DEAN MARTIN CELEBRITY ROAST, THE {MUHAMMAD ALI} (TV)
Summary
One in a series of celebrity roasts, hosted by Dean Martin. This event's guest of honor is boxer Muhammad Ali.
Highlights include: Freddie Prinze talking about how he viewed Ali as a child and his attempts to emulate him; Gabe Kaplan poking fun at Ali’s regaining of the heavyweight championship; Red Buttons jokingly comparing Ali to other famous African-Americans throughout history; Tony Orlando riffing on Ali’s particular sense of humor; an appearance by Charlie Callas portraying hapless boxer Billy “Boom-Boom” Berkowitz; Wilt Chamberlain making his own remarks about Ali; Georgia Engel making mock “zingers” concerning Ali and the other roasters; a surprise appearance by Billy Crystal doing an impression of Howard Cosell and Ali; Floyd Patterson poking fun at Ali’s boxing record; Cosell making quips about his long association with Ali, leading to a mock altercation with Ali; a surprise appearance by Ruth Buzzi as her “Gladys Ormphby” character; Gene Kelly thanking Ali for taking the time to meet his children; Sherman Hemsley and Isabel Sanford getting into a mock-argument with Ali; Rocky Graziano comparing the books that he and Ali wrote; Foster Brooks making a comedic speech about Ali’s training regimen; Orson Welles speaking about Ali’s propensity for “poetry”; Nipsey Russell making fun of Ali and the other roasters; and a final word from Ali himself. Commercials deleted.
(This is the first of two programs on this asset. For synopsis and credits of the second, “The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast: Hank Aaron,” see ACCNUM 127073).
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: November 30, 1999 10:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:51:37
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:87567
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: TV - Comedy
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV, 1976
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Greg Garrison … Producer, Director
- Lee Hale … Associate Producer
- Harry Crane … Writer
- Bill Daley … Writer
- Howard Albrecht … Writer
- Sol Weinstein … Writer
- Milt Rosen … Writer
- Larry Markes … Writer
- Terry Hart … Writer
- Stan Burns … Writer
- Mike Marmer … Writer
- Dean Martin … Host
- Muhammad Ali … Guest
- Howard Cosell … Guest
- Orson Welles … Guest
- Freddie Prinze … Guest
- Gabe Kaplan … Guest
- Tony Orlando … Guest
- Gene Kelly … Guest
- Isabel Sanford … Guest
- Wilt Chamberlain … Guest
- Sherman Hemsley … Guest
- Red Buttons … Guest
- Rocky Graziano … Guest
- Georgia Engel … Guest
- Floyd Patterson … Guest
- Foster Brooks … Guest
- Nipsey Russell … Guest
- Herbert Muhammad … Guest
- Charlie Callas … Guest
- Billy Crystal … Guest
- Ruth Buzzi … Guest