Daring Fireball: Don Rickles on The Tonight Show

Don Rickles on The Tonight Show

Speaking of late night talk show personalities passing away, I haven’t yet written anything about Don Rickles, who died last week. I just don’t know what to say. I fucking loved Don Rickles, and I loved the era of talk shows he embodied. I feel like he was the last person standing from the Carson era.

I blew most of the weekend digging into YouTube clips of Rickles on The Tonight Show. It’s a goldmine. Hours and hours of great bits. Seriously, if you liked Rickles and the old Tonight Show, just dig in. You’ll get lost quickly, and you’ll bust a gut.

A few of my very favorites:

Don Rickles and Frank Sinatra, 1977 — Johnny Carson isn’t even here. He’s on vacation and Sinatra is guest hosting the show. George Burns and Carrol O’Connor are on the couch. (Burns kills it.)
Frank Sinatra is surprised by Rickles, 1976.
Carson, back from another vacation, discovers Rickles has broken his beloved desktop cigarette box, which you can see here.

★ Wednesday, 12 April 2017