DON RICKLES The Merchant of Venom

Michael Seth Starr's book details all of the minutiae of the professional side of comedian Don Rickles, and Johnny Heller uses his best, somewhat nasal, anchorman voice to present it. While we are told that Rickles was very different from the insulting person he portrayed in his sixty-year comedy career, this audio has little, if any, insight into the man behind those jokes. Heller sounds a bit bored in parts, and perhaps he cannot be faulted. The inclusion of the in-depth production credits of such meager efforts as the Frankie Avalon/Annette Funicello 1960s teen beach movies fills pages but provides no revelations, nor does it add to the currently available information. Perhaps this is a petty observation, but Heller should brush up on his Yiddish pronunciation. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2022]