Johnny Carson has had a lot of people on his show.
Many people will never forget when Don Rickles and Frank Sinatra were on an episode in the 1970s. Don is now 90, but when he was on Johnny’s show, he performed a bit of his comedy routine that left the audience in stitches.
While on the show, Don made a few remarks about Frank’s Italian family history. He made these remarks when the mob was still very active and played a large part in the society of the United States. Some wonder how he made it through the show with those comments.
Rumors swirled that Frank was active with the mob. The Johnny Fontane character in the movie “The Godfather” is said to be based on Frank himself.
Don and Frank talk on the stage about their careers and some of the challenges that they faced as well as their successes. The audience begins laughing when Don jokes about Frank and the mob.
Don sends messages from some of the people involved in the mob. Frank laughs throughout the entire bit, but you can tell at some points that he becomes irritated with the talk about the mob and the people involved.
Here are some of our favorite comments:
“The story Frank told at the end of the clip I have told to everyone I know. It was great. Don was one of a kind. When Frank sang he would feel the lyrics down deep and the listener could feel the emotions he was conveying. He was one of a kind. Johnny was the best at what he did. Showed his class when he didn’t try to jump in when Frank and Don were going at it. 3 classic entertainers.?” – Peter Florio
“This is why this country has gone down. Suicide rate at a all time high, no one can take a joke and laugh at life. Everyone nowadays is some kind of victim of something and is owed something. The media perpetuates this new metality too. I refuse to watch any of the current talk shows and a lot of other shows too. They all have to inject politics into their shows. People need to learn to enjoy life again with laughter without the politics. I watch full reruns of the Johnny Carson show every night in the same time slot as the big three networks as I go to bed. I have never laughed so hard at these nightly reruns that are as relevant and funny today as they were back then. I have never been happier too. I also quit facebook 2 years ago and have never looked back. I now focus on my friendships face to face and the phone.?” Bob Billings
“Just learned that Mr. Don Rickles passed away today :’-( He was truly one of the last “real” performers of our time. I don’t care who he made fun of or talked about they all laughed. He did it all without cursing or vulgar language too. It was all just an act because in reality he was a loving guy. Just watch the end of every roast he did and he always said nice things about the people he had just ripped into 🙂 Well Don, you can get back to roasting Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon, Milton Berle, George Burns, Jack Benny and the hundreds of other celebrities you used to insult!! R.I.P. Mr. Rickles. You will be missed.?” D Rock
