From the Archives: Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Warmth, Don Rickles

Don Rickles couldn’t miss the event — Dec. 12 being Frank Sinatra’s birthday. As reported by Abby Sewell for the Los Angeles Times Hollywood Star Walk, Rickles had heckled Sinatra for years:

… Rickles is a famous “insult comic” who, early in his career, made a name for himself by heckling tough-guy singer Frank Sinatra….

In Los Angeles Rickles became a stand-up regular at a club called Slate Brothers. The club was the site of his now-famous heckling of Sinatra. The singer’s mother, Dolly, was a friend of Rickles’ mother, and according to Reuters, Dolly forced her son to go to one of the comic’s performances.

When Sinatra walked in, Rickles greeted him with, “Frank, make yourself at home. Hit somebody.”...

The Los Angeles Times did not do a story on the Sinatra salute — thus this image was not published in 1979.

Former Times staff photographer George Rose added, “I loved that event. A real Rat Pack gathering.”

This post was originally published on Dec. 10, 2012.

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