Jeff Ross on Don Rickles

Comedian Jeff Ross sat with Rich and shared two Don Rickles stories, one famous and one personal, that explain why Rickles meant so much to him.

The famous one first. Rickles is in a Vegas booth with his wife Barbara. Frank Sinatra comes over to say hello. Rickles drops his fork and says, "Frank, can't you see I'm busy? I'm with people." A classic bit that aired on The Tonight Show.

Ross's father, Ronnie Livshultz, a New Jersey catering legend, saw the Tonight Show bit. A decade later, Ronnie is in Atlantic City at Resorts International Casino with his girlfriend, who is also named Barbara. Rickles is in the same steakhouse. They recognize each other. Ronnie walks over and asks a favor. He tells Rickles he's with someone he really likes, and if Rickles would stop by later and pretend to know him, it would really impress her. Rickles rolls his eyes. He knows what he's walking into.

Later, Rickles comes over to the table. "Hey, Ronnie. How you doing, buddy? Is this Barbara you told me about?" Ronnie drops his fork and says, "I'm eating, Don." Rickles slapped his knee. Ross's father died when he was nineteen, so Ross wondered for years if the story really happened. Years later, when he started on Broadway, Barbara's daughter sent him a note. Her mother still talked about the night Don Rickles came over to the table. It really happened.

The personal story was smaller and stuck harder. Ross was at Milton Berle's funeral. He ducked into a private bathroom he happened to know about behind the funeral parlor. Forty-five seconds later, he opens the door. Rickles is standing there with his hands on his hips, having waited. Rickles looks at him and says, "What, was there a dead ass in there?" Ross walked away thinking Rickles knows me. I made it.

The third moment was the one that sealed it. When Buddy Hackett died, Ross had to sit next to Rickles at the funeral and deliver a eulogy he'd worked hard on. Larry Gelbart had signed off on it. Ross was nervous because Rickles had always been a little jealous of Ross's friendship with Hackett. After Ross delivered the eulogy, Rickles tapped him on the knee. Good job. A black belt in busting balls, validated by the master himself.

You only roast the ones you love.