Today's interviewers could take lessons from Dick Cavett in how to be gracious and intelligent and ask good questions without lapsing into showing off how clever he is himself. Of course they have the disadvantage of today's interviewees not being as unique, remarkable, and infinitely fascinating as Noel Coward.
I know what you mean, but if we had quality chat show hosts like dick cavett today, they would discover there is nobody interesting left to interview, who isn't promoting a new book.
"they have the disadvantage of today's interviewees not being as unique, remarkable, and infinitely fascinating as Noel Coward." I am so fuckin sick of seeing the above sort of sentence. There are many interesting fascinating people out there today, just like yesteryear. Yes, I agree that the interviewers today are atrocious, especially the trashy America ones. It is the interviewers, and the networks, that are the problem, not the interviewees!