Muhammad Ali at 70: Dean Martin Celebrity Roast of Ali (Video)
by Scott Christ on Jan 17, 2012 11:15 AM EST
in Boxing History
Email
PrintIf you're like me, you love Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. So in honor of Muhammad Ali's 70th birthday, here's the Ali roast. And it has Gabe Kaplan!!! (To be fair to Mr. Kotter, he has a pretty good Floyd Patterson glass chin joke.)
A pretty decent roast, and unlike modern roasts, you know, not vulgar for the sake of vulgar (I find vulgarity funny, I'm not a prude, but the Comedy Central roasts always lose their edge after 30 minutes or so). Plus this lineup of talent is so incredibly varied -- everyone's not on the same tone all the way through.
I think my favorite part is definitely Patterson losing it on "credit to your rice." Red Buttons was just tremendous. I also really like the Georgia Engel act here; I always like when someone does comedy within their comedy at these things, like Norm MacDonald did at the Bob Saget roast, which may be among my 20 favorite things to ever happen.
10 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Just got around to watching, and I really enjoyed it. I remember the 70s, and I couldn’t help thinking that it was such a different time, with a different view of the incessant drumbeat of “race relations” and how they were being presented to the public by the entertainment industry (I always remember the “Rat Pack” with Sammy Davis Jr., Martin, and Sinatra).
And then I realized that in the back of my mind I kept thinking, “Holy crap, I remember these people; they’re dead!” I’ve gotten old.
But, it was fun to see thuis.
He was quite a colorful character, and a natural entertainer.
He was just awful at boxing, though. He used to drive me nuts.
He drove me nuts too, absolutely crazy, most obnoxious man ever. But he wasn’t awful at boxing, imo. That’s part of what was so irritating.
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939
Why was he obnoxious
And irritating?
Youngster here and just love his voice. I always think of him as a broadcasting icon in my mind
by Sweet science on Jan 17, 2012 7:24 PM EST up reply actions
Well, he’s definitely iconic because of the Ali interactions, not to mention other stuff like original Monday Night Football (he broke the news of the Lennon assassination live on one broadcast), but I think he rubbed some people (myself at times included) the wrong way by inserting himself into the story maybe more than a “journalist” should. Rather than covering the subject, he loved the limelight and wanted to be part of the story and some of the affectations and provocative stuff came off as sort of self-serving and disingenous. Not to mention he was just generally loud and brash. If that helps….
I’m glad somebody loved his voice. I didn’t. There are actual statistics somewhere (can’t cite them properly) on how women hated him much more than men. I’ve never met a woman in my life who heard him that could stand him. But to me, I’ll say this, he did know boxing. I couldn’t bear him, but I learned a lot from him. Don Dunphy was the man, though.
JFoley’s “loud and brash” says it well
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939
Cheers to you & Jfoley
I’m glad somebody loved his voice. I didn’t
I think its beause I can do quite a good impression of him. In my mind anyway :)
by Sweet science on Jan 19, 2012 6:05 AM EST up reply actions
I thought he was terrible with boxing because he tended to pick one fighter to really commentate on, and ignore a great deal of the rest of the fight. I know that anyone will do this to some degree, only because no human can see and remark on everything. But Cosell was egregious. I’d watch fights while listening to him, and just want to spank him.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bad Left Hook
Related FanShots on Bad Left Hook
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
