Amy Poehler Cracks Up Don Rickles on 'Dinner With Don,'

Amy Poehler Cracks Up Don Rickles

There was once a time in America, believe it or not, when we didn’t take ourselves so seriously. People could get together and laugh hysterically. At each other. Amy Poehler remembers those days. Usually there were tuxedos involved, she says, and invariably there were drinks in hand. We weren’t quite so … sensitive. Poehler says doing what did for five decades is hard for young comedians to pull off these days. It’s difficult to imagine a host treating a Hollywood A-list prima donna the way Rickles did Sammy Davis back in the day. Instead of gasps of shock, howls of laughter met his wisecracks about the legendary singer. AARP Membership: Don Rickles was the only one who could get away with it. “I have based my whole humor on laughing at bigotry,” he said at one such roast. “But if you don’t laugh back, it’s not funny.” And boy did targets like Sammy Davis Jr. laugh back. Along with everyone else around them. And why do we laugh? Rickles asked at the same venue. Dean Martin had the answer: “Because we must.” Amy Poehler, one of the most successful actors, writers and producers of comedy in the business today, would definitely agree.

For More ' Dinner with Don'

Community Forum:

Watch Dinner with Don

Episode:
Episode:
Episode: Amy Poehler
Episode:
Episode:
Episode: Episode: Episode: Episode: Episode: Episode: Episode: Episode: The series was produced by AARP Studios, Winbrook Entertainment and Stamper Lumber Company. Featured AARP Member Benefits See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > See more Entertainment offers > Cancel You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Your email address is now confirmed. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. Cancel Offer Details Disclosures

Close In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails related to AARP volunteering. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly receive communications related to AARP volunteering. In the meantime, please feel free to search for ways to make a difference in your community at Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again.