{"product_id":"don-rickles-the-merchant-of-venom-9780806541730","title":"Don Rickles: The Merchant of Venom","description":"\u003cb\u003eAn entertaining, hilarious, biting biography of \"Mr. Warmth,\" the infamously prickly comic who dominated Hollywood and Las Vegas for decades, making an artform out of heckling his friends, family and \u003ci\u003eespecially\u003c\/i\u003e his audiences - and they couldn't get enough of it.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHaving ridden a wave of success that lasted more than sixty years, Don Rickles is best known as the \"insult\" comic who skewered presidents, royalty, celebrities, and friends and fans alike. But there was more to \"Mr. Warmth\" than a devilish ear-to-ear grin and lightning-fast put-downs. Rickles was a loving husband, an adoring father who suffered a devastating loss, and a loyal friend to the likes of Bob Newhart and Frank Sinatra. Don was also a young student at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and intended to become a serious actor. But it was in small nightclubs where Rickles found success, steamrolling hecklers, honing his acerbic put-downs, and teaching the world to love being insulted.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eDon Rickles, The Merchant of Venom\u003c\/i\u003e traces career from his rise in the 1950s to a late-in-life resurgence thanks to the \u003ci\u003eToy Story\u003c\/i\u003e franchise, his role in Scorsese's \u003ci\u003eCasino\u003c\/i\u003e, and scores of TV appearances from Carson to Seth Meyers. In the intervening decades, Rickles conquered every medium, including the stage, where the Vegas legend was still performing at the age of eighty-five. In his highly memorable career, he was idolized by a generation of younger comedians including Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, and many others. And all along, Rickles performed in the shadow of a shocking open secret: he was the nicest man in town.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Citadel Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/24\/2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780806541730\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 352\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.95lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 1.00d","brand":"Michael Seth Starr","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44683439538357,"sku":"9780806541730","price":15.26,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_29f7d9dc-ebae-4bf6-97bb-5ffabcd080f3.jpg?v=1727795887","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/don-rickles-the-merchant-of-venom-9780806541730","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}