What a great trip down memory lane to catch this entry in the Dean Martin Celebrity Roast series. I would make it a point to see as many of these as I could back in the day, and this was one I remember catching back in 1977. It was so cool to see so many celebrities in one place at one time having a good time and making us all laugh along with them as they paid tribute to one of their own. Now I wasn't a big Frank Sinatra fan, but you didn't have to be to enjoy this show. I just watched it on a less than perfect DVD copy, but what the picture lacked in quality was more than made up for with some side splitting humor and a great sense of nostalgia for times gone by.
Dean Martin of course hosted as Master of Ceremonies as he always did, and I was always kind of curious why it was he who got to do the honors in headlining the bill. He was a natural of course, and had this spontaneous way about him that was evident even in his variety show of the mid-Sixties and early Seventies. When old Blue Eyes himself got to speak at the finale, he paid warm tribute to his friend Dino, but I couldn't quite believe him when he (Sinatra) stated that the drinking was part of Dino's gimmick; Martin looked like he was pretty well sloshed through most of the program.
The guest list getting to take a crack at Sinatra reads like a 'Who's Who of celebrity legends today with some minor exceptions. However the funniest tributes in my opinion, came from lesser known talents like Charlie Callas doing a mob boss interpretation, and Red Buttons who had the dais rolling with his exaggerated delivery. But the funniest, and I have to say, the only one I distinctly remember from over thirty years ago was Ruth Buzzi doing her Gladys Ormphby character from 'Rowan and Martin's laugh-In'. I recall doubling over when she started whaling on Martin as she did her routine, and wondered if she would be bold enough to take it to Sinatra in the same manner. Not to worry, when Sinatra responded to her 'hope chest' remark, she brought the house down with a throw down on the King that had to be one of the highlights of the evening.
And say, can you remember that brief span of time between Ronald Reagan's stint as governor of California and his eight year run as President? He never looked better than he did here, and watching the show today really had a way of making me reflect back on those times when all of his Hollywood buddies gave him the business about his political aspirations. I mean, just listen to Rickles - it was all just so eerily prophetic (in retrospect) to hear him go on about how Reagan just hungered to be President. Unlike Sinatra, for whom it would be a step down from being King.
Anyway, I just got hold of a whole pile of Celebrity Roasts, and I'm glad that Sinatra's was the one on top. I'm definitely looking forward to viewing the rest - they're the kind of entertainment that never grows old, as long as you have a good sense of humor and a warm spot in your heart for the legends who built show business.
Dean Martin of course hosted as Master of Ceremonies as he always did, and I was always kind of curious why it was he who got to do the honors in headlining the bill. He was a natural of course, and had this spontaneous way about him that was evident even in his variety show of the mid-Sixties and early Seventies. When old Blue Eyes himself got to speak at the finale, he paid warm tribute to his friend Dino, but I couldn't quite believe him when he (Sinatra) stated that the drinking was part of Dino's gimmick; Martin looked like he was pretty well sloshed through most of the program.
The guest list getting to take a crack at Sinatra reads like a 'Who's Who of celebrity legends today with some minor exceptions. However the funniest tributes in my opinion, came from lesser known talents like Charlie Callas doing a mob boss interpretation, and Red Buttons who had the dais rolling with his exaggerated delivery. But the funniest, and I have to say, the only one I distinctly remember from over thirty years ago was Ruth Buzzi doing her Gladys Ormphby character from 'Rowan and Martin's laugh-In'. I recall doubling over when she started whaling on Martin as she did her routine, and wondered if she would be bold enough to take it to Sinatra in the same manner. Not to worry, when Sinatra responded to her 'hope chest' remark, she brought the house down with a throw down on the King that had to be one of the highlights of the evening.
And say, can you remember that brief span of time between Ronald Reagan's stint as governor of California and his eight year run as President? He never looked better than he did here, and watching the show today really had a way of making me reflect back on those times when all of his Hollywood buddies gave him the business about his political aspirations. I mean, just listen to Rickles - it was all just so eerily prophetic (in retrospect) to hear him go on about how Reagan just hungered to be President. Unlike Sinatra, for whom it would be a step down from being King.
Anyway, I just got hold of a whole pile of Celebrity Roasts, and I'm glad that Sinatra's was the one on top. I'm definitely looking forward to viewing the rest - they're the kind of entertainment that never grows old, as long as you have a good sense of humor and a warm spot in your heart for the legends who built show business.