Don Rickles was gold when he appeared on TV shows. He could make fun of anyone in the audience based on gender, age, religion, ancestry or sexual preference. He’s the type of comic that is no longer allowed on a talk show for fear of a boycott and a nasty hashtag Twitter. But in the 20th century, people enjoyed being insulted by Mr. Warmth. Why? Because Don wasn’t a hateful guy who used his comedy to excuse bigotry. Celebrating his birthday (Rickles passed away in 2017), Shout Factory TV is streaming his C.P.O. Sharkey TV series, his network TV specials and visits to The Tonight Show & Carol Burnett. Here is the press release from Shout! Factory TV with details of the Don Rickles marathon:
| SHOUT! FACTORY TV PREMIERES C.P.O. SHARKEY: THE COMPLETE SERIES, DON RICKLES COMEDY SPECIALS STREAMING MAY 1 STREAMING LAUNCH TO BE SUPPORTED BY 24-HOUR RICKLES BIRTHDAY MARATHON MAY 8 ON SHOUT! FACTORY TV |
| Los Angeles – April 22, 2021 – One of comedy’s most famous funnymen heads to streaming for the first time ever with a premiere on Shout! Factory TV May 1. The streaming service will release the complete two-season run of C.P.O. Sharkey alongside classic hourlong comedy specials from the 1970s starring the legendary Don Rickles. Fans can soon enjoy four hilarious comedy specials – The Many Sides of Don Rickles, Don Rickles: Alive and Kicking, Mr. Warmth and The Don Rickles Special – featuring a who’s who of guest stars including Johnny Carson, Bob Newhart, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Carroll O’Connor, Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Anne Meara, Jack Klugman, and many more. In addition to the specials, this launch includes the complete series of Rickles’ beloved series C.P.O. Sharkey. After serving in the Navy during WWII, Rickles found a perfect vehicle for his inimitable brand of comedy with C.P.O. Sharkey, a satirical look at Navy life which ran on NBC for two seasons and 37 episodes (1976-78). As a 24-year naval veteran, Otto Sharkey had pretty much seen and heard it all. The unseasoned recruits he whipped into shape received most of his wisdom, though sometimes it was served up as sharp-tongued barbs. And, though the men of Company 144 were bunglers and blockheads, they were his bunglers and blockheads — ready, willing, and able to endure one verbal Shark attack after another. Beneath his barbed exterior, however, there was a heart of gold and Otto helped his recruits survive boot camp and life with equal measure. “I’m so happy that my father’s comedy specials, along with C.P.O. Sharkey, will finally be available to stream,” said Mindy Rickles. “I grew up watching my father’s groundbreaking comedy; and now his genius will be accessible for new generations of viewers.” Shout! Factory TV will also celebrate the streaming launch by hosting a birthday marathon in memory of Don Rickles from midnight-to-midnight PT on Saturday, May 8. Throughout the day, Shout! Factory TV will be streaming the Rickles comedy specials, episodes of C.P.O. Sharkey, and curated Rickles-starring episodes of The Johnny Carson Show and The Carol Burnett Show. For nearly seven decades, Don Rickles appeared in top showrooms and concert halls throughout the world and is regarded among the world’s top entertainers. Rickles is a star whose career spanned stand-up comedy, headlining residencies, frequent variety show and late-night talk show appearances, scripted television, and major feature films. Rickles earned the nicknames The Merchant of Venom and Mr. Warmth (coined affectionately by Johnny Carson) for his insult style of humor, a signature that grew from his responses to hecklers in the early days of his stand-up act. Being roasted by Rickles became a measure of show business industry status and a badge of honor, which was enjoyed by almost every major celebrity from Frank Sinatra to Ryan Gosling. The recipient of an Emmy Award, The TV Land Legend Award, The Friars Club Legend Award and the Johnny Carson Comedy Legend Award, Rickles’ status as a comedic icon has long been cemented. His very last project, an unscripted Web series entitled Dinner with Don, won both a Telly Award for Non-Scripted Web Series and an International Academy of Web Television Award for Best Comedy Series in 2018. C.P.O. Sharkey and the Don Rickles comedy specials will be available for streaming on demand across Shout! Factory TV platforms, on ShoutFactoryTV.com; Shout! Factory TV’s Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and Android apps; and on various Shout! Factory TV branded channels including Tubi, Amazon Prime Channels, and the Roku Channel. The marathon can be viewed on ShoutFactoryTV.com; Shout! Factory TV’s Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and Android apps; and the following digital streaming platforms: Twitch, Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus, Comcast Xfinity, Xumo, Vizio, Redbox, IMDb TV, STIRR, Sling TV, THETA.tv and Local Now. |
| About Shout! Factory TV Shout! Factory TV is a digital entertainment streaming service that brings timeless and contemporary cult favorites to pop culture fans. Shout! Factory TV offers an unrivaled blend of original programming and TV shows and movies curated from major studios, independent producers and its own distinctive entertainment library. The Shout! Factory TV family of channels also includes Mystery Science Theater 3000, TokuSHOUTsu™ and Johnny Carson TV, with more to come soon. Shout! Factory TV provides an immersive, high-quality viewing experience across a wide variety of platforms: online at ShoutFactoryTV.com, on smartphone devices, tablets and connected TV, and via apps on the Roku player, Android, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. Shout! Factory TV is also available as a branded channel on Amazon Prime Channels, Comcast Xfinity, IMDb TV, Pluto TV, Redbox, Roku Premium Subscriptions, Samsung TV Plus, STIRR, Tubi, Twitch, Vizio and XUMO, among others. For more information, please visit ShoutFactoryTV.com. |
