The other night, David Letterman had Don Rickles on as a guest. It was an odd appearance, especially when the topic was Mr. Francis Albert Sinatra. In one segment, Rickles talked about how Frank was his hero…someone he very much loved and admired. In another, Dave asked Don to tell the story of the night Sinatra saved Shecky Greene's life…and Rickles, somewhat reluctantly, told the following tale…
The story is…it's not a pleasant thing. Shecky was always, you know, making fun of the mob…great comedian, great sense of humor and still does. And funny, funny, funny. And one night, Frank got a little — the way I understand it — fed up and he said to the guys, "I don't like it any more. Work him over." When Frank says, "Work him over," you phone your family and say goodbye. No, it wasn't really that bad. Well, it was. So they got him, the way I understand it, backstage at the Fontainebleau or someplace and they started banging on him. Bang! Bang! Bang! And Frank walked in and said, "I think that's enough." And Shecky's like this…(slumps in chair as if knocked unconscious).
Okay now, first point: Rickles wasn't there. That is, if this even happened. Did it? Or more to the point, does Rickles think it actually happened? It's kind of a Vegas legend, and I think Shecky Greene used to tell it as a joke. "Frank Sinatra once saved my life. A bunch of his goons were working me over and he said, "That's enough."
But what's alleged here is that Frank Sinatra once got annoyed because a night club comedian was ridiculing the Mafia so he had some men beat the crap out of the comedian. Does Rickles think it happened?
If not, why does he tell the story and make his friend and hero seem like a pretty reprehensible human being? He didn't make it sound like a joke. He made it sound like it actually happened. Sinatra used to get furious with folks who said he had mob connections and acted like one of those thugs.
But if Rickles thinks it happened…well, how do you admire a guy who'd do something like that? Even if you weren't a night club comedian who routinely did the kind of thing Shecky Greene did, how do you worship a guy who gives the order to have another human being beaten-up for telling jokes?