Don's greatest role IMO
So what is it that made Rickles work?
Human beings, no matter how educated, refined, cultured, and civil they claim to be, will always notice differences of a superficial nature in fellow human beings such as race, facial features, skin color, accents, height, weight, body shape, manner of dressing, body language, disabilities, visible birthmarks, hair or the lack of it or toupees or hair plugs, tattoos, and so much more.
Politeness and common courtesy cause us not to refer to these surface disparities, but it always resides in some gray cells of the brain. This is especially true about those with whom we are closely associated in our personal or professional lives.
Left with no option, people engage in gossip in hushed tones behind closed doors.
The individuals themselves are aware of their superficial disparities; perhaps it bothers them greatly, but it usually goes unmentioned. It could be the most seemingly perfect looking and sounding individual has some personal attribute that bothers them.
This is the elephant in the room that nobody is willing to address.
Over a period of time, the tension builds up, which could be compared to an inflating balloon, but this balloon isn’t inflated with air but with formality, pretension, repression, and hesitation.
This is also true for elected officials or movie stars, or business leaders who are usually surrounded by sycophants who lavish blandishments even while they are failing miserably. But once the backs are turned, the deriding and backstabbing starts.
It takes a comic such as Rickles to deflate this bubble of formality with a pin of humor by not just stating but overstating. After the initial discomfort, the tension is released, and soon everyone is laughing.
Rickles was actually offering a collective catharsis for his audiences by saying what everyone hesitated or feared to say. Once the unthinkable or unmentionable is said in public, there can be nothing more that can cause affront or humiliation which, in time, makes people look beyond them and the bonds grow stronger.
I also miss Gilbert Gottfried, John Candy and Robin Williams! Those guys were hysterical if also crude and rude!
I met him a few times in the late 70s charming man and warm, funny and generous
Tim Conway was light years better that Rickles.
Him and Rodney were my favorites. Don however couldn’t function in today’s cancel culture. Least he lives on at youtube
Don's greatest role IMO
It’s just a good thing that Rickles didn’t call Pesci‘s character a hockey puck. Nicky Santoro probably wouldn’t have been amused.
RIP, Don.
After the show...he was just like a dear grandfather. Love the guy!!
Rickles, Carlin, Kinison, Rivers…
I liked Crap game, he was a real nice guy, knew him for many years and have is autographed book on the shelf. He was what I call a “Real” comedian
Rickles’ humor made me uncomfortable at times when I was young. My parents would have punished me if I was that cruel to get a laugh, and I couldn’t figure out why Dad thought he was so hilarious. I got it when I got older, though. Rickles was classically trained as an actor, and he was terrific at it. Drama or comedy, he could do it well. I have a piece of video in my archive of him just casually slaying Carson. I miss him, and would LOVE to see him make Lefties apoplectic today!
ping
It seems that he and Foster Brooks were part of many Dean Martin Celebrity Roast relay teams.
Both were brilliant at their unique crafts.