Don Rickles
Don Rickles
I was fortunate enough to be sidled up at Dave Letterman’s desk for 17 years during every commercial break on The Late Show. I got to meet many of the guests because of my proximity to them at the taping. As a result I got to interact with some of the greatest cultural figures of our time. Most of the interactions were brief, yet thrilling.
I have had hundreds and hundreds of experiences that I never dreamed would come true, and I reminded myself often to never take them for granted. As a staff member at the Late Show, we were asked not to bother guests in their dressing rooms, unless we knew them. If we ran into the guests in the green room or in the hall, we were welcome to chat with them, as long as they seemed willing. Yet, when Don Rickles first came to the show, I snuck up to his dressing room to meet him.
Rickles was not only one of my comedy heroes, but he was also my dad’s favorite comedian. Rickles was loved and befriended by so many showbiz icons. Frank Sinatra, Johnny Carson and Bob Newhart to name a dazzling few. Don was an original. One-of-a-kind. Authentic, powerful and at the perfect moment, beautifully vulnerable. The foundation for the best kind of comedy has always been the truth. Don hammered that home. He held a mirror up to us and made us all laugh at ourselves.
I knocked on Don’s door and I sheepishly started the conversation. “Excuse me Mr. Rickles, my name is Eddie Brill and I am a stand-up comedian and a huge fan and I work here at the show, and I hope I am not bothering you…” At that moment Rickles grabbed my hand and brought me into his dressing room and sat me down. He introduced me to his friends, long time road manager, Tony O and his valet, Harry Goins. They instantly made me feel at home.
Rickles started asking me about my life and my career and the three of them made me feel like we were old friends, just catching up. Fifteen minutes went by in a flash and I realized that I had to run back downstairs to start the audience warm up. I could have stayed there in that room for hours. After Don’s hilarious segment with Dave, he called me over to shake hands and wished me well. With each subsequent visit, I would spend time with Don before the show and we’d catch up on each other’s lives. After the tapings Don would give me a hug and invite me to see him at a performance if I was ever in the same city.
In late 2000, I had one of the greatest moments in my life. I was invited to dinner with Don Rickles and Dave Letterman. Also joining us were Don’s wife Barbara, writer Bill Scheft, and Don’s longtime publicist, Paul Shefrin. Paul is the son of Rickles’ previous publicist, Gene Shefrin. Don loved to keep it all in the family. We were all situated in a private room at the beautiful Venetian Italian restaurant Remi, very close to the Ed Sullivan Theater. Everyone traded stories and I laughed for two and a half hours. I kept stepping outside of myself, trying to take it all in, pinching myself that I was part of this night.
In August of 2001, I had just come back from the Late Show’s long two week summer break, working in London and Hong Kong. Don was again a guest on the show and I visited him in his dressing room before the taping. I shared with Don that I had gotten the stand up booking job earlier that year, and we talked about the Hong Kong gig. Don loved traveling the world and he was very curious about how the comedy went down overseas. When Don came out as a guest, he was making Dave crack up like usual. Non-stop laughter, wrapped in a very warm and kind heart.
At one point, Don couldn’t remember a name he wanted to talk about, and I knew who he meant. So I yelled to them on set during the taping and shouted, “Tommy Lee Jones!” Don looked at me and jokingly started calling me a hockey puck. I beamed with pride. I, like most people, was honored to have Rickles make fun of me. Don continued to poke fun and told me that he would have gotten the name eventually. Dave then asked Rickles on the air, “Why are you yelling at the kid, he helped you out.” Don said, he was only kidding, and that he loved me, and then he brought up the dinner we were all at, the Hong Kong shows and the new comedy booking position at the show. I ran home and called my father and told him to watch the show that night. When my father heard Rickles talk highly of me, it made him tear up. He was so proud and he was bursting with love and joy. After all, my dad originally didn’t want me to be a stand up comedian, and now he couldn’t be more proud.
As the years went on, and with each performance, Rickles continued to wow. The laughter onstage and in the audience was palpable. As Don got older, he would need a little assistance to come down off of the set, and he would look to me, to help him down. It made me feel so loved and cherished that he reached out to grab my hand.
Like he did that very first time we met.
