Dick Cavett's Watergate

Believe it or not, there really was a time when talk show hosts tackled weighty issues of national importance. On the 40th anniversary of President Nixon's resignation, this PBS-aired documentary from filmmaker John Scheinfeld finds Dick Cavett taking a look back at Watergate, which escalated from break in, to "caper," to national scandal during 1972-74. As the debacle unfolds, Cavett interviews in archival clips figures including Sen. Edward Kennedy, Barry Goldwater, and investigative reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein (and even Walter Cronkite). The emerging narrative sees the Nixon White House as consumed by a lust for power and harboring a sense of entitlement, even as Nixon himself—during the height of anti-Vietnam War protests—becomes increasingly isolated and bent on using the presidency for personal revenge. Cavett singles out a few heroes, including "remarkable truth teller" White House counsel John Dean, Senator Howard Baker, and rumpled, folksy "country lawyer" Sam Ervin (shown, but not seen in interviews here). As the documentary notes, Watergate was like watching a slow-motion train wreck, as the ensuing cover-up came unraveled following the revelation of White House taping devices that showed both Nixon's vindictive personality and his clear criminal intent to sidetrack the investigation, ultimately sealing his doom with the threat of impeachment, followed by official resignation. The program also offers a few surprises, including outtakes that depict a surprisingly jovial Nixon minutes before his resignation speech, and the views of many that—in hindsight—Gerald Ford's pardon of Nixon was a heroic act, sparing the nation years of divisive trials. Cavett brings all of this together crisply with characteristic wit. Serving up a valuable history lesson, this is highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)