭🎧🎶

[cap]

My god, I’m watching community now and I cannot get over how beautiful this man was when he was younger.

[gutenbird]

I can see why people don’t like Chevy but to me he was one of the funniest guys from SNL. I think it was that same attitude that made him funny.

[smug]

Pop you taught me everything I know about exterior illumination.