If you think politics makes strange bedfellows, here's proof that the anecdote is even more relevant toward show biz. Director John Landis has completed a feature length documentary about master insult comedian Don Rickles. The film- titled
Mr. Warmth -The Don Rickles Project- sounds irresistable. The star-studded tribute to one of the last remaining stand-up comics from Hollywood's Golden Age will be screened as part of the New York Film Festival between September 28-October 14. Rickles may seem an unlikely subject for such a documentary, but Landis obviously recognizes that in an age of foul mouth comics who are given instant stardom through cable TV appearances, Rickles represents an era in which comedians painstakingly worked their way to the top by playing in endless small clubs and dives, fine-tuning their act along the way. Rickles embodies the era in which he came of age professionally: when a tuxedo-clad comic would use profanity sparingly so it would have some impact on the audience. Rickles had toiled as an actor in the 1950s and 1960s landing supporting roles in major films like
Run Silent, Run Deep and
The Rat Race before he achieved superstardom in the mid 1960s by daring to insult Frank Sinatra when The Chairman of the Board attended one of his shows. "Make yourself at home, Frank - hit somebody!", taunted Rickles. Fortunately, Sinatra was in a good mood that night and Rickles became a mainstay in his circles. Before long, you were nobody if Rickles hadn't publicly insulted you.
Over the years, Rickles has continued to appear in the occasional major feature film, most notably opposite Clint Eastwood in Kelly's Heroes, in Martin Scorsese's Casino and providing voice over in the popular Toy Story films. For more on the Landis documentary screenings, click here you hockey puck!-Lee Pfeiffer