The Don Rickles Appreciation Thread

Cafe Society
1

I’m kind of a young guy. When I was old enough to really appreciate comedy, Johnny Carson had long since stepped down from The Tonight Show, In Living Color was on the way out, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey were the kings of SNL, and Comedy Central showed stand-up 20+ hours a day. (Yeah, I’m pretty sure these weren’t all concurrent, but let’s say mid to late 90s). I’ve become very familiar with all the contemporary comics, those guys who came along after Lenny Bruce and Richard Pryor. For a while I was also heavily retro, devouring old tapes of Abbott & Costello and Jack Benny, and even some Henny Youngman. I like to think of myself as being pretty knowledgeable about American (and some British) comedy.

And yet, all I really knew about Don Rickles was that he played the voice of Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story, and that he was famous for calling people hockey pucks. :confused:

Recently, Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project was put up on Hulu. I like to listen to stuff at work, and stand-up and other comedy is usually pretty good for that, so I figured what the hell. As it turned out, I was treated to a biopic of the funniest man I never knew. In between fascinating anecdotes about his life (I’m a fan of the Rat Pack, and not once was I aware how close Rickles was to Sinatra and Martin), the clips of his performances were simply hilarious. His delivery and ability to improvise with the audience were (heck, are) nothing short of amazing.

I’ve been trawling Youtube ever since I saw the movie, looking for more Rickles material. His appearances on The Tonight Show were consistently killer and he was easily the best roaster at the Dean Martin Roasts. I even found a recording of his act at the Dean Martin Variety Show. Simply brilliant, and the man not only can dish it out, but he can take it with grace.

Is his humor racist? Well…racial, certainly, and borderline offensive, but it’s clear that he’s just having fun and never has any real hate in his heart. He takes shots at everyone and manages to do it in a way that comes off lighthearted and okay to laugh at. I love this clip of Rickles on Letterman, sitting next to Denzel Washington; the man isn’t and never was hateful, just snarky and not afraid to push the social boundaries, and he gives Denzel as much love as snark, even though it’s clear they’ve never met before.

What impresses me most about the man is that he’s in his 80s now, yet his mind is sharp as ever and his natural energy hasn’t diminished one bit. The younger comedians and celebrities he’s on screen with still have to keep up with him, and god help them if they dare treat him like a doddering old man. Too often I’ve lamented how great comedians die much too young: Andy Kaufman, Bill Hicks, Richard Jeni, Chris Farley, Mitch Hedberg, even Bernie Mac (though 50, he still had a lot of years ahead of him). It’s heartening to see Don Rickles in good health, good mind, and good spirits even after all these years and all the friends he’s outlived. Even now, he’s still performing, and just as funny as he was 40 years ago.

Everyone acknowledges Richard Pryor to be the best comedian ever, and for the most part I never disagreed. Now I’m not so sure.

2

First off, I think you’ll find an awful lot of people pick George Carlin who had at least 30 very good years in Stand-Up. That was an amazing run and even his newest stuff was still better than most. I recall a large thread on the Dope at some point and Carlin won easily with Pryor and I think Cosby coming in next.

I like Rickles. I loved him in “Kelly’s Heroes” and his two part guest appearance on “Get Smart”. He and Don Adams were good friends and they apparently spent two weeks breaking each other and everyone else up. I even enjoy his humor and remember him on the various talk shows of the 70s. (Merv, Mike Douglas, etc.) I saw Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project last year and I enjoyed it. However, I have heard many comedians that have better routines. Buddy Hackett was better at on the fly stand-up. Winters was wackier, Red Foxx was very blue and very funny. Then there was of course Carlin, Pryor and Cosby. I also think that Abbot and Costello were better comics together than Rickles. Burns and Allen were a great duo. For a few years period, Paul Brenner, Rita Rudner and even Joan Rivers were great.

The best thing I can say for Rickles is he has been fairly funny for a very long time. I do think he was more humorous than Jack Benny, George Burns or BobHope, though not as good as Burns and Allen as mentioned.

3

Rickles is one of the very few comedians whose material has staying power. Most comedy doesn’t age well at all, but this is one of the few guys who has been able to make several generation laugh. I think he’s one of, if not the best ever.

4

I came across a recent thread like that in checking to make sure this hadn’t been done recently (it would be just my luck) and it was about 50/50, yeah. Carlin…I listened to a bunch of his acts, both early and late, and they never really did anything for me. But that’s getting into subjective taste.

Rickles certainly wasn’t a groundbreaker like Carlin and Pryor and Bruce and those guys, but he paved the way for them. He helped make the transition from vaudeville-style acts, which were A&C, Jack Benny, and the other old-timey radio personalities, to modern stand-up.

I will admit too he’s not the wittiest. I’ve certainly heard clever and more insightful material from guys like Lewis Black and Pryor, but those are scripted acts. As far as I can tell, Rickles is mostly improv, albeit usually with some setup. I have noticed, in reviewing several decades worth of his material, that he likes to reuse certain things over and over, but his sense of timing and delivery help keep them from getting tired. His ability to make snappy comebacks is fantastic, too. I found this gag reel from the short-lived Daddy Dearest (it’s in 7 parts) and most of it is Rickles going off the cuff between takes, and he’s just hilarious, if a little meaner than I’ve seen so far. Really, it’s that he can stay so consistently funny for so long that just bowls me over the most.

5

I’ll have to check out some of those clips. Meanwhile, I’ll chime in to join What Exit in saying how good he was in Kelly’s Heroes. Crapgame is one of the all-time great characters. He could gotten a lot more acting gigs than he did, IMO.

6

An interesting thing to note is that in an industry with more than its share of petty jealousy, backbiting, and double crossing, nobody seems to have a bad word about Rickles. That says a lot, not the least of which is his confidence in his niche in show business and nobody else’s willingness to take on his role.

7

Actually, one interesting tidbit I learned is that Pat Boone doesn’t care for Rickles. Apparently he alone took Rickles’ jabs seriously, especially the ones he took at the Dean Martin Variety Show I linked to above. In this interview he seems to think Rickles felt “restricted” on the Tonight Show once on account of Boone’s religious leanings.

Beyond that, though, you’re absolutely right.

8

Yes, and I’m one of them. It’s very clear to me that George Carlin was(I can’t believe it’s “was” now) the greatest stand up comedian of all time.