Watch Salvador Dali mistreat an anteater and talk about his mustache on Dick Cavett

Watching these clips from The Dick Cavett Show has become an obsession of mine lately. I daresay he's a better talk show host than anyone plying the trade today, with the possible exception of Colbert. In this episode, Cavett interviews the grandiose surrealist Salvador Dali, who brings along his "pet" anteater and handles the frightened beast somewhat roughly, plopping it in the lap of actress of an astonished Lillian Gish (after which it hides behind Satchel Paige). He then goes on to lecture Ms. Gish about the pronunciation of "butterfly" in a way that can only be described as obnoxious. Cavett, sensing an interview that's headed off the rails, warns Dali: "Watch yourself." Dali launches into a spiel about English as "foggy and imprecise" language, to which Cavett says, "I think I'll talk to the anteater now."

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