HERE FROM OUR COMMERCIAL BREAK WITH MR. DICK CAVETT.

>> SPEAKING.

>> Stephen: YES.

ONE OF YOUR GREATEST GUESTS WAS THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME,

MUHAMMAD ALI.

AND YOU HAVE A NEW DOCUMENTARY-- YOU HAVE A NEW DOCUMENTARY ON

HBO.

"ALI & CAVETT, AS SEEN THROUGHOUT ALL HIS APPEARANCE ON

YOUR SHOW, 14 TIMES YOU MET WITH HIM.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST MEET ALI.

>> THE VERY FIRST TIME I MET ALI WAS ON A SIDEWALK, HOLLYWOOD AND

VINE, IN FRONT OF THE EL CAPITAN THEATER, WHICH BECAME THE JERRY

LEWIS THEATER.

AND I WAS A WRITER FOR JERRY LEWIS ON THAT NOTORIOUS TWO-HOUR

SHOW THAT ABC IS STILL PAYING FOR.

>> Stephen: RIGHT.

SO WHAT WAS THE FIRST INTERACTION.

>> THEY SAID, "ALI'S HERE.

GO DOWNSTAIRS.

HE'S OUT IN FRONT OF THEATER."

I RAN DOWNSTAIRS, OUT IN FRONT OF THE THEATER AND THERE WAS A

CROWD LOOKING AT HIM, AND THERE WERE TWO PEOPLE FIGHT AGO

LANGUAGE FIGHTING.

ONE OF THEM WAS MUHAMMAD ALI, AND ONE WAS A CENTERING MAN WHO

HAPPENED TO BE THERE.

AND IT WAS TERRIBLE LANGUAGE.

AND THEN ALI SAID, "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!"

AND HE WALKS OFF, BROKE INTO LAUGHTER.

IT WAS ALL AN ACT, AND IT WAS A CASE OF WHAT A WONDERFUL ACTOR

HE IS.

HE KNEW-- HE WAS SO SHOW CANNY-- CAVETT-- FORGET IT.

( LAUGHTER ) HE WOULD KNOW JUST ONE INCH MORE

MOVING WOULD TAKE HIM OUT OF CAMERA SHOT.

HE JUST-- LIKE HENRY FONDA ALWAYS HIT HIS SPOT WITHOUT

LOOKING.

AND ALI BROKE INTO LAUGHTER, AND HE GRABBED THE MAN, AND THEY

WERE GREAT FRIENDS.

BUT I THOUGHT, THIS MAN HAS SHOW BIZ INSTINCT.

WAS HE CASSIUS CLAY AT THIS POINT OR WAS HE ALI?

>> NO, HE WAS ALI AT THAT TIME.

I WROTE SOME POEMS FOR HIM TO READ, AND STRANGELY ENOUGH, AS

EACH SHOW OF HIS WAS ON, 10 TIMES, OR WHATEVER HE WAS ON MY

SHOW -- >> Stephen: 14, WE COUNTED.

>> WE BECAME FRIENDS.

>> Stephen: WHAT AN EXTRAORDINARY PERSON TO BECOME

FRIENDS WITH.

>> LIKE BUDDIES, YEAH.

WELL, IT'S NOT SO EXTRAORDINARY WHEN YOU THINK OF OUR

BACKGROUNDS, THEY'RE SO SIMILAR.

( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: WE HAVE A CLIP

HERE-- WE HAVE A CLIP HERE.

THIS IS SOME FOOTAGE.

YOU ARE IN THE RING WITH ALI HERE IN THIS CLIP.

>> OH, YES.

>> Stephen: DO YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?

>> I DIDN'T KNOW THEN, AND I DON'T KNOW NOW.

>> Stephen: THIS IS RIGHT BEFORE HE'S GOING TO FACE

FRAZIER, EITHER FOR THE ORIGINAL OR THE REMATCH, ONE OF THE

REMATCHES.

I'M NOT SURE.

>> I HAD HAD THE TWO OF THEM ON THE SAME SHOW, AND THAT WAS

PRETTY EXCITING.

>> Stephen: WOW.

>> AT ONE POINT THEY PICKED ME UP AND THE TWO-- ALI SAID TO

FRAZIER-- THEY WERE NOT GREAT FRIENDS-- "LET'S FORGET-- LET'S

PRETEND WE'RE FRIENDS AND GET HIM."

AND THEY PICKED ME UP AND HELD ME IN THE AIR.

AND FORTUNATELY, I COULD THINK OF SOMETHING.

AND I SAID, "I JUST SAW I'M SQUEEZED BETWEEN YOU TWO AND IT

LOOKS LIKE A GIANT OREO COOKIE."

( LAUGHTER ) SOME PEOPLE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN

THAT.

>> Stephen: WELL, WE HAVE A CLIP RIGHT HERE OF YOU IN THE

RING WITH ALI.

JIM.

>> GOSH.

>> ARE YOU SURPRISED?

>> I'M SURPRISED THAT YOU'RE IN SUCH GOOD SHAPE.

I DON'T SEE A BIT OF FAT, NOTHING BUT BONE.

>> YOU DIDN'T EVEN-- YOU DIDN'T EVEN BLINK.

>> NO, BECAUSE I KNOW YOU'RE NOT THAT CRAZY.

( LAUGHTER ).

>> YOU DO ANY OF THIS, KIND OF WARMING UP STUFF?

>> NO, I DON'T DO THAT.

THEY DO THAT IN THE BOY SCOUTS AND OLYMPICS.

THE ONLY EXERCISE I DO IN THE RING, DICK, IS PUNCH.

THAT'S ONLY EXERCISE I DO HERE.

>> THE DANGER IS MY HURTING YOU--

>> I'VE BEEN WANTING TO DO THIS EVER SINCE I CAME ON YOUR SHOW.

>> YOU WANT TO SEE A GUY TAKE A FALL?

YOU KNOW HOW THEY DO IN THE WRESTLING MATCHES?

YOU CAN COVER THIS?

JUST PRETEND THAT YOU HIT ME.

OH!

( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: DICK, HERE'S TO

YOU.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

>> WELL, IT WAS A PLEASURE TO BE HERE.

>> Stephen: "ALI & CAVETT: THE TALE OF THE TAPES" AIRS

FEBRUARY 11 ON HBO.

DICK CAVETT, EVERYBODY!

THE GREATEST!

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.