A Don Rickles & Regis Philbin Laughfest: Stories, Film Clips and Fun is scheduled for The Pavilion at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek on Saturday, March 4, at 8 p.m.
Tickets (priced at $150/$100/$75) are now on sale via Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-653-8000). The Pavilion box office will open at 1 p.m. on the day of the show for on-site ticket purchases and will call pickup.
The 90-minute show will feature Rickles, one of comedy’s most famous funnymen, and Philbin, a cultural icon in television broadcasting.
Rickles has earned the nicknames “The Merchant of Venom” and “Mr. Warmth” (coined affectionately by Johnny Carson). His style of comedy is never mean-spirited and all part of his act. It has been said that being “insulted” by Rickles is like “wearing a badge of honor”.
Rickles’ first step toward national fame was when he spotted Frank Sinatra in the audience at a nightclub in Miami Beach. He eyed Sinatra and said, “I just saw your movie, The Pride and the Passion, and I want to tell you, the cannon was great. Make yourself at home, Frank. Hit somebody.”
Sinatra enjoyed Rickles so much that he returned to see him when he was performing in Los Angeles and encouraged other celebrities to see his act. Hollywood stars flocked to see Rickles to become a target of his zingers. Sinatra’s continued support helped Rickles become a popular performer in Las Vegas, where he started in 1959 and has been a headliner ever since.
Shortly after being discovered by Sinatra, Rickles made his acting debut in 1958’s Run Silent Run Deep. The movie was a hit, launching Rickles’ career as a movie, television and stage actor. His still-growing television and film resume includes roles in Casino, Kelly’s Heroes, The Rat Race, all three Toy Story films, HBO’s Tales From the Crypt, Bravo’s My Life on the D-List with Kathy Griffin and a surprise appearance on the TV Land comedy Hot In Cleveland.
Rickles has received numerous awards, including two primetime Emmy® Awards, including Best Individual Performance in a Variety or Musical for the 2008 HBO special Mr. Warmth: The Don RicklesProject, the “Legend Award” from TV Land and one of the highest honors in the entertainment business, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2000. He also received the prestigious Johnny Carson Award for Comedic Excellence at The Comedy Awards in 2012 and in 2013 was honored with the Friars Club’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Comedy. Rickles’ best-selling memoir Rickles‘ Bookwas released in 2007, followed by the 2008 title, Rickles‘ Letters.
Philbin is most widely known as the former host of the nationally syndicated morning talk shows Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee and Live! with Regis and Kelly.
After taking over hosting duties from Steve Allen on a late-night talk show and finally gaining national exposure in 1967 as the sidekick on The Joey Bishop Show, he moved to mornings as the host on A.M. Los Angeles and then on to host The Regis Philbin Show, where he was honored with his first Emmy® Award.
In 1983, Philbin made the move to New York City to host The Morning Show and in 1985 Katie Lee Gifford came on board. The show was renamed Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee. The duo’s on-air chemistry made the show a phenomenal success and it became nationally syndicated in 1988.
In 1998, Philbin began hosting the highest-rated prime-time game show in history, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Though initially slated for a two-week release in late summer, the success of the show insured its return and made the Philbin phrase “Is that your final answer?” a staple in pop-culture circles to this day.