Don Rickles ridicules his way into our hearts, 82 and still going strong

**** (out of 5)


HBO recently ran a documentary on the Life of Don Rickles, called Mr. Warmth. I never realized that was his nickname despite being a big fan for 30+ years. I guess I became a fan of Rickles through two outlets: The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and the Dean Martin Roasts. As you know, a lot of old comedy and old comics don't appeal to me. Whether it's generational or not I contend that almost all great movie comedies were made After 1973. The times changed and so did the temper of the comedy, which fit my tastes better. But like Rodney Dangerfield, Rickles' comedy was way ahead of its time. When that time finally came around in the early '70s, people were ready to jump on board.

Being born and bred in rough Jackson Heights-Queens, NY, meant he had to use his wits to get the upper hand on people since he was so small in stature. The ability to nail people with putdowns and still make them laugh at themselves became the source of his very lucrative career.

After being in the Navy fighting World War II, Rickles entered New York's famous American Academy of Dramatic Arts. There he shared the stage with Don Murray, Anne Bancroft, Tom Poston, Jason Robards and I think Grace Kelly. His first movie role was in the submarine classic, Run Silent Run Deep. He was the torpedo gunner while his two commanders were played by Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster. Not bad company starting out. But he started to develop an act in Manhattan, as a comic doing impressions between dancers at the strip clubs. It wasn't as horrible a gig as it would seem now. Many future stars got their start that way, including his old buddy, Steve Lawrence.

This documentary was produced by the oddest of sorts, Animal House's director John Landis. It turns out Landis is a lifelong Rickles fan and was a gopher on one Rickles' biggest hits, the 1969 Clint Eastwood movie Kelly's Heroes. Landis even plays a nun in a long distance shot in the movie. After being in show business 50+ years, you develop some friendships with some pretty big names. Of those interviewed for the documentary are Debbie Reynolds, Eastwood, Ernest Borgnine, Chris Rock, Robert Deniro, Martin Scorsese, Bob Newhart, Robin Williams and Sydney Poitier.

Why do so many big-name people love this man? Because for them, you have not really made it in show business unless Don Rickles has made fun of you on stage. We see Rickles breaking up Ronald Reagan at his 1985 second inaugural gala ("Am I going too fast for you, Ronnie?"). Rickles to Clint Eastwood, on a night honoring Eastwood, "Clint, I say it, nobody else has said it, and I say it from my heart: You're a lousy actor." When he played Los Angeles and especially Vegas in the '60s and early '70s the room would be filled with celebrities hoping to become his target.

Even now as an 82 year old man, he still does regular shows at a Las Vegas casino. His fame started to die down in the '90s, but was reenergized by his role as Billy Sherbert in Casino and then as Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story and Toy Story 2. I would love to go see him at the Westbury Music Fair just for one night and sit in the front row with a floral shirt. Something that would grab his attention. That would be some experience.

The Freditor