The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast | |
---|---|
Genre | Dean Martin Show segment |
Production | |
Producer | Greg Garrison |
Running time | Varies |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | October 31, 1974 December 7, 1984 | –
Related | |
The Dean Martin Show |
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast is an American series of television specials hosted by entertainer
History
In 1973, The Dean Martin Show was declining in popularity. In its final season, to pick up the ratings and to require less of Martin's involvement, it was retooled into a series of celebrity roasts by adding a feature called "Man of the Week Celebrity Roast." The roasts seemed to be popular among television audiences and are often marketed in post-issues as part of the official Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts and not The Dean Martin Show. After The Dean Martin Show was cancelled in 1974, NBC drew up a contract with Martin to do several specials and do more roast specials. Starting with Bob Hope in 1974, the roast was taped in California and turned out to be a hit, leading to many other roasts to follow.[1]
In the fall of 1974, the roasts moved permanently to the
The roastmaster (Martin), the roastee, and the roasters would be seated on a dais. The roastees were also referred to as "Man of the Hour", "Woman of the Hour", or "Man of the Week" in earlier episodes.
The Roast
Every roast began with an introduction by roastmaster Martin, with jokes about the celebrity in question. He would then introduce each member of the dias, who would take turns adding insults or jokes about the honoree. For example, during the roast of Bette Davis, veteran actor Henry Fonda said that I've been close to Bette Davis for thirty-eight years - and I have the cigarette burns to prove it. In the end, the honoree would have their chance to insult the roastmaster and members of the dias.
Trivia
In two instances, a pair of celebrities were roasted at the same time:
Home media
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts were released on DVD through
Episodes
As a segment on The Dean Martin Show
- Governor Ronald Reagan, September 14, 1973 (Show #904)
- Hugh Hefner, September 21, 1973 (Show #901)
- Roasters: Dick Martin, Audrey Meadows
- Roasters:
- Ed McMahon, September 28, 1973 (Show #902)
- Roasters: Charo, Ernest Borgnine, Pat Buttram, Jack Carter, Dom DeLuise, Steve Landesberg, Jackie Vernon, Dionne Warwick
- William Conrad, October 5, 1973 (Show #903)
- Roasters: Petula Clark, Phyllis Diller, Jackie Gayle, Bob Newhart, Nipsey Russell
- Kirk Douglas, October 12, 1973 (Show #905)
- Roasters: Lynn Anderson, Jack Burns, Norm Crosby, Jackie Gayle, Ted Knight, Rich Little, Don Rickles, Avery Schreiber
- Bette Davis, October 19, 1973 (Show #909)
- Senator Barry Goldwater, October 26, 1973 (Show #907)
- Johnny Carson, November 2, 1973 (Show #914)
- Roasters:
- Wilt Chamberlain, November 9, 1973 (Show #911)
- Roasters: Ken Berry, Norm Crosby, Jackie Gayle, Happy Hairston, George Kennedy, Audrey Meadows, Nipsey Russell, Vernon Scott, Bill Shoemaker
- Senator and former Vice President Hubert Humphrey, November 23, 1973 (Show #913)
- Carroll O'Connor, December 7, 1973 (Show #908)
- Roasters: Dick Martin, Donald O'Connor, Charles Nelson Reilly, Don Rickles, Dan Rowan, Nipsey Russell, Ward Wood, Robert Wood
- Roasters:
- Monty Hall, December 14, 1973 (Show #912)
- Jack Klugman & Tony Randall, December 21, 1973 (Show #910)
- Roasters: Laffit Pincay, Jr., Soupy Sales, Jackie Vernon
- Roasters:
- Zsa Zsa Gabor, January 11, 1974 (Show #906)
- Leo Durocher, January 18, 1974 (Show #917)
- Roasters: Foster Brooks, Jack Carter, Chuck Connors, Dizzy Dean, Alex Karras, Gene Kelly, Gladys Knight, Bobby Riggs, Maury Wills
- Truman Capote, January 25, 1974 (Show #920)
- Don Rickles, February 8, 1974 (Show #918)
- Roasters: Dick Martin, Bob Newhart, Cliff Robertson, Dan Rowan, Nipsey Russell, Telly Savalas, George C. Scott
- Roasters:
- Ralph Nader, February 15, 1974 (Show #919)
- Jack Benny, February 22, 1974 (Show #923)
- Roasters: ,
- Redd Foxx, March 1, 1974 (Show #915)
- Bobby Riggs, March 6, 1974 (Show #916)
- George Washington (portrayed by Jan Leighton), March 15, 1974 (Show #922)
- Roasters:
- Dick Martin, March 22, 1974
- Hank Aaron, March 29, 1974 (Show #921)
- Joe Namath, April 5, 1974 (Show #925)
As The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast
- Bob Hope, October 31, 1974 (Show #1001)
- Roasters: Neil Armstrong, Johnny Bench, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Omar Bradley, Foster Brooks, Howard Cosell, Phyllis Diller, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Billy Graham, Dolores Hope, Henry Kissinger, Rich Little, Ronald Reagan, Don Rickles, Sugar Ray Robinson, Ginger Rogers, Nipsey Russell, Mark Spitz, James Stewart, John Wayne, Flip Wilson
- Telly Savalas, November 15, 1974
- Roasters: Dick Martin, Darren McGavin, Don Rickles, Richard Roundtree, Dan Rowan, Nipsey Russell, Robert Stack, Shelley Winters
- Roasters:
- Lucille Ball, February 7, 1975
- Roasters: Dick Martin, Rich Little, Gary Morton, Don Rickles, Ginger Rogers, Dan Rowan, Nipsey Russell, Vivian Vance. Note: This roast was Jack Benny's last television appearance, airing five weeks after his death in December 1974.
- Roasters:
- Jackie Gleason, February 27, 1975
- Sammy Davis Jr., April 25, 1975 (Show #1005)
- Michael Landon, May 15, 1975
- Evel Knievel, November 11, 1975
- Valerie Harper, November 20, 1975
- Roasters:
- Muhammad Ali, February 19, 1976
- Dean Martin, February 27, 1976
- Roasters: Dick Martin, Joe Namath, Tony Orlando, Don Rickles (Roastmaster), Dan Rowan, Nipsey Russell, James Stewart, John Wayne, Orson Welles
- Roasters:
- Dennis Weaver, April 27, 1976
- Roasters: Milton Berle, Amanda Blake, Foster Brooks, Red Buttons, Ruth Buzzi, J. D. Cannon, Mike Connors, William Conrad, Georgia Engel, Steve Forrest, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Peter Graves, George Hamilton, Jim Hutton, Sheldon Leonard, Rich Little, Martin Milner, Nipsey Russell, Milburn Stone, Shelley Winters
- Joe Garagiola, May 25, 1976
- Redd Foxx, November 26, 1976
- Danny Thomas, December 15, 1976
- Ted Knight, February 3, 1977
- Roasters: Edward Asner, Foster Brooks, Red Buttons, Jack Carter, Scatman Crothers, Georgia Engel, Harvey Korman, Gavin MacLeod, Jackie Mason, Julie McWhirter, Kelly Monteith, LaWanda Page, Renée Richards, James Stewart, Willie Tyler & Lester, Jimmie Walker, Orson Welles, Paul Williams,
- Roasters:
- Dan Haggerty, February 11, 1977
- Gabe Kaplan, February 21, 1977
- Peter Marshall, May 22, 1977
- Roasters: Joey Bishop, Ed Bluestone, Foster Brooks, Red Buttons, Jack Carter, Wayland Flowers & Madam, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Jackie Gayle, Paul Lynde, Rose Marie, Vincent Price, Rip Taylor, Karen Valentine, Jimmie Walker, Orson Welles
- Angie Dickinson, August 2, 1977
- Jack Klugman, March 17, 1978
- Roasters:
- Jimmy Stewart, May 10, 1978 (Show #1306)
- George Burns, May 17, 1978
- Betty White, May 31, 1978
- Frank Sinatra, July 2, 1978
- Roasters: Milton Berle, Ernest Borgnine, George Burns, Red Buttons, Ruth Buzzi, Dom DeLuise, Peter Falk as Columbo, Redd Foxx, Gene Kelly, Jack Klugman, Rich Little, Barbara Marx, LaWanda Page, Ronald Reagan, Don Rickles, Jilly Rizzo, Telly Savalas, James Stewart, Orson Welles, Flip Wilson, Jonathan Winters
- Suzanne Somers, November 21, 1978
- Roasters: David Doyle, Norman Fell, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Jackie Gayle, Norm Crosby, Lorne Greene, Bernie Kopell, Audra Lindley, Rich Little, Lee Meriwether, LaWanda Page
- Roasters:
- Joe Namath, January 19, 1979
- Roasters: David Doyle, Jackie Gayle, Sandy Herdt, Bruce Jenner, Bernie Kopell, Rich Little, Lee Meriwether, Mel Tillis, Jimmie Walker, Orson Welles
- Roasters:
- Joan Collins, February 24, 1984
- Mr. T, March 14, 1984
- Michael Landon, July 12, 1984
Syndication
In recent years The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast has been shown on Decades and its successor network Catchy Comedy as a "Weekend Binge" (later renamed "The Catchy Binge") and as a "Thanksgiving Roast" marathon on Thanksgiving Day. Catchy Comedy presented a "Catchy Binge" of the series on August 5–6, 2023.
See also
References
- ISBN 1-4000-9833-5
- ISBN 0-380-73222-X
- ISBN 0-8108-5335-3
- ISBN 1-4000-9833-5
- ^ The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts: Complete DVD Collection Archived January 4, 2014, at the Wayback Machine